Saturday, January 1, 2011

flour power


Not unlike the Medieval British warrior from whence its name is derived, King Arthur Flour is the stuff of legends. This 100% USA grown wheat flour is - as each bag proclaims - "never bleached, never bromated", and is the purest, most consistently high quality flour you will ever use. Just ask any baker worth his or her weight in - well, bread - and they are sure to agree.

OK, but what does this have to do with  recycling? 

Well, all those bakers use a whole lotta bags of flour, and all those bags mean a lot of raw material for me to make my recycled tote bags out of! And that is just what I brought to the King Arthur Flour-sponsored Kneading Conference and Artisan Bread Fair up in Skowhegan, ME this past July. Was I hoping my King Arthur emblazoned tote bags would catch the eye of one of their reps? Of Course! And did that happen? Heck, yeah! And in a big way...
Long story short, my recycled flour bag totes are now available at The Baker's Store, King Arthur Flour's flagship retail location in Norwich, VT. And they are a hit! So much so that I've had to seek out additional sources for empty bags to work with, and was lucky enough to get hooked up with Amato's Bakery in Westbrook, ME. 
brothers John and Anthony Amato pose in front of pallets of King Arthur flour and a Medieval looking dough thingy
This huge bakery - family owned and run since its 1902 inception - uses tons King Arthur bread flour (by the 100lb bag-full) to create their amazing breads and rolls, and General Manager, John Amato and his merry band of bakers have been kind enough to set aside those empty bags for me! And if I time it right, I usually end up with a fresh-from-the-oven loaf to take home with me (not that it ever lasts that long...). Thanks guys!

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