Albany area fans of The Owl and the Pussycat

Heading to the Big Apple!

I am in high gear producing Granola - (NEW FLAVOR BLENDS- Honey Vanilla & Zzzzz- a night-time blend to help you have a good night of sleep!!)- so I have limited time to blog- busy, busy, busy!

I am excited about heading to NYC for the Owl & the Pussycat to vend at the 125th Street Farmers' Market in Harlem at the State Office Plaza! Please share with all your friends, family and neighbors that the most fabulous Granola is coming to The City!!! The 125th St Farmers' Market is on Tuesdays from 10am-7pm beginning June 10- November 25! I hope to see you there. Please tell me if you have read my Blog! I am increasing production of Granola and creating New Flavor Blends for the Owl & the Pussycat!
Then beginning in July we will be at Williamsbridge Square HERBan Farmers' Market on Wednesdays July 2- November 26 10am-5pm in the Bronx!!!

Below I have listed the Flavor Blends I offer- except for a few of my new blends- like New York Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Coconut Almond, Honey Vanilla & Zzzzzz Granola. I want to write more but need to get back to mixing, baking and bagging.

 

·     Maple Almond – organic- oats, almonds, cranberries, raisins, local maple syrup & more.

·     Banana Nut – organic- oats, walnuts, sweetened banana chips, raisins and more sweetened with local honey, banana puree & molasses.

·     California Dreaming – organic- oats, nuts, seeds, dates, raisins, cranberries & more flavored with orange juice, orange zest & local honey.

·     Chocolate Coconut Almond- organic- oats, coconut, almonds, honey, cocoa powder & more.

·     Espresso – organic- oats, almonds, local Finger Lakes Roasters espresso & more sweetened with local honey. (Strong coffee flavor) NO FRUIT  

·     Gingersnap – organic- oats, walnuts, seeds, cranberries, dates & more flavored with ginger, molasses & local honey.

·     Java – organic- oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, locally roasted coffee & more sweetened with local honey. (Milder than the Espresso) NO FRUIT

·     Lavender – organic- oats, almonds, wild blueberries, lavender & more sweetened with local honey.

·     SUPER-nola – organic- oats, flax/pumpkin/sunflower seeds, cranberries, blueberries, goji berries & more sweetened with pomegranate juice & raw blue agave nectar. NO NUTS

·     Triple Almond Crunch—organic- chunks of oats, coconut, raisins, almonds, almond butter & almond extract sweetened with local honey.

·     Berry Cherry – organic- oats, flax/pumpkin/sunflower seeds, crisp rice cereal, freeze dried blackberries-blueberries- raspberries & more sweetened with cherry juice & raw blue agave nectar. NO NUTS (There is also a version made with Gluten Free ingredients)

·     Seasonal Blends- for example- PUMPKIN SPICE- made with local pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, honey, cranberries & more.

·     Customs Blends- upon request. 4-5+ pounds from $9.50-$11/pound depending on ingredients. Many blends can also be made with Gluten Free ingredients on request.  

Here is the label from the blend I created for my niece Sara's 

wedding to her beloved Kelvin in May!

Challenge and Creativity!

Our friends Karen & Miles have 3 beautiful children with varying degrees of food allergies- soy, dairy, corn, eggs, nuts (including coconut), gluten - you get the picture. With Easter approaching -another candy holiday (It is 1st and foremost a sacred religious holiday for me as well as Karen & Miles but we live in the real world so for kids of all ages it is also a candy holiday) I decided I would get creative and try to come up with some tasty treats for the Dudgeon children to enjoy for Easter. I found the process fun! I didn't know how successful I would be until after Easter- when the reviews came in - I can report Sucess!! 

Part of the creative process was thinking of ways to package the treats- so they seemed "normal." They need wrappers and labels and names! They needed to be attractive to kids 2-8 years old.

They thanked me & loved them!

I made a snacking gluten free Granola with chocolate (all allergy free) and seeds as well as "candy" balls made from dried fruit, seeds, sunflower butter, cocoa powder & more!!

Quince?

 Who knows what Quince are?

These are quince fruit growing on a bush in our yard in Homer, New York. 

