Winter pantry’s seasonal lessons

If cooking with local, seasonal ingredients during the winter seems impossible, the folks at Quillisascut Farm School for the Domestic Arts would like to help.

The farm and school in Rice, Wash., is offering a new “winter pantry” retreat that will teach students about the challenges of cooking with seasonal produce from the area during the dark and cold season. The overnight class starts at 2 p.m. on Feb. 11 and students leave after brunch the next morning.

“With more farmers using season extenders and the advent of winter farmers markets, there are fascinating possibilities for the creative cook,” according to the class description.

The workshop includes instruction by Mary Ann Delaney, formerly of Junebugs Café, and Quillisascut owners Lora Lea and Rick Misterly. Topics covered will include: assembling the winter pantry; home production of camelina oil; selecting the perfect cheese plate; developing your own seasoning salt or rubs; and winter vegetables.

The workshop is $135 per person or $250 per couple, including instruction, recipes, food, lodging and a bag of Quillisascut Farm products. To register, or for more information, go to quillisascut.com. Reach the farm at (509) 738-2011.

Sawyer’s Bakery hanging on

Last week, Sawyer’s Artisan Bakery in Davenport, Wash., posted a note on the business’s Facebook page with sad news.

Owners Jennifer and Matt Sawyer said they were going to have to shutter the bakery they had worked so hard to open. We posted the news on our Too Many Cooks blog at www.spokesman.com/ blogs/too-many-cooks/ along with the original story about how they got started. Then, something happened.

Customers who wanted to support the small bakery turned out Thursday and Friday with orders for bread, cakes and other goodies. It was enough to keep them going.

You can read more on the blog or the Sawyer’s Bakery website, sawyersartisan. homestead.com, or its Facebook page.

Sawyer’s Artisan Bakery is at 508 Sixth Ave., in Davenport. Owner Jennifer Sawyer makes daily deliveries to Spokane when she comes to town for her day job. Reach the bakery at (509) 725-1230.