Rolling in the Dough

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94440722009-11-27T13:38:17.897-05:00Rolling in the DoughMaking the world a better place -- one happy stomach at a time.The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.comBlogger1127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-86470216965702561692009-11-26T10:36:00.002-05:002009-11-26T10:56:55.325-05:00Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all!I know the entries have been a little thin around Rolling In the Dough of late as I've gotten pulled deeply into Local Roots and the continuing market season. Most days I feel as if the year has flown by in plodding increments, and there's always way too much to do in too little time that passes both too slowly and too quickly.If you're confused by that... welcome to my

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-68731951118817666952009-11-21T17:35:00.005-05:002009-11-22T14:51:20.388-05:00Market Report: 11/21/09

What a wonderful -- if crazy busy! -- day!Today, Local Roots held the first annual holiday market, with 42 vendors showing up to sell not only the usual produce, meats, cheeses, and baked goods, but also craft items, beautiful works of art, and a host of other holiday gift possibilities.We also had Gene Logsdon as a special guest, sitting up front with a table full of his books. He and his wife

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-36163343314507996332009-11-20T18:27:00.002-05:002009-11-22T14:34:23.223-05:00Independence Days #28

Another busy week, mostly spent in the kitchen baking. But I did find time for a little Independence...1. Plant something: Lettuce and spinach seeds in pots for indoor growing.2. Harvest something: Pac choi, radishes, peppermint, calendula blossoms and seeds, sage from the Renaissance Man's garden.3. Preserve something: Froze chopped cauliflower; air-drying calendula and peppermint.4. Reduce

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-63856615410924572672009-11-14T16:14:00.009-05:002009-11-14T20:31:38.631-05:00Mill, Baby, Mill

And then there's the slight matter of the other things I purchased at the market this morning...Two weeks ago, as you may recall me mentioning, the Grain Guy brought me my order of two fifty-pound bags of whole grains for this winter's baking. In talking with him, the Renaissance Man mentioned that I had been pondering the purchase of a new grain mill for myself, one that would handle larger

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-62852504420847231992009-11-14T14:06:00.003-05:002009-11-14T20:14:07.074-05:00Market Report: 11/14/09

First of all, can I just tell you how much I love being able to continue writing Market Reports into November? Thank you, Local Roots!Second, could we have had a better day? The fabulous Jen and I broke away from the market mid-morning to run around town dropping off flyers for next week's holiday market, and I found myself roasting from the foolish apparel of a coat over a sweater and a

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-38510408861684330052009-11-13T18:41:00.002-05:002009-11-13T18:41:00.210-05:00Independence Days #27

Is this still the same week? I mean, last weekend, we had blissfully warm weather, and now we're waking to heavy frosts again. And was it really just a week ago when Local Roots opened for real?Whew! It's been busy around here. And it's not going to stop for a couple more weeks, so I'm having to squeeze in time for kitchen adventures and practicing Independence Days wherever I can.1. Plant

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-17197811809315034962009-11-12T20:23:00.003-05:002009-11-12T20:40:01.549-05:00Loaf It Or Leave It

Sometimes it's funny to see how building local food systems and building community go hand in hand. Not only can you make new friends, but you can also take older acquaintances to a new level by connecting over food.Take the Madcap Farmer, for example. I knew him vaguely over a decade ago as a student and had no reason to stay in touch with him. When he returned to the local scene as a farmer

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-63907286650173864772009-11-09T20:16:00.004-05:002009-11-09T20:30:04.678-05:00We Got the Beets!

