Healthy Potluck Party Salads Cool Wisconsin Prairie Fire Work Crew

In previous posts I have called reverent attention to Wisconsin's glorious grasses.  How vital are these acres of succulent green blades which nourish our mighty bovines. Wisconsin's superior strains of grasses and our grand diversity of weeds account for the superior milk produced by our dairy farmers' cows and transformed into our cheesemasters' championship cheeses. Without our Wisconsin prairie grasses, evolved over eons in radiant sunlight and deep black soil, Wisconsin would be nothing less than a woodlot. Yes, the true Wisconsinite treasures his grasses, which is why in spring Wisconsinites gather to re-enact the ritual once officiated by mother nature, - the ritual prairie burn.

Prairie plants evolved in an ecosystem of periodic fire. Rather than whither and whine, prairie plants adapted. They turned foe into friend. While fire destroys invasive species, the prairie plants depend on the flames to ready their seeds to sprout. Yes, set fire to your yard and watch decades old prairie seeds, previously hidden beneath your Kentucky blue, break free into seedlings that reach for the heavens. Nurture them in sun and rain and they will return your kindness with a magnificent pageant of color and shape. Birds and butterflies will rush to your yard to bask and play in nature's wonderland prairie. At night, lightening bugs will dance choreographed acrobatics to delight the young of heart.

Never a sight was so loved as that of a prairie in bloom. It's only rival perhaps is the view of a fire raging through the dried stalks of last year's prairie grass. With flames whipping high into the wind, and heat scorching the earth, the prairie fire lays waste to all non-native plants intruding on the prairie's natural perfection. To watch this perfection reborn was the draw of last weekend's crowd to a modest patch of prairie belonging to one naturalist couple. On the other hand, maybe all those folks just showed up to drink a keg of Wisconsin, micro-brewed beer and play pyro for a day. Whatever the attraction, there is no better springtime fun than a prairie-fire potluck party in Wisconsin.

And what better potluck dish to pass on such an occasion than a cool, healthy salad. Click on continue reading for more of the story and a recipe for Jicama Coleslaw taken from the Wisconsin cookbook: POTLUCK!

Saturday afternoon's light rain shower turned this prairie fire into an excellent training event. The damp grass had to be raked into piles before it would catch fire. Fragments of fire had to be manually transported among the piles to light them. No chance of this prairie fire getting out of control and scorching the bluebird house like last year. The soggy conditions plus abundance of supervising adults made this burn safe for initiating young Wisconsinites into our prairie fire tradition. Yes, children as young as five manned rakes and poked sticks into flames. These children happily worked for hours while contented adults chatted, drank beer, and watched the grass burn.

But the party wasn't all about burning and beer. There was food of course too, and plenty of it. Inside, the kitchen table and counter top over-flowed with a cornucopia of potluck paradise. In addition to the potluck standards of lasagna, crock-pot casseroles, chips and dip, cakes and pies, were Wisconsin classics: hearty bread, Wisconsin cheeses, and pickled asparagus. My own 6-year-old chose to dine on cheese curds. He said, "Mama, when I bite them they squeak!"

"That's because they're very fresh," I replied. My contribution was Jicama Salad which I appropriately selected from Toni Brandeis Streckert's cookbook: POTLUCK!: Home cooking from Wisconsin's community cookbooks. the recipe was originally published in From Our House To Your House: Recipes From The Madison Curling Club, compiled by Carla Lynch. Here's the recipe:

Jicama Coleslaw

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup peeled, julienned jicama
• 1 medium apple, peach, or nectarine, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped (about 1/2 of a small onion)
• 3 Tablespoons reduced-calorie mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 2 Tablespoons snipped cilantro or parsley
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• Dash to 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• Purple kale (optional)

In large mixing bowl, combine cabbage, jicama, fruit, and red onion. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, cilantro, vinegar, sugar, and ground red pepper. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, tossing to combine. Cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours. Place in a salad bowl. If desired, garnish with kale. Makes 4 servings.

My busy Saturday morning meant I had no time to julienne a jicama or peel an apple. My cabbage was pre-shredded and packaged, which is why you see shreds of carrot in my photo. The veggies and apple were dumped into the food processor and came out jiffy quick. The rush didn't seem to hamper the taste. I especially like the salad's crisp texture and snappy cilantro flavor. Next time I want to use a peach; I think its sweetness will accompany the other veggies well. The recipe made more than enough for 4 people. I'd say it feeds 6-8.

Egads!!!! I look up from my computer on this late-April morning and see snow falling!!! April is Wisconsin's cruelest month. We are teased into burning our prairies and hoeing our gardens only to once again toss aside our rakes and man our snow-blowers. And you wonder why we drink beer. But perseverance through fickle weather is one more Wisconsin tradition. It WILL be 80 degrees by Friday like the TV meteorologist said...IT WILL! Meanwhile, light the wood stove and bring the party inside.

 

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