Thanks for the Stuffing: The Beet, WSM's E-Newsletter

Link to Weaver Street Market's Home Page

Thanks for the Stuffing!
By Rob Nichols, Bread Baker Emeritus
When it comes to second helpings at Thanksgiving, the stuffing, along with extra gravy, is at the top of the list. Surprising, since the ingredients are common enough: bread, onions, celery, perhaps some apples or sausage, seasonings and broth. What is it about this stuff? Here is my theory. Good stuffing is savory and a little sweet (from the cooked onion and maybe some apple or dried fruit); moist and succulent (from the butter or sausage or mushrooms); salty and herbaceous; chewy and soft; lean and rich at the same time. It softens the cranberry, cuts the sweet potatoes, and bolsters the turkey or tofu with some real texture and complex flavor. What an accomplishment. More...

Holiday Table Tastings
Order Your Turkey
Let Us Help with
Holiday Cooking
Beaujolais Nouveau
Arrives the 18th!
Wine Tasting

RSVVP Day
WCHA New Project
Win an Organic
Christmas Tree

Weekly Produce Specials
Local Producer: Lindley Mills

Recipe: Stuffing Basics
Organic Caramel Dip

Heritage Turkey Dinner
On the Menu: Recipes!
Owners Get 10% Off!

Thanks for the Stuffing! (continued)

But you have to start out with the right bread (no Stovetop Stuffing allowed), and Weaver Street’s Rustic Bread is ideal. My second choice is the Yeasted Cornbread. A day or two old is better, since fresh bread will turn soggy and won’t absorb the flavor. Carve off the bottom crust and most of the thicker top and side crust. Then cut the bread into thick slices (you have purchased unsliced bread, right?), brush with olive oil, or butter if you prefer, and broil it briefly on both sides to add some color and crisp. Finally, and this is the critical part, after it cools, tear the bread into irregular wads, bites and fat crumbs. Now you have the base for the best side dish on the table. (A Basic Stuffing Recipe is below.)

Weekly Produce Specials

	Organic Pink Lady Apples	$3.99 (3 lb. bag)	Save $1.00
	Organic Haas Avocadoes	2 for $1.00	Delicious!
	Organic Red Seedless Grapes	$2.29/lb.	Last of Season!
(Picture from California Avocado Commission)
Stock up on other Weaver Street Market Specials.

Meet Local Producer: Lindley Mills

Lindley Mills stands at what was once a bustling crossroads, literally where the north-south trade route from Hillsborough to Raleigh and the east-west route through the Piedmont crossed. Built in 1755 by Thomas Lindley, the mill was one of five that lined the Cane Creek and milled local grain. During the Revolutionary War, the Tories captured the Governor of Hillsborough and were transporting him along the north-south road when the North Carolina militia ambushed them at Lindley’s Mill. Two to three hundred men died in a battle that lasted four hours; unfortunately the Governor was not rescued. The current owner of Lindley Mill, Joe Lindley, is nine generations removed from Thomas Lindley, the original owner. The Lindley family operated the mill for about a hundred years before it was sold off. As the milling process became more and more concentrated in larger operations across the country, the mill went from flour production to animal feed. Finally, in the 1960s, the mill closed down completely. Joe’s father, a local surgeon, bought the mill back in the 1970s with the intention to restore just the water wheel. Joe helped out on weekends and when the wheel was operational, it seemed the opportunity to grind flour was just too good to pass up. Once they ground their first batch of flour, Joe became hooked on grinding. Apparently even nine generations later, it's still in the family blood. The mill has ground 100% organic flour since the Lindley’s began operating it again in 1976. Although Joe’s background is in engineering, that hasn’t stopped him from grabbing a handful of flour, a sifting cloth and experimenting with different kinds of grinds. He counts his education, or rather, his lack of milling education as a backward blessing. When more traditionally-trained millers are faced with a problem they have only their traditional answers. Joe feels that because of his engineering background, he’s more able to think outside the box when it comes to solving flour-grinding needs. As a result, businesses that need special kinds of flour come to Lindley Mills. The flour in bread determines both the crumb (the texture inside the bread) and the crust. Lindley Mills designs their flour to be closer to a European style that’s not as refined or uniform in texture as flour used for large production-style baking. Machine processed bread needs to be very elastic and consistent because a machine cannot adjust to changes in the bread dough. Lindley Mills flour is good for a small artisanal bakery like Weaver Street Market where the hand processing of the bread allows for the fluctuations in flour batches and thus, the rougher, denser, chewier, crustier options are enjoyed. Weaver Street Market buys around 5,000 pounds of flour a week from Lindley Mills, a mix of their specialty grinds and their blended flour. If you’ve ever visited St. Paul, Minnesota and walked by those giant grain elevators, you will understand why we are so fortunate to have a local mill. Flour production was one of first businesses to be transformed from a local supply and demand business to a giant centralized export. Cheap shipping and aggressive company building created grain corporations that drove the price of grinding and flour down and put most of the small mills out of business. It also narrows the scope of product available to what the giants want to produce. Having a specialty mill like Lindley Mills so close enables Weaver Street Market to produce terrific, unique bread.
Interested in other local producers? Read more.

