FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
Let's Clear Things Up
With a service like mine, I know there can be many questions that are not always provided on the main site.
Browse through this list of FAQs and let me know if there is anything else I can answer by reaching out on our contact page HERE.
How do I order?
Click on Market Price Menu link under the How to Order tab. The week’s menu will appear. Select each bread/sweet you’d like to order and add it to the cart. Feel free to add questions/special requests in the space provided. Continue to Checkout to pay for your items. Online payments are by credit card or PayPal. You may also elect to pay cash or check at pick up by selecting the "Manual Payment" option. Click Submit and your order will be sent to Cathy. An automatic confirmation will be sent to the email address you provided during checkout. If you did not receive a confirmation, please contact Cathy directly to make sure your order was received.
What if I don't want to order online?
If you are not comfortable placing an order online, just contact Cathy by email or by phone to place it directly. Cathy will return an email confirming your order. Please make sure you receive a confirmation from me. If you don’t find one, please call me to confirm that your order was received. I don’t want to disappoint anyone! Payment can be made by a PayPal invoice or at the time of pick up.
Where and when do I pick up my breads?
Breads are available for pick up on Friday afternoons, from 3:00-5:30pm, at Cathy's home--1509 Elm Street (corner of Elm and 16th Streets). Please be aware of the No Parking signs on the east side of Elm Street.
What if I'm going to be out of town on a Friday?
You can order the bread/sweet and invite a friend to pick it up for you, or you can order the bread/sweet and have Cathy hold it in her freezer for you.
If you choose the last option, you will need to pick up your bread by the following Monday. In either case, please let Cathy know in advance.
What happens if I forget to pick up my bread?
Cathy will try not to take it personally—it’s a rare Friday when everyone remembers!
Cathy will email/text you a reminder, and if necessary, arrange an alternate pick up day/time. Cathy usually freezes items which can’t be picked up within 24 hours.
Items ordered but not picked up are still considered a purchase, and Cathy will require payment (or count it against your subscription). SO PLEASE, REMEMBER TO PICK UP YOUR BREAD!
What's the best way to store, freeze or reheat my bread?
Cathy's breads have no added preservatives and should be eaten promptly, ideally within 2-3 days of baking. (Baguettes should really be thought of as a daily bread and eaten the same day they're baked). Breads stale most quickly at temperatures between 32F and 52F, making the refrigerator a bad environment for bread.
For artisan loaves with crunchy, chewy crusts, store at room temperature, cut side down on a wooden cutting board. (If bread out in the open air bothers you, then store it cut side down in a paper, not plastic, bag).
For softer breads (or sweetbreads), store at room temperature in a plastic bag. Bread will keep 3-5 days unless the weather becomes extremely hot and humid--not often an issue given our western Kansas weather!
If breads become lightly stale, they can be refreshed in the toaster or by reheating in a 350F oven for 5-10 minutes.
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If you want to preserve your bread longer than a couple of days, wrap it (whole or a portion of it) in aluminum foil, then put it in a plastic bag, and freeze it.
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To reheat frozen bread: Thaw frozen bread on countertop overnight without removing wrappings. DO NOT DEFROST IN MICROWAVE.
For crunchy-crusted breads, once thawed, remove the wrapping and put in preheated 350F oven for 5-10 minutes until crust re-crisps (avoid overheating).
For enriched breads with softer crusts, keep loaf wrapped in foil and put in preheated 350F oven for 5-10 minutes just lightly warmed.
What if I need an extra loaf at the last minute?
If you decide you need more loaves after the order deadline, contact me! Sometimes I bake an extra or two as back-up.
PLEASE NOTE—Fridays are usually crazy, and I generally don’t check my email till the afternoon. The best way to reach me is by text: 785-639-3060
Cathy also posts availability of extra loaves on her FACEBOOK page!
What state regulations are you required to follow? Are you inspected?
While this isn’t a frequent question, I think it’s an important one for folks to know about. I operate as a home-based food business under the Kansas Farmers Market Regulations. No licensing is required for production and sale of “non-potentially hazardous food items” (i.e.—items which don’t require refrigeration such as bread, cookies, fruit pies, etc). These non-potentially hazardous items may only be sold to the end-consumer (no sales to middlemen such as coffee shops). Items requiring refrigeration (“potentially hazardous foods” such as cheesecake, cream pies, custards, etc) are only allowed for sale no more than 6 days per year (April to March calendar year of the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture). What is considered potentially hazardous is based on a matrix of PH levels and water activity levels. Some items, like my smoked gouda walnut baguette, could only be offered six times a year. A bread with Parmesan cheese, however, would not be considered hazardous due to its low water activity level. With this in mind, I will usually group my “hazardous items” on the same days (often showing up on my holiday menus). Please understand that I take every precaution to maintain proper and safe food handling and storage conditions regardless of the day!
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Other regulations required of home-based food businesses are related to labeling, packaging, cleaning of food contact surfaces, and health of food workers. For more information, here is are links to the KDA’s Kansas Farmers Market Regulations and the Kansas regulations for Sanitation and hygiene requirements for exempt food establishments.
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As always, feel free to ask me about any concerns or questions you may have.