Bread, in hiding

Lately, I've been reading about bread as the basis for soups, sauces, desserts -- dishes in which the bread is blurred and blended beyond recognition. Sometimes these are created as ways to use leftover bread, but often, they are extended uses of bread that open up new possibilities for a basic food.

Got extra doughnuts? From leftovers . . .

                                            Photo, Wikimeida commons.

To pancakes . . .

                                             WikiHow, How to Make Basic Pancakes.

Coincidentally, while I was pondering this, a cousin posted a note on Facebook asking why anyone in their right minds would mistreat perfectly good doughnuts and strawberry jam by making them into doughnut pancakes with strawberry-coffee sauce. The answer is that doughnuts are a form of bread and the pancakes are a perfect example of foods that can serve as a hiding place. The reason why you would do this? Leftover doughnuts get a second, delicious life (and strawberry-coffee sauce adds sweetness and a hint of bitter complexity to the intensity of the pancakes).

In these incarnations, bread loses its character as bread, and becomes the mystery ingredient that serves as the base for the dance of the other flavors.We're not talking about chunks of bread here tossed into salads or soups or puddings, or bread crumbs coating foods that are then deep-fried. Those are topics for another day. We're talking invisible, subtle, not identifiable as bread.

Soup is another way to make bread disappear. From bread . . .

Home-made sourdough, May 2013. [Photo, Teri Carns]

 to soup . . . .

   ChezPim blog, slow and difficult soup (a different version of the "simple bread and onion soup").

 One of the best hidden-in-plain-sight recipes comes from The Foodie Handbook by Pim Techamuanvivit  "Simple bread and onion  soup," (page 22-25) uses toasted bread, onions slowly caramelized in butter, and milk, all pureed together to create a creamy deliciousness that takes the old toast and milk comfort favorite to new levels. Another expert suggests using pureed bread to thicken any soup.

In a savory sauce, bread adds body and texture . . . marjoram + bread  . . .

  

                                                Flickr.com commons photo of marjoram.

makes a savory topping for pasta, rice, fish or polenta.

                                 101 Cookbooks.com photo of bread and marjoram sauce.

From medieval days on, bread sauces were spooned over poultry or roasts. Culinate provides a recipe from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy where bread pureed with oil and herbs makes a pesto-like sauce.  In Madison's "Thick Marjoram Sauce with Capers and Green Olives" the bread plays its role as a thickener, leaving the starring parts to the herbs and seasonings. 101 cookbooks suggested topping a frittata or salad with it.

In the long and complex journey from wheat to bread, taking a few more steps beyond the fragrant loaf opens up new possibilities that go well beyond the basic slice.

            Ohio winter wheat, June 21, 2013, nearly ready to harvest. [Photo, Betsy Slotnick]

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Anchorage Greek Festival 2013 -- the farthest north

The Greek flag is featured at the first dance of the day at the Holy Transfiguration Greek Festival in Anchorage, Alaska [August 16, 2013].

It might be the farthest north Greek Festival in North America. The Holy Transfiguration Church in Anchorage has hosted a festival for the community for many years at their church on the slopes of the Chugach mountains. This year's event celebrates the progress on the congregation's new church, due to be opened by May of 2014. A friend and I spent a sunny Saturday afternoon indulging in home-made Greek food, listening to the pastor describe the work being done on the church, and watching a demonstration of how to make the same baklava that we had enjoyed earlier.

Like Greek festivals throughout the United States, this one raises money for the church. Admission and parking are free, and the all-home-made food is extremely reasonably priced. A car is being raffled off at the entrance, and one of the several tents houses a selection of Greek foodstuffs, jewelry, and clothing. The bookstore in the basement of the church offers icons and children's books, and a silent auction has temptations ranging from cooking lessons to Greek olive oil and pottery.

We started with the food, spanikopita and tiropita, at $2 each, or two for $3. They are made of filo dough, the thin wheat sheets often found in Greek and Middle Eastern cooking, wrapped around savory fillings. "Pita" is the Greek word for "pie," and spanikopita means spinach pie. Tiropitas are stuffed with feta cheese. We bought a few and settled in at a table under a tent to consume them. Hot, crispy, and subtly seasoned, they prepared us for the baklava to come.

Tiropitas, plain, and spanikopita sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds were made by the church members between March and August, then frozen to be served at the festival. 

Next came the baklava, one of a dozen  pastries and cookies offered to top off the meal. You could also buy baklava ice cream, ice cream topped with the bits of the baked confection trimmed off to make the neat triangles shown below.

