At the Market October 28-30

The farming season ended for me today, though I still have my own gardens to put to bed for the winter. So before I get caught up in the frenzy of holiday baking, I'll be taking a bit of a breather and enjoying a couple days off from ALL work.

That means that while I will have baked goods at Local Roots this week, quantities will be limited. Stop by early to grab what you want!

--Artisan wheat bread
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: chèvre-rosemary, cheddar-dill, Black Swamp Gouda (from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese) with sage, and Lock 21 (Brie-style from Canal Junction) with peppercorn
--Cinnamon-pecan bread
--Garlic-herb baguettes
--Maple oatmeal bread
--Pain aux noix
--Pumpernickel bread
--Rosemary cider bread
--Rosemary walnuts
--Sesame thins

Only one kind of vegetable-cheese roll will make an appearance this week, but it will be worth it:

--Cheddar cauliflower: I can never resist orange cauliflower (var. "Cheddar"), and the good folks at Weaver's Truck Patch have had loads of it lately. You'll find it tucked into these rolls, along with leeks and purple kale from Martha's Farm and dill cheddar curds from Blue Jacket Dairy. I hope to have plenty to last you through the weekend.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and bought Grain Maker goodies last weekend at Local Roots -- you made it my best weekend yet! Who would have thought one year ago that I would have grown the business this much by now? WOW! You are wonderful!

And don't forget, if you loved that maple hickory pie last week, you can order one for Thanksgiving...

Maple Hickory Pie

Even though the leaves are still drifting down from the trees, it's time to start thinking about the holidays. At Local Roots, we're encouraging people to plan a local Thanksgiving feast, and several producers will have special holiday items available for pre-order.

I've got a whole list of items I'll have available for the holidays, both at Local Roots and by special order, and if you stop by the market later this weekend, you can pick up one of the new brochures listing what will be available. Most items will be familiar, but one completely new item on the list will even be available in the bakery case at Local Roots tomorrow and Saturday: maple hickory pie.

I am a long-time fan of pecan pie, but in trying to put together a local Thanksgiving feast two years ago, I modified the usual recipe to replace corn syrup with local maple syrup and pecans with local hickory nuts. The resulting dessert impressed me as well as my folks, so I thought I'd offer it to other folks this season.

I've used the highest quality ingredients: delicious maple syrup from Gortner's along with some organic dark brown sugar, eggs from Adonai Acres, unsalted butter from Hartzler Family Dairy, hickory nuts from Bud Luers, and home-milled spelt flour (organic spelt from Stutzman Farms) combined with unbleached flour, salt, and nonhydrogenated organic vegetable shortening for the crust.

But don't take my word for it. Come to Local Roots this weekend and try a piece -- maybe you'll want it on your holiday table, too.

NOTE: Limited quantities will be available for holiday orders. Orders must be received at least one week in advance of the requested pickup date. Pies will be delivered to Local Roots and run through the market system. Questions? Contact me at thegrainmaker [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

At the Market October 21-23

The fall weather has been gorgeous lately, even with the frequency of frosty mornings. It has inspired me to get into the kitchen to make every day so far this week. Let's just say I prefer to heat my home on baking fumes rather than gas or electric!

This Saturday is the monthly Artisan Day at Local Roots, so come early and stay long! Here's what I plan to have at Local Roots this weekend (starred items available starting Thursday):

--Artisan wheat bread*
--Basil pesto flatbread*
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: chèvre-thyme, cheddar-dill*, Black Swamp Gouda (from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese) with sage*, Miami Erie Canal and parsley*, and Lock 21 (Brie-style from Canal Junction) with peppercorn
--Cinnamon-pecan bread*
--Garlic-herb baguettes*
--Maple oatmeal bread*
--Pain aux noix*
--Pumpernickel bread*
--Rosemary cider bread*
--Rosemary walnuts*
--Savory apple flatbread
--Sesame thins*

I'll have two varieties of vegetable-cheese rolls in the bakery case:

--Spinach-feta returns now that the fall crop of spinach is coming in. This week's greenery is courtesy of the wonderful folks at Breezy Hill Farm, with garlic from Karen's Garden Delights and feta cheese from Lucky Penny Creamery. Consider it a bready version of spanokopita -- and dig in!
--Savory apple rolls take the idea of the savory apple flatbread and roll it all up into a handy sandwich. Carmelized onions meet dried thyme (from Karen's Garden Delights) and apples from Moreland Fruit Farm, and delicious Black Swamp Gouda cheese from Canal Junction Farmstead pulls all the delicious flavors together. The essence of fall!