Recipe: Stuffing Basics

To stuff an 18-20 pound turkey, you will need roughly 1 1/2 pounds of older bread, prepared as described above. Slowly cook 3 cups of chopped onion in a large heavy pot in plenty of butter (about 1/2 pound, or an equivalent amount of butter and oil), until they are very soft. Stir often and don’t rush this process. Then add 2 cups chopped celery, a bunch of chopped flat-leaf parsley, and about a 1/2 cup of chopped fresh herbs, especially sage or thyme. Season generously with salt and fresh ground pepper, stirring frequently, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Turn out into a large mixing bowl and add the pieces of torn bread, then mix well. Add 1 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth to moisten, using less if you will be stuffing a bird, more if you will bake the dish separately in the oven (which you would do at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes). This is the foundation, to which you may want to add a total of 4 to 5 cups of character-building elements that reflect your heritage or dietary preferences: apples, toasted pecans, roasted chestnuts, oysters, sausage, giblets, marinated tempeh, mushrooms, fennel, cooked greens, dried fruit (plumped in warm water), chile peppers or hoisin sauce. Want to add a little spice to your Thanksgiving meal this year? Come taste Weaver Street Market's new offering, the Bronze Turkey, with Pluto's own Carribean Bliss seasoning on Saturday, November 20, from 4 pm until 6 pm at Southern Village. This turkey dinner picture is from gracefoods.com, a site dedicated to Carribean cuisine. For some traditional Carribean recipes for your Thanksgiving table, click here.
Try other Weaver Street recipes.

Organic Caramel Dip

Look for this little round yellow container nestled among the apples in the produce department. The Marketing folks made short work of a container this morning as we sampled this delightfully old fashioned caramel dipping sauce with sliced organic Pink Lady and organic Granny Smith apples. After heating in a microwave for twenty seconds and stirring, the sauce is ready for dipping. It has a distinctive creamy taste that recalls the creamed filled caramel candy. Both the Pink Lady and the Granny Smith were great complements to the sauce with their tart crispness.

Check out our store specials.

Holiday Table Tastings

Don't miss this opportunity to sample baked goods, breads, cheeses, wines and other Holiday Fare . . . and be sure to taste the Bronze Turkey, the wonderful new offering from Weaver Street Market. These all-natural, free-roaming turkeys are sure to please your family and friends. With a fuller flavor, the Bronze will certainly be the center of your holiday meal. (Turkey tasting is available only on Saturday, November 13, Thursday, November 18, and Saturday, November 20.)

From November 10th until the 23rd, the Holiday Table will be available in both store locations Monday through Friday from 4 pm until 7 pm. On Saturdays, the Holiday Table will be available from 12 pm until 2 pm in Carrboro and from 4 pm until 7 pm at Southern Village.

Click here to read more about our locally-grown turkeys.

Order Your Turkey!

Weaver Street Market is pleased to offer two great choices of turkeys for our customers this year. Both types are grown especially for Weaver Street Market in Chatham County at Hickory Mountain Farms. They are fresh, all-natural, free-roaming turkeys. The Old-Fashioned Bronze turkey is the turkey your grandparents grew up with; it has a little fuller flavor than the traditional turkey and has slightly less white meat. There are limited quantities of the Bronze, so reserve early! The Traditional White Turkey is also available for your holiday meal. Both types come in three different sizes (10-14 lbs., 16-20 lbs., and 20-24 lbs.) and, in addition to a fresh turkey, both types can be Special-Ordered as Roasted or Ready-to-Roast. (Special Orders must be made by Special Order Form, available online or in the deli.) Whichever turkey you choose, you’re getting a good turkey, raised with care by knowledgeable folks who live nearby.

To guarantee a bird of the type and size desired, turkeys must be reserved in advance by filling out an order form or by stopping by or calling either store (Carrboro store - 929-0010 or the Southern Village store - 929-2009). Pick-up will be available at either store location beginning Monday, November 22. Both stores will be open until 9 pm on Wednesday, November 24 and will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Click here for a Turkey (fresh) order form that you can fill-in, print and bring to the store.
Click here for additional items available by special order.

You will need free Acrobat Reader in order to view the order forms. You can download it here.

Let Us Help with Your Holiday Cooking!

