12 May Mum’s the Word 🥰
Orange, yellow, red and burgundy. The colours I think about at this season, and the colours we are seeing in our gardens, heavy globes of fruit weighing down the boughs of citrus and persimmon trees alike. Pumpkins are now harvested and hiding their delicious, sweet flesh under a tough exterior of silvery grey. Early tulips in fiery orange light up my house. This blaze of colour is a treat and so is the seasonal produce. Your tables can be a feast of colour too!
Scarecrow will return to opening 7 DAYS a week from 22 May – quite an achievement for us in the post-Covid environment. We hope you will come in to support us re-opening on Mondays. As one of the few places to buy fresh bread in the city, and other products such as Durham Farms eggs and milk, it has always been a central pillar of our store to provide this service to our local community. Of course, we can’t do this without your help. So, let’s see how we go with this initiative.
Works have began on the ‘renaissance’ of our Scarecrow building – we hope the weather will not disrupt the process too much! When you next come into Scarecrow, don’t mind the orange cones… just see it as a sign of progress in our ever-changing city landscape and totally in keeping with the seasonal orange trend.
In honour of the orange blast in the gardens, here is a very simple recipe using delicious persimmon, and if you can get pomegranates, you can really go to town on the colour trail!
Firstly, a few words about persimmons. Persimmons originate in Asia, and you’ll notice them growing abundantly if you’re travelling there in the autumn months – dripping over gates and walls and in hidden gardens. They are a gorgeous sight. They have been developed over the centuries and are primarily available here in the Fuyu cultivar that was originally developed in Japan. This is a sweet, non-acidic fruit. You can use them fresh or cooked. I like them with savoury things like cheese (soft cheese such as feta or mozzarella or blue cheese), nuts – such as hazelnuts and walnuts (also coming into season now), and of course a delicious vinegar to make your salad dressing.
Persimmon & Walnut Salad with Soft Cheese (or Smoked Duck Breast)
For 6 people.
Select a variety of lettuce leaves including some red lettuce variety (such as Red Cos, Radicchio, Lollo Rosso)
Rocket is ideal in the salad base mix for some ‘bite’.
Wash, dry and tear your lettuce and greens (spinach and kale work well). Make a generous bed of leaves in a ‘flat’ or shallow platter. You need to allow a generous cup of greens per person.
Cut 1 to 2 persimmon into quarters (this depends on the size of your fruit). Working with the flat side down to the chopping board, finely slice the persimmon quarters into slivers (leave the skin on).
Scatter the persimmon over your leaves.
Scatter about 175gr of fresh walnuts.
Crumble or dice 175gr of your preferred soft cheese (what’s hiding in the fridge?) – I think blue cheese or feta are ideal.
A delicious alternative to cheese is finely sliced Smoked Duck Breast. If you’re doing this, add orange segments to your salad and orange zest to the dressing below.
If you have some pomegranate seeds, sprinkle them on too (about 1/2 cup will be adequate).
Dressing
In a jar mix:
3 x tbsp olive oil
2 x tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 x teaspoon honey
1 x very finely sliced small red onion or shallot (optional)
Pinch of flaky salt
Good grind of rose or black pepper
Shake well and pour over salad.
Bon appetit!
Alison
Mother’s Day Incoming!
We are looking forward to Mother’s Day which is just around the corner. It’s that time to celebrate all the incredible women in our lives. At Scarecrow we believe that every mother, sister, aunt, godmother, friend – anyone who has played a nurturing role in someone’s life – deserves to be ‘treated like royalty’, and we’re here to help you make next Sunday 14 May extra special. Whether you’re looking for delicious treats, thoughtful gifts, or a cosy environment to enjoy quality time together, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find out more about our Mother’s Day treats.
Love is…
Looking for the perfect gift this Mother’s Day? Scarecrow has a large range of NZ made quality chocolates that we love (and we know you do too!). We select NZ chocolate that is made with the finest ingredients and crafted with care by clever local artisan chocolatiers, whose passion for their craft comes through with every bite. Come and explore our selection and give your mum the sweet gift of indulgence.
Or take a look at the stunning homewares, from teapots, to tote bags and linen items. All curated with care to be long-lasting, quality additions to any home. We endeavour to find products that support other women in Aotearoa and around the world who are supporting their families.