I'll post again once I have my dessert item made for the bakery case: it's a sneak preview of holiday specials. I'm hoping to have a brochure ready for this weekend with all my other holiday specials listed so you can start planning your Thanksgiving feast and other holiday events -- look for it on my shelf at Local Roots!

NOTE: Stock up this week as next week's selections will be limited due to another scheduled event. But don't worry, Grain Maker baked goods will be back up to full strength after November 1!

At the Market October 14-16

Fall is definitely settling in, and the recent chilly nights have slowed down or completely stopped some of the summer produce. Time to shift gears and bake some hearty, delicious breads for autumn!

Here's what I plan to have at Local Roots this weekend (starred items available starting Thursday):

--Artisan wheat bread*
--Basil pesto flatbread*
--Cheese crackers*
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: chèvre-rosemary, cheddar-dill*, Black Swamp Gouda (from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese) with sage*, Miami Erie Canal and parsley*, and Lock 21 (Brie-style from Canal Junction) with peppercorn
--Cinnamon-pecan bread*
--Garlic-herb baguettes*
--Maple oatmeal bread*
--Pain aux noix*
--Pumpernickel bread*
--Rosemary cider bread*
--Rosemary walnuts*
--Sesame thins*
--Whole wheat pita

In the bakery case, I plan to have only vegetable-cheese rolls this week (two varieties):

--Kale-cheddar: Back again for a third week, since last week's rolls were cleaned out very quickly! Same good ingredients: Adonai Acres kale, Banzhaf Garten leeks, and Blue Jacket Dairy fresh cheddar curds. Try them for lunch!

--Rosemary squash: Brilliantly orange butternut squash from Martha's Farm pairs beautifully with carmelized onion (from Adonai Acres), rosemary (from Karen's Garden Delights), and feta (from Lucky Penny Creamery). These rolls will provide that extra little layer of comfort as you face fall's chill!

See you at the market!

At the Market October 7-9

Did you hear the news? At last week's Eat Local Week kick-off, the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Robert Boggs, gave to Local Roots Market the "Local Food Heroes" award for our efforts to make local food more accessible in the community. What a wonderful honor!

It's very exciting to be a wee little part of the success of this market -- and to know that so many people support the hard work we're doing.

If you haven't been to the market lately, maybe you should stop by! Here's what I plan to have at Local Roots this weekend (starred items available starting Thursday):

--Artisan wheat bread*
--Basil pesto flatbread*
--Cheese crackers*
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: chèvre-rosemary, cheddar-dill*, feta-oregano*, Black Swamp Gouda (from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese) with sage*, Miami Erie Canal and parsley, and Lock 21 (Brie-style from Canal Junction) with peppercorn
--Cinnamon-pecan bread*
--Garlic-herb baguettes*
--Garlic pesto flatbread* -- the last of this year!
--Maple oatmeal bread*
--Pain aux noix*
--Pumpernickel bread* -- back again!
--Rosemary cider bread*
--Rosemary walnuts*
--Sesame thins*

Yes, a couple of things to point out there:

--This will be the last week for the garlic pesto flatbread. I had a bumper crop of garlic scapes to work with in early summer and froze a lot of the pesto, but after this week, it's all gone until next year. Get it while you can!

--Now that the cooler weather has returned, I have decided to go back to making pumpernickel bread instead of light rye bread. I'll see how sales go, but if you have a particular preference, let me know!

--UPDATED: No whole wheat pita this week. I need to mill more wheat flour!

Onto the bakery case:

--Kale-cheddar rolls will return, with more delicious kale from Adonai Acres and fresh cheddar curds from Blue Jacket Dairy. I've enjoyed the leftovers from last weekend in my lunches this week!

--Squash curry rolls will be the second veg-cheese roll offering: butternut squash from Martha's Farm sauteed with onions from Adonai Acres, hot pepper from Noah's Landing, and some dried cabbage, with curry and chili powders and a light crumbling of homemade ricotta. I'm thinking these might be good with a little bit of your favorite chutney or relish.

--For the sweet side, I'll have pains au chocolat Saturday morning only. Buttery, flaky, with a semisweet chocolate center, these will delight kids of all ages.

And don't forget to check out the fall lineup of herbal tea blends. With this colder weather, you might just enjoy these!