Plan Ahead so You can Relax and Enjoy the Holiday Season!
Normally hectic lives become even more so during this time of year. Instead of rushing around at the last minute shopping and preparing food for your crowd, why not let us help? We have a variety of items - from casseroles to pies that you can special order, pick up (even on the day before Thanksgiving!), warm up for your hungry crowd and serve with ease. It's that simple! Click on the link below to view a brochure of the items we offer this year or go ahead and fill out the Special Order Form.

And remember, stop by the Holiday Table (see above) and don't forget to pre-order your turkey.

Click here for the brochure.
Click here for the Special Order Form.

You will need free Acrobat Reader in order to view the brochure and form. You can download it here.

Beaujolais Nouveau is On Its Way!

Beaujolais Nouveau arrives in the stores on Thursday, November 18th this year. Come into either the Carrboro or the Southern Village store that afternoon from 4 until 6 to taste the new arrival. Or dine at Panzanella over the weekend - two kinds will be offered by the glass Friday through Sunday. Wonder why the annual arrival of Beaujolais is such an event?

Read more about our store departments.

RSVVP Day: Tuesday, November 16 - Eat Out and Fight Hunger!

As the holiday season approaches, IFC organizers, restaurants, sponsors and friends are working hard to promote this year’s activities and events to increase greater awareness about local hunger needs and raise more dollars for our different food services.

Now in its 16th year, RSVVP Day will be held on November 16, 2004. On that date, people throughout the Triangle will dine at their favorite restaurants, which will, in turn, donate 10% of their gross proceeds to fight hunger in North Carolina. Follow the link below for the most up-to-date link of participating restaurants.

Last year IFC raised $21,399 from RSVVP for Kitchen and Food Pantry services! So, eat at your favorite participating restaurant and help battle hunger!

Visit the RSVVP website for more information and an up-to-date list of participating restaurants.

New Housing Co-Op Information Session

By now, many of you are familiar with the work of the Weaver Community Housing Association (WCHA). As a charitable, non-profit organization, WCHA currently has two dweller-controlled, rental cooperatives in the Carrboro area. Recently, WCHA has purchased a third property that will be developed into a limited equity cooperative where residents will be able to own a share in the property.

WCHA would like to invite anyone interested in learning more about our new, limited equity cooperative to an informational/community participation meeting:
DATE: Saturday, November 13, 2004
TIME: 12 noon to 2 p.m.
PLACE: Pleasant Drive Cooperative
(Located at the end of Pleasant Drive - at the intersection of Pleasant Dr. and Crest St.)

Topics for this first meeting include:
*What is a “limited equity” ownership cooperative?
*What improvements would you, as a prospective Resident-Owner, like to see done to the units?
*How much will it cost to own a “share” in the Pleasant Drive Cooperative?
*Are you interested in a “sweat-equity” option to cover part of the share purchase price?
*When would I be able to move into the Pleasant Drive Cooperative?
*How many units will be available?

To RSVP, please call or email Karen Archia, Executive Director (director@wcha.coop or 969-7410).

Win an Organic Christmas Tree!

Spend $100 and earn a chance to win an Organic Christmas Tree! From November 10th until November 22nd, every time you spend $100, print your name and phone number on your cash register receipt and drop it into one of the Organic Christmas Tree Raffle Boxes (there will be one in each store location). We’ll draw the winner on November 23rd.

This great opportunity is provided by Curtis Buchanan, who operates Glen Ayre Tree Farm in Mitchell County, NC, the first certified organic Christmas tree farm in the US.

Last year as you may recall, Curtis Buchanan hauled his organic Fraser firs all the way from Mitchell County to the Old Norina building to provide Carrboro with the first ever North Carolina grown ORGANIC Fraser Fir Christmas trees. Those of you who were lucky enough to get one know just how beautiful they were and how great it is to have a homegrown, organic tree. We published Curtis’ story of growing up on a Christmas tree farm and the benefits of tree production to our economy and ecology here in North Carolina in our newsletter at that time. You can read his story here.

Curtis is returning this year and I had the opportunity to sit with him one fine fall morning and see what was new up on the tree farm. As with many organic agriculture products, it is always a struggle and a balancing act to grow a beautiful fruit, vegetable, or tree without killing all the bugs that naturally prey on them. On a Christmas tree farm the problem is the grass that grows between the trees. Grass is a shallow feeder, just like trees and competes with the trees for water and nutrients. This year Curtis decided to try letting weeds grow to shade out the grass. Unfortunately this also shades out the little trees, so Curtis had to go around stomping down the weeds around the little trees with his feet.

It might seem surprising that he would want weeds instead of grass, but weeds are deep feeders that bring minerals up to the surface, they cool the roots of the trees and they provide a home for the beneficial insects that feed on the aphids that feed on Christmas trees. His fields must be quite a site in the summer as the weeds are also beautiful wild flowers: Wild Geranium, Wild Yarrow, Queen Anne’s Lace, Clover, Iron Weed, and Golden Rod.

