We’re halfway through August and it feels like a mad rush to finish projects before school starts! The garden is going gangbusters: beans, zucchini, pickling cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, and tomatoes are all in full force. I’ve harvested and braided strands of onions and shallots, and there are bundles of herbs drying. The school room is getting a refresh, so staining the remaining bookshelves is also on my list for today. The kids picked and snapped beans, which was a huge help to getting those in the freezer! It’s fun to see them growing into helpfulness.
This past week I ordered a tool for the bakery that we have all been enjoying immensely: a bread slicer! Not a big electric deal, but a hand crank slicer that has turned slicing bread into the most fun household job. It’s something I’ve wanted to offer to all of you for some time, and decided that this was a good time to give the slicer a try. I’ll be offering sliced house loaves weekly for just a bit extra. You’ll see a separate item to order sliced bread. The loaves freeze well this way, and the slices are so even! I definitely get more slices out of each loaf with this than when I cut into them by hand.
In the bakery this week I’m also making a chocolatey, decadent cookie that features rye flour and sourdough. Dark and milk chocolate along with pecans round out the flavors. These are so, so delicious! If you haven’t had the rye + chocolate combination, this is a great week to try it. These flavors are incredible together and make for an absolutely indulgent cookie!
Next week I plan to have the semester ordering plans up on the website. These plans will follow Hillsdale College’s academic calendar and allow for 13 weeks of bread over the semester, taking off when there are no classes (fall break, Thanksgiving, etc.). I will still have the monthly subscriptions for those of us who are here but wanted to make that available for students and others who might travel when there are no classes. If you know anyone who might enjoy that kind of subscription, please send this their way!