The love language of food

CARLOS — Baking is Cassie Collins’ love language, and she communicates it to her customers through her in-home micro-bakery, Acorn Acres. For her, everyone she serves is family, and she therefore wants to give them the best baked goods possible.

“I want people to be able to have something that’s good, whether it’s something like a loaf of bread you’re cutting and sharing at your table or maybe … you want a nice, soft, deliciously flavored cookie,” Cassie said. “No matter what the product is, I want it to be the representation of what I’d want to serve my family.”

Cassie got her first job in Alexandria out of college, down the interstate from Osakis, where her husband, Cory Collins, grew up. After they married, they settled on 40 acres near Carlos, putting down their home in a space in the woods that Cory and his family had cleared. They live there today with their five daughters — Edith, 9, Eleanor, 7, Josie, 5, Mazie, 3, and Mara, under 1.

The Collins family started Acorn Acres just after Eleanor was born. They initially offered homegrown, organic produce and homemade jams, jellies and canned products along with their baked goods.

“I love to create, whether it’s organic produce or high-quality baked goods,” Cassie said. “I love to serve my family with good food; I always love to cook for my family, cooking fresh (and) with really good ingredients.”

Previously, Acorn Acres has canned as many as 31 varieties of produce. That will change this year.

“This is the first year we’re not growing anything, not even for ourselves,” Cassie said. “We decided to channel in and focus on the bakery, so that’s the new direction we’re moving toward. … The bakery part has grown dramatically.”

Initially, Acorn Acres made white bread, but Cassie shifted more toward artisan sourdough over the years. Along with regular sourdough, she makes a range of flavored loaves. So far, her menu has about 20 flavor options such as maple pecan, white chocolate strawberry, lemon blueberry, gingerbread, bloody Mary, Greek, Tuscan and cheddar jalapeno.

“I usually rotate two flavors each week,” Cassie said. “I always have the staple original and two other flavors, and I usually do a savory or a sweet option. This week, … cranberry walnut is my sweet, and my savory is French onion. The French onion has gruyere and Parmesan in it, so it has those authentic flavors.”

Acorn Acres’ offerings also include soft sandwich sourdough, pizza crusts, hamburger buns, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls and dry mixes. Cassie is also open to requests from customers.

So far, Cassie has heard plenty of positive feedback on Acorn Acres’ products, especially from people with food sensitivities who cannot eat similar foods from other sources.

“It’s really awesome and humbling,” Cassie said. “The Lord has blessed our business. … After a customer consumes my product and really enjoys it, that’s amazing. You can’t ask for anything better for a micro-bakery.”

Acorn Acres strives to use high-quality, natural ingredients in their baked goods, including organic flour, organic milk, aluminum-free baking powder and as little dye and artificial flavoring as possible.
Non-GMO eggs are sourced from the chickens the family raises on their land, and, when they raised produce and herbs in their garden and greenhouse, those could contribute to the baking process. Cassie has also collaborated with small, local businesses such as The Spice and Tea Exchange in Alexandria to use their spice blends.

Acorn Acres products can generally be found at the farmers market in Alexandria and at drop sites in Alexandria and Ottertail. Otherwise, people can also pick up their orders from the Collins’ home.

Cory recently added onto the kitchen in the Collins home, giving more space for Acorn Acres’ products and equipment. A few of the largest items Cassie uses for the business are a MyForno oven, which she bought from Italy; a 40-quart mixer, which she found on eBay; and a freeze dryer, which freeze dries the produce she uses in dry mixes.

With the space and equipment, Cassie enjoys the creativity afforded to her in the kitchen.

“I’m free to experiment,” she said. “I can make a new flavor if I want. … I love that creative process.”

Additionally, Cassie aims to teach her daughters responsibility and work ethic through Acorn Acres. They have already started following her example by founding their own small business, Sisters Sweets, which offers cake pops.

“They have Mom for guidance, and I’m making sure they’re following all the safety rules,” Cassie said.

Cassie generally does not count how much bread she is making over time; instead, she looks at the effects Acorn Acres has had so far.

“I was able to offer a high schooler her first job,” she said. “I’ve been able to collaborate with the local community with a couple of different businesses. It keeps me busy and helps me bridge a financial gap. … We’ve been able to grow and grow well and hopefully impact the community in positive ways, using high-quality ingredients and collaborating with small businesses.”