A Visit to Dairy Carrie's Farm and more!

We are getting ready for the Kansas State Fair this weekend and I just realized that I have not shared our trip to Wisconsin and their state fair.

The boys were very excited for our trip, because we were going to visit Dairy Carrie's farm.  If you aren't already following Dairy Carrie, you really should especially if you love pictures of cute baby calves in your newsfeed!  In case you don't know, the boys and Carrie have had a close bond ever since this cow experience brought the 3 of them together.

When in Wisconsin you have to buy cheese.  We stopped at the Alp and Dell Cheese factory and store in Monroe.  If you are looking for a great selection of cheeses, Tony will not disappoint you.  The Chipotle Gouda makes the most amazing nachos!

Of course when we got to the dairy we had to meet the girls.

 

We always try to make sure we eat just like the locals and apparently at the Wisconsin State Fair a Grilled Cheese is a must.

I mean people were waiting in line for a grilled cheese and there were 10 people manning grills making at least 8 sandwiches at a time.  They really LOVE their Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Wisconsin.

I was told that having a Cream Puff was absolutely necessary by more than one person, so of course we had to go to the Cream Puff Pavilion.  That's right there is an entire building dedicated to the Cream Puff at the Wisconsin State Fair!

You can walk by the windows where they cut pastries all day long.

And the window into the room that must be chilly where they are filling the pastries with yummy filling.

Don't they look yummy?

My youngest thought they were the best breakfast food ever with the best Strawberry Milk ever in his opinion.  Apparently, he thought since we were surrounded by dairy cows that the milk had to be better in Wisconsin.  :)

I loved all the educational displays around the fair.  This was in the middle of all the 4-H dairy heifer stalls.  That my friends is a dried cow stomach.  Did you know that a cow stomach has 4 compartments?  Each compartment is totally different.  We could look into the cut out holes to look inside and see the differences.

 

The Natural Resources area was really cool with archery practice, education about the Emerald Ash Borer, Watersheds, Smoky Bear School and so much more.  We loved it!

Of course after the fair we had to go back to the dairy and work, well only one of us was really into becoming a dairy farmer.

Before we arrived Carrie told me that she was waiting on a calf to be born and the boys were quick to think that it could ride home in the back seat with them.  We quickly shot down that idea.  The boys and Carrie kept checking on the progress in the maternity pen.  While the farmer and I were packing the truck the boys went to check in the barn and she had finally had her new baby.  A Normandy bull calf and if you don't know about Normandy's you should be following Carrie this week has she visits the home of Normandy cattle.

We didn't go empty handed.  Here is about half of our hostess gift that we took to Carrie, Patrick (aka Mr. Dairy Carrie and his parents.  Our gardens were producing like crazy and it had been so cool in Wisconsin that they are just now getting an abundance of produce.

If you notice most of the pictures are of our younger son, the oldest son had an ear infection that started when we were leaving Iowa.  We definitely will have to go back to visit again as he is more of the cow lover.

We are working on our list of must have eats at the Kansas State Fair and I am considering opening a Cream Puff Booth when my kids are done showing out there...they still a few years ahead of them, so I can work on my business plan.  LOL

Be sure to follow along on Facebook as we graze our way across the fair and hopefully win a blue ribbon, too!

A Kansas Farm Mom