I have to admit that until a couple of years ago I only knew it as the word that rhymed with "mince" in the poem The Owl & the Pussycat by Edward Lear. As something to eat with a runcible spoon. 

 Quince is an ancient fruit that some assert was present in the Garden of Eden- a quince was the fruit that the serpent tempted Eve with. They grow in abundance in the Argentina, Morocco, Turkey, China, Iran, Serbia, Italy, Spain and more. It has been believed to have many medicinal properties. 

The fruit is hard & goes from green to yellow when fully ripe. It is not edible without cooking the white flesh which turns pink when heated. Quinces are wonderfully fragrant fruits, however they’re basically inedible raw and it can be difficult to know what to do with them.The easiest and tastiest thing to do with them is to make Quince Jelly. 

I have learned to make Quince Jelly by reading the blogs of others! Quince Jelly is a culinary delicacy! It has a taste that is hard to describe- with hints of pear and citrus! There are no commercial producers of Quince Jelly in the United States. If you are lucky someone who has a quince bush will make you a jar of Quince Jelly or you can buy some at a Farmers' Market. I sell Quince Jelly!

Time to Make the MAPLE ALMOND GRANOLA!

When I make Granola for sale I make batches of 10-20 lbs at a time. I'm guessing that for many of you that is MORE than you want to make at a time. The recipe I have posted is for a small batch but the pictures are of my making 20+ lbs.

I use the BEST ingredients I can find for the best price. I use LOCAL ingredients whenever possible, based on availability and cost. I use ORGANIC ingredients whenever possible based on availability, cost and more. For example, I could get ORGANIC pumpkin seeds reasonably priced from China- but it does raise questions about China's organic standards as well as the carbon footprint- I have settled on pumpkin seeds that are not organic but are grown and processed in the USA- other options who too costly and/or from overseas. If I can find LOCAL & ORGANIC ingredients then it is a win-win. For example, on a limited basis I have been able to find LOCAL & ORGANIC sunflower seeds.

I buy my ORGANIC oats in 50 lb. bags and most of my ingredients I buy in bulk. The majority of my ingredients is purchased at Greenstar Coop in Ithaca, New York. I get LOCAL maple syrup, 5 gallons at a time, from Schoolyard Sugarbush in Moravia, New York- right from their sugar shack. 

I begin by finding my TIME TESTED  RECIPE FOR MAPLE ALMOND GRANOLA.

Over the years, by a process of trial and error, I have deleted some ingredients such as oil- I use oil in only 1 of my recipes and that is coconut oil in the CHOCOLATE COCONUT ALMOND GRANOLA-- and added in others. Here is my time test recipe for MAPLE ALMOND GRANOLA.

The Owl & the Pussycat- 

MAPLE ALMOND GRANOLA

approximately 2 1/2 pounds

INGREDIENTS- ORGANIC:

DRY

5 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/8 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup oat bran

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

LIQUID

1/8 cup molassas

7/8 cup maple syrup

FRUIT

1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the dry ingredients- mix liquid ingredients and add to the dry ingredients- bake in 2 greased 9x13 pans in 300F oven for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes- stirring and rotating the pans every 10-20 minutes.

I gather up all the equipment and ingredients that I will be using for this recipe.

I also turn on my oven to 300 F- I have a dual-convection oven and I prefer the convection oven for baking granola. Someday I would love to have a large free standing convection oven- it is good to dream!

I start with a large bowl and for now I still mix my Granola by hand. (I am in the market for a USED 30-40 QT MIXER- If anyone knows of one available please let me know!!!). For my large batches I weigh out the ORGANIC rolled oats- using DRY measuring cups for a small batch and the rest of the dry ingredients. 

 Be sure you use the right measuring cup for the right ingredients- liquid measuring cups for the maple syrup- I use the Grade B Dark Maple Syrup, it has a more mapley flavor. 

I mix the dry ingredients together before adding the maple syrup and molassas. I include a small amount of molassas because it is good for you and adds a little something to the overall flavor.

After the dry ingredients are blended well I pour in the maple syrup/molassas mixture and then I stir it until it is thoroughly mixed.

Next I use spray oil to grease the pans lightly and add the MAPLE ALMOND GRANOLA mixture to the pans. I don't fill the pans too much- I want to leave plenty of room for stirring this blend of granola throughout the baking process.

Into the 300F oven it goes and bakes for 20 minutes- next the pans are rotated and stirred thoroughly. Each batch is baked for approximately a total of 1 hour & 15 minutes- depending on the humidity, oven and amount of the mixture in the pan. Continue to rotate the pans and stir the cereal mixture every 10-20 minutes until it done- a golden brown color and the mixture does not steam when you stir it. Be careful not to burn it- better under cooked than burnt. It is not possible to judge how crunchy the cereal actually is until it is cool. 

Next the granola needs to throroughly cool before you add the dried fruit. For this blend I use an equal amount of ORGANIC sweetened dried cranberries and ORGANIC raisins. I have to confess that I would prefer to use unsweetened dried cranberries but I have not located any.

Add the fruit and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Store the cereal in an air-tight container- a zip lock bag works well. This cereal will keep up to 6 months  if you store it in a cool, dry place.

I have not been in the kitchen making Granola in the past 2 weeks. There was our vacation and then some illness in my house as well as a broken kitchen faucet. I did manage to make a delivery of bulk Maple Almond and Lavender Granola to Greenstar Coop in Ithaca, New York.

 The top picture is our Granola on sale at P & C Fresh Supermarket in Ithaca, New York. The picture below is Karina Murphy at the Blue Frog in Cortland, New York where our Granola is featured in the Yogurt Parfait and is offered for sale.

It is my plan to get back in the kitchen baking and posting the step by step process for you in the next week.
Lots of samples of the Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola went out and everyone seems very happy with the balance of flavors!
I have dried some apples and am pondering a new flavor blend with dried apples- Cinnamon Apple Granola? Caramel Apple Granola? Who knows?

On vacation

I have been on vacation this week on Cape Cod. Before we left I created a new Granola blend- Cape Cod Sunrise Seed Granola. This no nut Granola has been given to a few taste testers for input before I offer it for sale. I made it with sunflower butter & honey and seeds, of course, -pumpkin, sesame & sunflower. 

Breakfast and more

Here is the Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola all dressed up and ready to go. They are available for sale through the Owl & the Pussycat and at the Tully Farmers' Market (yourfarmstand.com) and Cinch Art Space in the Corset building in Cortland. 

Next up is my delicious breakfast (I can't wait to eat!) with the Owl & the Pussycat's Lavender Granola (made with local lavender from Skaneateles) sprinkled on top of local yogurt from Hawthorne Valley in Ghent NY (where I lived for 2 years) and not so local pineapple & banana. 

Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola

Just in time for Valentine's Day I've made this yummy & nutritious Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola! It's chunky- perfect for snacking! I've enjoyed it several mornings with a banana & plain yogurt. 

 It has no more sweetener than our other Granola blends- and I use almond butter for added protein. It is baked in shallow half sheet pans and not stirred to achieve e a chunky consistency.

 There is a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips to give it a little something extra. 

I promise to begin posting recipes in the coming weeks. For now- I use a basic 7-1 ratio for my Granola blends- 7 parts dry ingredients to 1 part wet ingredients. You can make a simple Granola using 6 cups of oats, 1 cup nuts and 1 cup of maple syrup or honey or agave nectar. Simple! The Chocolate blend has 1/2 cup cocoa powder in each minimum recipe- as well as oats, coconut & almonds. 

A few of my fans

Granola is a favorite of all ages. It is something you can feel good about feeding to growing children- it is a nutrition-dense food full of yummy goodness. It is perfect for breakfast, snacking or anytime of the day! Here are a few of my satisfied customers.

I read somewhere recently that it can be better to just start something, just dive in, than it is to ponder and plan it forever. This is me getting started.
My intention is to share Granola with anyone who wants to learn how to make this homemade, wholesome, healthy, crunchy and delicious treat! I have been making Granola for family, friends and now customers (who are becoming friends) for more than 30 years. It is a passion I have turned into a business.
I plan to share recipes, hints, mistakes and more. I want to tell you about my philosophy of making Granola- well food in general-- for friends and family. I hope this will become interactive, that readers will share thoughts and questions helping to shape this blog.