Can you believe it’s almost Week 18 already?! That means that there are only 3 weeks left in the 2021 CSA season – 3 more weeks to fill your share with sweet corn, root veggies, local apples… and bread! For this week’s “Sourcing Spotlight,” we’re featuring Rise Above Bakery, the partner business that has supplied us with our bread shares this season. Not only does Brian and the team at Rise Above bake incredibly hearty and delicious sourdough, but their business plays an integral role in serving and supporting the community around them.
“Rise Above Bakery and Cafe was merely a product of the imagination of a wide-eyed 20-something in his native New Hampshire. It was around when he had met his wife during his freshman year of college, but before he left school to pursue his passion in bread, before he saw his cheesecakes in display windows, before he headed to a culinary institute in New York, before working with that big wood-fired oven in the Catskills, before baking in Boston and before finding a plot of land on an old country road in Shelburne that landed him in Franklin County.
Standing in the back of his Main Street bakery on a recent afternoon, Brian Meunier kneaded bread dough and prepped bagels made with Northfield’s Four Star Farms whole grains. 'If I was going to put my life into a business, I wanted to have it where I know and love,' said Meunier, 45.”
The full Daily Hampshire Gazette article from July 2019 can be found here. If you haven’t had a chance to try Rise Above’s sourdough yet, we HIGHLY recommend it! This coming week’s flavor is black currant levain, made with 100% local whole and bolted wheat from Ground Up grain, as well as organic spelt and whole rye with black currants mixed in. Brian incorporates local produce into his baked goods whenever possible, including Warner Farm strawberries, peaches, and other fruits and veggies from our partner farms. A massive thank you to Brian and the team at Rise Above for making our bread shares possible, and for keeping the community and fellow local businesses at the forefront of their operation.
THINKING INSIDE THE BOX
Add in or swap out these items when customizing your share:
- Bunched carrots
- Fresh ginger – limited!
- Fennel
- Sweet potatoes
- Red + green head lettuce
- Russet potatoes
- Leeks
- Scallions
- Parsnips – new!
- Gold + chioggia beets
- Napa cabbage
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Garlic chives
- Apple cider from Pine Hill Farm – available as an extra only!
Fruit of the week: HONEYCRISP APPLES!
Bread of the week: Black Currant Levain
Mushrooms of the week: Oyster
*All items listed above are available for swapping as well as purchasing as extras unless noted otherwise*
RECIPES OF THE WEEK
Skillet roast chicken with fennel, parsnips, and scallions
