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.