Old-House Expo & Architectural Cake Competition Update

"Patricia's Wellness Art's Cafe" cake on display in the Shower's Building


This is a follow up to my last brief post on Bloomington, Indiana's 2nd Annual Old-House Expo & Architectural Cake Contest which took place Saturday, May 11 2013 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the atrium of Bloomington’s City Hall at 401 N. Morton St. Eight non-professional bakers had cakes in the contest. Cakes ranged from a 19th-century jack plane, a covered bridge to the Taj Mahal! Every participant received an award. Judges for the delectable event were Tommy Kleckner of Indiana Landmarks, Gayle Cook of the Monroe County History Center and Erica Sagon of Edible Indy Magazine.


The photo above shows my Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe cake, recipient of the “Most Herbal Essence” award and later judged “best tasting”, with Carol Krause’s Downton Abby, recipient of the “Masterpiece” award to the left. Beyond that is Kathy Holland’s “Smitty’s Standard Station” on West Second Street). I loved the use of gummy candy as hose for the gas pump and gummy rings with lifesaver inserts for the wheels. It was one of three cakes to receive an award for “Best Looking along with cakes by Marlene Newman and Hiestand.

To my cake’s right is a historic land area of I-69 cake detailing the architectural significance of irreplaceable land and life formations; the Taj Mahala by first time cake baker Sara Schwab stands brightly white in the background. It is easy to see how this cake won an award for outstanding architecture.


Here I am receiving my award! A blue ball jar with gourmet lollypops.

This was my first ever food contest. I truly had no idea of what I was getting myself into, or the amount of time on my feet late at night to have something presentable. I started out with the intention of building my Quilter’s Comfort “Spicy Ginger Mint” Gingerbread Cake. I think I have been around too many builders because I was trapped in the idea of building a structure. I approached the entire thing from the perspective of parts to be assembled. I baked walls, front, back and sides, roof pieces and doors.

It is clear to me that I also may have been unconsciously influenced by my one experience creating a gingerbread house with my children decades ago. I even created little planter pots from my spicy mint dough to hold thyme sprigs standing in for blueberry bushes which turned out very well. I even tried to make post strong enough to hold up the front overhang. They might have worked had I some very small tube pans.

So there I was with all the pieces baked and cooled, vegan Royal Icing and my cream cheese frosting chilling in the fridge, it was time to put it all together. As I worked, I had been wondering, how was I going to get the thing to stand up? I knew that I had zero ideas for assembling everything in an upright position, and as I dried, it was becoming very clear that inner support (which I did not have) would be the only way the cake would stand. I run out of most of my grains by the time I mixed my third batch, and had resorted to using some brown rice and little barley flour. To say the least there was a variety of strength in the pieces and pieces made with the brown rice and barley began crumbling even as I stood them on edge.

The hour being late, I had been on my feet form nearly five hours, was tired of standing and I decided to lay out the building as you see in this image below and fell into bed.


I woke early the next morning with a plan. Drive to town, get flour, yogurt eggs; start over, this time making Spicy Ginger Mint Pound Cake. After a day in the “Café” I mixed up a new batch of icing and began the process of layering the soft, yet firm cake pieces together with thin coatings of cream cheese frosting. I then cut and layered pound cake to define my store, I was simultaneously deconstructing the first cake, taking large slabs of the crunchy gingerbread cake into my new cake body. Large slabs with Vegan Royal Icing were also layered to the back of my new cake.

As I worked, I thought of the eaters and how they would experience a variety of textures and taste with Quilter's Comfort's Spicy Ginger Mint as the central flavor and the different color layers ranging from caramel to light molasses.

Once I used up all the icing I had, I wished I had more frosting, then the crumbs would have disappeared and left me with a smoother finish and a slightly less rustic appearance. I knew it would taste good.

The little ginger bread pots received a dollop of frosting to secure the thyme representing blueberry bushes. Originally, I thought I would add popcorn to the little branches to represent flowers. I looked through my jars of herbs hoping to find one dried oregano branch to use as the linden tree outside the shop, alas, I did not find one so the sprig of fresh oregano would have to do. I pushed its thick limp stem down into the cake side sidewalk and supported it with amaranth linguini.



On the drive into town next morning, I asked myself what had I been thinking and that this could be thought of as a once in a lifetime experience. Upon delivering my cake and looking at all the others, I found myself wondering, what building will I bake next year?

For more information about the Old-House Expo & Architectural Cake Contest visit
http://cakecontest.wordpress.com/

Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe & Quilter's Comfort Teas is located at 725 West Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington, Indiana. Hours are 1:00pm to 6:00pm and every first Friday 1:00pm to 8:00pm where Patricia and Yuko serve delicious herbal foods and Quilter's Comfort teas. Sometimes there is pound cake on the menu. Visit Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe on the web at http://www.hartrock.net/cafe.htm.