Baklava, each one's flaky topping pinned down with a clove.

We looked through the goods in the "agora," a tent for foods and trinkets, and the icons and books in the bookstore.

A table full of Greek specialties, all imported: dried fava beans (gigantes), olives, olive oil, green peas packed in oil in round cans, pasta, and more.

The bookstore, with dozens of icons for sale.

The first scheduled event (food was always available) was a tour of the church. Fr. Vasily Hillhouse, the pastor, spent a half hour describing the meaning of the church's shape, colors, and icons. It's built in the traditional shape, a cross, with the altar at the east end of the building. The entry way is separate from the main room, to give people a space to shed their boots, coats and earthly cares before they enter into the sanctuary. The main room is topped with a blue-painted dome that represents heaven, the same shade of blue found in the Greek flag. All around are painted icons representing the authors of the gospels, and dozens of saints. Fr. Hillhouse emphasized the two thousand years of traditions that framed and filled the liturgy and beliefs of the Greek Orthodox Church.

At the front of the church behind the altar is Mary, Theotokos, "the one who gives birth to God." 

On one side of the front door is Saint George (the patron of Greece).

One of the people listening to Fr. Hillhouse's explanation of the icons asked whether there were any icons painted from the real saints. The priest explained that icons deliberately are not meant to look like any actual person. The artist intends to show the spiritual dimension of the saint, hence the halos and the stylized faces.

Next came the demonstration of how to make the baklava that we had just enjoyed. Laurie Constantino, local cookbook author (Tastes Like Home, a book of Mediterranean recipes whose proceeds benefit the church), buttered sheet after sheet of delicate paper-thin wheat filo (or phylllo) dough. She stacked them on a baking sheet -- "Don't worry about tearing them," she advised the crowd who showed up to watch. "The baklava will turn out just fine. It's very forgiving." She spread a walnut mixture on top of the layers, then put a few more sheets of filo, more walnut mix, more filo. About half-way through, she crumpled several sheets slightly and set them atop a layer of nuts, before adding more layers of filo and topping. "This gives the baklava dimension, and keeps it airy."

Layering the first sheets of filo onto the baking pan.

After the top buttered layer has been laid on, it was time to score the pastry half-way through to make it possible to cut neatly later. To keep the top layer in place while the baklava is baking, a clove pins it down on each piece.

Maria Baskous stops by and adds cloves to the baklava, after cutting the pastry into the shapes it will have after baking.

The recipe published in Laurie's book and used for all of the baklava at the festival comes from Maria Baskous's mother who owned a bakery in Greece. Maria grew up pinning baklava together with cloves, and absorbing the traditions and knowledge of Greek foods. "This church is built of baklava," she said. "We started in March and made ten thousand pieces to freeze for the festival. We make it at Christmas too, and all of the proceeds go to finish the work on the building."

Finally, the dancers came on stage under the big tent. A group of children danced first, wearing traditional costumes from different regions.

The young girl dancers had ribbon streamers from their scarves, and some carried lace handkerchiefs to flourish.

Some of the boys wore kilts, like those we saw on the official guards in Athens.

All of the dancers covered their heads, the young girls with bright scarves and all of the women with white veils. The boys and men all boasted jaunty fishermen's hats or stiff caps with tassels. 

The women wore patterned aprons over their full skirts. Men had short jackets and bloomers.

 High kicks were the order of the day for the men.

The church awaits the crosses for its domes; they will be added when the work inside is complete.

"Wheat fields . . . wide as the ocean" -- Michigan, 1838

Winter wheat fields west of Buchanan, Berrien County, stretching to the horizon [photo, Micki Glueckert, July 14, 2013].

"At Portage Prairie,  . . . a continuous field of wheat and corn stretched away . . . scarce broken by even a tree or a house and seemingly as wide as the ocean. . . . We returned to town delighted and astonished by the beauty of our neighborhood."

Winter wheat harvest in 2013, with more trees perhaps than in 1838 [photo, Micki Glueckert, July 14, 2013].

The quote from the July 19, 1838 Niles, Michigan Intelligencer* describes land that just a few years earlier had been part of the great "Galien Woods" filled with walnut, oaks, and maples. In 2013, one hundred and seventy-five years later, much of the county has gone back to woodlands or been planted in orchards and vineyards. The fields that stretch along the country roads still grow corn, but much more soy than wheat fills the acres. At the end of July, 2013, My sister Micki, husband Jim and I set off along the same back roads to photograph the fields of wheat that had just been harvested.

