So here we are, camped in Pepin, WI. We’ve been cruising the area, finding great bakeries, pie shops, coffee roasters, etc. But Wisconsin is the epicenter for all things dairy and farm, right? So why is bacon $4-$5 a pound? And why are dairy products so damned expensive? Can someone venture an opinion on this, 'cause I’m baffled?
Nessman? Is that you?
It’s that way because of where you are, which is Nowhere Wisconsin. That area relies on socking it to the passing summer traffic to make money. Say hi to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Visit the southern 1/3 of Wisconsin for reasonable dairy prices and to see cows until you dream about them in your sleep. I’m in Portage and bacon is $2.50 to $3.00 and butter is about $2.00 or less if on sale. Cheese prices skyrocket last year thanks to all the flooding.
Not quite. Here in Pepin, bacon was $5. In Red Wing at Econo it was $4. That’s not exactly cheap, and Red Wing is not exactly in the boonies. I suspect shenanigans in the pork belly cartel.
Red Wing has always been expensive too. I always hated going through that area, because of the prices.
Nice old-town area, though. The prices are a cow-tastrophe, IMO.
As long as we’re on the subject of this area, let me recommend the drive along the Mississippi along US 35. A designated scenic route, it’s a great day-trip if you’re in the MSP area. I highly recommend the following: Smiling Pelican Bakery in Maiden Rock - open Fri, Sat, Sun only, with fresh-baked bread to die for. Stockholm Pie Company in Stockholm: open every day, pies made from scratch daily ($18 for large pie), nothing but fresh ingredients, no canned. Harbor View restaurant in Pepin: has received rave reviews from the New York Times. Try the “Pesce”, a seafood stew in a saffron broth.
We have bacon for $5 a pound and $2 a pound. Take your pick. Where are you shopping? At the [del]tourist traps[/del] specialty shops or the local supermarket?
And I’m in Door Cow-T, Northeast Wis.
Local mom and pop in Pepin, Econo-Foods in Red Wing. Probably not the best of choices. The thread is supposed to be somewhat light-hearted, hence the thread title and its absence from The Pit.
For the love of God, someone tell him turkeys can’t fly before he hurts someone.
It’s a lovely area scenic wise, just don’t get a hankering for a lot of shopping. Does Red Wing have more than one larger mall yet? There were some neat caves around there that have had the entrances covered. I’ve seen them on explorer sites. I hope you get a chance to see the potholes area on the Minnesota side of Interstate Park. It’s north of Pepin.
The only shopping we do is for food items, as we don’t have room for anything else. We’ll probably take a drive down the MN side of the river sometime in the next couple of weeks. It looks like an interesting area over there, and there are large numbers of raptors in the area (on both sides of the river) which are always fun to watch. Oh, and I made a mistake: this is WI 35, not US 35.
You should check out the Nelson cheese factory in Nelson, WI. Awesome cheese curds so fresh that they squeak, and lots of other gourmet cheeses. They also have hand dipped ice ccream and lots of local wines. It’s right across the Mississippi from Wabasha. The National Eagle Center in Wabasha is also a cool way to spend a few hours.
So that’s how they solved the rat problem!