ITEMS
Carrots
Medium Salsa
White Corn Tortillas
Kombucha (2 flavors)
1/2 & 1/2
Flathead Cherries (frozen)
Wheatsome Flour (sub GF oats)
PRODUCERS
Amaltheia - Belgrade
Hot Mama's Salsa - Bozeman
Trevino's Tortillas - Billlings
Back to the Mother - Missoula
Kalispell Kreamery - Kalispell
Western Montana Growers Co-op - Missoula
Conservation Grains - Choteau (sub GF Prairie)
Conservation Grains Wheatsome Flour
It's our aim to not only introduce you to quality Montana products, but also to share what makes them so great and how to get the most out of them. Here's a little more about the Flour from the Front blends from Conservation Grains owner, Judy Cornell:
"There is white flour, there is whole wheat flour, and then there is whole grain flour. Many flours labeled as "whole wheat" are in fact reconstructed from white flour, a process that loses nearly all the germ and much of the grain’s full spectrum of nutrients. The word “enriched” on a label indicates a poor substitute for what nature had originally packed into a kernel of grain. Conservation Grains mills only fresh 100% whole grain, stone-ground flours because that’s what’s best for your health and for really great flavor.
What’s Inside: Every bag of Flour from the Front has a mill date, a list of each grain and its gluten protein %, the year of harvest and the farm where it was grown. Storage: 100% whole grain flours can keep well for six months to a year when stored in an airtight container placed in a cool, dry, dark place, or in a freezer. Nonetheless, all flour begins to oxidize the moment the grains are broken by milling."
Judy sources, mills, test bakes, and hand-delivers her flours to Bozeman from Choteau. She printed her tried-and-true recipe for Morning Muffins for us this week, and we think they would be delicious with the flathead cherries (thawed, chopped, and drained) and possibly even with 1/2 & 1/2 subbed for the milk. [If you don't use 1/2 & 1/2 regularly, baking with it is a great way to use it!]
Flathead Cherry Crisp, Wheatsome or Gluten Free
Filling
~1 1/4 lbs frozen flathead cherries, thawed
2 Tbs granulated sugar, or more to taste
2 Tbs cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbs lemon or lime juice (I have also seen balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional but great with cherries)
Topping
1 C rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 C Wheatsome Flour (sub all-purpose flour, or any GF flour of your liking)
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark
1 stick (1/2 C) cold butter, cut into cubes (if using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 C chopped or slivered almonds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 F with the rack in the center of the oven. Get out an 8x8-inch baking pan, a round pie pan, or whatever baking vessel you like. For the filling, first drain the cherries in a colander to get rid of excess liquid. You can reserve it if you like, but you probably won't need it for this recipe unless your filling seems too dry. Put the drained cherries in the pan, then add the cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon or lime juice, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. Taste a dab of filling and add more sugar or lemon juice depending on how sweet/tart you like it. Spread the filling into an even layer and set aside.
For the topping, in a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts if using. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, a couple of forks, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherries; don’t pack it down.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes until filling is bubbly and topping is nicely browned, rotating once halfway through. Set the crisp on a wire rack to cool.
Notes: The filling could be increased to make a larger crisp with additional frozen or fresh berries, or other chopped fruits. You may need to increase the other filling ingredients and topping accordingly. This could also be used as a pie filling - use in your favorite GF or regular pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
Additional Recipes & Suggestions
There are many ways to make a pie crust. If you have a favorite and want to try making it with whole grain flour, start by subbing in half the flour called for with whole grain. Or, try this Whole Wheat Pie Crust.
Fruit Compote is an easy way to use fresh or frozen fruit, and can be eaten as dessert with whipped cream, ice cream, or on top of just about anything (brownies?!?), or for breakfast with yogurt, granola, scones, or spread on toast. I like to think of it as jam's lower-maintenance cousin.
If you've moved on from taco week (last week's recipes), you can freeze the corn tortillas until you need them.
Drop Biscuits with Whole Grain Flour
These are the fastest version of biscuits I know. Though you don't get the flaky layers of folded and cut biscuits, they're easy and still taste great with soups, stews, gravy, etc.
2 C Wheatsome flour, or any other flour blend - I've never made these GF, but it would be worth trying!
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 Tbs cold butter, cut into cubes
1 C milk or 1/2 & 1/2
Optional: To make cheddar chive biscuits, use 1 C shredded cheddar cheese and 1/4 C chopped fresh chives.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter, forks, or your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the cheddar and chives if using, stir to coat. Fold in the milk just until all the flour is moistened. Scoop up a spoonful of dough and drop it on a baking sheet, using your finger to loosen it. Should make ~10-12 biscuits. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. The lumpy, uneven shapes mean you get nice crunchy spots and a soft, pull-apart interior.