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Nick Bowman Features Editor | 770-718-3426 | life@gainesvilletimes.com
She (Times
gainesvilletimes.com
Friday, November 2, 2018
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Pan de muertos is a type of pastry prepared during the weeks leading up to Dia de los Muertos. La Esperanza Panaderia is one of the bakeries in Gainesville that prepares pan de muerto.
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Isal
Pan de muerto made in celebration of El Dfa de los Muertos
J
BY LAYNE SALIBA
lsaliba@gainesvilletimes.com
El Dia de los Muertos, or the
Day of the Dead, is a Mexican
holiday meant to celebrate
family and friends who have
died.
On Nov. 1 and 2, after all
the costumes have been hung
up and the candy is being con
sumed, Mexicans begin eating
pan de muerto, a sweet bread
made during the holiday
and meant to be shared with
family.
You can find pan de muerto
in just about any Mexican bak
eries. In Gainesville, La Espe
ranza Panaderia in midtown
and Panaderia La Esperanza
Bakery on Atlanta Highway
spend a lot of time making sure
customers have just what they
need for the holiday.
“We have bakers that come
in at 10 at night and work until
seven in the morning, just mak
ing sure the bread is fresh by
the time the store opens,” said
Osiel Altamirano, whose father
owns La Esperanza Panaderia.
Instead of mourning, those
who observe El Dia de los
Muertos choose to celebrate
the lives lived by those they
knew. The first day of the holi
day is meant for remembering
children while the second day
is meant for adults.
Zeiry Carrillo, whose par
ents own Panaderia La Espe
ranza Bakery, said when the
holiday originated, the bread
was made and taken to the
graves of those who had died.
“They believe their spirits
came and ate the food they
provided,” Carrillo said. “But
later on, they just made it to eat
themselves.”
Oftentimes, there’s some
what of a feast with the favor
ite dishes of the ones families
are remembering, but the one
constant among all families
in the celebration is pan de
muerto.
The bread comes in a wide
variety of styles. There are dif
ferent sizes and colors as well
as toppings. Some are plain,
but some come dusted with
sugar or sprinkles.
Altamirano said he likes to
enjoy it with hot chocolate.
“It’s just remembering the
people who have passed before
you and also just being around
family,” Altamirano said.
At his family’s store, the bak
ers only make pan de muerto
during a two-week period lead
ing up to the holiday.
“They make so much of it
because a lot of people like it
and they just buy big pieces
and slice them up with their
family,” Altamirano said.
The ingredients are pretty
simple. Carrillo said it’s just
flour, egg, sugar, cinnamon,
yeast and salt. But it’s the spe
cial shape that distinguishes it
from everything else.
Pan de muerto is baked in a
bun shape, similar to a regular,
round loaf of bread from the
bakery.
On top, though, pan de
muerto usually has dough
shaped like bones and some
times even a skull.
“It’s a day that’s special back
in Mexico,” Altamirano said.
Above: La Esperanza Panaderia offers a variety of pastries and other grocery goods.
Right: Humberto Sandoval, a baker at the Panaderia, works with dough on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
Get the most color out of your fall with these plants
Fall has been a long time com
ing, with summer lasting until
about a week ago.
Although our landscape glory is
fading, look around because there
are some great colors popping
up this football season. You don’t
have to drive to the mountains to
get good fall color — just find the
right plants.
Blend some plants into your
landscape that will really make
fall shine. Some of the trees that
are famous for their bright colors
this time of year, which will do
well in certain design circum
stances, are sugar maple, ginkgo,
redbud, poplar, crape myrtle, sour-
wood and Japanese maple.
Sweetgum is a tree most folks
want to remove, but it is fantastic
for its orange and yellow leaves.
Before you remove one, take
the time to enjoy what it offers.
Remember that the colors of the
leaves, berries or flowers aren’t
the only color that a plant offers.
The bark can offer color contrast
as well.
A sycamore tree can be seen far
into the woods and gleams when
all the leaves have fallen. The
bright white bark looks as though it
has just been dusted with snow.
Young river birch has awesome
exfoliating bark — trees with bark
that peels away from the trunk —
that appears similar sheets of pink
ish to reddish brown paper, and
certain varieties of crape myrtles
also have an exfoliating bark that
has an amazing rusty red color to
liven up the drab landscape.
There are numerous shrubs
that can add to the understory of
a yard, like what fall leaves do to
CAMPBELL VAUGHN
ecvaughn@uga.edu
a forest.
Fothergilla is the sugar maple
for fall color leaves on deciduous
shrubs. Clethra bursts with yellow
when the leaves are getting ready
to drop. Virginia sweetspire has
a dark red leaf that tarry on the
stem for a long time once it starts
turning. Blueberry and oakleaf
hydrangea also carry a deep red
leaf when changing color.
In the same instance as the
trees, the aforementioned oakleaf
hydrangea is a great one for the
fall landscape. It not only has that
fall color leaf burst, but the exfoli
ating bark is a unique feature for
the bland times the colder weather
brings us.
Fall can also bring some vibrant
flowers.
Goldenrod has a wispy form
with a panicle type yellow flower.
Wild ageratum is a native flower
that can take over some areas,
but has a beautiful soft purple low
growing flower. Swamp or false
sunflower is in the daisy family
and will explode a mass of yellow
that will have people stopping to
view your yard. Joe-Pye weed is
another native perennial found on
stream banks can get tall and show
its large headed purple flower in
the middle of autumn. Don’t forget
about the ubiquitous chrysanthe
mum which has been hybridized to
have almost any color match any
circumstance.
You also have berries and
grasses that can be utilized. Hol
lies, pyracantha, cotoneaster
and nandina are our red berry
favorites, while beautyberry has a
lavender purple berry all along the
stem. As for grasses, you can see
pink muhly grass exploding pink
blooms all over town.
Remember, spring and summer
aren’t the only times for showy
landscapes. Fall is a great time to
show some flare as well.
Campbell Vaughn is UGA Extension-
Agriculture and Natural Resource
Agent in Richmond County. He can
be reached at ecvaughn@uga.edu.
