There's a bakery in SE Portland called Tabor Bread that is definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the neighborhood. They mill their own flour and have wood-fired ovens and do lots of lovely nice things like leave extra bread outside on Sundays with a little box for donations. But my favorite thing about Tabor Bread are their muffins. Let me clarify: a muffin is not a cupcake. It does not need frosting. It isn't supposed to be a sugar bomb. The muffins at Tabor Bread are hearty, wholesome and not-too-sweet; precisely the kind of thing you need for a 5 a.m. airport run. I kept the Tabor Bread ethos in mind as I developed the recipe for these lovely little muffins; keeping them chock full of orange, carrot and little explosions of candied ginger rather than sugar.