Jane from Tramstop Flowers will have a selection of posies in our store to add to the Mother’s Day treats on offer! Call us on 09 377 1333 or send an email to orders@scarecrow.co.nz to order in advance… Don’t miss out!
Say Hi to our New Chef!
We want to update you on a recent change in our team. Our wonderful Aurelien has said farewell and is now home in his beloved France. It’s always challenging to ‘replace’ such a long-standing and valued team member. However, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve found a fantastic new head chef to fill his boots. Please join us in welcoming Arkadeb, with a passion for French cuisine and extensive experience – most recently from La Fourchette. We look forward to introducing you to Arkadeb’s delicious creations.
Dine with us…
This Mother’s Day, Scarecrow is gearing up with a variety of delicious 
choices on our Specials Board. Try our Salad of Smoked Duck Breast and Pickled Blueberries with Walnuts, Orange, and Vincotto Vinaigrette. We’ll also be serving up Confit Canard on Farro with Herbed Mushrooms, Spinach and Hazelnuts, topped with fresh herb dressing. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll have to try our incredible Hazelnut Tiramisu – we guarantee you’ll love it! We’ll have some surprises in store for you too…. so come on in and enjoy perusing the selection. We expect Mother’s Day at Scarecrow to be busy, so we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment. Call us on 09 377 1333 to reserve a table now.
Breaking Bread
Have you noticed any changes in your favourite sourdough recently? Or in other naturally fermented breads that you regularly buy (maybe you’ve even seen changes in your own home baking). Some of our customers have commented on changes in the Wild Wheat loaves we are proud to stock on our shelves. Wild Wheat has been making award winning bread in Auckland since 1999, so I thought I’d talk to Andrew about the challenges going on in his baking world.
Firstly, there is the issue with flour. Andrew says, “We have really struggled this year with a consistent flour. There have been supply issues, along with quality issues that have led us to have to change flour supply over 5 different brands this year. This is unheard of for Wild Wheat, we have in the past been lucky to stay consistently with one brand year on year.
With each change of brand comes the need to adjust recipes and processes. This is always a difficult process, particularly given the scale of production here at Wild Wheat. Often changes take time to become apparent given that sourdoughs are made over a 2 day period. Changes to recipes may not show themselves until the final process of actual baking.
We have recently managed to return to using Farmers Mill flour. This is what we have been using for the last 10 years or more. I’m assured that this year’s crop is much better than last year and the flour is very strong. A stronger flour will help with better risen doughs. Unfortunately, last year’s crop was ruined by the heavy rains in Canterbury just before harvest time. This destroyed so much of the good quality wheat here in New Zealand.”
Then, there are local environmental issues contributing to challengers for consistent product. As Andrew explains, “The fluctuating temperatures in the last number of months doesn’t make the process of producing naturally leavened breads any easier either; just three weeks ago we had a frost at home. Last week it was 20C when I got up. We are seeing temperature swings of over 20C in a 24-hour period. Big temperature differences are difficult to control in the bakery. Changes in loaves can occur if they are under-proved, or the bread doesn’t spring up in the oven like it should, due to the combination of weaker flour and fluctuating temperatures. Bakers are always looking to keep variables to a minimum.”
Then of course, there is the issue of getting enough qualified staff, a problem with which we are all too familiar across many sectors.
Altogether it’s a complex time for serving up your daily bread! Many bakers have reported facing the same supply issues, delays, and even price hikes in their flour purchases, all of which has a direct impact on their products.
As our customers know, Scarecrow has a long-standing relationship with the great folks at Wild Wheat. Despite the challenges faced, we appreciate the dedication and hard work of the Wild Wheat team to ensure that the quality and taste of their bread remains the best it can be. And if you’re passing our old ‘hood (811 Mt Eden Road), pop into Wild Wheat’s flagship bakery to see the extensive range of goodies fresh out of their ovens each morning.
Autumnal Treats
We have recently added a deliciously autumnal new loaf cake to our range of house-made baking. Reflecting the warm flavours of autumn, our Caramelised Apple and Walnut Loaf Cake is beautifully moist – the perfect thing to enjoy with an organic cup of tea or coffee on a cosy afternoon, or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream as an after-dinner treat. Our loaf cakes are made fresh, and handily packaged up for you to take home and devour! Come into Scarecrow to see the rest of our baked goodies.