Irish Soda Bread!: The Beet, Weaver Street's E-Newsletter

Link to Weaver Street Market's Home Page

Hot Cross Buns & Irish Soda Bread!
by Emily Buehler, Contributing Writer
It's that time of year again—Irish soda bread time! But before we turn to discussion of the Weaver Street variety of soda bread, we should look at some Irish soda bread basics, namely, Why soda bread? Didn't they have yeast in Ireland? They did, and for years they used it to make bread as best they could. But they lacked the proper flours that make yeasted breads rise easily. Due to growing conditions (rainy, I'm guessing), the wheat available in Ireland was "soft"—it made flour like the cake or biscuit flours available here. More

Wine Sale & Shows
Piedmont Farm Tour
2nd Friday at SV

Call for Candidates
Board Enews

Poetry Contest
Carrboro Farmers' Market
Wild Herb Field Day
Easter Egg Hunt

March Wine Dinner
April Wine Dinner

St. Patty's Specials
Value Recipe: Cod Loin with Sweet Potatoes

Weekly Produce Specials
Weekly Meat Specials



Hot Cross Buns & Irish Soda Bread! continued
This didn't work so well for yeast-risen breads. So in the 1800s when baking soda was introduced, Irish bread-makers began to make soda bread instead of yeasted bread. Many American enterprises claim to make traditional Irish soda bread, but the real stuff, made with flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk, is rarely found. I was tempted to think of the fancier versions as "sort of traditional, too" until I visited the website of the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread (http://www.sodabread.us/), where it states, "Would 'French Bread'...still be 'French Bread' if whiskey, raisins, or other random ingredients were added to the mix? Would a sugar glaze be added? So why is traditional 'Irish Soda Bread'... not treated with the same respect for tradition?" Point taken. Which brings us to the Weaver Street Market Irish soda bread. It's got many of the good things mentioned on the website as non-traditional—sugar, butter, and currants (a type of raisin) as well as other dried fruit. But even with these rich ingredients, the idea is to keep it light and fluffy—after all, there won't be a bunch of hard-working yeast coming in to make it rise. The butter is cut into the flour-sugar mixture and dispersed evenly throughout in tiny bits. Then buttermilk is added, which contains lactic acid that reacts with the baking soda and starts the bubbling and rising. The dough is gently mixed and shaped and sent into the waiting oven, only to emerge thirty minutes later, golden brown and ready to be eaten. Traditional? Maybe not. Delicious? Yes. According to the Preservation Society, our version (that contains raisins) is actually called 'Spotted Dog' or 'Railway Cake.' But switching the name might lead to confusion with our neighbors across Weaver Street, so you'll still find it at our bakery counter labeled 'Irish soda bread.' Now, Hot Cross Buns are another story entirely. Sugar and spice, milk and butter, currants and even frosting—they're all part of traditional hot cross bun recipes. These frosted treats are available in the pastry case, and they are only here through Easter, so act fast!

Weekly Produce Specials - THESE SALES ARE EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY, March 12 through TUESDAY, March 18.


	Organic Pinova Apples	$1.19 lb	super low price!
	Imported, Organic Bartlett Pears	$1.49 lb	New crop save 50¢ lb
	California, Seedless Navel Oranges	99¢ lb

Weekly Meat & Seafood Specials

	Pacific Cod Loins	$7.99 lb	All natural save $2.00 lb
	Niman Ranch Beef London Broil	USDA Choice $4.99 lb	All Natural save $1.00 lb
	Plainville Ground Dark Turkey	1 lb. pkg $3.99 each	All Natural save 50¢
Read more about other Weaver Street Market Specials.


