published in the Moscow Food Co-op Community News , December 2001 , page 18

MaryJane Butters has a new magazine. She calls it MaryJanesFarm, and it is now available at the Co-op.

MaryJane sells organic prepared foods through her website (www.maryjanesfarm.org) and at stores across the US. This new magazine includes a catalog of those 60 different products, but it is much more than a list.

Within the magazine’s 116 color pages, you’ll find household tips she calls “simple solutions for organic living,” profiles of some wonderful folks, and fun features on topics like wearing hats and collecting stuff. MaryJane put the variety and the vitality of her website on paper for all of us to enjoy—and with no ads!

One of the suggestions MaryJane offers in the magazine is her Tarte Tian. I’ve been cooking these tartes since MaryJane introduced me to her idea a few months ago. They are just too cool.

Basically, it’s a quick, but truly elegant, way to cook an organic gourmet meal. If you are making an entrée, you start with chopped veggies and cheese and dinner stuff. If you are making a dessert, you start with chopped fruits, coconut and other sweet stuff.

To make the tarte, you saute the chopped stuff for a few minutes and then mix up one of MaryJane’s breads for a lid or cover (like making a cobbler). You match the entrée veggies with a quick bread (the Co-op sells these, too), or you pick one of her dessert mixes if you are doing fruit. The tarte cooks for 20 minutes and the veggies or fruit gets done, and the bread cover gets done too. You can serve the tarte either in the pan, or upside down on a plate, if are looking for a gourmet flair for the meal.

A much more detailed description of how to make the Tarte Tian is in the magazine. Actually, there’s a lot more of everything in the magazine. I read it all the way through, and now I find myself going back through it again, noticing illustrations or articles I missed the first time. I’m proud that such a quality publication came from Moscow.

If you want to sample some of MaryJane’s food and talk with her about her magazine, consider going to her Magazine Debut. The party is at BookPeople (521 South Main in Moscow) on Thursday, December 13, from 5pm to 7pm. MaryJane will serve hot jonnycakes with butter, honey and jam. Copies of the magazine will be available for purchase--and signing if you want.

Gina Gormley, who lives in Moscow, really does like cooking and serving and eating the tartes she’s made with MaryJane’s prepared foods.