Our Big Oak Bakery

Farmers Markets for 2025

2025-04-02T00:00:00-04:00

This year Milledgeville's The Milly Market returns April 4th and continuing on First and Third Fridays. Our Big Oak will also be at Macon's Poplar Street Farmers Market most months, subscribe to our weekly announcement newsletter for all the details as the season proceeds. As always, you can order for pickup in Milledgeville or at market every week we're baking. We're lucky to have good local produce growers supported by these markets, and hope you'll make them a regular part of your schedule! Order for pickup today.

Farmers Markets for 2025 was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on April 02, 2025.

Summer Farmers Markets

2024-06-01T00:00:00-04:00

Good seasons continue for Our Big Oak and local food in Middle Georgia. This summer you can find us in Milledgeville at The Milly Market on First and Third Fridays, and at Macon’s Poplar Street Farmers Market on the Second and Fourth Wednesdays. You can order ahead for either market in the week before, and Milledgeville customers have options for in-town pickup every week.

Order for pickup today.

Summer Farmers Markets was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on June 01, 2024.

Using Local Flour

2022-11-30T00:00:00-05:00

This fall I’ve been pleased to begin using local flour in some of our whole wheat mixes, notably our Whole Wheat and Country Seedy Sourdoughs, our pie crusts, and our bagels. This is a soft red wheat grown in Cochran, GA by Back To The Basics that we blend with our usual organic hard winter wheat flours, this wheat has a wonderful texture and fresh nuttier flavor that I think you’ll start to recognize in our breads. Always a small joy to foster local & personal sources for ingredients to share with you!

Using Local Flour was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on November 30, 2022.

Thanksgiving pre-orders

2022-10-22T00:00:00-04:00

Looking forward to baking a lot of pies and specialty breads this holiday season - send me a message with any special requests, we’ll have a limited menu available for pre-ordering for pickup the week of Thanksgiving coming up soon.

Thanksgiving pre-orders was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on October 22, 2022.

Summer Baking

2022-06-07T00:00:00-04:00

Now taking orders for fresh bread every week, starting July 30th. Order now...

Summer Baking was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on June 07, 2022.

Supporting Milly Free Fridge

2022-05-30T00:00:00-04:00

A Milly Free Fridge Donation in your order gets multiplied in a couple of ways: first, we bake double that much for the week, helping us balance out batches and orders; second, we buy healthy ingredients to turn our breads into sandwiches ready to eat, along with cookies and pies; finally, we donate a third of the dollar amount back to the fridge project to cover other expenses and needs. Your donations have fed our community hundreds of times this year, and it brightens my day that you’ve helped bring the same quality baked goods you enjoy to the most food insecure in our town.

The Milly Free Fridge is a community solidarity project, and I’ll ask you to consider helping directly as well - many volunteers giving what they can have made this a success, there are many ways you can donate or bring extra waters or utensils or fruit to the fridge at 601 S Wilkinson St, or commit to weekly making a few extra prepared meals labeled with description and date. The project is adding new fridges this summer, which will make it even more convenient for more folks to match the real need for food we see in the community.

Supporting Milly Free Fridge was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on May 30, 2022.

We start with organic ingredients

2022-01-29T00:00:00-05:00

I thought I’d share my reasons for choosing organic ingredients, and why I don’t insist on everything being organic: small and local is even more important.

Order our organic bread here.

The ecological impact of farming with fossil fuel fertilizers and pesticides is my primary motivation, so at their best organic practices result in a long-term rebuilding of soil and an integrated ecosystem that balances supporting wildlife and managing pests. This is a conservative view about what world we should leave after us, along with a humble sense of our place in that world. Hopefully it tastes better too.

All of our flour, butter, olive oil and olives are always organic. These recent years have sometimes made our preferred ingredients temporarily available, but most of the time (including right now) our nuts and sugar and chocolate are organic too. Whenever our fruits are not from around here, we choose organic.

However, there are challenges and nuance with this stance, as large scale organic farming can still be ecologically destructive, organic doesn’t address other concerns of global trade or labor or equity, and small local farms often have tradeoffs to make in practices and costs to be certified organic. When we can source local eggs and fruit, we do, and fair trade certification for chocolate or sugar is as important as organic. And in the end, we compost all of our food and paper waste to make our own small local contribution back to the soil.

We start with organic ingredients was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on January 29, 2022.

Happy New Year

2022-01-07T00:00:00-05:00

Happy New Year from Our Big Oak, after a restorative holiday break I hope January finds you well. My family took a camping roadtrip towards the southwest, and found some quiet in the desert, and some inspiration in las panaderias. Back in the kitchen now, and inspired with a few new breads to add to the lineup.

Order your bread here.

Chocolate Conchas - over the years I’ve warmed to Mexico’s take on a sweet bun, almost a yeast donut but baked with a crackled cookie draped over in place of a glaze. I’m only offering chocolate for now, because it’s the best, but perhaps the spring will see some other possibilities.

