CARROT-RHUBARB and ORANGE-CRANBERRY MUFFINS
Makes 36 muffins (18 of each flavor) NOTES:
INGREDIENTS Start with 1 36-ounce bag FGHFG Maple Bran Muffin mix, split in half by weight (18 ounces each) For carrot-rhubarb muffins 3 cups shredded carrot ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts ½ cup chopped frozen rhubarb 1 whisked duck egg or 1.5 chicken egg (whisk together 3 eggs and split with below recipe) 1 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons heavy cream ¾ cup maple sirup 3 tablespoons melted butter For orange-cranberry muffins Zest of 1 whole orange Juice of 1 whole orange (approximately ¼ cup) ¾ cup sour cream ½ cup heavy cream 1 whisked duck egg or 1.5 chicken egg (whisk together 3 eggs and split with above recipe) 1 ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries 1 cup maple sirup 3 tablespoon melted butter INSTRUCTIONS
BACKSTORY/BLATHERING Our farm is not certified organic, but the term “organic” is immensely important to us, in ways that transcend how “organic farming” is usually viewed. We use practices that would allow us to become certified, but for now, for our farm, the costs of that outweigh the benefits. So what does organic really mean (aside from the snide detractors who love patting themselves on the back every time they note that the scientific definition of the word pertains to molecules containing carbon)? Despite the sincere and incredibly important efforts of many of our fellow farmers to initiate and uphold organic practices on their farms, the parameters of “organic agriculture” have been heavily diluted and twisted to fit a corporate model in the wider world of food production. And what’s lost there is not just the intended benefits to the health of soils, humans, and ecosystems, but the grander could-have-beens-and-could-still-bes: the ripple effects of that better health leading to stronger, more independent farms, robust rural economies, happier eaters, increased biodiversity, and a culture that deliberately centers food rather than sidelines it. These muffins are the result of an organic community, a resilient network that emerges naturally from a combining of resources, talents, and willingness to share. We started making and selling our Maple Bran Muffin Mix after we found good success with our original pancake mix, but found we had an awful lot of good bran left over when farmer-miller Andy Hazzard sent our milled grain back to us. So, we developed a product that could use it and that we hoped people would love. After two years, it’s here to stay. But then things started shoring up around something as simple as a packaged muffin mix. One of our customers insists on having it whenever she visits her grandson in Colorado because they are his favorite. Other folks tell us that the package is actually too small; a dozen medium muffins isn’t going to cut it for a family, or just someone who loves muffins and is good at planning. And a lot of other people tell us all the ways they have been adapting the muffins, adding in fruits and nuts and all kinds of sprinkles and toppings. Our products are becoming a part of people’s weekend routines and holiday traditions. These recipes above, then, are an organic outgrowth of putting something into the world. The orange-cranberry recipe is from an idea sent to us by loyal fan and impressive home cook Laura Fox, who routinely works wonders with our products and willingly shares her knowledge. We knew we had to make them and share with the world. But then we felt compelled to try something that brought in all things local. We reworked some carrot muffin recipes so that we could incorporate the delicious, vibrant rainbow carrots grown by our good friends at PrairiErth Farm (ACTUALLY certified organic) and rhubarb we have had frozen from Katie and Jonathan’s parents’ house since last year. Plus, both recipes use local Kilgus cream and Above Normal duck eggs and, of course, Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup. We’re not about to say that these are organic muffins. That feels kind of weird. But also, we’re not farming so we can make muffins, exactly. We’re farming to make community, to make a place that feels like home, to preserve something beautiful. And we do that with you, growing organically season by season and meal by meal, towards a prosperity defined by gratitude and love. That is all to say: thank you, eat well, and we would love to see you soon.
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