St. Patty's Specials

Weaver Street Market has some great features to make your St. Pat's Day special: Irish Oat Scones ON WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY ONLY Available thru March 99¢ each In the Weaver Street Pastry Bakery Chocolate Orange Guinness Quick Bread MADE WITH REAL GUINNESS STOUT $3.00/ea Available thru March Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Cake slice $2.95 6" $16.50 8" $21.50 Dubliner Irish Cheese Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this delicious cheese. Named after the city of Dublin, this Irish cheese is aged over twelve months. It has a nice sharpness and saltiness and melts well, like a cheddar. This cheese matches really well with crisp apples and a light, fresh red wine. Regulars and staff at Weaver Street Market pair it with our Irish Soda Bread. $7.99/lb reg. $9.99 /lb You can't celebrate St. Pat's without beer! Check out Guiness, Murphy's and Smithwick!

Value Recipe: Cod Loin with Sweet Potatoes

THE POTATOES: • 2 large sweet potatoes (Everyday Low Price: Organic Sweet Potatoes from Pine Knot Farm $1.29/lb) • 1 onion, diced (Everyday Low Price: Yellow Onion 3lb bag 2/$3.00) • 1/4 cup apple juice • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 piece of fresh ginger root, grated • 2 tsp ground cumin (This Month's Co-op Advantage Special: Simply Organic Spices on sale from $2.49 - $3.49 selected varieties 2.21-3.7 oz., regularly $3.49-$4.69) • 1 green chilli, finely chopped • 1 red pepper, diced • 3 tbsp light or low-fat cream cheese (This Month's Co-op Advantage Special: Organic Valley Organic Cream Cheese $2.49 8 oz, save .80!) • 1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper • 3.5 oz frozen peas, defrosted • 1 tbsp lemon juice THE COD: • 1.3 lb cod fillet (This week's WSM special: Pacific Cod Loins $7.99/lb, save $2.00/lb!) • 2 tbsp white flour, seasoned (This Month's Co-op Advantage Special: Organic Unbleached White Flour $1.99/2lb., save .70!) • 1 egg, beaten • 1 tbsp double cream • 3 tbsp oil, for frying • 2 tbsp butter • 1 tbsp Parsley, chopped INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Set the oven to 400°F. Bake the sweet potatoes whole for approximately one hour, until soft. 2. Meanwhile, put the onion and apple juice together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer slowly for five minutes. 3. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, chilli and red pepper. Cover and simmer for about five minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside. 4. Cut the potatoes carefully in half lengthways. 5. Scoop out the cooked potato from the centre leaving a good four centimetre border to help hold the potatoes shape. 6. Mix the flesh potato with the soft cheese. Add the peas and lemon juice and season. Fill the shells with the mixture and bake in oven for a further three minutes. 7. In the meantime, cut the cod into portion sized pieces. Remove all bones and skin if necessary. Dip the fish into the seasoned flour. 8. Beat the egg with one tablespoon of double cream. Stir in the chopped parsley. 9. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. 10. Dip the floured cod into the egg mix and then fry for about seven minutes, until cooked through. Serve immediately with the sweet potatoes. Serves 4.



Wine Sale & Shows

Weaver Street Market's 4th Annual Spring Wine Sale March 28-April 13 This sale will feature a selection of favorite and fine wines from around the world at discounts up to 41% off regular price! 10% regular case discount applies on top of sale price! This is a "no risk" wine sale - you can taste all these wines at the Wine Shows! Wine Shows: Saturday, March 29, 1 - 5 pm on the lawn in Carrboro ...Different Drum will provide lively, entertaining music while you sip 40 fine wines from around the world. Saturday, April 5, 1 - 5 pm at Southern Village Saludos Compay will provide lively, entertaining music while you sip 40 fine wines from around the world. Tickets are $5 and are available at both Weaver Street Market locations. A portion of the proceeds benefit WSM's Cooperative Community Fund. Enjoy...music, hors d'oeuvres, and your favorite wines at great values! Hours Weaver Street Market: Carrboro, 7:30 am - 9 pm M-F, 8 am - 9 pm Sat/Sun, 929-0010 Weaver Street Market: Southern Village, 7 am - 9 pm Daily, 929-2009

Piedmont Farm Tour

Saturday, April 19 Sunday, April 20 New Hours! 1-6 pm Tickets $30, $25 in advance 35 farms to choose from 5 new farms this year! Maps and buttons will be available at Weaver Street Market March 21.

