I've been trying to think of something different to bake for farmers' market since it is now Autumn.  I found a recipe for a granola bread, actually called "Aunt Melissa's Granola Bread" from my copy of The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. 
      This is the neatest book, filled with bread recipes made with yeast, but with a dough that is housed in your refrigerator until you need it.  I wrote about making the Master Recipe in April this year which I then used to make a boule, known as an "artisan free-form loaf."  The Master Recipe can remain in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.  So in other words, any time during a two-week period, one can use some of the refrigerated dough to shape and bake a loaf of bread.  The years of work done by authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois eliminate much of the time-consuming process of bread making.

Aunt Melissa's Granola Bread

  
     I made the granola bread dough last Wednesday and then removed it from the refrigerator Thursday morning to prepare the pans and shape the loaves for baking.  I chose the granola recipe because I thought the fruity, nutty goodness of granola and oats would fill my kitchen with a delicious aroma, and that thought would entice my customers as well.  This particular recipe does not make many loaves, but did provide enough dough to make four small ones, a perfect amount to add to my farmers' market offerings.  If baked one at a time, this dough can be used over a five-day period.
    Despite my plans for this bread, I was anxious to taste it when it was out of the oven.  (Shucks, I couldn't help myself.)  One of the foil pans seemed a little lopsided, so I shaved off a piece before wrapping it for my market.  You know, I couldn't sell something without tasting it, right?  The bread bits were more of a tease than taste so afterward, I wasn't disappointed when I did not sell all the loaves. Now I could appreciate the real thing.   I cut a generous slice and slathered it with a decent amount of butter.  The first bite incorporated the sweet from the raisin granola, the hardiness from the oats, and the bread's own full-bodied texture.  I also put a little of the cereal along the top so that it would bake right in and crunch when someone would bite into a piece.
     I was delighted with the natural goodness of this bread.  The only thing that might have made it better would have been to use granola that was homemade.  Not a problem next time.  The recipe for Homemade Granola follows the bread recipe in the cookbook.  Below, the first link is to the actual granola recipe.  The second link will take the reader to information on the cookbook, which I also posted in April.  (P.S I have no ties to the websites.  I do not know the authors, nor do they know me.)

www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2011/01/21/the-best-granola-ive-ever-had 

www.culinarycovers.com/2009/10/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-the-master-recipe/

 AND

  

     What is a popular Fall flower to you?  Most people would say chrysanthemum as the answer to this question.  In recent years, that long word beginning with a "c" is most often referred to as "mum" today.

       Do you have mums planted in your landscape?   I have had several mums through the years.  I don't believe I have ever planted mums like I have zinnias or marigolds.  I have acquired mums by purchasing pots of them from garden centers.  When the pretty blooms fade, I then plant them into one or two of my beds, usually at the back, and water and feed them until the next year when they bloom again. 

     The best things about mums are that there are many different types, several varied colors, and they last a long time.  Some people prefer to buy them new each year and treat them as annuals.  They bring them home and display them on porches, decks, and patios in their pots.  Mum pots can also be displayed in pre-dug holes of flower beds.  When the blooms fade they simply dispose of the plants.  Others grow them as perennials.  They may display their mums in pots around their home, but when the blooms fade they place them directly into their beds where they can live and grow for several years.

     Whichever way you choose, try planting mums for the beautiful flower shapes and long-lasting colors.  You will not be disappointed.

    The photo on the right shows a plant  displaying its seeds.  The black seeds in the top picture are from a blackberry lily.  It is the seed pods that give the lily its name.  The actual flower is small and orange with tiny spots, resembling nothing like a blackberry. 
     I usually just let the blackberry lily seeds fall to the ground, get picked up by the wind,  or transferred to other parts of the yard by birds.  This year however, I plan to collect some of the seeds in late fall and save them until spring.  I will then sow them in small containers to have more controlled new plantings.  I have had these lilies come up in some unexpected places.  I have also shared them with friends that have said the same thing.  By not collecting all of the blackberry lily seeds, I obviously will have some random shoots appear in my yard.  But allowing some new shoots to grow in a controlled environment and some to sow on their own, will assure I will continue to have these in my yard.

     The photo above is a seed pod from a hardy orchid.  I have read that seeds should be collected from flowers when the pods are dry.  The horizontal lines you see along this pod are really where the pod has already split and its seeds are visible.  I knew it would take no effort at all to break open this pod, but decided to watch it each day until one of the sections began to tear away.  Then I will collect the seeds. I also plan to sow these seeds in spring to have a more controlled environment for the new plants.  I will let a couple of the other seed pods drop and break open, but I will collect seeds from this one.  I have never owned a hardy orchid before and want to be sure I will continue to have this plant in the future.

     Some other seeds I plan to collect this year are zinnia, celosia, Butterfly (orange) milkweed, oriental lily, and coneflower.  Zinnia, celosia, and coneflower seeds come from their dry flower heads.   Butterfly milkweed and oriental lilies have seed pods.  I'm currently playing the waiting game to collect these seeds, but I'm already looking forward to next spring.

   

    

     T