Cress Spring Bakery: Ruminations

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

bakery vacation

There will be no delivery this week, and we will not be at the market on Saturday.
We will be back for two more weeks of delivery on April 6 and 13, and then we return to the outdoor market on Saturday, April 21.

But you do all get a poem of the week, appropriate for March Madness and my own obsession with my favorite game:

For Brothers Everywhere

There is a schoolyard that runs

from here to the dark’s fence

where brothers keep goin to the hoop, keep

risin up with baske’balls ripe as pumpkins

toward rims hung like piñatas, pinned

like thunderclouds to the sky’s wide chest

an’ everybody is spinnin an’ bankin

off the glass, finger-rollin off the boards

with the same soft touch

you’d give the head of a child, a child

witta big-ass pumpkin head, who stands

in the schoolyard lit by brothers givin and

goin, flashin off the pivit, dealin

behind their backs, between their legs,

cockin the rock an’ glidin like mad hawks—

swoopin black, with arms for wings—

palmin the sun an’ throwin it down,

an’ even with the day gone, without even

a crumb of light from the city, brothers

keep runnin-gunnin, fallin away takin

fall-away jumpers from the corner,

their bodies like muscular saxophones

body-boppin better than jazz, beyond

summer, beyond weather, beyond

everything that moves, an’ with one shake

they’re pullin-up from the perimeter,

shakin-bakin brothers be sweet

pullin-up from the edge of the world,

hangin like air itself hangs in the air,

an’ gravidy gotta giv’em up:

the ball burning like a fruit with a soul

in the velvet hands while the wrists whisper

"back-spin" an’ the fingers comb the rock

once—lettin go, lettin it go like good news—

’cuz the hoop is a well, Shwip! a well

with no bottom, Shwick!

an’ they’re fillin that sucker up.

- Tim Seibles

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Cress Spring Bakery Home Delivery for March 9

Greetings,

I had a blast driving around in the snow on Friday. The decrease in traction adds excitement and a feeling of spaciousness. Coming to a stop requires advance planning. And with paddling season right around the corner, I like to think that the snow that's now floating my truck will soon be floating my boat.

There will be no home delivery on Friday, March 31, and we will not be at the market that week.

We are offering a new rye bread this week, Vollkornbrot. This is a German rye bread that we used to make many years ago when we were first starting out, and it's time to bring it back. It's an all-rye bread, similar in flavor to the swiss rye, but we will be baking it in pans, so it will be rectangular in shape and easier to slice, with a thinner crust than the swiss rye.

The muffins available this week will be carrot raisin and raspberry chocolate chip.

The truffle varieties available this week are:
Dark Chocolate
Peppermint

You may order boxes of either variety, or mixed boxes. Our truffles will last for several weeks if refrigerated, although for optimum flavor they should be eaten warm. We prefer to have truffle orders by Monday instead of Wednesday, but late orders will usually be accommodated.

Box of 6 - $9.50 Box of 10 - $15.00 Box of 24 - $36.00

Our poem of the week:

Roll the Dice

if you’re going to try, go all the
way.
otherwise, don’t even start.

if you’re going to try, go all the
way.
this could mean losing girlfriends,
wives, relatives, jobs and
maybe your mind.

go all the way.
it could mean not eating for 3 or 4 days.
it could mean freezing on a
park bench.
it could mean jail,
it could mean derision,
mockery,
isolation.
Isolation is the gift,
all the others are a test of your
endurance, of
how much you really want to
do it.
And you’ll do it
despite rejection and the worst odds
and it will be better than
anything else
you can imagine.

If you’re going to try,
go all the way.
There is no other feeling like
that.
You will be alone with the gods
and the nights will flame with
fire.

do it, do it, do it.
do it.

all the way
all the way.

you will ride life straight to
perfect laughter, it's
the only good fight
there is.

- Charles Bukowski

Bread Varieties for March 9 Loaves are 1.5 lbs., unless otherwise noted. Price

Vollkornbrot Organic whole rye, water, unrefined sea salt 4.00

Whole Wheat Organic whole wheat, water, unrefined sea salt. 4.00

Sesame Wheat Organic whole wheat, water, organic sesame seeds, unrefined sea salt. 4.50

Caraway Rye Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, carob, caraway, 4.50

unrefined sea salt

Kamut Organic whole kamut, water, unrefined sea salt. 4.50

Sunny Spelt Organic whole spelt, organic whole barley, organic whole kamut, 5.00

water, organic sunflower seeds, organic flax seeds, unrefined sea salt.

Potato Kamut Organic whole kamut, water, organic potatoes, organic basil, 5.00

unrefined sea salt.

Raisin Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, organic raisins, 5.00

organic oranges, anise, unrefined sea salt.

Expedition Organic whole wheat, water, organic whole rye, org. oats, org. barley, 5.00

org. flax, org. millet, org.corn, org. buckwheat, unrefined sea salt

Rustic French Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, organic whole wheat, 5.00

organic whole rye, unrefined sea salt.

French Walnut Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, organic whole wheat, 5.50

organic walnuts, organic whole rye, unrefined sea salt.