If you’d like to see what a Fraser Fir looks like, Curtis will have one on display outside Weaver Street Market from November 17 through the 28th when he’ll be making his annual delivery of trees to the corner building. Call Curtis at 423.753.5160 to order your organic Fraser fir for Christmas.

Heritage Turkey Dinner: Thursday, November 11, 5:30 pm - 9 pm

Slow Food USA and Panzanella collaborate to benefit the American Livestock Breed Conservancy (ALBC). You're invited to a Heritage Turkey Dinner on Thursday, November 11 from 5:30 pm until 9:00 pm at Panzanella. This dinner features locally-grown, free-range heritage turkeys, celebrating the American Heritage Turkeys: Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Slate and Spanish Blue. Ten percent of restaurant sales this evening will benefit the ALBC.

What is the ALBC?
The ALBC, founded in 1977, is the only organization in the US working to conserve rare breeds and genetic diversity in livestock. The need for livestock conservation is urgent. Each day, some breeds move closer to extinction. Each extinction reduces the diversity within the livestock species and the biodiversity of the Earth. Read more.

What is Slow Food USA?
Slow Food USA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America. Slow Food USA believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be achieved by slowing down, respecting the convivial traditions of the table and celebrating the diversity of the Earth's bounty. Our goal is to put the carriers of this heritage on center stage and educate our membership on the importance of these principles. Read more.

Visit Panzanella's website to view all of the menus (lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch).

On the Menu: Panzanella Recipes!

By Zack Robertshaw
Grocery Department, Board Member and professionally trained chef
The other day, while I was looking through the Panzanella recipe book (hoping to find a request for a customer), I came across a few recipes that I thought would appeal to a variety of readers. There’s a great baked bean recipe - perfect for these crisp fall evenings - and a delicious sauce, that’s perfectly suited for tilapia filets from the Meat and Seafood Department. It would also be delicious with chicken, turkey or tofurky. Chef Peter calls this his “melted sauce”. Both of these recipes are good for entertaining because they can be made and served family-style. They’re also very flavorful and distinctive without being very hard to prepare.

Clay Pot Baked Beans
5 cups white beans soaked overnight
1 large onion
1 carrot
2 celery stalk
All three diced small (about half the size of one of the beans)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4cup tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh oregano
6 cups light chicken or vegetable stock
2 cloves chopped garlic
Salt and pepper

Preparing this dish is real easy. Drain the beans, and put them in a pot with all the other ingredients. Bring the whole thing just to a boil.Put a lid on it and put it in a 350 degree oven for 4 1/2 hours. Let them cool off some and they’re ready to serve! They’re called clay pot baked beans because at the restaurant the chefs use an actual clay pot that someone made for them. But if you don’t have one, don’t worry about it - anything with a lid will do fine.

Melted Sauce
1 entire bunch celery
1 large onion
1/2 cup capers
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup regular raisins
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup green olives, quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon

Small-dice the celery and the onion to about the size of a raisin and sweat them on low heat being sure not to caramelize them at all. Add the remaining ingredients except for the olives and the herbs. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the raisins are plump and the celery has lost its crunch. Pull off the heat and add the olives and the herbs.

This really is a flavorful sauce because of the contrasting ingredients. The sweet raisins and the savory capers and olives are balanced joined together by the mellow flavor of the celery and onion. The addition of tarragon also adds a very distinctive flavor.

In the restaurant, this sauce was used to braise fish. Go over to the Meat and Seafood Department and pick up some of their tilapia fillets. Season them with salt and pepper and sear them on one side. Flip them over and put a generous amount of the melted sauce over them in the pan along with a little extra stock. Pop it in the oven and cook until the fish is done. Serve the fish with the sauce on top.

I hope you’ll enjoy preparing and serving these two dishes. And remember, if you’ve ever wanted a recipe from Panzanella, please feel free to drop me a line at zack@weaverstreetmarket.coop.

PS - don’t forget the heritage turkey dinner on the 11th. If you’ve never had any of these free-roaming, all-natural turkeys, you’re in for a real treat. See you next week.

Visit Panzanella's website to view all of the menus (lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch).

Owners Save 10% throughout November

Throughout the rest of November, owners will receive a 10% discount EVERY time they eat at Panzanella Sunday through Thursday (closed Monday). This offer is good for Sunday brunch, lunch and dinner. Simply print out the coupon available in the link below, fill out your name and owner number and sign each coupon. Present to your server upon ordering your meal. Unlimited usage but you must have a coupon each time you dine. So print out a stack of coupons and dine often! There are so many delicious items on the menus this fall - you’ll want to sample them all!

Click here to print your coupons.