At the Market August 26-28

I'm still without a computer at home, but a friend has graciously allowed me to stop by her office and check email and such regularly, so this morning I've found a little time to get back into the groove here on the baking site. I hope to be back online more fully soon!

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

--Basil pesto flatbread*
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: chèvre-rosemary*, cheddar-dill*, feta-oregano, Ludlow with fresh basil, and possibly Black Swamp Gouda (from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese) with sage
--Cinnamon-pecan bread*
--Garlic-herb baguettes*
--Garlic pesto flatbread*
--Light rye bread*
--Maple oatmeal bread*
--Pain aux noix*
--Sesame thins*
--Whole wheat pita*

You'll find two kinds of vegetable-cheese rolls in the bakery case, too:

--Tomatillo salsa! In honor of our Salsa Party on Saturday, I've made rolls featuring Martha's Farm tomatillos, Banzhaf Garten tomatoes, Adonai Acres onion, and Ohio Farm Direct pepper jack cheese. It's like a little fiesta wrapped in dough!
--Zucchini and red pepper: Roasted red peppers mingle with roasted zucchini (from Adonai Acres), garlic, homegrown basil, olive oil, and Ohio Farm Direct mozzarella cheese. Savory and oh so good!

And it's possible that you might find my Midsummer Dream Blend iced tea at the cafe -- it went well last week!

Stop in to try something new!

Cue the Crickets...

Yes, things have been exceptionally quiet around here. Sorry about that. The Grain Maker office computer has been down for the count for a while -- after a long, lingering "illness" -- and my schedule has been busy enough to keep me from getting tech support right away.

That said, I'm still baking up a storm each week, and while I'm not posting updates here, you can follow the weekly tidbits on The Grain Maker's Facebook page (link in the left column). Or, assume the best and stop by Local Roots Market for the good stuff. The usual offerings remain the same, and I have expanded my vegetable-cheese roll baking since those rolls have become a big hit for the lunch crowd. This week I'll have two varieties:

--homegrown cabbage and onions with local carrots, seasoned with curry spices (no cheese!)
--homegrown chard, Autumn Harvest kale, Banzhaf Garten root vegetables (not sure yet but could be kohlrabi, radish, or turnip -- or all!), and Blue Jacket Dairy cheddar curds

IF -- and that's a big IF! -- I get myself together in time, you might even find a Grain Maker iced tea served at the bakery this week or next!

In the meantime, I'll try to get my computer fixed and get back to regular updates. Thanks for your patience!

Good Herbs!

I love good coffee and tea. But come summertime, sometimes I want something light and refreshing, chilled, with a hint of the garden. That's why I've started a line of herbal blends for light beverages, now being sold at Local Roots. These herbal "teas" -– known as tisanes -– combine homegrown herbs and flowers with other herbs from local farms for a relaxing, uplifting change of pace from regular iced tea.

Here are my three Summertime Blends --


Lavender Lemonade: Inspired by a drink I enjoyed at Pickity Place in New Hampshire, this blend includes my favorite homegrown lavender, dried homegrown lemon balm, and a pinch of hibiscus blossoms, resulting in a blush pink iced tisane that will relax your body and lift up your spirits.

Lemon Mellow: Some days I want lemonade, some days I want lemon tea. This blend of lemon verbena and bronze fennel from Karen's Garden Delights along with wildcrafted nettle and red clover goes down smooth as silk, cools you off, and lets you breathe a sigh of relief.

Midsummer's Dream: Even Shakespeare would approve of this fairytale blend of homegrown lavender, lemon balm, spearmint, and rose geranium. Iced or hot, this brew will settle you for the evening and bring you sweet dreams.

To brew:

--Add 2 heaping spoonfuls of herbal blend to a clean glass quart jar.
--Pour hot (not boiling, but almost) water over the herbs.
--Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
--Using a strainer (and canning funnel, if you have one), strain out the herbs as you pour the tisane into a clean quart jar. (You will probably want a hot pad or oven mitt to hold the first jar!)
--Compost the herbs -– the earth will thank you!
--Sweeten the tisane with good local honey.
--Add a lid, refrigerate, and by the end of the day you will have something cold and refreshing to soothe you!

Note: Herbal tisanes are mild and light-colored. Do not overbrew in order to get a deeper color.

Try some and see what you think!

Basil Pesto Flatbread

Summertime means a fragrant bounty of herbs as well as of vegetables, and basil sings to me of the hottest, most lush summer days. I always try to grow several basil plants so that I can freeze a good quantity of pesto for winter pasta and other recipes.

This week, I clipped several large branches of basil from the garden and made pesto, but this time I decided to spread it on the basic artisan dough (enhanced with whole wheat flour from Stutzman Farm) for this heavenly basil pesto flatbread. The pesto itself has just basil, walnuts, olive oil, black pepper, and garlic from Banzhaf Garten Organic Farm, but the whole flatbread is topped with shreds of mozzarella from Ohio Farm Direct.

You'll find these alongside the garlic pesto flatbread on my Local Roots shelves this weekend. And as always, let me know what you think!

At the Market July 29-31

Wow! Another scorcher today! But just for you, I kept the oven going, baking my heart out...

Here's what I'll be bringing to Local Roots Market over the course of the weekend (starred items will be there Thursday at noon):

--Cheese crackers**
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: four varieties -- cheddar-basil, chèvre-rosemary, feta-oregano**, and Miami Erie Canal (Swiss-style) with dried parsley**
--Cinnamon pecan bread**
--Garlic-herb baguettes**
--Garlic pesto flatbread**
--Light rye bread**
--Maple oatmeal bread**
--Onion flatbread
--Pain aux noix**
--Sesame thins**
--Whole wheat pita (in bags of four)

I'm planning to try a basil pesto flatbread as well, so look for that this weekend!

For the bakery case, I may not get anything done for Thursday (but then again, I might), but the plan is this:

--Vegetable cheese rolls Friday and Saturday: corn from the Habitat Community Garden, hot pepper and tomato from my own garden, onion from Adonai Acres, herbs, and chèvre from Lucky Penny Creamery -- a Southwestern seasonal treat!
--Pains au chocolat Saturday only: grab one of these buttery, flaky, chocolate-filled delights to go with your coffee!

This Saturday is the Community Commons Block Party, and Local Roots will be participating along with the Wayne Center for the Arts, the Wayne County Public Library, the United Way, and the American Red Cross. Stop by and check out the fun!

See you at the market!