Morning on the Back Forty

Dawn on South Pender after the bread is out of the oven.

The morning is mine because no one else is awake to claim it, except a few deer in the back forty and a mouse hiding in the woodpile. I’ve stepped outside into the chill and darkness, lit a fire in the wood oven. The flames crackle.… Continue reading

Greenangel Choppers Circle Their Wagons

Greenangels (left to right) Ken Smith, Dave Hargreaves, Gary Gee and Dave Howe
(photos courtesy of Davy Rippner, another Greenangel)

Two enormous pick-up trucks drove into the Medicine Beach shops parking lot, last Friday. A white one and a red one. They made a wide circle, each hauling a trailer loaded with firewood, and pulled up to the Happy Monk.… Continue reading

Friday is a good day

Sometimes a baker just needs to wipe the smile off his face, especially when the first load of bread is in the oven and there’s nothing to do but wait. There’s a lot of pleasure in the bake day, but it’s tiring, too. This is the look of deep satisfaction.

My Fridays, for the past seven months, have begun at the ungodly hour of two a.m.… Continue reading

Can I Make Bread?

Many people I talk to express an interest in making their own bread. Some may have tried it with little or no success. Others may find it too intimidating to even try.

I still feel like a pretender … a novice who has learned a thing or two, but with a long way to go to being a baker of any standing.… Continue reading

An Ode to Autumn!

It arrived at the party early, when, it seemed, there was still still so much to do. Autumn settled into the chaise longue out on the prow and regaled us with fog and rain and even a few mild windstorms while it was still summer. And we were still out gathering fruit and thinking of jams and pies, and we started to consider soups and stews instead.… Continue reading