For one of my classes in college, we were tasked to create a bakery/storefront. We went through the whole process: layout of equipment, measuring, the name, even touring several restaurants and bakeries to get ideas. Mine was called Knead Donuts (because everyone needs donuts). I thought I was so clever with the name, but now so many bakeries use the word knead or some other form of baking in the name. I even used it in the bread workshop for my Extension job, All You Knead to Know: A Bread Making Workshop. It was through those college classes where I started baking more and cooking from scratch. We water bathed strawberry jam, made cinnamon rolls using a cookbook, tried various techniques, and learned the science behind ingredients. Many of these skills, I took with me to New Mexico. I would bake a cake from a box, adjusting for high altitude; then found recipes online to make from scratch to share with church or family. Some of those recipes, I’ve tweaked along the way, but still make to this day. Any time there was a gathering, I’d always volunteer to make the dessert. Baking is fun and I enjoy it as a hobby. I enjoy preserving jams, especially nice for gifting. I never got into water bath canning when I was the agent in New Mexico, but here in Texas, I learned quickly because it was a need for the community.
The strawberry jam from my college class.
Received a whisk from the Nutrition department at graduation.
All my family and friends know I love to bake. I enjoy sharing what I’ve made (and they enjoy eating it). Recently, someone reached out from a local farm asking if I’d like to test recipes using fresh milled flour to create mixes, like brownies and cake. She actually came to my bread workshop, and because of it, started selling fresh milled flour at her farm. Testing recipes was something I thoroughly enjoyed at my job. If I had a cooking class coming up, I always made sure ahead of time that the recipe was successful. Lots of testing during the Culinary Medicine course! So, I did the brownie mix and made sure I wrote down every step and took pictures for my report/recipe to send in to her. I then created a cake mix. I knew for the final cake testing, I wanted to make a frosting and filling to make sure the cakes could be stacked. By this point, I had already frozen half a cake, gave away cupcakes (my husband’s coworkers), and I now had a two layer round cake. Gave some away to friends and neighbors.
In the process of dropping off slices of cake, the idea of a cottage bakery came to mind. I felt blessed and thanked the Lord in the moment when asked to test recipes. Now, this thought of a bakery? I never wanted to start my own bakery because I didn’t want it to feel like a job or feel burnt out from it. I taught the Food Handlers class and some aspects of the Cottage Law at my job, so I knew what starting up a cottage bakery would entail. I could not stop thinking about it. Maybe I can do this.
The Monthly Gathering
I’ve been baking and sharing from my kitchen for a while. Now I’m opening it up for a small monthly gathering. This is a little branch of my blog, Gathered and Growing. A seasonal collection of my favorites for you to share around your table.
A few details…
- Once a month, there will be a drop. You will place your order ahead of time during the preorder window.
- Consists of 2-3 seasonal goodies, with the option to add on an item.
- The goodies can range from sourdough, fresh milled flour, gluten free, jam, and whatever I’m inspired to make. 🙂
- Once the drop date closes, it will be done for the month!
Stay tuned for details on the upcoming Gathering!
Gathered and Growing 
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