I never did find the answer to “how many loaves of bread does a fence post cost”, but suffice to say it was a lot, all around. A lot of fence posts, and a lot of bread that is, though no one did the math . I just know that through the summer I arose at 3am far too many times to get everyone stocked and orders fulfilled. I’m considering a new workflow.

We have our fence! Well, rather, we have what we are calling our “get-the-horses-home-before-winter-comes-starter-fence”. (Shout out to Point Place Fence!)

A farm is a process, folks! A never ending process, actually, of upgrades, utility problem solving, and efficiency streamlining, all while managing seasonal curve balls and animals with minds and bodies of their own. And all through the barn-raising and post pounding, the ovens remain on and the farm stand continues to both delight and humble. We will keep baking and keep planning the farm. The line between the two has blurred considerably, to the point where the two now seem synonymous.

Every now and then I run into someone buying a loaf of bread at our farm stand (though I try to sneak in and out quite quickly) and it’s truly a heart-warming endeavor to imagine that bread on a table out in the community somewhere. I remember bakery-culture as a child, and nearly every country I’ve visited since (that is to say, rather a lot of them), there has always been a system of local bakeries and bake houses and local baking groups that have made it possible to have freshly baked local bread every day of the week. Even in France on a Monday, when many places are definitely not open, local people with their local knowledge know where to get a freshly baked baguette. There is always someone to take up that mantle, such is the depth of meaning behind sharing bread over family tables with friends and loved ones at any given moment in time.

In the absence of that specific need being filled in our own lives—and dissatisfied as we were with big box bread—Patullo House was born. It started with a few loaves for ourselves, then for friends and family, and has since grown into the little farm stand that could, hopping with weekend bread lovers. Adding baguettes, and then semolina loaves for Sunday Sauce, has leveled up our farm house bakery in a way that I never imagined possible. And it has nothing to do with business or workflow or bottom lines or competition, and everything to do with the sense of community and connection that being a local maker brings. It’s not transactional, it’s a feeling.

What do I have to contribute? It’s a question we all ask ourselves at some point or other in time. If nothing else, I am content to bring the bread.

We are baking for Thanksgiving. You can find our preorder page RIGHT HERE.

Indeed, we are keeping the ovens running year round!

Winter Horses & Bread Capers

Hello Fall, Hello Holidays!