Olive Oil Brioche - I love brioche, typically made by incorporating a staggering quantity of butter into the well kneaded soft dough. I also love incorporating lots of butter, but a few turns led me to a vegan version I like at least as much, with olive oil and agave syrup only slightly hinted in the aroma. This is an upstanding wonder bread, whether you’re making sandwiches or french toast.

Fruit jam puff pastry turnovers - flaky and sweet, to start I’m offering two flavors of filling: fig jam made from local figs, and a zestier the-holidays-don’t-have-to-be-over cranberry orange spread lightly spiced with cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, and allspice.

Happy New Year was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on January 07, 2022.

Special Pickup Wednesday Before Thanksgiving

2021-11-13T00:00:00-05:00

I’m so thankful this season for the laughter, joy, and closeness of family. I’m also thankful for all of your support and encouragement. I’ll be taking this week off, and am now accepting orders for a special Wednesday pickup the day before Thanksgiving, November 24th from 12pm-5pm - place your orders by evening that Monday.

Order now…

Continued thanks to Donna at The Market Collective for hosting our pickup. I’ll be focused on fall pies, so not all of our usual other desserts are available for this week, but breads and croissants to go along with your holiday celebrations are all ready for your enjoyment.

Special Pickup Wednesday Before Thanksgiving was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on November 13, 2021.

Taking Orders for Thursday Pickup

2021-09-02T00:00:00-04:00

Now you can order, pay online, and pickup your favorite breads and pastries between 12pm-4pm on Thursdays.

Order now…

Last week’s market was a great reminder of how many wonderful customers I have, but also I was the only vendor setup all morning. I’ve loved the support of good farmers markets all these years, and look forward to continuing gathering on Saturday mornings… but I get it, I could use a break from the heat too!

I’m excited that this allows me to offer a few more variations that haven’t always made sense to bring to market - sourdough variations with walnuts or olives, the wonderful croissant-based cinnamon morning bun, bagels and burger buns. A larger standard menu, with specials to come in future weeks.

Donna at The Market Collective in downtown will be our gracious host this fall. Place your order anytime between the weekend and Wednesday morning when doughs get started, then I’ll send you an email Thursday reminding you to pick it up that afternoon. I’ve put limited quantities of everything, when they’re gone … I may decide I can bake some more, so email me if things go quickly!

Taking Orders for Thursday Pickup was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on September 02, 2021.

Online Ordering Returning Soon

2021-08-27T00:00:00-04:00

We’re thrilled with so many regular happy customers through the last 5 years of Our Big Oak. Some of those years have been crazy, this one promises to continue feeling that way. Sometimes our schedule has been unpredictable, we appreciate your ongoing support and patronage of the many local markets we’ve met you through.

Starting next month, we’re going to return to offering online ordering and pickup in Milledgeville. Please signup for our email list or follow us on social media when more details are announced!

Online Ordering Returning Soon was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on August 27, 2021.

Get ‘em while it’s hot!

2021-08-14T00:00:00-04:00

We’re back at Joe’s Market this Saturday with peach pie, mexican chocolate cookies, sourdoughs, all the wonderful breads and pastries you’ve missed this summer. Can’t wait to see you all tomorrow, starting at 8am!

Get ‘em while it’s hot! was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on August 14, 2021.

Macon Mulberry Street Market Today

2016-07-13T00:00:00-04:00

Our Big Oak is returning to the Macon Mulberry Street Market today, a much sunnier day than last week!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Boules
Rye Sourdough Boules
Cinnamon Rolls
Baguettes, whole wheat and all white
Bagels, topped with sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Look forward to seeing you there, and sending you home with delicious bread.

Macon Mulberry Street Market Today was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on July 13, 2016.

Milledgeville Main Street Market Today!

2016-05-17T00:00:00-04:00

Listen to that rain pour down! We’ll be at the Milledgeville Main Street Farmers Market this afternoon from 2-6pm at the downtown pavilion, combining that fresh clean rain smell with our fresh baked:

Sourdough Boules
Baguettes
Chocolate cookies, chocolate frosting
Cheddar Puff Crackers
Bialys, an onion-topped bagel-like roll.

Come say hi and take some home!

Milledgeville Main Street Market Today! was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on May 17, 2016.

At the Green Market Saturday

2016-05-05T00:00:00-04:00

We’re excited to have our first big day at the market this coming Saturday, May 7th. We’ll have a wide variety of fresh baked goods, including:

Sourdough whole wheat boules
Dark Rye loaves
Baguettes
Rye crackers
Cinnamon rolls and cinnamon raisin bread

Hope to see you at the downtown Milledgeville market pavilion between 9am and noon on Saturday!

At the Green Market Saturday was originally published by Our Big Oak Ltd. Co. at Our Big Oak Bakery on May 05, 2016.