                  Tri-L-Farms, southwest Berrien County, Michigan [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013].

The land doesn't rest for long. Micki pointed out that some of the winter wheat fields had been planted with soybeans, for a second crop during the season, as well as to replenish the nitrogen in the soil.

A wheat field that was harvested a few weeks ago has had soybeans planted in the rows for a second crop for this year. [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013]

Young soybean plant in harvested wheat field.  [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013].

Another sight along the small roads was the Mt. Zion cemetery. 

 Mt. Zion Cemetery, Berrien County, Michigan, with wheat field across the road.  [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013].

 Gravestone of Nancy Pooler, died August 2, 1819. That was very early for the area; it didn't start being really settled until about 1830. [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013].

Further down the road we found a field with cattle, and nursing calves. Much of the wheat grown in the area is used for feeding livestock. Micki says that wheat is too expensive for the poultry that they raise; the birds must settle for corn.

Cow and calf, both probably destined to be someone's dinner [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013].

For dinner that evening, we had homemade noodles, with flour from someone else's fields.

                          Sam White's fresh egg noodles  [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013]

                Sunset, from U.S. 12 near Portage Road [Teri Carns photo, July 29, 2013].

* The quote was taken from Walter Hawes, Story of Buchanan, re-published in the August 8, 2013 Berrien County Record.

Wheat harvest in Southwest Michigan, July 14, 2013

               Chickens eating corn because wheat is too expensive in Michigan [Photo, Micki Glueckert].

The harvest continues in Berrien County in the Southwest corner of Michigan. Our local correspondent Micki Glueckert got photos.

                             Wheat field, Berrien County, July 14, 2013 [Photo, Micki Glueckert].


Micki says, "Caught one guy harvesting yesterday. A lot of the other fields must have been done earlier; I thought they would wait another day because we had had so much rain."

                            Wheat Straw bales in England, August 2006 [Photo, Wikimedia].

"I asked the guy who owns Buchanan Feed Mill why they round baled the straw. He said the big dairy farms bale the straw after the wheat is harvested in round bales, drop them in a big hopper that chops the straw up and mixes it in their feed which is I believe a high protein feed that needs some fiber added.  The straw has no nutritive value but slows the feed down so the gut can extract more good stuff from the feed. Some guys also drop a bale in a chopper that shreds the straw and blows it around the barn, for bedding. It makes a lot less work with the big round bales. I remember our neighbor trying round bales of hay for the horses. They they didn't like it, and the neighbor needed a chainsaw to cut them up as you couldn't just pull the hay out without a great deal of work."

Wheat harvest, 2013

                                          Wheat harvest [Creative Commons Photo].

As of July 14, 2013, the wheat harvest around the country was progressing well.

All Aboard Wheat Harvest posted a July 2 summary:
"Texas- Small grain harvest continued across the state. While some producers continued to graze cattle on previously damaged wheat acres, others plowed fields and prepared for fall crops. Wheat harvest was 73 percent complete.
Oklahoma- Harvest of all small grains made substantial progress. Wheat harvest was 84 percent complete by Sunday, 10 points behind the five-year average.
Colorado- Seventy-nine percent of the state’s winter wheat crop was turning color by week’s end, up from 41 percent the previous week. Twenty-two percent of the crop was ripe while 7 percent has been harvested. Condition ratings for winter wheat declined last week with the majority rated very poor to poor. Sixty-seven percent of the spring wheat was headed, compared with 64 percent last year and the average of 51 percent.
Kansas- The winter wheat crop was turning color on 98 percent of the acreage, behind 100 a year ago and 100 average. Eighty-five percent of the crop was ripe, behind 100 last year and 92 average. The crop was 57 percent harvested, well behind last year’s 99 and 67 average. Condition rated 25 percent very poor, 18 poor, 24 fair, 25 good, and 8 excellent.
Nebraska- Wheat conditions rated 24 percent very poor, 26 poor, 33 fair, 16 good, and 1 excellent. Wheat turning color was 75 percent, behind 100 last year and 82 average. Wheat ripe was 11 percent, well behind 85 last year and 28 average.
South Dakota- Winter wheat jointed was at 99 percent. Headed was at 93 percent, behind 100 last year and 96 average. Turning color was at 3 percent, well behind 95 last year and 46 average. Condition rated 28 percent very poor, 27 poor, 30 fair, 14 good, and 1 excellent. Spring wheat jointed was at 91 percent, behind 2012 at 100 but near 93 average. Headed was at 52 percent, well behind last year at 99 and 66 average. Condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 39 fair, 46 good, and 10 excellent.
North Dakota- Spring wheat seeding was 95 percent complete, behind last year at 100 and 99 average. Emerged was 85 percent, behind last year at 100 and 98 average. Jointed was at 44 percent, behind last year at 100 and 78 average. Headed was at 7 percent, well behind last year at 79 and 29 average. Condition rated 1 percent very poor, 3 poor, 20 fair, 62 good, and 14 excellent. Durum wheat seeding was 96 percent complete, behind 100 for 2012 but near 94 average. Emerged was 83 percent, behind last year at 100 and 91 average. Jointed was at 39 percent, behind last year at 99 and 64 average. Headed was at 2 percent, behind last year at 64 and 22 average. Condition rated 0 percent very poor, 3 poor, 17 fair, 76 good, and 4 excellent.
Montana- Winter wheat is developing ahead of the 5-year average with 98 percent in boot stage and 87 percent headed. Spring wheat development is behind last year 50 percent in boot stage and 15 percent headed."