You might think, by that title, that this might be a little send-up in tribute to the mad cooking skillz of the lads at Beetses. And while I do respect their awesomeness in exploring recipes and their love of vibrant colored vegetables, this one actually goes out to the 'Rents -- My Wonderful Parents.This was dinner tonight: roasted beets (golden and deep red) tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-67250683676782884612009-11-08T10:12:00.006-05:002009-11-08T10:33:27.914-05:00Market Report: 11/07/09

Yes, this Market Report is a day late because yesterday was a very, very long and full adventure, mostly spent at Local Roots on our first market day. Wow!The Renaissance Man and I arrived around 8 AM to help set up for the indoor farmers' market, and it wasn't long before our first vendors arrived and started to get their tables in place, unpack coolers and crates, and turn the place into a

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-35791062423712250072009-11-06T18:00:00.002-05:002009-11-06T18:00:02.191-05:00Independence Days #26

Yes, it's been another busy week with not a whole lot of movement on the home front. November is going to be a hoppin' time down at Local Roots, so I'm likely not going to be able to do much on the Independence Days challenge.But I'll keep trying!1. Plant something: Nothing.2. Harvest something: Nothing.3. Preserve something: Nothing.4. Reduce waste (Waste not): Wish I could say I had done

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-34266565811632965532009-11-03T19:28:00.006-05:002009-11-03T19:39:40.472-05:00The Forecast is For Grain and More Grain

In my quest to stock up on baking items for winter, I not only called the Miller for my usual big order of locally milled flours, I also put in a call to a local farmer who raises certified organic wheat and spelt.When I asked what he had available, he said, almost apologetically, "Well, everything is in 50-lb bags." Oh, no problem, I said, I'll take one 50-lb bag of wheat and another of

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-58975935095986769742009-10-31T17:39:00.007-04:002009-11-01T17:57:58.250-05:00Market Report: 10/31/09

The day started off grey and rainy and chilly, and I wanted nothing more than to burrow back under my covers and sleep many hours more.But no, a busy day awaited me, so I was up with the lark (probably before) to get myself ready to head down to the farmers' market. Five lone vendors remained for the final day of the Downtown Farmers' Market, and very few people braved the early dreariness to

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-84824120088033744822009-10-30T18:47:00.004-04:002009-10-30T18:47:00.195-04:00Independence Days #25

Busy, busy, busy week! And I'm not sure what else to say...1. Plant something: Nothing.2. Harvest something: Not this week.3. Preserve something: Dried apples, apple peel; strained and bottled plantain oil, burdock extract.4. Reduce waste (Waste not): Used the flour left from last week's baking (from rolling out dough) in zucchini fritters; used cane sugar left over from rolling ginger molasses

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-7832945056636914722009-10-29T18:39:00.002-04:002009-10-29T18:39:00.176-04:00Open for Good Local Food

Behind that carrot-orange door, things are happening this week: vacuuming, painting, cleaning, decorating. Why?What you see here is the front door of Local Roots Market, and on Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM, we're hosting an open house for the community to come by and check out the place. Stop by for hot coffee or cider, home-baked goodies, and possibly even samples of future products from

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-56660799231321803212009-10-25T10:53:00.004-04:002009-10-25T11:05:04.260-04:00Wedding For the Verdict?

So, after all that baking for the Farmgirl Wannabe's wedding, I was eager to find out how my little offerings would be received.When we arrived under the big tent, we found one end of the tent thronged with people lined up at the bar and -- right next to it -- browsing their way through the appetizers. Wasn't it beautifully decorated?Everything looked so good, and my contributions looked even

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-69679896693763113452009-10-24T10:41:00.003-04:002009-10-24T10:49:53.845-04:00Market Report: 10/24/09

The farmers' market was down to half a dozen vendors today: the Amish Farmer, the Cheerful Lady, the Lady Bountiful, and three others. The chill in the air and the threat of rain definitely played a factor in crowd control, because there weren't many more people than that out browsing at any given time.Still, I posted a couple of signs about the Local Roots open house next week, and even before I

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-9668890530827370162009-10-23T18:23:00.006-04:002009-10-23T18:23:00.155-04:00Independence Days #24

What a lovely little bit of sunshine and warmth we had this week! Of course, we're now back to chilly light rain and falling leaves, but, well, that's what you get this time of year.The seasons are shifting again, and this time it's welcome, despite the cooler temperatures. This time it means that the major food preservation work in my household is done. Huzzah! Hooray! Yippee!Not that I mind

