ARLINGTON — When the farmers market season is over, where do market vendors sell their wares?
Emilie Turner is among those who take orders from home.
The owner of Emilie’s Bakery, Turner had a successful first season at the Port Susan Farmers Market this past summer in Stanwood.
Now, especially with Christmas coming, Turner is busy making a variety of baked goods for new and established customers.
We called in an order this past week and bought a sample of items off Turner’s website menu at www.emiliesbakery.com.
We spent $36 for an amount that could have served 30 people. Since there were just four of us, we had some leftovers to serve at Thanksgiving.
First we tried the raspberry crumble bar. We were eager for this, knowing from the farmers market that the raspberries came from Biringer Farm in Arlington. Our family loved the fresh raspberry taste and satisfying oatmeal crumble on top. This was my daughter’s favorite.
Next, we each had a bite of a mini lemon bundt cake with lemon glaze. Again, the sweetness was just right and the lemon offered just enough lip-puckering sour to balance the glaze. The cake was moist and dense. My son-in-law liked this best.
We bought a big loaf of pumpkin bread. By now, you can tell we don’t like super sweet treats. The pumpkin bread was just right. Fresh pumpkin puree and tasty spices. Dense, but not greasy. My husband’s favorite.
Last, we ordered up a box of Scandinavian krumkake. It’s a Christmas specialty.
This crisp, light waffle cookie was my favorite, hands down. It’s a plain Jane in many ways, but that is what is so appealing. Flour, butter, eggs, sugar and cream are mixed and pressed into a krumkake iron and then folded while still warm into a cone. Some people fill the cone with ice cream, pudding or whipped cream. I like mine plain.
So does Emilie Turner.
A visit with the baker revealed that she is part Norwegian. Much of what Turner knows about baking was learned from her Norwegian grandmother and Turner’s older sister, Elsie.
Turner grew up in rural Southeast Alaska, studied at University of Puget Sound and later became an air traffic controller at Paine Field, where she worked for nearly 25 years.
Now that their children are grown and Emilie and her husband Mitch are basically retired, the Turners decided to start a small farm and launch the bakery.
“Mitch has done all the business stuff and website construction. He came to every market with me and helped with customers. He did all the dish washing and packaging,” Turner said. “He has been an encouragement through this whole process. I couldn’t have done this without Mitch.”
Turner has a state cottage-kitchen license and is regularly inspected.
Along with sweetbreads and cookies, she makes pies, cakes (yes, there is a chocolate with butter-cream frosting), a variety of muffins, bundt cakes, a cinnamon pull-apart and several gluten-free items.
This past week, she also baked scones, rolls and bread for customers preparing for Thanksgiving.
“I like to bake in the winter,” Turner said. “But I also look forward to market season next summer.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Emilie’s Bakery
View the menu at www.emiliesbakery.com. Order by calling 425-210-8342 or emailing emiliesbakery@gmail.com. Arrange with Emilie Turner for pick up. She lives near the 300th Street NE exit from I-5.
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