In Michigan, winter wheat was producing at about 92 bushels an acre in Ottawa County by July 14, 2013. The photo is from Berrien County, where wheat is grown mostly for feed for livestock.

                        June 30, 2013 Southwest Michigan wheat field [Micki Glueckert].

In Ohio, the July 14 yield was about 71 bushels per acre in Erie County (closest county to Ottawa County, Ohio, where the photo was taken).

                   June 30, 2013, winter wheat in Northwest Ohio [Betsy Slotnick].

From National Association of Wheat Growers, one important piece of news is that South Korea has satisfied itself that U.S. wheat does not contain any genetically modified grain. This had become an issue in April when GMO wheat from Monsanto was discovered growing in an Oregon wheat field. Because Monsanto had stopped testing that strain of seed about ten years earlier, no-one had a good explanation for its presence, causing concerns that other U.S. fields could be contaminated.      

The National Association of Wheat Growers also reported on national statistics for the year to date. Bottom line: although wheat was selling in June on the commodities markets for $7.13/bushel, $.55 less than in May, the price was still $.43 better than the June 2012 market. One percent more acreage was planted in 2013 than in 2012. The winter wheat harvest was a little behind schedule this year, and the spring wheat growth was also a bit slow.

The New York Times, a week ago, picked up a Reuters piece about the possible merger of Cargill and ConAgra wheat milling operations, that would "control about one-third of U.S. capacity, dwarfing all competitors in size and market reach."  . . .  Not all U.S. wheat is processed within the country of course. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that "958 million bushels of U.S. wheat will be used for food in the 2013/14 marketing year, which started on June 1, while 975 million bushels will be exported." Nonetheless, the proposed merger would give the new joint venture about one-third of the market, and leave the next largest market share in the hands of Archer Daniels Midland Co. with its current 17% of the wheat milling capacity in the U.S.

                  Flour mill, McConnells Mill State Park, Pennsylvania [Creative Commons Photo].

[Updated, July 6, 2013] Wheat festivals around the world

                Lane County Fair [Photo, creative commons]

For as long as people have harvested crops, they have held festivals to celebrate. Today's county fairs are the direct descendants of the most ancient events. From that day to this, parades and processions, crownings (then of the gods or saints, now of the queen and king of the event), displays of the finest fruits of the harvest, and singing and dancing rule the day. Tractor pulls weren't featured in ancient Greece, but they must have had something noisy.

Some of the older traditions included: 

• Lammas (Loaf Mass) Day. August 1, signaled the beginning of the wheat harvest. The word means “Loaf Mass” in Old English; on that day the first ripe grain was taken to the church to be blessed at a special Mass. In Scotland, men and women made trial marriages on Lammas Day; after a year they could end the marriage with no strings attached. This year, you can celebrate Lammas on July 27 and 28 in Eastbourne, U.K., with music, dance, beer, and food. For good measure, there's a seafront procession (aka parade).They give a nod to Lugh, the Celtic fire god, who gave his name to Lughnasa, the Celtic festival of the harvest. That is celebrated anywhere between about August 1 and August 12 [depending on which website you read].

Wheat man for Eastbourne Lammas Fest.

