In This Edition

Cinnamon Orange Swirl Bread

Bluebird Grain Farms Job Postings

Vendor Profile: Glover Street Market

Notes from a Farmer

   As we move past winter solstice and daylight begins to grow again, our scant snowpack here in the valley has me mildly concerned in regards to spring moisture, and ever the more pleased we had all that autumn rain! There’s plenty of winter left to be sure and I’m hopeful we’ll catch up a bit here in the valley, while snow at least continues in the mountains. Though growing daylight and heavy snowfall seldom seem to go together, Mother Nature always keeps us from predicting too much!

Meanwhile, I want to thank all our home-users, our stores, our wholesale accounts and distributors for a very good year here at Bluebird. As well as our wonderful staff! We would not be anticipating growing our acreage come spring if it were not for you all.

After a very busy holiday here at the granary, we’ve been enjoying over-eating, sledding, ice skating and a tiny bit of skiing. We hope you all are enjoying the winter as well. All the machinery is idle for a few days here and it feels good. However, new orders are already coming in and we’ll be greasing all the elevators, grain sifters and mills and back on track for the New Year.

In the next couple winter issues of our letter, I’ll discuss our flour milling and how we preserve the quality of our flours so we can ship fresh to you. As well, I’ll talk a bit on what makes a quality grain and grain product and about some of the ways in which we get there.

Stay tuned and stay healthy coming into 2010. Again, thank you and a Happy New Year to one and all…!

Farmer Sam

Job Openings:

Recipe of the Month

Cinnamon Orange Swirl Bread

Building on the childhood favorite of sprinkling cinnamon and sugar over toast, this recipe from Chef Becky Selengut of Cornucopia Cuisine helps you create a nostalgic loaf spiraled throughout with freshly ground cinnamon and dark brown sugar. In the heat of the oven, the cinnamon-sugar becomes its own internal glaze for the yeasty wholesome bread. Soft and sweet—and featuring Bluebird’s Hard White and Soft White flours— it’s the closest thing to a cinnamon roll while still remaining a loaf of bread. It even unrolls in layers as you eat it!

Bluebird News

Office Hours

As of January 1st, 2010, Bluebird Office hours will change to Monday-Thursday from 8-4. We will not be in the farm office on Fridays, but feel free to e-mail or leave a phone message; we check messages regularly.

Wholesale Orders

Wholesale orders need to be in by Friday for the following week’s milling schedule. Milling will continue on Monday and Tuesday. Orders can be left on our answering machine or e-mailed to cj@bluebirdgrainfarms.com, or you can call toll free 1-888-232-0331 during regular office hours.

Seattle Deliveries

We deliver orders between 100- 300 lbs to the Seattle area once a month. We wait to see what orders come in prior to setting a schedule each month. It is more economical to ship via UPS for smaller orders and to ship pallets for orders over 300 lbs.

Vendor Profile: Glover Street Market

Visitors to the Methow Valley are frequently surprised to find a successful natural foods store. With such a tiny population, it’s hard to believe that such a business can stay afloat. But it’s precisely this tiny—but fiercely loyal—population that keeps the business steadily growing, says co-owner Susie Kowalczyk.

Susie and her business partner, Flor Abuan, have known each other for forty years, since they were teachers together on the Navajo Reservation, buying groceries through a food buying club. When both moved to the Methow Valley in the 1980s, they found themselves driving to Chelan for many of their groceries. Not surprisingly, they quickly tired of the long drive, and upon learning that others made this same haul just to purchase natural foods, Flor and Susie decided to open a market in the valley.

Both teachers at the time, Flor and Susie found two silent partners to help them open the market, hung up a clipboard asking potential clients what they would like to see on the shelves, and got the Glover Street Market ready for opening day.

Susie laughs when she describes opening day. “Supplies were sparse,” she admits. “I think the produce cooler had a bag of celery and a bundle of parsley.” But the people who came to opening day out of curiosity continued to return as customers and slowly but surely the market filled with inventory. In the same way that customer input helped launch the store, it continues to drive it. “If a customer requests something,” says Susie, “we do our best to get it.”

In an age of box stores and bulk buying, Glover Street is a bit of an anomaly. The space is intimate, products are carefully and artfully displayed, and local products abound. Although “bulk” purchases are possible, at Glover Street “bulk” means a five pound bag of rice, not a years’ supply. With cheaper products available in large quantities in nearby urban centers such as Omak and Wenatchee, what keeps Glover Street going?

“Our loyal customers,” says Susie. “It’s a generous community. Our customers are committed and they make it go.” Susie also comments that valley residents are very conscious about what they eat. They’re pro-active about their health and they take good care of themselves. “We sell more produce than vitamins,” Susie notes, “which really tells you a lot about our clientele.”

Over the years Flor and Susie have noticed that customers are more conscious of buying local products. “People have been preaching buying local for years,” says Susie, “but around here people are really jumping on board.” This purchasing trend allows Susie and Flor to keep the store stocked with an increasing number of local products from valley farms, orchards, and other producers.

One of Susie’s favorite aspects of the business is getting to know these local producers and really learning about their products. Susie has known Brooke and Sam Lucy for years as customers, but one day Brooke brought in some flour and grain samples from Bluebird Grain Farms and Susie agreed to try to sell the products. They were, of course, quite popular, and Bluebird grains, flours, and mixes are now a mainstay in the market.

Running Glover Street Market has been a thoroughly enjoyable ride (in an exhausting but rewarding way), says Susie, but now both she and Flor are ready to try something else. “There’s a lot of world out there to experience,” says Susie. So the market is for sale. They’re not, however, in a hurry; they’re waiting for the ideal buyer to seal the deal. This ideal next owner would be somebody community-minded, someone who could be right in the heart of things, knowing his products and his vendors, and, most importantly, staying in tune with the local, loyal customers.

For more information about Glover Street Market, contact glovers@methownet.com