Maine native Heidi Julavits wrote in the New York Times over the weekend about spelt, the grain, and Tinder Hearth Bakery in Brooksville (Downeast, between Rockland and Bar Harbor), which bakes and cooks with it often. She writes:
"Spelt could be seen as the miracle grain: it’s easier to digest and
easier on the environment (it’s resistant to the pests that attack
wheat and is thus easier to grow organically), and it tastes great. Now
that artisanal spelt bakers are saving us from what Stevens calls the
“bad Wonder Bread” in health-food stores, what’s not to like?"
Speaking of healthy foods -- and with the overeating I did over the long weekend, I know I'm trying to rein in my food consumption these days -- how about this approach to eating less meat (a challenge I'm still grappling with): Vegan Tuesdays. The originator of the idea explains himself in the Baltimore City Paper:
"I started out with realistic goals. Rather than set myself up for
failure by overhauling my kitchen completely, I decided to designate
one day a week as a meatless, dairy-free day. Tuesday seemed as good as
any of its six counterparts, and Vegan Tuesday was born."
I have not had a vegan Tuesday -- I had cream cheese on my bagel this a.m. Perhaps I will try to make tomorrow Vegan Wednesday.
Oh, and keep this in mind next time you're playing six degrees of spelt and someone challenges you to connect Barack Obama to the revered grain: Heidi Julavits wrote about spelt. Heidi Julavits wrote about Maine for the compendium State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America (Harper Collins). One of the editors of that collection, Sean Wilsey, presented the book to Obama last week. Ta da!