• In old Slavic traditions, people threw Dvoroi, a yard spirit, a slice of bread to keep him from playing tricks. On the harvest holiday, Zaziuki, August 7, people thanked Volos and Mokosh for the harvest, then carried the first sheaf of wheat into the house and threshed it. [Note -- I can't find any web sites with more information about this, but if you want to toss a slice of bread to Dvoroi, he might be happy with that.]

• In China, the harvest festival featured legends about the moon, and moon cakes made of wheat with fillings of lotus seeds and egg. It is widely celebrated; in 2013 it falls on the full moon night of September 19.

People didn't limit themselves to just one feast, of course -- they started in the spring with the planting and continued right on through until the last of the crops were stored away for the winter. In the United States, the wheat beer festivals were all in May, so we've missed those for this year. But here are a few wheat festivals coming up during the next few months.

• The Kansas Wheat Festival  is in Sumner County, Kansas, which titles itself "The Wheat  Capital of the World," and hosts an annual party in Wellington, its county seat. To solidify its claim, the county says that it produces more hard red winter wheat than anywhere else in the world (according to Kansas Wheat Facts, 9 million bushels in 2009.
  
  The 113th festival  is held from July 10-14, 2013. You can enjoy dozens of events, from the Mayor's Cookie Jar Contest, to the Cow Chip Throwing Contest, horseshoes, bed races, BBQ cookoffs, and of course, baking, and doughnut eating contests. There's a Kick-off breakfast, bake sales, train rides, chain saw art, Kiss the Pig contest, street dancing every night (with Marty Haggard and others), a beer garden, carnival rides, ice cream social, a parade, antique tractors, softball and volleyball tournaments, and much more.

• You'll have plenty of time to get to a pair of wheat festivals in central Italy in the towns of Lupara and Jelsi. Lupara's is Festa di St. Antonio on July 22; Jelsi's honors Santa Anna on July 26. In Lupara, villagers mount the statue of Saint Anthony on a cart, and two white oxen pull it through the streets, with a band and the feast-goers singing behind. Sheaves of wheat from the successful harvest decorate the cart, and women distribute bread and biscuits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfOhaVAwlQY. After St. Anthony has been returned to the church, everyone celebrates.

A child in Lupara with wheat and pretend scythe.

•  In Jelsi, a similarly elaborate procession winds through the streets, with floats made from wheat, bands, farm machines, people in Renaissance costumes, and more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpMKuL0RI4c.

A float in Jelsi, with basilica made of wheat.

• From Italy, head to Provins, France for a two-day event August 23 and 24.  

This year's theme is "folk wisdoms and legends in the Brie area." The events are fewer than in Kansas, but the town promises a parade of wheat-decorated floats, folk dancing, "old-style threshing," a fun fair, and ""jazz and world music." It's free on Saturday, but costs 10 euros on Sunday; kids under 12 are free. The FaceBook page says that people decorate their homes and shops with wheat and wildflowers. They demonstrate the threshing, milling and baking (and one presumes that there's plenty of good French bread to eat at the end of this). The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its well-preserved medieval buildings, and there's plenty else to do besides celebrate the wheat harvest. 

• Back in Italy, Raddusa in Sicily celebrates its harvest festival early in September. [A Wikipedia entry says that the date is September 19, 2013, but I can't confirm that.] The area grows durum wheat, used in pasta, so that is the featured food.
• Wheat festival parade in Radussa, Italy.

• In mid-September, you can join the Wheat Festival in Okawville, Illinois (it was Bridgeport, but German settlers in the 1870s re-named it). There's not a lot of information about this year's festival, except the dates (September 12 - 14) and the promise of a parade. The 2012 schedule shows bingo, antique tractor pulls, a parade, a queen, music, and an exhibit hall. 

• An Indian harvest festival, Baisakhi, is celebrated in the spring, and for the Hindu calendar is also the start of the new year. In the Punjab, people bathe, then pray at the temple before dancing during the day and feasting in the evening. 

• The Jewish traditions centered on a pair of harvest festivals, the "Hag Hakatzir" (Reaping festival), and "Hag Habikurim," (Holiday of the First Fruits). The pilgrimage, or procession, to the temple included an ox with gilded horns, music, dancers, and the people carrying their offerings of loaves baked from the first wheat of the harvest. This is a spring festival; the next is June 3-5, 2014.

A photo from about 100 years ago, a re-enactment of the story of Ruth (traditionally read on the holiday) in Israel.