While I was growing up my parents always had a garden, typically planting both summer and winter produce. Weekends and summer days were spent weeding, watering and harvesting, then helping my mom prepare the fresh fruits and vegetables which we ate at almost every meal. In addition, my parents bartered with local farmers for fresh milk (I adored the cream that rose to the top!), eggs, and honey, and purchased whole wheat grain from a co-op so my mom could grind it and then bake hearty bread for our family. Once I moved away from home I missed those wholesome meals since store-bought produce couldn’t compare to just picked fruits and vegetables. I tried planting a garden on my own once or twice, but the soil in beach towns wasn’t conducive to healthy crops. Fortunately with the rise of farmers’ markets over the last couple of decades I have ready access, once again, to wholesome fruits and vegetables.
I felt right at home with the farming theme when I started reading MURDER MOST FOWL by Edith Maxwell. Cam Flaherty owns Attic Hill Farm, an organic farm in Westbury, Massachusetts. Cam is expanding her farm to include a small flock of chickens and when two chicks die she visits poultry farmer, Wayne Laitinen, to see if he can figure out what’s wrong. While at his house, Cam witnesses an argument between Wayne and his wife over money. Apparently their poultry farm is losing money and a wealthy neighbor wants to buy some of the their land. Wayne is dead set against selling while his wife wants to. Later that night, an animal activist group vandalizes Wayne’s poultry farm and the next morning Wayne is found murdered in his own home.
Cam finds out that the sister of one of her friends, Alexandra, has been involved with an extreme animal activist group and tells her boyfriend, Detective Pete Pappas. The young woman is picked up for questioning and insists that even though she was involved with the vandalism, she and the group had nothing to do with the murder. Pete’s new boss is breathing down his neck and threatening to demote him if he doesn’t solve the murder soon. Alexandra begs her to help find the killer and clear her sister’s name. Cam soon finds herself asking questions and digging into the unsolved thirty-year-old disappearance of a young Irish exchange student. With so many of the townspeople hiding secrets, can she find the real killer before her boyfriend loses his job and an innocent young woman goes to jail? When her farm is vandalized and some of her chickens killed, she knows she needs to find the truth before there’s another victim.
MURDER MOST FOWL, the fourth book in the Local Food Mystery series, was a delightful read! While I have not read any of the previous books in the series (and I will be remedying that) I found it easy to follow the story and felt like I knew the realistic characters. The plot had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing and I enjoyed how there were strong sub-plots and a mini-mystery. The small-town location was quaint with extremely creative, fun names for the local roads and farms which made me feel like I was traveling the countryside. The farming information was nicely woven into the story so it didn’t feel forced…in fact, it made me want to try my hand at growing a vegetable garden again!
Edith also includes several farm-fresh recipes at the back of the book. While they all look delicious, I chose to make Alexandra’s Carrot Muffins because they reminded me of something my mother would have made. Using 100% whole wheat flour, these carrot muffins are loaded with fresh, earthy carrots, a bit of honey to sweeten, and some cinnamon to flavor, making them perfect for a healthy breakfast or snack. My husband liked his toasted with a bit of butter while my granddaughter preferred to drizzle her muffin with extra honey. No matter how you choose to eat them, these wholesome muffins are light and tasty and will find a regular rotation in your household. Thank you, Edith, for allowing me share your healthy muffin recipe!
A special thank you to Edith Maxwell for providing an autographed hardcover of MURDER MOST FOWL to one winner! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Thursday, June 2, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Alexandra’s Carrot Muffins
Use as many locally produced ingredients as possible.
Makes one dozen.
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 cups (7-1/2 ounces) grated carrots (about four medium)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (may omit)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly, and then mix in honey, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
In a large measuring cup, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Add dry ingredients, carrots, and nuts to the egg and honey mixture and mix lightly with a fork until just mixed.
Bake in greased muffin pan for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Tips
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can substitute regular milk mixed with 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Mix the milk and vinegar together and allow to sit while collecting the rest of the ingredients to give it time to curdle.
Don’t be tempted to substitute pre-shredded carrots from the refrigerated section at the grocery store. They are too dry and tasteless and the recipe won’t turn out as delicious as it should be.
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I was given an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. All thoughts and views are my own.
We do not have a garden since our house lot is so small. I do feel fortunate that there are 2 farmers’ markets within 4 miles of my house (one on Saturdays, the other on Thursdays), so I visit them often to purchase organic veggies and fruit.
Used to have a garden. Now I just have greens and herbs on the window sill. Miss it loved to garden.
Our family always had a vegetable garden and flower garden. Daddy would find any area in the yard and plant something. Mama loved the flowers. They both taught me the love of gardening. Now, my husband and I have a deck with flower pots full of flowers. Precious memories!
No garden again this year due to drought but surrounded by local u-pick farms , fruit stands and framers markets.. Sad that many acres are being turned into tree farms that won’t produce for years for customers overseas. I guess money is the root of all evil.
