Crisp mornings, pumpkins & cranberries

I hope that all of you out there have been enjoying the cooler weather we have had lately. I personally love it! My husband and I walk our spoiled rotten westie every morning; amazing how motivating a puppy can be (walk the dog or have him wreak havoc in the house hmm...) So we have all been enjoying the pleasant morning temperatures, especially the very furry puppy!

So the cooler temps have me thinking about autumn meals. What is more autumnish than pumpkins & cranberries? I love pumpkin anyway, ask my husband about how I sneak a can in mac & cheese, chili, etc. It is so mild flavored no one will ever know, and you're adding vegetables!



Ok enough of the sneaky vegetable discussion. I'm adding a new item to my line up. Pumpkin cranberry spelt baby cakes Let me break that down, I started with a pumpkin bread and swapped whole spelt flour for wheat flour and the baby cakes refers to the mini bundt cake pan I bake them in. Now even though I'm calling this a "cake" it is much healthier than the standard cake. There is more pumpkin in this recipe than most other pumpkin breads, as a result the texture is moist & creamy. I cut down the amount of sugar to have a lightly sweetened cake, but not a toothache. The fat is primarily canola oil with a little bit of butter. There are yummy spices to lightly flavor but not overpower the mild taste of the pumpkin. Oh yeah other healthy stuff like cranberries & flax seeds (a great source of omega 3's that doesn't taste fishy!) What about the spelt? Well I have had several customers request spelt yeast breads & I have stayed away because of the difficulty of making a yeast bread with entirely spelt flour- it doesn't rise as well. Whole spelt flour is great in quickbreads (cakes, muffins...), it is more tender than whole wheat & has a milder flavor. Although it has gluten, people with gluten intolerance may be able to handle spelt. This is a good list of facts about spelt, there is plenty of information out there.

My reason for wanting to include spelt in my lineup of goods is to increase the diversity of ingredients I bake with. With any diet it is best to have variety (of good nutritious choices of course). Spelt has advantages over oatmeal and vice versa depending upon the nutrient.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole spelt flour, pumpkin, sucanat, organic raw cane sugar, cage free eggs, water, canola oil, flax seed, egg whites, butter, dried buttermilk powder, cake spice, baking soda, salt, powdered vanilla


Most importantly my Pumpkin cranberry spelt baby cakes are yummy! So please come try some, I'll be at the market Sat, October 6th.

You are what you eat...

Yeah that old saying really is true and we seem to hear more about it these days.

But people still like cookies, muffins, biscotti, cinnamon rolls... So my philosophy is eat those things, but healthier versions and in moderation. When I say my cookies are better for you I don't mean substitute one for the piece of fruit you were going to eat! There is room in a healthy diet for treats.

So how do I make "healthier" treats? Pay attention to the ingredients I cook with. Yes using higher quality, healthier ingredients is more expensive, but I don't want to sell baked goods that I wouldn't bake for my own family. So let me break down some of the products I use and give you more information. I think for now I'll touch on sweeteners and leave the other ingredients for later.

Sweeteners:

Honey- I use local organic honey to help support our local farmers and to decrease the amount of pesticides we are ingesting. Here is a link to some nutrition info.

Blackstrap molasses- I love the flavor of this nutritious syrup, so hearty & rich. I use it in my ginger cookies, wheatberry bread, pumpernickel bread. The organic, unsulfured molasses I use has the best flavor of any molasses I have ever tasted. I love the fact this is a great source of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium among other nutrients.

Sucanat- b/c I can't always use molasses in baking I use this unrefined dried cane juice in place of brown sugar. It is in my cinnamon rolls and ginger cookies. I figure it's better to get some nutrients with your sugar. On the very bottom of this page is some info nutrients found in sucanat.

Organic raw cane sugar- in some recipes (toffee biscotti, chocolate cherry muffins) I don't want the flavor of molasses overpowering more subtle flavors. So instead of using completely refined sugar I use this. Although it is not as nutrient rich as molasses it does have some of the nutrients that refined sugar is void of.

Organic barley malt syrup- has a distinct malted flavor that is nice in my barley apricot bread. This is not the brand I use but here is some good information malt.

Boiled apple cider- it is what it sounds like, a fruit juice that has been reduced to a syrup. It is sweet, but in a mild unassuming way. B/c it is mild & expensive I can't use this for everything. It is a nice subtle sweetener for my malted apple bread & the only sweetener I use in that bread. Certainly it can not be considered a fruit, I know the fiber & nutrients were lost in processing, but it is a less refined sugar for sure.

Kick off your fall with my Toffee Biscotti!

Ok, Daniel & I have missed quite a few market days lately. We've been out of town visiting family. And to tell you the truth the heat did make it a little harder to spend an entire Saturday morning outside. But last Saturday was beautiful, truly a blessing. We had a good many visitors to our booth and at the market in general. Thanks to all my loyal customers once again, without you buying my bread I wouldn't need to bake it!

