I Will Keep Broken Things
by Alice Walker
I will keep
Broken
Things:
The big clay
Pot
With raised
Iguanas
Chasing
Their
Tails;
Two
Of their
Wise
Heads
Sheared
Off;
I will keep
Broken
things:
The old
Slave
Market
Basket
Brought
To my
Door
By Mississippi
A jagged
Hole
Gouged
In its sturdy
Dark
Oak
Side.
I will keep
Broken
things:
The memory
Of
Those
Long
Delicious
Night
Swims
With
You;
I will keep
Broken
things:
In my house
There
Remains
An
Honored
Shelf
On which
I will
Keep
Broken
Things.
Their beauty
Is
They
Need
Not
Ever
Be
‘fixed.’
I will keep
Your
Wild
Free
Laughter
Though
It is now
Missing
Its
Reassuring
And
Graceful
Hinge.
I will keep
Broken
Things:
Thank you
So much!
I will keep
Broken
Things.
I will keep
You:
Pilgrim
Of
Sorrow.
I will keep
Myself.
Skagit 1109 Mama Bread
Skagit 1109 is a new wheat seed bred at the Bread Lab in the Skagit Valley. If the name sounds a little sci-fi, that’s because it is—but in that utopian society kind of way where science and nature interact in harmony. The Bread Lab is part of an agricultural extension run by Dr. Steve Jones who makes it his mission to preserve diversity and develop new seed varieties that work for farmers and bakers alike. He’s one of the only wheat seed breeders to focus on sustainability, and he and his crew consider flavor and nutrition highly prized characteristics, as well as crop yield so the seeds work for the farmers who grow it.
This seed is the product of years of work. They bred heritage wheat seeds and crossed it with the best traits in modern wheat varieties to make a seed that is hearty and grows consistently and senesces uniformly and is nutritive and tastes amazing! I’m excited to get to try it. By the way, I hear Skagit 1109 is a placeholder name (it was developed in November of 2009.) I hear a rumor that it will be renamed Doris Grant in honor of a 1930’s food activist by the same name who championed fresh local foods and wrote prolifically about processing our foods less. This batch was grown by Camas Country Mill in Junction City, Oregon.
Organic Sandwich Loaf
For this loaf, I use organic type 70 malted flour from Central Milling, a roller mill operation that processes wheat at a slower pace and at lower temperatures. This is the best of the large-scale mills that I’ve found and I like this flour for white bread. Yes, it’s still white bread, but it retains 30% of its whole-grain content, while satisfying my kids’ peanut butter & jelly cravings. For you bakers out there, this is a simple loaf of 80% hydration and naturally leavened with 20% levain. It’s become a staple in my household!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Muffins
I developed this recipe for Communal Table a few years ago and it still makes an appearance in our household from time to time. Deckard wanted chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast, and this was my whole-grain solution. I made this batch with Maris Widgeon white wheat grown by Lonesome Whistle in Junction City, Oregon. Here’s the recipe if you want to try it yourself.
Graham Crackers
A few months ago, Carolina Ground was offering a special batch of Graham Flour and I couldn’t resist. I’ve been testing it here and there ever since. What better time to practice Graham cracker-making than the last-smore hurrah of summer on Labor day weekend. I used this recipe by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen.
Savor your week with delight and gratitude!
