Cupcakes

These little darlings are:
Triple Chocolate Ganache
Classic Coconut
Vegan Chocolate w/ Cream Cheese Icing

Y'all need a picture

In honor of spring.

Decorate your cake with Fresh, Organic, Edible Flowers!

Edible Flowers Chart

OK Friends- here is a list, in teeny font, of lots of flowers you can eat. And decorate a cake with. Many thanks to the NC Cooperative Extension Service and NC State University for the info.

Table 1. Edible Flowers

Common name	Scientific name	Flavor	Color	Comments
Anise hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	Anise	Lilac	Self seeding perennial
Apple	Malus spp.	Floral	White to pink	Eat in moderation since flowers contain cyanide precursors
Arugula	Eruca vesicaria sativa	Spicy	White	Annual; once flowers form the leaves become bitter
Basil	Ocimum basilicum	Herbal	White, lavender	Annual
Bachelor's button	Centaurea cyanus	Vegetal	White, pink, blue	Annual; petals are edible; the calyx is bitter
Bee balm	Monarda didyma	Minty, sweet, hot	Wide range	Perennial
Borage	Borago officinalis	Herbal	Blue	Annual; use with nasturtium; use sparingly -- diuretic effects
Broccoli	Brassica officinalis	Spicy	Green	Annual
Calendula	Calendula officinalis	Slightly bitter	Yellow, orange	Annual; most often used for color rather than flavor
Chamomile	Chamaemelum noblis	Sweet apple	White	Perennial; drink tea in moderation -- contains thuaone; ragweed sufferers may be allergic to chamomile
Chervil	Anthriscus cerefolium	Herbal	White	Annual
Chicory	Cichorium intybus	Herbal	Blue	Perennial
Chives	Allium schoeonoprasum	Onion	Lavender-pink	Perennial; avoid eating whole flower; taste can be overwhelming
Chrysanthemum	Chrysanthemum spp.	Strong	Perennial	Use the florets; strong flavor
Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale	Sweet, honey-like	Yellow	Perennial; use young flowers, mature flowers become bitter; flowers close after picking
Daylily	Hemerocallis spp.	Vegetal, sweet	Wide range	Perennial; may act as a diuretic or laxative; eat in moderation
Dianthus	Dianthus spp.	Sweet clove flavor	Wide range	Perennial; remove the narrow base of the petals (bitter)
Dill	Anethum graveolens	Herbal	Yellowish-green	Annual
Elderberry	Sambucus canadensis	Sweet	White	Perennial; do not wash flowers since it removes much of the flavor
English daisy	Bellis perennis	Mildly bitter	Pink	Perennial; ray flowers have a mildly bitter taste
Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare	Mildly anise	Yellow-green	Normally grown as an annual
Hibiscus	Hibiscus rosa-sinensis	Mildly citrus	Rose, red	Showy edible garnish
Hollyhock	Althea rosea	Vegetal	White, pink, red	Showy edible garnish
Honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica	Sweet	White to pale yellow	Perennial; do not use other honeysuckle flowers
Johnny-jump-up	Viola tricolor	Wintergreen	Purple and yellow	Annual; the petals have little flavor unless the green sepals are included; contain saponins and may be toxic in large amounts
Lavender	Lavendula spp.	Sweet, perfumed flavor	Lavender	Perennial; use sparingly due to intense flavor; lavender oil may be poisonous
Lilac	Syringa vulgaris	Varies	Lavender	Wide variation in flavor -- from no flavor to green and herbaceous to lilac
Linden	Tilia spp.	Honey-like	White	Frequent consumption of linden flower tea can cause heart damage
Lovage	Levisticum officinale	Celery	White	Perennial
Marigold	Tagetes patula	Bitter	Yellow, orange	Annual; Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem have the best flavor
Mint	Mentha spp.	Minty	Purple	Perennial; each type of mint has its own unique flavor
Nasturtium	Tropaeolum majus	Spicy, peppery	Wide range	Annual
Okra	Abelmoschus esculentus	Vegetal	Yellow	Annual
Pansy	Viola x wittrockiana	Vegetal	Wide range	Annual; has a slightly sweet green or grassy flavor; petals have a mild flavor; whole flower has a wintergreen flavor
Passion flower	Passiflora spp.	Vegetal	Purple	Vine; showy flowers best used as a garnish
Pineapple sage	Salvia elegans	Sweet, fruity	Red	Perennial; flavor has a hint of mint and spice
Red clover	Trifolium pratense	Sweet	Red	Annual; raw clover flowers are not easily digestible
Rose	Rosa spp.	Perfumed	Wide range	Perennial: remove the white, bitter base of the petal
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis	Herbal	Blue	Perennial
Sage	Salvia officinalis	Herbal	Purple-blue	Perennial
Scarlet runner bean	Phaseolus vulgaris	Vegetal	Purple	Annual; flower only last one to two days
Scented geraniums	Pelargonium spp.	Varies	Wide range	Perennial; the flavor is usually similar to the scent of the leaves
Signet marigold	Tagetes signata	Spicy, herbal	Yellow	Annual; may be harmful if eaten in large amounts; other marigolds are edible but have a tangy to bitter flavor
Snapdragon	Anthirrhinum majus	Bitter	Wide range	Annual; use as a garnish
Squash	Curcubita pepo	Vegetal	Yellow	Annual
Sunflower	Helianthus annu us	Varies	Yellow	Annual; flower is best eaten in bud stage when it has an artichoke flavor; petals of open flowers have a bitter- sweet flavor; pollen can cause a reaction for some people
Sweet woodruff	Galium odoratum	Sweet, nutty, vanilla	White	Can have a blood thinning effect if eaten in large amounts
Thyme	Thymus spp.	Herbal	White	Perennial herb
Tulip	Tulipa spp.	Vegetal	Wide range	Bulb; good stuffed
Violet	Viola odorata	Sweet, perfumed	Purple, white	Perennial; use candied or fresh