So autumn begins next Sunday, I think a great way to celebrate that would be to come & check out the Belhaven market (a day early of course). And a delicious way to enjoy your time there would be to try some of my new Toffee Biscotti! Crispy, buttery biscotti with chunks of toffee are especially delicious dipped in coffee or milk. Did I mention they have 3/4 the butter of regular biscotti & are 100% whole grain?

Ingredients: organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, organic cane sugar, canola oil, butter, cage free eggs, organic stone-ground whole barley flour, toffee bits, baking powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt

Nutrient analysis: 1 biscotti: 205 kCal, 30g carb ( 14g sugar, 2g fiber), 8g fat (3g sat, 3g monounsat, 1g polyunsat), 5g protein

I will be adding some more delicious breads to my line-up for the up coming holiday season. So come check the Hearth Leaven Loaves booth out!

Barley Apricot Bread & Barley Root

Barley is my favorite of all the grains, of course I love wheat b/c it's what we make bread with. But Barley is mild, nutty, chewy, and a bit sweet. Apparently I love it so much I named my new puppy after it. We now have a 10 wk old Westie named Barley Root.

Barley Apricot
This whole wheat bread is enhanced by rolled barley flakes, which gives this bread a milder taste and moist crumb. Diced apricots found throughout this loaf provide sweet & tart bursts of flavor. Great for breakfast, a turkey sandwich, or an anytime snack!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, chopped apricots, malted barley syrup, rolled barley flakes , dry milk powder, orange juice, Mississippi honey, canola oil, butter, egg whites, salt, yeast

Hopefully I'll have a picture of my bread up soon. I'll need to consult with my photographer/ husband...

Out Again!

Hi to all my wonderful loyal customers. I hope everyone is surviving the heat. I wasn't sure I would last week at the market!

Right now I'm in a library in Smithtown NY. So obviously I'm not baking bread to sale. I will be out this weekend for a family event on Long Island. This is my first trip to NY & it's not bad. I haven't found a good bakery to go to yet, so I'm still looking. I miss good old Mississippi, but certainly not the heat. It's pretty pleasant here today.

Don't worry I'll be back next week.I'm enjoying my little trip, but can't wait to get back into my kitchen. See you next weekend (Aug 18th)!

Hello From Branson, MO

Truth be told, we're actually in Hollister spending a few days fishing and having fun with the family. But we're miles away from Belhaven Market, so we won't be there this Saturday. Look forward to seeing everybody next week!

-Elizabeth and Daniel

The Best Cookies Ever

Ok with a title like that I should have a cookie to back up my claim. Well I do: ginger chewies. I will have to admit I'm really a chocoholic; but these cookies are really really good to be missing chocolate! And everyone that tries them likes them. What makes them so great? The best ingredients. I use the best blackstrap molasses I've ever tasted (full flavored without the bitterness that usually mars the flavor of dark molasses). Also fresh ginger, lemon & orange zest gives these cookies a great taste that is best described as fresh & zingy.

I know someone is out there thinking what could be healthy about cookies (and healthy baking is my mantra:). Well I mentioned that there is blackstrap molasses in these cookies, I also use dried cane juice (sucanat) as a sweetener. These sweeteners are unrefined and contain significant amounts of vitamins & minerals. In addition to the more nutritious sweeteners these cookies are 100% whole grain, and low in fat. So try a ginger chewie at the Hearth Leaven Loaves stand, at Belhaven Market. But you better get there early, because they go quick!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground spelt flour, organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, dried cane syrup, organic cane sugar, organic blackstrap molasses, cage free organic egg, canola oil, butter, orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, fresh ginger, cloves, salt

Market 7-7-07

Hi to all my faithful customers,

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July planned, and enjoys celebrating the freedoms we have in this country with friends and family. Due to a death in my family I will not be baking much this week. My Aunt Phyllis after a long battle with cancer fell asleep in the Lord last week. So I will not be at the market on Saturday. But I will return next week. I will miss seeing everyone and look forward to seeing you all next week. Enjoy the 4th!

Yummy Asiago ...

Ok so what in the world is this picture? Well it's a vat in a cheese factory where the curds are separated from the whey. Pretty cool right. If you ever get a chance to go to a dairy factory (especially where they make cheese) it's pretty cool. My grandparents took me when I was about 9 and it is a very distinct memory. I remember seeing a vat like this.

So thinking about my newest bread: Asiago Herb, made me think about cheese and the factory. My new bread is whole wheat, light textured, and flavorful with savory fresh herbs and delicious Asiago cheese throughout. But don’t take my word for it- try it for yourself!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, yogurt, orange juice, shredded asiago cheese, canola oil, honey, fresh chopped thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary, salt, yeast

Mediterranean Cafe

Our favorite restaurant by far is Mediterranean Cafe, located on Old Canton just on the Ridgeland side of County Line. (And by favorite, we mean they catered our rehearsal dinner, and we hardly ever go anywhere else.) This is one of those local spots that beats any chain restaurant hands down. The owner, Elias, greets his customers by name and cares about providing healthy, quality food. Be sure to chat with him when you go.

