When Felicia Drewniak of Antrim was in a car accident that left her out of work at the start of the year, she embarked on a new hobby – one that would grow into a new side business.

Drewniak said that in January, she was looking for something to do to fill her time, and she and her husband decided to take up baking – specifically, baking sourdough bread. She said before that, she didn’t have much experience with baking, but wanted something they could do together and enjoy as a new hobby. She said since taking it up, it has become something she really loves.

"Sourdough really is just fun to play with," Drewniak said. "You can make so many different things with a good starter. Bagels, cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls, pizza dough. It really is just endless.”

Sourdough bread is made using a natural fermentation process with a sourdough starter, made from a fermented flour and water mixture, rather than commercial yeast. The process results in bread that is slightly sour in flavor and has a chewy texture and a crisp crust. A sourdough starter can be kept alive by adding in new mixtures of flour and water, allowing the same starter to be kept for a long time, since a properly fed starter will “rise” and double, allowing some to be used in baking and some to be saved to continue to serve as a starter for other baking projects down the road. Starter can last for years if it is fed and maintained properly.

“The trill of keeping it alive and watching it ‘move and breathe' is really cool," Drewniak said. “You can also add things to your starter or breads to change flavor, color and how fluffy it is. So the diversity overall is just amazing and uses less ingredients and is easier to keep natural without preservatives.”

Last week, Drewniak decided to launch a farmstand, The Crafty Farmers, selling some of the bread recipes she has mastered over the last six months. In addition to her bread, she also has on offer her homemade jams, fresh free-range duck eggs and crafts, including signs and jewelry. She said she has been adding to her homesteading ventures over the years, and felt she had enough for a stand. She had previously been selling her jams at the Antrim Market, and giving her sourdough to friends and family.

In addition, she has made options that are gluten and dairy-free. Sourdough is not inherently gluten-free, but can be made so by using flour alternatives.

“I have a lot of friends who are gluten-free and have a difficult time finding good product fro good prices and then constantly saw people on the local town page in need of it, and realized it can be a huge help to some,” Drewniak said.

The Crafty Farmers will not have regular hours for now, as Drewniak balances her new baking venture with her full-time job. She will post the stand's open hours on her Facebook page, "The Crafty Farmers,” and on local Antrim community Facebook pages.

The stand is located on 274 Clinton Road in Antrim.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.