Confession: I haven’t lived in Wisconsin since I was 2 years old. But I still consider myself a Wisconsin girl. Why? Because growing up as a military brat, it was the place that always felt like home. The family farms were there. All of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc were all there – many in the same small town. Somehow, I’ve always stayed a Wisconsin girl at heart. I mean, I can even say “Go Pack” with the right accent. LOL And part of someplace being home is the food that you associate with it. While there are plenty of things I would never look for around here (herring comes to mind LOL), there are certain brands that are made in Wisconsin that I still love.
Johnsonville brats – These are still some of the best brats out there (except for maybe the brats made at the little store in my parents’ town.) Luckily, I can now buy these in my regular grocery store. I grill them up and then toss them in a slow cooker with beer and onions. Best picnic food ever!
Jones Dairy Farm sausages – We pretty much live on these sausages. They are all natural, preservative free, and gluten free. We prefer the cooked turkey links that you can pull out of the freezer and have ready in seconds. I stock up every time the grocery store puts them on sale.
Berries Brothers Coffee – I love flavored coffee and this roaster has the widest variety of coffee flavors of any coffee brand I’ve ever seen. With flavors like Packer Perc, Highlander Grogg, and Caramel Chaos, how can you go wrong?
Sartori Cheese – Obviously a Wisconsin girl is going to love cheese. And Sartori cheese is some amazing cheese. I got my first introduction to it as a Fit Foodie 5k ambassador and totally fell in love with some of their interesting flavors like their citrus ginger bellavitano. It was a total bonus when I found out they were a Wisconsin company.
New Glarus beer – OK, I admit that this is a recent addition to my life. My parents moved back to Wisconsin when Jones was born and Beer Geek and I got introduced to New Glarus beers. They have the most amazing Raspberry Tart beer. But here’s the thing – they only distribute in Wisconsin. This has led to many beer filled suitcases being checked on Southwest Airlines. (And it may be a big part of the reason we are driving home this summer instead of flying. Just sayin’.
Have you ever had “Something Special from Wisconsin”? I’m just excited that I can get many of my favorites here in Virginia.
I’m linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for Friday Five. The category this week is “food”, so go check out what everyone else has to say.
I have never heard of these brands! I am not sure we have them in PA. My favorite PA brands are Turkey Hill and I guess Hershey. 😉
Sartori makes a SarVecchio Parmesan that to me, is better than anything from Italy. That cheese is a staple in our house!
And New Glarus? It’s only the best beer, hands down…
This is really cool that you showcased foods from Wisconsin! We have certain foods here in PA that are pretty exclusive to just the area. One thing that comes to mind is “Middlesworth chip”. It was a big deal this week when a bag of Middlesworth was spotted in the episode of “Modern Family” this week! People where like “wow, how did they get those all the way in California”..lol
Being from South Africa I obviously don’t know any of these brands, but they sound really interesting, especially the cheese!
I am certainly with you on the coffee and cheese! 2 of my food groups for sure
What I miss most about Wisconsin was the fresh produce. We’d go strawberry or raspberry picking, the farmer’s market was awesome.
Yum! All this stuff looks awesome. I love cheese curds but I don’t have a specific brand. But I do go out of my way to get them when in WI!
That’s great that you can have so many things from home in Virginia!! I have only had the brats on your list. I feel the same way about New York – I grew up on Long Island but haven’t lived there since I graduated from high school and left for college. I will always be a New Yorker. There’s no place like home, right?!
I had no idea that Sartori was from Wisconsin. That’s awesome! Have a great weekend!
Sartori cheese is AMAZING! I love the variety of flavors that they make.
Yay New Glarus! I’ve been to the brewery three times since I moved to Wisconsin in June. I also love Sartori cheese. 🙂
I love buying local!! My local is a few states away from yours (North Carolina) but those are some great brands!
I don’t even know what brats are, LOL ! But cheese ? Yes, please invite me over. 🙂
Sausages – often made with pork. They are quite tasty on the grill.
So fun that you did a top 5 Wisconsin brands. You definitely held on to it as home if you only lived there until you were 2. Lucky you can get lots of these where you are now. I love that you had cheese at a 5K. What a fun alternative! 🙂
I spent a lot of summers and holidays there since my entire extended family used to live there. We are a bit more spread out now, but both of my parents are from the same small town and that will always be “home”. Even now, I spend a few weeks there each year.