We haven't had a bad meal there, but the Kibbi and the Red Snapper are our favorites. Kibbi is a Lebanese meat dish- made fresh by Elias's wife, Joanna. The Red Snapper is perfectly flakey, sauted and topped with tahini, olive oil, and other spices that you will come to crave. The hummus is very good, and a simple veggie plate is a full meal even for carnivores like me. I never liked dolmas (grape leaves) until I tried them here. The walls are lined with tons of hard-to-find ethnic foodstuffs like spices, nuts, dates, and canned goods. Round things off with a glass of wine (Wente Shiraz is my favorite there), or a slice of Joanna's tiramisu.

There's a crop of new Mediterranean-styled restaurants like this in the Jackson area- Alladin's and Jerusalem Cafe are also good, and all beat Keifer's southern-fried-Greek food. But Mediterranean Cafe has got to be the best. So, check them out, and tell them Daniel and Elizabeth sent you!

Luau!

Ok so this post relates to food b/c Hawaii is what inspired Daniel and I to get involved in Belhaven market.

So when we went to a luau (roasted pork-yum!) in Hawaii they had a band and the music was really fun and mellow. I have thrown a luau party for Daniel's birthday since we've been married (so last week we had our second luau birthday)! Well I wanted to find some theme music and this is what I came up with. Na Palapalai is the name of the group. For those of ya'll blessed enough to go to Hawaii, this should take you back. And for those of you who haven't been, you can still enjoy this CD, really mellow and fun.So in Hawaii Daniel and I really enjoyed going to the local Kauai Farmer's Market and buying local foods (fern, sweet potato shoots, mango, avocado- to name a few) to cook. We can do that here at the Belhaven Market and so can you. I hope to see you there.

Our First Belhaven Market

Here are some pictures from our first Belhaven Market! It was a great success- we sold out and had a great time. Tim Avalon's bluegrass band provided fun background music, and friends and family stopped by to say hello. Special thanks to the Passion Fish Potter, Kjon's, Deva's Harvest, and everybody else for helping us newbies figure things out!

Lineup for June

Ok, Ok. I know I've done a poor job of updating this blog. It's a good thing I have Daniel's help! Maybe now things have settled down I will be better at updating theFoodRoots. We'll see...

For June we will have these breads at the Belhaven Market (Sat AM @ McDade's on Fortification):
Hearth Loaves- Barley Apricot, Fig & Rosemary, Honey Oat, Wheatberry, Pumpernickel Currant, Malted Apple
Rolls- Wheatberry Sandwich
Baguettes- Mississippi Sourdough
Kids stuff- Peanut Butter & Jelly Turtles

So come & check us out!

Pumpernickel Currant Rye

My Personal Favorite! Just look at the ingredient list and you'll see why: cocoa powder and blackstrap molasses in addition to other ingredients give this bread a great flavor. This bread isn't too sweet for a sandwich though. A customer suggested I add raisins, great tip! I did and really liked them, currants seem to work well because of their small size.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, organic stone-ground whole rye flour, water, currants, cocoa powder, blackstrap molasses, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, salt, yeast, caraway seeds

Coming to Belhaven Market

PB & J Turtles for kids and kids at heart- coming this Saturday to the Belhaven Market!

These tasty snacks are made from a buttermilk white whole wheat dough. They have a fluffly texture and great mild taste in addition to being filled with natural peanut butter and organic jelly! As with all our breads, these are 100% whole grain- but your kids don't have to know that!


Ingredients: white whole wheat flour, water, (filling: natural peanut butter, organic jam), honey, dry buttermilk powder, oil, butter, egg whites, salt, yeast

Fresh Mississippi Sourdough

Here's one of the fresh whole-grain breads we'll be selling at Belhaven Market starting next Saturday! Beneath the crust of this rustic loaf this bread is full of clean, tangy sourdough flavor.

This is Daniel's favorite bread so it will definitely stay in the line up.



Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, sourdough (organic stone-ground whole rye flour, water, yeast), salt, yeast

Half of the Food Roots enjoying some hawaiian chow March 06

Test Post

Testing out pictures and more...

Quick Tip!

When making muffins it's best not to grease the sides of the tin, grease only the bottom. This is so the batter can climb up the sides during baking. Don't fret: the muffins will come out when done, the cooked muffins will draw back from the sides of the tin (or pan) :)

Ok. I'm still waiting on my beloved husband to hook up some pictures. I'll just put a little tip I've picked up in my class. 

Did you know that older cheeses have stronger flavors? That's pretty common sense right. I mean the longer the cheese sits around molding the stinkier it gets :) Well what I didn't know is that older cheeses melt better. Really that's what they taught me in my food preparations or "cooking" class. Just passing on a tip.