I’m about to start a vegetable garden with a sprouted sweet potato!
I used to have a juicer and whenever I made carrot juice I would use the carrot pulp for carrot bread.
Muffins would be yummy.
I still put out a garden and can/freeze the harvest, but have decreased the garden size over the years since I am not longer feeding 3 kids daily…lol
My dad plants a vegetable garden. I eat his vegetables. I don’t have a vegetable garden.
I used to tend a vegetable garden at my school. Our grade grew beans, peas, tomatoes, and peppers. We had a planting area in the school garden along with a grow lab in the class. We experimented with hydroponics, too.
Whatever is the opposite of a green thumb is what I have. So no vegetable garden for me.
I used to have a garden. But I can’t have one now, but we live down the street from two different farms for fresh produce! So next best thing!
Yes, I shared one with a co-worker at Ft Huchuca.
Growing up we tried a small garden in our backyard. It was nice, in NY state.
We just planted onions this year. use to plant tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, corn, onions and radishes.
This book sounds like a great read. And if I had everything at home for those muffins I’d be baking the second I got home! But they will have to wait. Thanks for the chance to win too!
I don’t have a vegetable garden, but I do grow raspberries. It’s so nice to have fresh raspberries all summer and into the fall. I go to the Farmer’s Market for veggies in the summer. Can’t wait to read “Murder Most Fowl”. Thanks for the chance and the great recipe.
I always have a vegetable garden. I can my tomatoes .I chop and freeze and I dry peppers. I’m excited about Murder Most Fowl. Thank you for the opportunity to win.
We sure miss having a veggie garden! We moved to a community where rocks in the yards is the norm. Thankfully we’re only renting, so when we moved to Arizona we hope to have some sort of garden space. Right now, we have one tomato plant in a big pot. It has four blooms on it & we’re hoping that the white flies don’t destroy it. Thanks for hosting Kim!
I always had one as a child. This year, for the first time, me and my husband are planting a small one.
No sorry to say I have never had a vegetable garden!!! Don’t care for the outdoors!!??
We have a vegetable garden every year.
We don’t currently have one, but we need to. Our yard is difficult to garden – the soil is tough and the whole thing is uphill lol.
I grew up on a farm and it is like the old cliche he, “your can’t take the country out of the girl.”. I always had herbs growing g on the window sills, always had pots fills with solid with lettuce, carrots, spina c h ,etc growing. I composted and mixed the soil in a trash can that a boyfriend helped me with. He had it on a wagon frame.
This went on for years. I had tomatoes and berry bushes growing around the house while my neighbors had rose or azalea bushes.
the last year I had to do a potted garden I accidently dumped a huge amount of carrots in the pot.
well, when it was harvest time I had dozens of carrots all compacted in that pot with nearly no soil left. They were all nice and straight though.
now I have an herb garden and I grow just enough for us.
I planted another garden that I call the chicken garden. I Plant JUST FOR THE AND It Has Lavender AND Berry bushes. I keep it just for them so they leave mine alone. I have mine all gated and have netting over it.
They still sneak in my orchard and go after the fruit, but not like they used to.
thanks for your recipe and your books.
I don’t have a vegetable garden.
I have never had a vegetable garden. My grandfather, however, had a small farm and grew lots of veggies. By the time I was born it was a lot smaller and he grew veggies only for family and friends. Being a vegetarian, you would think I would have one! lol
I am disabled with arthritis so I don’t have a garden,but it was my dad who had the green thumb. He took pride in his veggie garden,and flowers. Wow,to win a signed hardcover would be the bomb. Thanks for this chance
My dad (before he died) was the absolute king of the vegetable garden. He has tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, peppers, etc!!
I don’t have a garden, but my parents always had one when I was growing up. Love fresh vegetables.
My hubby loves to garden-I have never found the pleasure in it he does. I do help water and certainly enjoy the benefits.
Yes my hubby loves to garden and we have more than ample room so he has his garden which is too far for me to walk to by myself so he takes me there when he gets off work and we see how it all is growing. Getting to close places is hard for me as I am disabled. So he built me a raised garden that is right out our back door almost and there we planted the Mothers Day tomato plant he gave me and then i picked another heirloom tomato and then zucchini plant which i should get a few plants to come up if the birds don’t eat my seeds like they have once . Also from hubbys garden we donate to the local shelters all of the vegis that do well and that we have too much of. So it is a great time for us when the plants are in and to watch them grow!
I’ve never had a garden, because I don’t have the space for one. I live in town and my backyard is too shady. I usually have a few tomato plants and I have friends that have gardens and share with me.
My husband plants a garden every year. The carrots are coming in! I’ve had carrot cake, but never carrot muffins. Thanks!
No vegetable garden for a few years now. But funny story…our first ever garden we planted 60, yes I said 6-0 tomato plants. LOL Needless to say, we were giving tomatoes away by the grocery bag full!
Thank you for sharing. Here’s hoping!