2nd Friday at Southern Village

Friday, March 14 6:00 - 9:00pm This is a perfect opportunity for those of you who enjoy art, entertainment and live music! This community gathering event will be taking place in Carrboro and Chapel Hill on Friday evening. Enjoy a wine and food tasting at Weaver Street Market in Southern Village from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Stop by Bagwell, Holt, Smith, Tillman & Jones, PA, 400 Market Street, Ste. 103 to view oil paintings by Cat Moleski. Enjoy light refreshments while chatting with the artist. Admission is free to everyone.
View more of Cat's work here.



Call for Candidates

For Appointed Member of Weaver Street Market Board of Directors Weaver Street Market Board of Directors seeks an appointed director for a term that begins in July 2008. The Board is seeking to fill this position from an open call for candidates to the membership. Minimum eligibility requirements are as follows: • Must be a Weaver Street Market consumer-owner or worker-owner in good standing for at least one year • Must be regularly available for monthly Board meetings and other scheduled events requiring Director participation and for committee and other work outside of scheduled events • Must be willing to work cooperatively and enthusiastically within the Policy Governance protocols used by the Board The appointed position is for a two year term that runs until June 2010. The board consists of seven members: two elected by consumer-owners, two elected by worker-owners, two appointed by the board from either class of ownership, and the General Manager, who is an ex-officio member. The board meets monthly and full attendance is expected at each meeting. Time commitment expected of directors comprises a minimum of five hours monthly for preparation and attendance at scheduled board meetings together with committee work etc. requiring on average an additional twenty or so hours a year; directors are also invited to attend the national CCMA (Consumer Cooperative Management Association) three-day conference, held in June of each year. New directors are required to attend training at the beginning of their term in accordance with the level of their previous experience in this area of work. Directors are paid a stipend of $1,200 annually in the form of a store credit; conference and training expenses are met by Weaver Street Market; last but not least, benefits include being fed an excellent dinner by Panzanella at the beginning of each Board meeting! If you are interested in the vacant appointed board position, please prepare a letter of application and email it to board@weaverstreetmarket.coop or mail to: Board of Directors, Weaver Street Market, 101 E Weaver Street, Carrboro, NC 27510. Letters of application may also be handed to the customer service desk at the Carrboro store. The deadline for the receipt of applications is noon on April 15th 2008. In addition to your full name, contact information and owner number, your letter of application should contain detailed information to support your candidacy. The information you supply will be used to prepare a short list for interview by the Board's search committee and should tell us why you think you would make a good Weaver Street Market Director. In considering applications, the Board will note evidence of: • Maturity of outlook • Good communication skills • Experience in planning and strategic thinking • Experience in consensus decision-making and collaborative workgroups • Experience on co-op or community boards • Experience or knowledge of Policy Governance (http://www.carvergovernance.com/); • A history of effective community involvement You will be excited to learn that this is not the only imminent opportunity to become involved with Weaver Street Market board work. The term of an elected consumer-owner director and elected worker owner director will fall due at the end of 2008, and a call for candidates will be issued for that position this summer.

Board Enews

Weaver Street Market's Board of Directors has recently published the first edition of their occasional email newsletter featuring current board news, including notification of newly posted minutes, highlights of hot topics and board discussions, forthcoming agenda items that you can share your views on, and board-related volunteer opportunities.
Sign up for future e-newsletters here.

Poetry Contest

Town of Carrboro Youth Poetry Contest!
Submissions are now being accepted! You must be no older than 18, a resident of Carrboro or of ETJ, and most important a poet!

To submit your poem, send it by mail to
Carrboro Youth Poetry Contest
Attn: Kim Andrews
100 North Greensboro St.
Carrboro, NC 27510

Include the name of the school you attend, your address, phone number and email, your date of birth, and tell us a little about yourself.

Deadline: April 4th, 2008
All styles and themes are welcome.

