We're on Good Eggs!

The time has come! I'm so excited to report that Ferments + Flour finally has a published Webstand on GoodEggs.com!

For those of you who don't know what Good Eggs is, let me begin. They are a wonderful company that started up here in the Bay Area (and are expanding!!) to bring local producers together under one roof to share their goods with fellow locals. You order online, and they deliver everything in one bag, whether you live up in Marin or down in Mountain View. Their online marketplace sells things from fresh produce to pantry staples, to grass-fed meats. The variety is amazing, and the quality is even better. I've already ordered a couple times from them and they are an incredible group of people who deliver excellent customer service along with excellent quality product. Now I'm fortunate to be a vendor as well!

The view of the Webstand.

Anyways, after lots of preparation, all of my products have made their way onto a Webstand, presented by Good Eggs. All of my seasonal shortbreads, pickles, and Kombucha are available to all, just like they are here! On top of having an incredibly helpful staff, their website (especially for a vendor) is so organized; it's easy to view items by category, date ordered, etc. Example: you can order those peaches with a pound of chuck together to be picked up on Thursday.

If you're looking for an alternative and convenient method of ordering Ferments + Flour products, be sure to check out our Webstand on Good Eggs! 

Preservation: HERB BUTTERS!

Since it's summer and the garden is overflowing with all sorts of greens, it can sometimes be hard to use everything at such a fast pace. Even with a garden like mine own (which is 8 beds shared by me and my family of 5 others), it's difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Mother Nature. I feel like I'm constantly bending my back over the kale and giving the basil constant haircuts. Right now the tomatoes loom over the rest of the garden and have become much taller than any human being. I'm still not sure how I'm going to go searching for tomatoes to harvest. It closely resembles a jungle. 

Butter rolled into cylinders. 

Because of this abundance of greens, I got nervous about how to store them for optimal freshness so I could use them in my shortbreads. I only like to bake them to order so they can be as fresh as possible, but my ingredients from the garden are so temperamental, so I had no idea at first how to preserve them to my advantage. Then it hit me! Herb butters. 

I labeled all of my butters: B for BASIL.

Naturally it made complete sense since a dominant ingredient in the shortbread cookies is butter. So why not do what so many others have done in the past and preserve my summer harvest in fat? I can't think of a better way to keep something fresh, without tarnishing the quality. I gathered the predominant flavors in my shortbreads and got to it! I had so much rosemary, basil, lavender and lemon, and this was the ideal way to halt summer in its tracks. 

It couldn't be more simple:

• Get your butter (I made mine in batches of 4 ounces AKA 1 stick).
• Let it get to almost room temperature.
• Zest your citrus or chop your herbs (about 1-2 tbsp per stick of butter).
• Stir the herbs and butter well with spatula, then place in the center of a large square of plastic wrap.
• Fold plastic wrap and roll the butter into a cylindrical shape--make sure to get out any air pockets.
• Label and place in freezer. 
• DONE

It's an excellent way to savor your leftover herbs and zests when you don't know what else to do with them. Now I can provide everyone with perfectly flavored summer flavors without fretting about my herbs growing faster than I can harvest!

 

New Shortbread Member!

In honor of this beautiful weather, and the greens that grow as a result, I've decided to add another seasonal shortbread flavor: BASIL.

There was beautiful basil up for grabs in the discount section of Monterey Market this past

Been bakin' away all day.

week and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to incorporate it into the shortbreads! It's a beautiful ingredient to add just alone--it's delicious in its simplicity. After tasting the final result, I feel like these could be paired with anything ranging from sweet or savory flavors. After visiting INNA Jams  in Emeryville this week and buying some beautiful spreads, my mind immediately thought of pairing their Seascape Strawberry jam with the shortbread. Perfect pairing of sweet and savory.

While experimenting with this new seasonal flavor, I simultaneously made more batches of the existing trio of shortbreads! I'm now offering the goods in rounds instead of squares for more uniform and even cookies. Pictures of everything to come!!

Meanwhile, all of the pickles are bubbling away in their crocks...