Cranberry Walnut Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, organic whole wheat, organic 6.00

cranberries, organic walnuts, organic rye, unrefined sea salt.

Big Country 2lbs Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, unrefined sea salt. 5.00

Big Country 4lbs. Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, unrefined sea salt 8.00

Granola 1.5 pound bags

Raisin Walnut Organic Oats, Maple Syrup, Organic Raisins, Organic Sunflower Oil, 6.50

Organic Walnuts, Organic Oranges, Vanilla, Unrefined Sea Salt

Maple Almond Organic Oats, Maple Syrup, Organic Butter, Organic Almonds, 7.75

Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Almond Extract, Unrefined Sea Salt

Cranberry Almond Organic Oats, Maple Syrup, Organic Cranberries, Organic Butter, 9.00

Organic Almonds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Almond Extract, Unrefined Sea Salt

Sweets

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins Organic Whole Spelt, Organic Chocolate Chips, 1.50
Organic Raspberries, Honey, Eggs, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Rye,
Organic Corn, Organic Buckwheat, Organic Millet, Organic Oats, Baking Powder,
Organic Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Unrefined Sea Salt

Carrot Raisin Muffins: Organic Whole Spelt, Organic Carrots, Honey, Organic Yogurt, 1.50

Organic Raisins, Eggs, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Walnuts, Baking Powder,

Organic Cinnamon, Organic Vanilla, Baking Soda, Organic Nutmeg, Unrefined Sea Salt

Chocolate Fire Cookies Organic Spelt, Organic Butter, Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar, 1.75

Organic Chocolate Chips, Eggs, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Oranges, Organic

Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Unrefined Sea Salt, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Cayenne

Chocolate Chip Cookies Organic Chocolate Chips, Organic Whole Wheat, 1.75

Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Butter, Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar,

Eggs, Organic Vanilla, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Unrefined Sea Salt,

Gingersnaps (wheat free) Organic Barley, Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar, Organic Butter, 1.50

Eggs, Organic Ginger, Organic Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Cloves

Trail Cookies (no dairy or eggs) Organic Whole Wheat, Maple Syrup, Organic Raisins, 1.50

Organic Chocolate Chips, Organic Oats, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Sunflower Oil,

Organic Sunflower Seeds, Sorghum, Organic Peanuts, Organic Walnuts, Organic Vanilla,

Baking Soda, Unrefined Sea Salt

Raisin Walnut Scones Organic Whole Spelt, Milk, Organic Butter, Organic 2.00

Raisins,Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar, Organic Walnuts, Baking Powder,

Unrefined Sea Salt,

Chocolate Chip Scones Organic Whole Wheat , Organic Unbleached Wheat Flour, 2.00

Milk, Organic Chocolate Chips, Organic Butter, Organic Unrefined

Cane Sugar, Baking Powder, Organic Vanilla, Unrefined Sea Salt,

Dark Chocolate Truffles: Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla), Organic Cream, Organic Butter
Peppermint Truffles: Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla), Organic Cream, Organic Butter Organic Peppermint Extract

Box of 6 - $9.50 Box of 10 - $15.00 Box of 24 - $36.00

Thursday, December 22, 2011

vacation

We are on vacation at the moment, taking the last two weeks of December off, and there are no farmer's markets those weeks. We will resume delivering on January 6, and the farmers market will move to the Senior Center on January 7.

Our poem of the week:

Delight

A spirit that is limited, small as "I imagine," one that flutters on
the shoulder between concrete and abstract, a bird's call, not its
song, in the distance. It is the fragrance of your voice or the colors
in what you say, the floral prints, not the solids. Palms laid out like
tables spread, mangos with salt, fried potatoes. It is the feeling you
perhaps learned as a child leading your mute twin by the hand,
pointing out the yellow-headed blackbirds. Delight you must
have learned in order to speak for him. Sweet Heart. Red Clover.
Cardinals strung along the fence like paper lanterns. We want to
go out in the world no matter what. We want to come back home
with plans to plant things. Salutations, oh pigeon! And fireworks
for graduation! Pine and fir so we can tell the difference between
them. The mind thinks of all the boughs and stars it wants to give,
unaware of all that's lost at the periphery. Dear Epicurean. Dear
Carnation. Dear Frivolously Blue.

- Melissa Kwasny

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Delivery menu for November 11

Cress Spring Bakery Home Delivery for November 11

Hello friends,

It's time to hit the road again, bringing fresh bread and treats to your doorstep. We've had a few personnel changes at the bakery in the last few six months. After six years of keeping everything rolling smoothly here, Biggie Lemke has opened her own bakery and cafe in Blue Mounds, called The Naked Elm. She's focusing on wood-fired pizza and bagels, and will also be making a variety of breads and pastries. You can check it out at thenakedelm.com. The next time you're in the vicinity, stop on by. Biggie easily did the work of two people here, and our current bakers, Morgaine Reinl and Nicole Williams, are doing their best to fill her shoes. Morgaine will also be driving a delivery route on Fridays, so some of you will meet her soon. For those of you familiar with Isaac, he will still be delivering occasionally when we need an extra driver.

