Mmmmmm

The taste of fresh cinnamon bread that completely lacks raisins (the fleas of Satan) is one of the best tastes I've had in a while. The swirl of spice is evenly distributed and generously thick. The crust is delicate and flaky. All things considered, it is the best cinnamon bread I've had in my life. What's even better is I didn't have to bake it! ;-)

The wonderful brothers at St. Benedict's Abbey baked this bread, along with many other types, and offer them for sale via a local farmers' market. The Heritage Farmer's Market doesn't advertise except by word of mouth. They have no website. In fact if you didn't know they were next door to a vet's office in Tazewell County, off of Route 9, between Tremont and Pekin, you would never find them. They sell only foods and crafts that are produced locally. Meats, cheeses, breads, preserves, home-canned vegetables, candles, honey, and even wine from the same abbey.

FH and I took a field trip out there last Saturday and we will be returning. We're almost out of bread... and we'll have cooked up the pork steaks this week. Oh yeah, they have fudge too. Really, really good fudge. The lady makes it with local cream. It's awesome. We brought home some Snickers and Amaretto varieties. I think FH forgot we have it, since the Snickers flavor is still intact.

We were lucky enough to meet one of the brothers from the abbey. He was there with his knitting. He and I talked about good science fiction, baking, Canada (he's Canadian), and hockey. FH gabbed with the owner for a while about everything. They got along great. The owner's wife is the veternarian next door. She and I talked about critters, the benefits of eating locally/organically, and chemical allergies/sensitivites. All in all it was a fun day. I believe we'll be heading back there this Saturday.