When Ed and Diane Westra bought their family farm from Ed's parents in the early 1980s, they thought they were getting a typical Wisconsin farm. Ed knew the land well, because he had grown up on the 80-acre plot in Randolph. In fact, this dairy farm had been in the Westra family for over 100 years. But when Ed and Diane took over, like any new management, they decided to make some improvements.
The couple started by removing some old buildings that were no longer of use and could not be renovated. Next, they renovated dairy cooling systems and installed refrigeration units to help preserve crops after harvest. Finally, they decided to dig a pond with ditches for irrigation. Everything went as expected, until, in 1989, the Westras began leveling some land and came upon what appeared to be a tooth. After closer inspection, they discovered that the mysterious object was indeed a tooth, but it was larger than any tooth they had ever seen.
They decided to call in an expert from the University of Wisconsin to take a look, and their suspicions were confirmed; it was a tooth from a wooly mammoth. Upon further investigation, they discovered more remains of the Ice Age giant, including a tusk, shoulder, jaw, rib, and vertebrae. In the wake of the new discovery, the Westras decided to rename their newly remodeled farm, and so Mammoth Produce was born.
Today, the farm grows cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, broccoli, eggplant, and a variety of sweet and hot peppers. The Westra family has been selling at the Dane County Farmers' Market since the late 1970s, well before Ed and Diane bought the farm.
The most popular item at the market is cabbage, which is also available in a very limited supply to wholesalers. Mammoth Produce only sells its produce to the public at the Do you have a recipe to share? The recipe is: Prep. time: 20 min. Cook time: 8 min. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in 4 quart saucepan until sizzling; stir in salt, garlic and pepper. Add onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned (4 to 5 min.). Add eggplant and peppers. Continue cooking until vegetables are roasted (4 to 5 minutes). Stir in cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes and basil. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until serving time. Yield: 6 servings.
Ratatouille pasta.
8 oz.(2 1/3 cup) uncooked dried garden rotini (colored) pasta
3 tbs. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 med. onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 med. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch slices, quartered
2 red and/or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 med. tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbs. chopped basil leaves (or 2 tsps. dried basil)