Although we traditionally have baked and delivered the week of Thanksgiving, this year we are taking that week off. There will be no delivery on Friday, November 25, and we will not be at the market on Saturday, November 26.

As we did last year, we will be alternating our two raisin breads, starting off this week with our traditional raisin bread with orange and anise. Next week we'll have raisin kamut, a bright sunny bread with lemon zest and a hint of fennel. We will also have our pumpkin wild rice bread available this week and next week. We stop making this bread after Thanksgiving, so get it while you can.

The muffins available this week will be pumpkin and raspberry chocolate chip.

The truffles available this week are:

Dark Chocolate

White Dog

The white dog truffles are made with Death's Door White Whiskey, along with hints of cherry and toasted almond. "White dog" refers to a new whiskey that has not been aged in barrels. Death's Door whiskey is made in Door County using Washington Island wheat. It's fragrant and fruity, smelling like warm apple cider. We also have our original Dark Chocolate Truffles available every week. You may order boxes of either variety, or mixed boxes. We will mix in whatever quantities you desire. Our truffles will last for several weeks if refrigerated, although for optimum flavor they should be eaten warm. We prefer to have truffle orders by Monday instead of Wednesday, but late orders will usually be accommodated. We will be rotating through our other truffle varieties each week, and will have all of them available for Christmas.

See you all soon!

Jeff

Our poem of the week:

Emily Dickinson and Elvis Presley in Heaven

They call each other “E”. Elvis picks

wildflowers near the river and brings

them to Emily. She explains half-rhymes to him.

In heaven Emily wears her hair long, sports

Levis and western blouses with rhinestones.

Elvis is lean again, wears baggy trousers

and T-shirts, a letterman’s jacket from Tupelo High.

They take long walks and often hold hands.

She prefers they remain just friends. Forever.

Emily’s poems now contain naugahyde, Cadillacs,

Electricity, jets, TV, Little Richard and Richard

Nixon. The rock-a-billy rhythm makes her smile.

Elvis likes himself with style. This afternoon

he will play guitar and sing “I Taste a Liquor

Never Brewed” to the tune of “Love Me Tender.”

Emily will clap and harmonize. Alone

in their cabins later, they’ll listen to the river

and nap. They will not think of Amherst

or Las Vegas. They know why God made them

roommates. It’s because America

was their hometown. It’s because

God is a thing without

feathers. It’s because

God wears blue suede shoes.

- Hans Ostrom

Bread Varieties for November 11 Loaves are 1.5 lbs., unless otherwise noted. Price

Swiss Rye Organic whole rye, water, unrefined sea salt 4.00

Whole Wheat Organic whole wheat, water, unrefined sea salt. 4.00

Sesame Wheat Organic whole wheat, water, organic sesame seeds, unrefined sea salt. 4.50

Caraway Rye Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, carob, caraway, 4.50

unrefined sea salt

Kamut Organic whole kamut, water, unrefined sea salt. 4.50

Sunny Spelt Organic whole spelt, organic whole barley, organic whole kamut, 5.00

water, organic sunflower seeds, organic flax seeds, unrefined sea salt.

Potato Kamut Organic whole kamut, water, organic potatoes, organic basil, 5.00

unrefined sea salt.

Raisin Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, organic raisins, 5.00

organic oranges, anise, unrefined sea salt.

Expedition Organic whole wheat, water, organic whole rye, org. oats, org. barley, 5.00

org. flax, org. millet, org.corn, org. buckwheat, unrefined sea salt

Rustic French Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, organic whole wheat, 5.00

organic whole rye, unrefined sea salt.

French Walnut Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, organic whole wheat, 5.50

organic walnuts, organic whole rye, unrefined sea salt.

Cranberry Walnut Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, organic whole wheat, organic 6.00

cranberries, organic walnuts, organic rye, unrefined sea salt.

Pumpkin Wild Rice Organic wheat, organic pumpkin, water, organic wild rice, sorghum, 5.50
unrefined sea salt, organic coriander

Big Country 2lbs Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, unrefined sea salt. 5.00

Big Country 4lbs. Organic whole wheat, organic whole rye, water, unrefined sea salt 8.00

Granola 1.5 pound bags

Raisin Walnut Organic Oats, Maple Syrup, Organic Raisins, Organic Sunflower Oil, 6.50

Organic Walnuts, Organic Oranges, Vanilla, Unrefined Sea Salt

Maple Almond Organic Oats, Maple Syrup, Organic Butter, Organic Almonds, 7.75

Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Almond Extract, Unrefined Sea Salt

Cranberry Almond Organic Oats, Maple Syrup, Organic Cranberries, Organic Butter, 9.00

Organic Almonds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Almond Extract, Unrefined Sea Salt

Sweets

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins Organic Whole Spelt, Organic Chocolate Chips, 1.50

Organic Raspberries, Honey, Eggs, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Rye,

Organic Corn, Organic Buckwheat, Organic Millet, Organic Oats, Baking Powder,

Organic Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Unrefined Sea Salt

Pumpkin Muffins Organic pumpkins, Organic Spelt, Maple Syrup, Sorghum, Organic 1.50

Canola Oil, Spices, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Organic Vanilla, Unrefined Sea Salt