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-46193984433308426152009-10-23T12:10:00.002-04:002009-10-23T15:23:41.378-04:00Loaf Is a Many-Splendored Thing

The week has flown by again, and for the past day and a half, I've been at home on vacation.No, I haven't been sleeping in and lolling about, thank you very much, despite my inclination. I specifically took these days off in order to wrap up my baking for the Farmgirl Wannabe's wedding.Though I knew that the nuts and crackers from last week's baking would make good snacks on their own, I also

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-12982231528329408912009-10-18T19:32:00.001-04:002009-10-19T10:34:00.998-04:00And a Good Thyme Will Be Had By All...

Yes, I managed to squeeze in testing yet another baked treat for the Farmgirl Wannabe's wedding next week.When I reviewed recipe ideas with her, crackers stuck out in my mind as a good all-around crowd-pleaser (especially with dips and cheeses at hand). But I also thought that I might want to try a savory version of shortbread -- something buttery and flaky with a little edge of salt and a hint

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-66836622614352750592009-10-17T18:26:00.004-04:002009-10-19T10:32:08.900-04:00Two Nuts Who Are Completely Crackers For Each Other

The Farmgirl Wannabe, whizbang super organizer at Local Roots, she of the fields of my grains, is something of a nerd. She's totally "with it" when it comes to business and computers, but she's more than a little offbeat outside of that milieu. (Guess that's why we get along so well.)She also has a goofy, sweet fiancé of five years -- who is soon to become her husband.As the story goes,

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-25630979448863301362009-10-17T11:24:00.001-04:002009-10-19T10:26:20.983-04:00Market Report: 10/17/09

Yet another grey, chilly day with the threat of rain -- no wonder the farmers' market continues to dwindle!Some of my favorite people were on hand, though, with tables still loaded with a good variety of produce, so I was happy to visit with them and fill my bag:--pears, parsley, pac choi, carrots, onions, and a gigantic white turnip from the Lady Bountiful--Yukon Gold potatoes, Broadleaf Czech

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-53067645139142924152009-10-16T19:09:00.002-04:002009-10-16T19:09:00.592-04:00Independence Days #23

Wow! Who turned the heat off?Somehow we've jumped right smack into the middle of November with the drop in temperatures and perpetually grey skies. I mean, there's even a hint of snow in the weekend forecast!Guess that means it's a good time to get into the kitchen and heat things up a bit, between the oven and the stove and the dehydrator.So on to this week's report:1. Plant something: Nothing

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-48255149057206270532009-10-13T12:29:00.003-04:002009-10-15T12:37:53.059-04:00Cider -- House Rules!

When the Cheerful Lady offered me some of her "house" cider, made with apples and a few pears from her farm, I couldn't resist, despite there being nearly a gallon of cider from a local mill already in the refrigerator!In fact, having two different ciders called for a taste testing. And I knew just who to call on to help me with the sampling.The Renaissance Man was, as always, ready to help. So

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-68591320384053404342009-10-12T19:01:00.004-04:002009-10-14T07:04:50.927-04:00Oh, My Pawpaw!

Last week during our Local Roots steering committee meeting, one of our supporters came to the door. Instead of asking us when we would be open and selling food, as so many of our supporters have been doing lately, this woman carried a couple small bags of fruit from her own gardens to share with us.Not being ones to turn down good local food -- this is, after all, the whole point of what we're

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-9943941683151125652009-10-11T19:05:00.005-04:002009-10-12T13:10:38.875-04:00So Apple Together

Following the success of our blueberry picking adventure this summer, My Adorable Nephews wanted to do something else out at the Orchard.When told about the other crops available, they exclaimed, "Can we come back and pick apples?"How could I say no? My little guys want to help harvest food? Yeah, I'm not passing that one up.So a couple of weeks ago, the Southern Belle and I conferred as to

The Baklava Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801967818481598226baklavaqueen@yahoo.com4