Best Tasting Architectual Cake!

Dear Readers,

This note will be brief, as I intend returning very soon to add the many food notes and images I have been accumulating since my last posting.

The last few days and nights have been extremely intense as I prepared my cake submission for Bloomington's 2nd Annual Architectural Cake Contest. Sitting here, I am happily surprised that my "Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe" cake received an award for "The Most Herbal Essence" and was judged the best tasting cake!

Images and more details to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Crowd Funding for Quilter's Comfort Markets Launched

On March 14th, 2013, after many starts and stops due to computer and data related issues, Quilter's Comfort launched its first crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo. The Morning Comfort Market and the Thursday Evening Farmers Markets are a collaboration of Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe & Quilter's Comfort Teas and Local Food Bloomington.

The most commonly asked question about this project is "Why"? The answer is really very simple. As a start up business, Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe & Quilter's Comfort Teas wants to attract more customers. More customers mean potentially more sales. More sales means that the shop will keep there doors open.

In a time of so much flux, we think it important to have many small, locally owned businesses open, and flourishing; because the owners of these businesses live in this community, and spend the bulk of their resources in this community. If larger stores are not making their bottom lines, they tend to leave the community, whereas smaller businesses look for means to stay local keeping their homes and businesses in tact.


Click Here to see the Video


Thanks for reading and check out the Market Crowd Funding Campaign. It will only happen at this time through a successful campaign! Help increase opportunities for more local food!

Whole Foods Market Announces It Will Label All GMO Foods

Great Hot News!

Whole Foods Market, the nation’s leading supermarket chain focused on organic and natural foods, has announced that it will begin labeling all products containing genetically modified ingredients throughout its U.S. and Canadian locations by 2018.

This moves makes Whole Foods the first national grocery chain to set such a deadline and commit to total transparency on the prevalence of genetically modified ingredients.

“We are putting a stake in the ground on GMO labeling to support the consumer’s right to know,” said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, in a press release. “The prevalence of GMOs in the U.S. paired with nonexistent mandatory labeling makes it very difficult for retailers to source non-GMO options and for consumers to choose non-GMO products. Accordingly, we are stepping up our support of certified organic agriculture, where GMOs are not allowed, and we are working together with our supplier partners to grow our non-GMO supply chain to ensure we can continue to provide these choices in the future.”

Whole Foods came under scrutiny last year for its slow commitment to support California’s Proposition 37, which would have made it the first state to require labeling of genetically modified foods had it not lost by a narrow margin last November. The retailer came under attack in 2011 when an investigation found genetically modified ingredients in its private-label cereal brands. And it was also targeted last year by the faceless organization, Organic Spies, in undercover video encounters that showed an overwhelming number of Whole Foods employees (in California) who were misinformed about genetically modified ingredients, particularly when it came to whether or not Whole Foods Market actually carried foods containing GMOs.

Click Here to continue article on the Organic Authority website.

March 8th, 2013 - Jill Ettinger - Organic Authority

Image from Whole Food Market

This has been a beautiful cold and slightly frustrating day. Even as I am displeased that the server crashed for my largest website, Green Dove, the one that offers Local Food Bloomington, I know that it will be resolved. Still I am having to work at not feeling uncomfortable about what is on line at the moment. Visitors will see text, maybe some images and some pages are simply blank! If you visit any of the pages,you will see what I mean.

That said, the following images is an example of one of the Savory-Vegi Scones


March is the month we celebrate WOMEN'S HISTORY and Abilities; at the First Friday opening table in the Wellness Arts Gallery, 725 West Kirkwood Avenue of my café in Bloomington, we shared a taste of some of my favorite heritage foods, sweet potatoes, kale, onions and garlic in soup and scones.

Stop by first Friday in April and join the herbal food fun.


We enjoyed

Sweet Potato Kale soup - I love it for the different textures and taste. It is packed full of nutrients and great taste. Most likely I will include garlic, as I rarely cook without it. A variety of homegrown herbs, dried in the autumn and having great fragrance and taste, I am enjoying the new taste imparted to my foods when bringing turmeric and cumin into the mix. Any veggies or mushrooms I have on hand will be considered for how well they support sweet potato and kale. With every soup I make begins with a clear idea of its foundation, once that is established, things develop based on what I find in the cabinets and the mood I am in at that particular time.

Eclairs always remind me of my mother. Only she would purchase hers from a bakery. There were a lot more bakeries when I was growing up. There were a lot more, small neighborhood shops and the mobile Ice Cream Man. My éclairs are made from an altered puff pastry recipe, of certified organic grains of whole wheat, whole wheat pastry and brown rice flour. The filling may be a jelly, rice cream or any favorite cream recipe. For sweetner I mostly use honey, and for milk, it is either Almond or Coconut.