Greenlife Prices

So I went up one dollar on the price I sell my 6" cakes to Greenlife Grocery. And then they went up five dollars on their markup to $15.99! After a week of worrying and fretting about the new price of my cakes, I had this brilliant and novel idea to ASK SOMEONE about it. So I did, and the helpful man with whom I spoke whipped out a calculator and said, "um, no, that's not right. They should be $13.89." And so they are. So if any of yall have been by greenlife lately, and went to buy your vegan chocolate cake, and found it to be highly expensive, I am pleased to announce that it is now only moderately expensive.
xo
jodi

A Snowy Day in February

Today is one of those days- one of those days where your son is teething (read: throwing temper tantrums), the drop-in childcare at the YW is closed, its snowy, and icy, and COLD. So you end up at home, cancelling your chiropractic appointment, while your child runs amok and you "work" on the computer, which is to say, you procrastinate completing the greenlife order by trolling the internet for listings of "asheville cake" "vegan cake" etc, and and submitting your name to multiple random business listing websites. Its a good day, just sluggish, and COLD. A good day for blogging.
Its been a few weeks since my last post. There are many reasons for this:
first and foremost, though, is that I think I have been having trouble finding my... "blogging voice."(is there such a thing?) I think of something I want to write about, and then I wonder if its appropriate. What is this blog? is it about cake? is it about my life? is it only about the pretty parts where my life overlaps with cake? is it a marketing tool? a forum for self-expression? And I start to write something. Then I second guess it. But I don't want this blog to be just a message board about impersonal things in town or things relating to food that I think are "neat." And I don't want it to just be a big blaring billboard for Short Street Cakes. So there. I'm writing. About me. my life in cake.
I've also been extremely busy this month. Its a good thing that I've been a waitress since I was 16, because I've gotten pretty good at balancing plates (and smiling while doing it.) And I've never had so many plates to balance in my life. (Um, by the way, if you don't have children, and no one has told you this: ITS REALLY HARD. seriously. Its not that I wouldn't do it again, and its not that I expected it to be easy, and its not that i don't love being a mom and love that little creature that i live with, but damn. Its really hard.) Working two jobs (did i mention that I wait tables at Marcos? God bless that place, those people, and the pizza they rode in on.) growing a business, being in a relationship, and being a mom, well, that's pretty much a full day there, every day.
I'm not complaining. (well, I guess I am complaining, but I really enjoy my life too.) And days like today, being a little bit lazy, and a little bit procrastinate-y, are necessary for getting stuff done in life too. Its winter, its cozy inside, and I'll work on the greenlife order when the boy wonder takes a nap. And tomorrow I'll research organic certification. And work on my food cost spreadsheets. And continue looking for a commercial space for my bakery. But today, I think I'll chill.
Oh, and PS, check out the mountain xpress this week- Hanna Rachel Raskin included Short Street Cakes in an article about "green food choices" for weddings. Yay!

French Broad Chocolate Lounge

We just got back from the brand new French Broad Chocolate Lounge, and let me tell you, its gonna blow your mind, Asheville. Mom and Pop (literally) Jael and Dan have created a beautiful little space on South Lexington with cozy tables, wine, coffee and lots and lots of handmade, organic chocolate. I sampled a chocolate mint brownie (yum), then had a lavender honey truffle. (yum.) I also sampled the chai truffle, (yum) and finished all that chocolate off with a caramel covered in chocolate. I think there was smoked sea salt involved in the caramel. (um, YUM.) I like it. I like it alot.

Jasper's first foray into food sculpture

My son got inspired while helping me make dinner last night.