From the Fyr (10.29.2025)

Dishin’ On the Cafe:   Another week, another fyr menu from the crew.  I treat myself just about every Friday and every time I find myself staring at the menu, hemming and hawing.  Each offering sounds better than the next (Did you get your BEC last week??! If not, it’s still on the menu and if you missed last week’s blog, check it out here!) but if I’m being honest, there is one sammie that steals my heart, it’s that badass Banh Mi. It’s almost impossible to find, unless you make it yourself, and even then it never quite compares to this one! With 8 Hands pulled pork, braised and seasoned to spicy perfection. Add some pickled daikon, carrot, raw cucumber, cilantro, and a swipe of gojuchang aioli. Perfectly curated and served on fresh sourdough schiacciata. I honestly can’t wait. At least since I’ve got a sneak peak at the menu this week, I won’t waste any time choosing, which gives me more time to shop at the market.

Made with Love in the Market : We greet November and the cooler weather with some incredible choices - the fregola chicken soup with roasted mushrooms is the fregging best!! It’s our own take on chicken noodle soup and in my opinion it takes you right back to your grandma’s kitchen, ya know? Comfort food can be healthy food! And speaking of health, if you’ve got the sniffles, sippin’ on some chicken stock is just the thing you need. The steam from the hot soup helps to open up and relieve congestion, provides hydration, and helps to thin mucous. Not to mention, it’s as simple as just heating it up. Don’t love mushrooms? Not uncommon! Grab our stock or bone broth and sip on that instead. I often put this in my coffee thermos and sip as I drive for an on-the-go snack or cold-relief.

Not in the mood for soup quite yet? Well, you’re in luck. The OG fried rice is back. I love to indulge and get some Chinese food, but I don’t love how I feel after I eat it - tons of oil, extreme levels of sodium and sugar, not to mention, I prefer to know where my food came from. Pork from pigs raised right here on the farm, and local, organic veg, you can still get your cake-out and eat it too!  My kids love this one and pair it with the wings. Just think, It’s only the weekend and you’ve already given yourself a night off from cooking (but still get home cooking!). All you have to do is throw it in the oven.  See this is what I love about Fyr & Salt food; it’s truly home-cooked meals that you didn’t have to cook yourself, but you can still taste all of the love our chefs put into it for you.

Glee-ten-Free!: While we don’t cook in a gluten-free kitchen, we’ve got plenty of options for you this week. Sourdough FOMO? We’ve got you covered! There’s gluten-free sourdough too! Right now we offer the plain flavor, but they’ve got other flavors we will offer around the holidays. (Gift idea?!)  I’m no stranger to avoiding gluten and I tend to stay away from breads made from junk ingredients, but this bread is as good as it gets! Knead Love Bakery cares deeply about the ingredients they use and bake with regional grains and some are even hand-milled! Best part? This bread tastes as good as it sounds (I prefer to serve it toasted), I promise! We offer a ton of other gluten-free options, as well (the squash soup, chicken salad, poultry stock, chicken wings, and more!). You can also order anything on the cafe menu sans bread if you want something right now. For those who are gluten-sensitive (that’s me!), if you are willing to experiment, in my experience our sourdough is one of the only breads I can eat in abundance with zero side effects!

Market Grabs: Never been to the market? Well, get on over here then! Not only do we offer freshly made soups, foods, spreads and baked goods, but we also stock our favorite products from other small businesses we believe in. We get that shopping is time consuming and we want this to be your one-stop-shop for everything you need! 

This week I’m all about that tinned fish. I know some folks really stick their nose up (pun intended) when it comes to food like sardines, oysters, mussels, or anchovies in a tin can, but the sky (or the sea!) is the limit when it comes to recipes. Think omelettes, sandwiches, salads, pasta, or salsa. We even have a cookbook available if you really want to get after it. Smaller fish like anchovies and sardines offer a huge nutritional bang for their buck. They are low in mercury,and rich in Omega-3s, calcium, selenium, CoQ10, not to mention high protein! My favorite thing (besides the health benefits) is that these little babies need hardly any prep! You can eat them right out of the can when you’re on the go and in need of a quick energy punch, but because I love some fiber with my protein, I’ve included a great tartine recipe below.

Maybe, you’re not into fish, but you like where my mind is at. If I were you, I’d grab some of our waldorf chicken salad and enjoy it on some fresh sourdough. Open-faced sandwiches are my jam! Speaking of jam, we’ve also got apple and pepper jam. Dress your bread with the jam, toss on the chicken salad, and wow. Another great combo would be the jam and some fresh bacon from the butcher. Delish! Got some kiddos? Apple jam and sourdough is the perfect snack for lunch (did you know that sourdough actually contains a fair amount of protein from the whole grains?)

Kitchen Spark: We all find ourselves in food ruts, so here’s a little spark to light the fyr in your kitchen!  

Tinned Fish Tartine (for 1)

Ingredients:

• 1 can tinned sardines

• 1 slice sourdough (fresh from our market or try our gluten-free bread!)

• Pickled onions

• Lemon

• ¼ cup Arugula (or other greens) 

• (optional) cherry tomatoes, avocado, fresh herbs

• Salt, pepper, garlic

• EVOO

Instructions:

1. (optional) heat sardines in a cast iron (you do not need to do this! Can eat right out of the can!)

2. Toast bread (optional if bread is fresh, just enjoy it as is - suggested toast for gluten-free)

3. While bread is toasting, chop arugula into bite-sized pieces and toss with a little lemon, EVOO, salt and pepper

4. Spread or layer a little avocado on the toast, season with a little salt, pepper, and garlic

5. Add the arugula

6. Layer on the fish (I used a whole can, but whatever amount you prefer works)

7. Top with pickled onions, herbs, tomatoes and a fresh squeeze of lemon (or anything else that seems good - I’ve made with relish and sauerkraut)

Like the idea of that one-stop-shop? Here is your grocery list for products available at 8 Hands Farm! This will get you a variety of tartines to share at lunch with your loved ones. Quick and easy lunch with something for everyone!

• Tinned fish (my favorite is the sardines, but whatever your heart desires!)

• Sourdough

• Pickled onions

• Lemon

• Salt, pepper, and garlic

• EVOO

• Waldorf chicken salad

• Pepper jam

• Apple jam

• bacon