Vegi-Scones are savory vegetable and bean pastry made using a variety of certified organic grains including whole wheat, brown rice flour, bean flours, other traditional grains, non-alliuminum baking, local eggs Lacinato Kale (some call it Dinosaur Kale because of its appearance), onions, garlic, herbs, celery and carrot.

Chocolate Fondu made with fine chocolate to dip fresh fruits and cheeses.

Assorted Quilter's Comfort Gourmet Jellies as usual were available for sampling. Jellies were Player's Pub's Bluesy Green with Cranberry, Carob Chamomile Mint SRTONG Coffee with ground cacao nibs, Chocolate Chamomile Mint SRTONG Coffee with ground cacao nibs, Ruby Bloom Amber Herbal Beer Jelly, Rose Petal Rose Wine Jelly and Strong Coffee Jelly.

Cucumber Sandwiches of whole wheat bread spread with cream cheese, topped with a slice of cucumber and a dollop of Everything Dip.

Everything Dip a combination of plain yogurt with our L.A.O. Everything Seasoning available to spread on savory scones, top our Cucumber Sandwiches, and for dipping veggies, etc.

Hot Tea was Assam Morning, Quilter’s Comfort’s first black tea herbal blend, a mixture of Assam, Red Raspberry Leaves, Elderberries, Red Clover, Elderberries, Sage, Basil, and Nettles and our much appreciated I LOVE Me Tea, a blend of Red Raspberry Leaf, Lemon Balm, Rose Petals, Strawberry Leaf, Hyssop and Thyme.

I have been doing some parallel work with Local Food and learned that links to my sight from search engines are generating a 404 Code. I've contacted my host and hope the problem is resolved very soon. I apologize to any of you who have been trying to access resources on Local Food.




The picture above is of Eclairs prepared for First Friday in Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe. They were filled with Rose Petal, Rose Petal Wine Jam and Chocolate Chamomile Ginger Mint STRONG Coffee Jam. If in the area, stop in some first Friday to enjoy some herbal tasting. If interested in the menue, check out the cafe page.

Thanks for reading!

Dear Readers,


Thank you for being out there. I hope that 2013 brings you much happiness, joy and great food!


I just posted an update to Local Food News. Following my brief note is an article written by a new local about a great organization, Food NOT BOMBS!


Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe & Quilter's Comfort Teas is almost ready to announce the winner of the 2nd Annual "Name the Tea Contest". The selection of jellies, herbal, coffee, beer and wine has increased. Currently all are made using Certified Organic or locally sourced herbs from growers using organic and sustainable practices.


Visit Food News at for lots of articles and information concerning food, gardening, and food in the news.


May your gardens be abundant.



FOOD NOT BOMBS!


Bloomington, as most readers would agree, has a notable, functional, people-powered food security infrastructure to address hunger resulting from poverty. The product of decades of continuous hard work, the folks of these community organizations provide the town with a peace of mind that would otherwise not be available, and is (unfortunately) seldom found on this scale in towns throughout the US.


Most of these folks come together with a pretty straightforward goal: provide a consistent source of wholesome nutrition for every member of the community. Food security, like physical and health security, is considered by many a basic human right, and with it comes a collective responsibility. These issues are handled in many ways, from neighbors providing mutual aid, to centralized services provided by local, state and federal government. Some believe that food security can and should be kept without encouraging the exploitation of those providing and receiving these vital services(a constant risk when the solutions to such basic human rights issues are made into commodities). One group of Bloomington residents respond to this concern by not only providing free, nutritious food, but by sourcing it outside any monetary system. Free food, made free.


With the slogan 'Solidarity, not Charity!', B-Town Food Not Bombs has been a fixture in the local community, on and off, for nearly ten years and FNB has been around globally since 1980. As the group's name indicates, they can trace their roots to the Nuclear Disarmament movement of the '80s and are committed against violence and state aggression. The central difference between FNB and other groups/collectives is their penchant for sourcing their delicious (as the author and many residents can attest) vegan or vegetarian meals from no-cost, local sources. These are often vendors such as grocery stores, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) groups, local farmers and backyardeners whose donated food would have gone to waste for one reason or another, but is otherwise perfectly good and ready for our and our neighbor's plate.


The 'feeding frenzies' are free to all and take place in public spaces (here at Peoples Park most Sunday evenings) as a way to combat hunger but to also encourage real, meaningful discussion and action against poverty and homelessness...an issue that, even here, is kept more silent than it can and should be. That said, the folks are genuine, friendly and encourage a sense of community with all who attend. Cliquish-ness is discouraged by a common ground; fixing hunger.


So, as a member's invitation went one Sunday, 'B-Town Food Not Bombs presents a real, tasty meal! Come one, come all at 5:45 p.m. to People's Park. Bring the whole household, even pets! Tell a friend, tell a foe.' I'll see you there, in hunger and solidarity.


Kyle F is a recently transplanted Bloomington resident interested in food security and community-powered projects in general.'