AFTERGLOW FARM
In mid-June the gardens of Afterglow Farm, vibrant islands of perennials and flowering shrubs in a verdant landscape sprawling along the Lake Michigan shore, will be lush with color. That will be the scene on Sunday, June 16, when the gardens and the grounds of the 120-acre property north of Port Washington will be opened to the public for the Spring in Bloom Garden Tour. “Spring in Bloom will be a rare opportunity for people to see one of the region’s most remarkable examples of country gardening in an environment that is amazingly rich in natural character,” said Jean Schanen, co-chair of the event, which is being organized by the Port Washington Historical Society as a fundraiser. “The garden tour is really an invitation to visit a private preserve of botanical beauty.”

Established in 1929 as a summer residence by Joseph an IIma Uihlein, Afterglow Farm has a Germanic-style timber and fieldstone cottage and outbuildings set amid large informal gardens. Afterglow’s Circle Garden, designed as a cottage garden, features plantings around a fountain and fish pool, surrounded by a vine-covered fence with a decorative iron gate. The terraced Elsie’s Garden includes a stonework floor inspired by the Thyme Walk at Highgrove Estate in England. The gardens are set in a landscape in which maple, beech and ash woodland surround ephemeral ponds, small orchards, a cedar plantation, prairie plantings and ravines. Secluded paths, including one leading to the Lake Michigan beach, wind through the property. Spring in Bloom is a self-guided walking tour and will be held rain or shine. Wheelchair and stroller accessibility is limited due to the terrain. Abundant free parking.

DATE: Sunday, June 16th 2013
TIME: 10:00am to 4:00pm
COST: $8 in advance, $10 on the day of the event
LOCATION: Hwy P, Town of Port Washington 5 miles North of Port Washington off of Hwy LL. See Map below.

Tickets can be purchased at the following locations, or online through the Spring in Bloom website.

Port Washington Ticket Outlets

• Port Washington Historical Society Research Center
• BMO Harris Bank
• Associated Bank
• Port Washington State Bank
• Ozaukee Press
• Pear & Simple

Other Ticket Outlets

• The Garden Room – Shorewood
• Johnson Gardens – Cedarburg
• Bayside Gardens – Bayside
• Otter Creek/Wreath Factory – Plymouth

For more information on the event visit Spring in Bloom on their website or on Facebook, the Port Washington Historical Society website, or email jean@springinbloom.com.

Download an event passport and start exploring. Docents and guides will greet you at each site and share their expertise to make your visit unforgettable.

This year’s event focuses on places totally surprising, newly unveiled, or rarely available to the public. End your day of adventuring at Celebration Headquarters, Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, just a few minutes north of Port Washington, where good food, down-home music, interesting exhibits, and an exciting silent auction that includes fine art and crafts from local artists await you. Bonus! Turn in your passport for free raffle tickets and each stamp obtained will earn you a free ticket to win further adventures in local dining, entertainment, or other surprises.

This event is fun, educational, free and family-friendly!

We have some of the finest scientists and land stewards gathered in this one event to share their passion for our beautiful land and precious waters. For anyone who truly wants to learn more about Ozaukee’s environment, or environment in general, this can be an amazing opportunity. Please share this! Most visitors attend because someone they know suggested it.

WHAT: Treasures of Oz Tour 2013
WHEN: Saturday, June 15th Site open 9:00am – 3:00pm | Celebration: food, music, exhibits, silent auction 12:00pm to 6:00pm

WHERE: 8 natural treasure sites around Ozaukee County, see Map below

Please visit the Treasures of Oz website and on Facebook for more details on each site, driving hints, silent auction items and more!

Late spring is a perfect time to add more locally grown raw, leafy greens to our menus. Not only do we support our local economy when buying from area growers, we enjoy much greater flavor and nutritional value from foods that have not been transported long distances (and save fossil fuels, too!).

Green, leafy vegetables contain large amounts of chlorophyll which detoxify and oxygenate the bloodstream which then carries oxygen throughout the body. Dark leafy greens also provide many vitamins (e.g. A, B1, B2, Niacin, C, E, Folic Acid), minerals (e.g. calcium, iron, manganese) and essential amino acids (important in protein formation).

So get out the salad bowl and enjoy nature’s spring bounty with these delicious recipes!

Quick Garden Salad

• 8 cups organic mixed greens, your choice
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 c. sprouts
• 1 cucumber or 1 zucchini, cubed or thinly sliced
• 2 – 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 lg. tomato, cubed, or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Optional: raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Combine all ingredients, stir in salad dressing of choice and top with sunflower or pumpkin seeds or ―yummy pate (see below).

Spinach Salad

• 1 bunch organic spinach, shredded
• 3 – 4 radishes, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 c. white mushrooms, sliced
• ½ c. fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ c. raw sunflower seeds

Toss all ingredients together and mix in salad dressing of choice.

Tricia DuSaint, M.S., is an educational psychologist and holistic therapist, a certified Living Foods Instructor and a Steering Committee member of Transition Ozaukee.

If you are interested in learning more about Living Foods, please contact: transitionozaukee@gmail.com. This article has been reprinted with permission from the Ozaukee Living Local Newsletter.

Over the course of the winter-spring seasons, our vendors were able to extend the growing season and offer a variety of fresh fruits and plenty of veggies like kale, salad greens, peppers, potatoes, onions, beets and carrots. Fresh herbs were also a feature.

Some of the specialty foods that were found at the market were cheeses, eggs, herbal teas, baked goods, sorghum products, jams, jellies, syrups and honey and yummy kettle-corn.

And…let’s not forget our artisan vendors who brought soy candles, bath and body products, children’s books, hand-made wooden toys and cutting boards. There was so much to see and choose from!

Integrating local musicians added a special flare. We were pleased to highlight several talented musicians over the course of the season; there was a lot of tapping and clapping going on.

I am very pleased with the success of our third year. Our foundations have been set, our plans are being met and the focus of recruiting and broadening our farmer base has been thus far successful.

We extend a sincere thank you to PortFish, LLC, First Congregational Church and of course our vendors for their support and help in making this event possible. It is with immense pride that we have all been able to bring this type of opportunity to our great community.

And to our customers, your support keeps our local growers and artisans going strong. Thank you! And don’t forget that buying local also offers the healthiest, tastiest, freshest products.

See you in November!

Amy Whitlow
Port Washington Winter-Spring Farmers’ Market Manager

You can contact Amy at portwinter@portfish.org for any questions, comments or additional information about the Port Washington Winter-Spring Farmers Market.

Be sure to visit the Transition Ozaukee website to learn more about their mission to transition to a more localized and sustainable future, or to subscribe and have the newsletter and latest blog news delivered right to your email box each month.

Transition Ozaukee is now on Facebook!  Stop by their new Facebook page and give them a like!

Are you looking for inexpensive advertising? Ozaukee Living Local currently goes out monthly to a mailing list of 75 via email, 100 copies in print around Ozaukee County, and is also available online at Transition Ozaukee and PortFish.org.  Ads are roughly 2 1/4″ square or 2 1/4″ x 3″ horizontal or vertical and are only $10/issue! Ads must be received no later than the 15th of each month prior to the month of publication and must be approved by Transition Ozaukee prior to publication. If interested, please click here to send an email to Transition Ozaukee for more information!

This newsletter is published monthly, with the goal of bringing attention to local food. You can download and view the latest issue by clicking the link below.

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Special thanks to the editor of Living Local, Port Washington resident and blogger for Transition Ozaukee, Mary Boyle.