Rise and Shine with Lisa Bell
Invest in your health!
Their barn has become a symbol of her bakery business.
Bell Farmstead Bakery & Products came about as a result of Lisa Bell’s chronic stomach issues. While she tried the advice of many doctors, nothing seemed to relieve her problem. Then in 2014, she met a holistic doctor that had a bit of different advice.
People like these strawberry oat muffins so well they buy them by the dozen.
This doctor suggested she try a gluten free diet for a couple of weeks just to see how she felt. That meant that she was to eat no products with grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. Within three days, she felt better than she had ever felt; however, it took a year for complete healing and recovery. Her husband decided to try the diet with her and found he too felt much better.
While Lisa started her gluten free business due to her own severe health issues, now she is helping others overcome this problem. One of the first things they need to do is visit their doctor and schedule a test for Celiac, an immune reaction to eating gluten that damages the small intestine lining and prevents absorption of nutrients.
This gluten free breakfast of eggs, fried potatoes, and toasted applesauuce bread looks mighty appealing.
Once she found the gluten free diet made her feel so much better, her problem was finding tasty gluten free products. There weren’t any bakeries that offered anything gluten free and what she found in stores was dry, made with preservatives, using mega white rice flour and tapioca starch. To correct this problem, Bell Farmstead Bakery & Products was born in 2016.
Get to the Farmer’s Market early if you want some of Lisa’s banana nut bread.
It became important to Lisa to not only have the products taste better but she wanted them to have nutritional value. She studied the ancient grains that our ancestors would have grown and used, such as amaranth, sorghum, and millet. Then she experimented with flaxseed meal, coconut, almond, and garbanzo bean flours. These flours are what bring the unique flavor and texture to her products.
Most of the recipes used in her baked goods are ones she has created herself by trial and error for her family. She discovered that by using organic and non-gmo ingredients, products were not only healthier but also more flavorable.
Her chickens provide the perfect eggs for her baked goods.
Her chickens are even fed organic food. They start out with a feed ordered from Virginia that has no soy and then graduate to layer feed, which has no soy or wheat content. Any extras are organic produce that is grown by Lisa. After all, these eggs are what she uses in her baked goods.
Bell pancake mix is Husband tested, Husband approved!
Lisa is also president of the Cambridge Rise and Shine Farmer’s Market. This market only accepts homegrown produce, herbs, flowers, and plants as well as handcrafted goods. They cannot be purchased in bulk from an auction house but must be from the farmer’s garden. Here you get a chance to talk to the farmers that have produced the crops and get their suggestions for using them.
Her products are sold at Rise & Shine Farmers’ Market, which is open every Friday morning May through October at the Southgate Hotel parking lot in Cambridge. Her products cater to those with food allergies and are all corn, soy, xanthan gum, gluten, and peanut free. Wheat, rye, or barley are not allowed in any of her products. Many people feel better when they avoid these foods.
Lisa can often be found working in her herb garden.
Correct care of gardens and fields is of utmost importance. Chemical spraying of crops before or after planting contributes harmful substances to the body. Simply, you can’t digest poison! So the importance of pure crops is high on the list.
Lisa was at one time chairman of the Marketplace for Salt Fork Festival.
She also participates in the River City Farmers’ Markets in Marietta every other week. In past years, she also has organized the Marketplace for the Salt Fork Arts & Crafts Festival. Each market seems to bring new experiences such as hot sunshine, rain, wind, and even snow has been encountered.
Every week Lisa bakes something a little different for the Farmers’ Market crowd. A few of those treats from past weeks have included Zucchini Applesauce Bread, Rhubarb Mint Pie, and Apricot Date Scones. Something delicious always appears from her ovens.
This gluten free wedding cake looks and tastes delicious.
There’s a wide assortment of breads, muffins, and pies available. Try some of her buckwheat or oat flax ginger pancake mixes. About a half dozen different oatmeal mixes include Raisin Cinnamon, Cranberry Almond Ginger, and Plum Vanilla. When talking with her recently, she was baking a vegan birthday cake and has also done wedding cakes.
This organic strawberry patch provides fresh fruit for her baked goods.
Lisa established her bakery because she doesn’t believe that being Celiac or having a food intolerance or allergy should prevent a person from having a tasty meal or a scrumptious dessert. Her goal is to create products that taste awesome and have nutritious value. Good nutrition is the key to a healthy immune system.
Lisa served as local chief humane officer for livestock. Her animals are an important part of her life.
When asked what advice she would give others, Lisa says without hesitation, “Invest in your health by eating healthy, get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and practice grounding each day. Have faith in God and let Him be in charge of your life.” Grounding, or earthing, is the process of placing your bare feet on the ground for at least fifteen minutes a day to reconnect your body with the earth’s energy.
Right now, Lisa and her husband, Rick, are refurbishing a second house on their property to use as a commercial bakery. This is a very exciting endeavor and promises to give Lisa a place to experiment with her recipes while having a showroom where she can sell her products.
Cooking outdoors is a year-round favorite for her family.
She proudly states, “Everything I create is with a purpose and good intention not just for my family, but for you and your family also.” Contact Lisa at Bell Farmstead Bakery at 740-680-1866 or email her at bellfarmstead@yahoo.com. Visit her website at www.bellfarmsteadgfbakery.com .
If you are having stomach problems and fatigue, Lisa would suggest that you have your doctor run a test for Celiac. Let her know your allergy and food intolerances and Lisa will gladly help you find some delicious foods to add to your diet.
Gypsy Road Trip 