Tastin' Good in the 'hood, Et. Al.

I've been excited about this bread and these rolls ever since Michele, the adminstrator/founder of Selle Valley Neighbors Facebook group, announced that she would be baking and offering them a week or so ago.

Michele is orginally from Switzerland (near the Alps), and so when she mentioned Swiss bread---hard on the outside, soft on the inside---it sounded good to me.

Plus, I knew that Laura, our beloved Swiss Miss, would highly approve.  Are ya reading, Laura?

After her first Selle Valley group announcement, which sought out potential interest, Michele set a date for bread lovers to pick up their first samples bread and heavenly dinner rolls, priced at an introductory fee. 

So, when she sent me a reminder on Monday afternoon, I was almost counting the hours leading up to driving over to her home, picking up a sack of bread and leaving some money in the jar. 

We are so fortunate here in the extended Selle Valley to have a host of enterprising folks who know how to put out some wonderful roadside edibles. 

In fact, yesterday I saw a map of places around the Selle Valley (and then some) which offer a variety of wares for customers who, like me, love the rural opportunities to satisfy our palates. 

Well, now map creator Jay Mock can add another over on Sunnyside Cut-off Road. 

And, I will highly recommend Michele and her daughter Sheena's breads.  

It was fun visiting with Sheena, Michele and other young family members yesterday when I picked up my sack of "Flour and Love."  

As you'll read, Mom and daughter are on a mission which extends beyond their customers' tastebuds.  

They want to go visit Grandma and Grandpa in Switzerland, so all profits go in the trip fund. 

In the meantime, we who patronize them reap the benefits.  Within minutes of coming into the house with my very own sack of Love and Flour, I asked Bill if he wanted to split a dinner roll with me.

A few minutes later, after sampling our treat, covered with melted margarine, we both agreed that these ladies know how to bake bread and rolls.  

Later, having eaten a slice of bread with dinner, our earlier tastebud enthusiasm was seconded.

You'll see the basic information in the photos below for upcoming offerings. 

Danka, Michele and Sheena.  Best of luck in your tasty mission. 

In the meantime, I'll be anxiously counting the days until my four 'maters from the garden turn red and I can slice off a nice juice section and pop it into my mouth.

Fresh garden tomatoes are icons of this time of year, as are huckleberries and blueberries and soon apples.  

Let's just say these are the mouth-watering days, thanks to the variety of opportunities for eating fresh food.

Something else has the same appreciation for blueberries as I do.  Twice I've gone out to pick the next round of ripe berries, only to discovered the numbers have dwindled significantly. 

I'm thinking the thief may be a bambi because clumps of berries from high up on the bushes have suddenly disappeared. 

This morning, however, the visitor must have taken a night off, and I'm hoping to get out there and fill my bucket before it fills its mouth. 

Last night Bill and I added a few more huckleberries to the freezer after he asked if I wanted to join him on a drive up Pack River.  He wanted to find a geocache, and, happily, it was in the same vicinity as several nicely loaded bushes of berries. 

We filled only one small baggie, but with huckleberries, every little berry counts. It seems to be a great year for picking, which is a welcome piece of good news for 2020. 

While we were at Pack River, Annie was kayaking with a friend.  On her way home, she stopped at the store and saw a display of Gonzaga masks. 

Annie knows her folks are crazy ZAGS fans, so she brought us a two-pack.  

We don't know how much Gonzaga basketball we'll get to watch this year, but we can hope.  So, it's possible the masks may come in handy.  

Again, just like a small baggy of huckleberries, every little bit of hope counts, and we'll keep clinging. 

In the meantime, the folks in Selle Valley and beyond are providing some wonderful rural culinary adventures.

All good! 

Happy Wednesday.