Carrboro Farmers' Market

Saturday, March 15th - Spring Hours and Musician Mark Holland:

Come celebrate as we listen to musician Mark Holland play his acoustic blues/roots music at the Market. March 15th also marks the first day of our spring season where we will return to the normal hours of 7am - 12pm. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Check out the Market's website here.

Wild Herb Field Day

Sunday Field Day - Wild Medicinal & Edible Herbs
Sunday March 16, 9 am - 5 pm
This class will meet and travel to places in and within 20 minutes of Hillsborough to learn about local wild herbs. Cost $45 each, prepay by money order or cash, due by the Wednesday before class. Send to Will Endres, PO Box 27, Prospect Hill, NC 27314

Will Endres is a local Hillsborough resident who is recognized nationally as an expert and pioneer in the healing properties of herbs. He also has developed a line of herbal tinctures and dry herbs, many of which he sells at local farmers' markets and natural foods stores.
Will can be reached at 919.732.9785.

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 15, 2008
(if it rains: Sunday, March 16 at 2 pm.)
9:30am-noon at Homestead Park in Chapel Hill
EGG HUNT BEGINS AT 10:30 a.m. SHARP
This event is free and it's designed for children ages 2-10

The Chapel Hill, Carrboro Recreation and Orange County Recreation & Parks Departments will sponsor a spring celebration for children ages 2-10 years on Saturday, March 15 from 9:30 to 12:00 noon at Homestead Park in Chapel Hill.

FREE activities include: an EGG HUNT for THREE AGE GROUPS, LIVE CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT, GAMES (three-legged race, an egg toss and other favorites), and PRIZES. The Easter Bunny will be on hand to greet children. For more information, contact Wes Tilghman, Town of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department, at (919) 968-2787 ext. 208 or wtilghman@townofchapelhill.org


March Wine Dinner

"Green" Wine Dinner Monday, March 17, 2008 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Since March is often associated with Saint Patrick's Day AND since there are no Irish wines to speak of, we ran with the "green" theme for this dinner instead. These days, green can mean a lot of things like "organic" or "sustainable." At March's Wine Dinner, we'll be looking at several classifications for wines: organic, made with organic grapes, sustainable certified, even salmon-safe. Organic wines and wines produced sustainably, just like foods, are being sought for their purity, quality, deliciousness and even conscience. Hundreds of years ago, chemicals weren't available as they are now, so people developed natural ways to keep their vines and grapes healthy. These days many vineyard managers, wine makers, and wineries are reverting to older methods of sustaining healthy vineyards. Interested in tasting delicious wines? Well you can do it while knowing they are produced in a "green" fashion. Join us for an evening of wonderful wines and plenty of delicious food prepared by Panzanella Chef, Chris Capron. The cost of this event is $45 per person; space is limited, so reserve early. Please pay in advance and pick up a ticket for this tasting at either Panzanella (919.929.6626) or the customer service desk at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro (919.929.0010).
Visit Panzanella's website to view all menus (lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch).
Sign up for Panzanella's Enewsletter here.

April Wine Dinner

Australian Wines with Importer, Robert Whale Monday, April 21 7:00 - 9:30 pm For this exciting wine dinner, Panzanella welcomes special guest, Robert Whale, president and founder of Robert Whale Selections, importer of fine Australian wines. With 2 decades of experience traveling and tasting throughout Australia and New Zealand in search of unique, site-specific, boutique wines, Robert has become identified with top-quality wine producers from Down Under. The importer's book represents wines that are food-compatible with balance, structure and elegance. This is an opposite style of many Australian wines, which frequently offer more flavor and oak than elegance and character. Please join us for this celebration of delicious, wonderfully made Australian wines, and meet an importer who dares to be different. Plenty of marvelous food will be prepared by Panzanella Chef, Chris Capron. The cost of this event is $45 per person; space is limited, so reserve early. Please pay in advance and pick up a ticket for this tasting at either Panzanella or the customer service desk at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro.