Bakery goodies at Black Star Farms

If you pay a visit to Black Star Farms, just south of Suttons Bay, you'd expect to find fine wines, cheeses and produce. But now you're in for another treat. Goods from the bakery!

Jen Welty, who runs Black Star Farms' CSA farming operation and market along with her husband Nic, used to work at a French bakery, (lucky for us). They added a new wood-fired stove at their farm market, and Jen has been experimenting ever since.

"I've honed in my croissant recipe, my baguette recipe and I'm working on some pastry tarts-all in the wood-fired oven," Jen writes in a newsletter to her CSA members. "I'll admit it is a bit tricky, but well worth it!"

"The bakery aspect of the farm market is growing at a pace that I'm comfortable with and I've recently hired an assistant so that I can bring more baked goods to the farm," Jen writes. "Right now I'm making croissants and fruit tarts on weekends, breads and pizzas Wednesdays through Sundays and in the laboratory I'm experimenting with eclairs and mousses! How sweet it is."

I was at the farm earlier this week, and walked out with one of the tarts. Wow! Delicious, to say the least. I had planned to take a picture of the tart, with its perfect circles of blueberries and raspberries topping off the custardy base. But friends and I decided we needed to sample it right then and there, and so the tart didn't survive long enough to make a photo shoot. And a couple weeks ago I enjoyed one of their chocolate croissants...I'm glad Jen missed them as much as I did, and knows how to make them!

For the pizzas, Jen incorporates as many local products as she can, including fromage blanc (Leelanau Cheese) and basil pesto (Black Star basil), Pleva's meats, Earthy Delights Mushrooms and Carlson's smoked salmon. They plan to roast their own tomatoes in the oven soon for their signature sauce.

Stop by and bring your appetite. You'll be glad you did.

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