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Log inSHE'S HELPING OUT ON THE FARM
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SHE'S HELPING OUT ON THE FARM
by Outspoken on Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:25 am
SHE'S HELPING OUT ON THE FARM
Robin Chase turns out pastries in her kitchen
BY MECHELE COOPER
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal
Loosen the ol' belt.
Skip dinner.
And put on your eating shirt.
A little pie-eating joy is just around the corner at the Chase Farm Bakery at 333 Townhouse Road in Whitefield.
Robin Chase, who excels in the art of pie-making, is responsible for providing that joy. She has been running the bakery for close to five years.
Originally, she wanted to sell organic bottled milk and butter, but the pasteurizer she needed was too expensive.
So she decided to open a bakery in her home.
It was a niche business to help support the family's dairy farm as they dealt with the rising costs of grain and fuel.
"I never did get a pasteurizer, but I kept the bakery going," Chase said. "I started in my kitchen doing some small accounts and baking for restaurants. Then I got into going to farmers' markets and started making whoopie pies and donuts."
Her husband, Patrick, runs their two, 65-acre dairy farms. They sell raw organic milk.
Chase, 51, was busy recently filling 15 pie crusts with raspberries and blueberries for sale at an indoor farmers' market in Bath.
She started with a butter crust -- she uses butter in everything. She then dusted her countertop lightly but thoroughly with flour. She rolled out the dough into circles and lined several tin shells.
She combined flour and sugar and spices with the berries and dumped the mixture into the pie crusts.
After dotting the berries with butter she covered the pies with a crust and decorated the top with a design that resembled a snowflake.
Chase crimped the edges and washed and brushed the tops and sides with an egg wash for a golden-brown crust.
"I get my recipes from a lot of different places," Chase said. "I never wanted to use tapioca or corn starch. I use flour for thickening to get more taste of the fruit instead of a gummy flavor."
Making sure her berry pies are not overly sweet but borderline tart is an art, she said. You have to be careful with the sugar. A whole lot will take away the flavor of the pie, she said.
Chase sells her pies and baked goods at farmers markets in Augusta, Damariscotta, Boothbay and Bath.
Business usually dies down in the winter, but the demand for donuts has kept her busy throughout the year. She makes 40 dozen a week for the Country Corner Store on Route 17 in Coopers Mills and Hussey's General Store in Windsor.
Why are her hand-cut donuts so popular?
"It's the memory of an old fashion donut," she said. "People say they taste and look and smell like a donut is suppose to."
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4912760.html
Robin Chase turns out pastries in her kitchen
BY MECHELE COOPER
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal
Loosen the ol' belt.
Skip dinner.
And put on your eating shirt.
A little pie-eating joy is just around the corner at the Chase Farm Bakery at 333 Townhouse Road in Whitefield.
Robin Chase, who excels in the art of pie-making, is responsible for providing that joy. She has been running the bakery for close to five years.
Originally, she wanted to sell organic bottled milk and butter, but the pasteurizer she needed was too expensive.
So she decided to open a bakery in her home.
It was a niche business to help support the family's dairy farm as they dealt with the rising costs of grain and fuel.
"I never did get a pasteurizer, but I kept the bakery going," Chase said. "I started in my kitchen doing some small accounts and baking for restaurants. Then I got into going to farmers' markets and started making whoopie pies and donuts."
Her husband, Patrick, runs their two, 65-acre dairy farms. They sell raw organic milk.
Chase, 51, was busy recently filling 15 pie crusts with raspberries and blueberries for sale at an indoor farmers' market in Bath.
She started with a butter crust -- she uses butter in everything. She then dusted her countertop lightly but thoroughly with flour. She rolled out the dough into circles and lined several tin shells.
She combined flour and sugar and spices with the berries and dumped the mixture into the pie crusts.
After dotting the berries with butter she covered the pies with a crust and decorated the top with a design that resembled a snowflake.
Chase crimped the edges and washed and brushed the tops and sides with an egg wash for a golden-brown crust.
"I get my recipes from a lot of different places," Chase said. "I never wanted to use tapioca or corn starch. I use flour for thickening to get more taste of the fruit instead of a gummy flavor."
Making sure her berry pies are not overly sweet but borderline tart is an art, she said. You have to be careful with the sugar. A whole lot will take away the flavor of the pie, she said.
Chase sells her pies and baked goods at farmers markets in Augusta, Damariscotta, Boothbay and Bath.
Business usually dies down in the winter, but the demand for donuts has kept her busy throughout the year. She makes 40 dozen a week for the Country Corner Store on Route 17 in Coopers Mills and Hussey's General Store in Windsor.
Why are her hand-cut donuts so popular?
"It's the memory of an old fashion donut," she said. "People say they taste and look and smell like a donut is suppose to."
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4912760.html
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
