Sourdough bread

One of my new years resolutions was to resume bread making. For years I made our bread, then for some reason, not sure what I stopped, and then got out of the habit of it. But this time, I've decided to give sourdough another go (I tried it a few times but failed to raise a leaven). This time I have had some sucess, although there is so much to learn about the craft of bread making. I recently bought this book, and it re-inspired me. Good 'real' bread is hard to find, the stuff (or should I say fluff) supermarkets sell, is not 'real' bread. Bread should be wholesome and nutritious.

I am concerned about what we humans are doing to our food and how that will affect us and our kids, so I am doing all I can to provide my family with good food. We mostly eat organic (unless we eat out), and yes it costs more, but you are what you eat, and pesticides can bioaccumulate so every bit counts. The other important thing about eating organic, is that by doing so, you are supporting farmers who (mostly) care about doing the right thing. I have worked on farms, and know many people that have worked on farms, and I KNOW that the right thing ISN'T always done, and sprays that shouldn't be used (because they are illegal) do get used, and that crops are picked when they have just been sprayed (even if there is a longer whitholding period). This doesn't happen all the time, but at the end of the day, its a business, and if the fruit needs to be picked, well too bad for 'right or wrong'....

Anyway, back to sourdough. I know people probably think making your own bread is too much work, but it really isn't that bad. Especially if you use sourdough rather that commercial yeast (because of the the longer proving (resting) periods), as you can leave it during the day while you are at work or whatever, knead it and bake it when you can. To make a starter all you need is flour and water and a glass or pottery type of bowl, and a tea towel or cloth. You mix flour and water to a batter consistency (check the web for the various recipes there are so many individual ways), and let it sit for a few days (feeding it more flour after a day or 2. It should start bubbling if the wild yeasts have colonised it.

my starter!

Then you mix this with you flour - I usually do about 1kg of flour (2 loaves) at a time - and salt, to a dough consistency, knead it for a few minutes, let it prove (rise) for however long it takes to double or a bit less (I left mine for most of the day, which seemed about right for it), knead it, shape it, put it in a tin or basket to prove again, slash and bake. This is just my version of it, but do read up before trying it as I may have forgotten something.

I have got to work on the whole slashing, as all I seem to get is cuts rather than the really cool looking loaves I have seen, oh well, practice makes perfect and we do eat alot of bread - so there will be plenty of practice!

The breads that you can create are truly works of art (once you get the hang of it), its very inspiring. And the best part is that its actually good for you!

Next on my list is to buy a flour mill and grind our own flour fresh, as freshly ground flour has alot more nutrients in it. (and yes on the one day in the future list is growing our own wheat, and yep you guessed it, cutting it with the scythe!!)

happy solstice, and the end of 2008

I want to wish everyone a very happy solstice (summer or winter depending on where you are in this great big world). Here in the southern hemisphere, its a time to celebrate the sun and be outdoors (although the weather hasn't been all that sunny - but the rain is well and truly welcome...). Although I'm not a Grinch, I find all the traditional christmas things a little silly in summer, they are symbols of winter, and were the traditions of the winter solstice - ever green trees, lights, fake snow, big filling roast dinners etc etc. We are a bit different, and want to celebrate the seasons, so for us, although its Christmas its a time for all things sunny and summery.

Anyway, I want to take the opportunity to look over the year that 2008 was. For us it was a year of great challenges, good and bad. Its been a year that has been driven very stronly by our goals, of where we want to end up in life, and of reducing our impact on the earth.


The biggest things to have changed my life this year are the arrival of our little boy in May, and the loss of my beloved pony Brandy in October (she had been with me for nearly 18 years). Both presented challenges to me, and have made me realise that I have more strength and courage than I have ever given myself credit for.

We have too much grass...

So we all wish you a good 'festive' time regardless of what you believe or what you do, enjoy a rest from the usual things and spend some time with those you care about.

My precious

I think that raspberries are just wonderful. They are nice to eat, but they are also SO easy to grow. I think that if I were in charge of the world I would make it compulsory for every house to have a small patch! My patch is a rather wild one, it started with just a few suckers that my mum gave me, and each year they multiply. I keep pulling them out of the path and planting them up at the farm or giving them away to others.

This year has been a good year for raspberries (well, actually, I can't think of when we had a BAD year for raspberries!!). I only watered them the first summer that I put them in, and occasionally a bucket of water from the washing machine, and yet we get bucket loads of berries, about 1kg every 2 days for a couple of weeks.

I've already made one batch of jam, and am about to make a second. Our daughter loves them, and helps pick them, and has eaten tonnes of them! The only down side is that each variety only fruits for a short while, so to have a long crop you need a few different varieties.

Promises

This time of year is great in the garden. Everywhere is the promise of bountiful harvests.

I think we will have a good year for raspberries!

Fruit trees and vegy gardens are such a great investment. It doesn't cost much (somethings in fact are free - if you know where to look - like my raspberry patch which started from some suckers that my mum gave me.... - we will easily pick 10kg of berries this year - only 4-5 years since planting), doesn't take that much work (although it does take work, but its fun, and beats sitting infront of the TV), and the rewards are just great. On the downside, once you eat peaches fresh off the tree you just can't buy them ever again... Bought peaches (and most fruit and veg really) are bred to be tough for travelling in trucks etc. Home grown are just the fruit, sweet, soft and just soooooo good.... Mine wont be ready till January :(

I'm almost finished spinning all the blue green merino tops, and next up on the spinning adgenda are some batts of my own creation! Alpaca, mohair, silk and sparkly angenlina!! Yay! Should be fun spinning. I'm going to take that along to the local spinners group christmas lunch, in 2 weeks. Gotta get carding!


I got to meet some other Ravelers last weekend too. This is the first time I've met anyone that I have known via the internet. We had a good time, and it was fun to talk knitting needles etc! And I got the heads up about the new Addi interchable needles! Sooooo tempting.

Happy things!

Its all been a bit doom and gloom on the blog of late. That is not to say that life around here has been that bad, it hasn't. Some bad things have happened, and although they are hard, its still just a part of life. We are all happy and doing well - although I wish I could control time to slow it down a little... Can you believe that its November tomorrow????? Well I cant! I think that 2008 just disappeared somehow. Not sure where, but a minute ago it was the start of they year...

Anyway, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family - her name is "little cass", ironic considering she is a clydesdale - but that is the name that the people who bred her gave her and at this stage we think we will keep it.

She is only 10 months old, but friendly, and about the same size as my horse "jess". She will grow to be a fair bit bigger. At this stage she is untrained at all, so its going to be a new experience for us to teach a youngster everything, but clydesdales are SO quiet and relaxed and very smart.

jess (left) and cass (right)

Our plans for little cass are to break her in to harness and then use her to do work on the farm. That wont be for probably another 2-3 years, till she has matured, as putting a horse into work when they are too young can stunt their growth and they are still playful and frisky like puppies - not a quality you want in a working horse. By that stage we will be at the farm and able to put in the time required to teach her what she needs to know - or more likely that she will teach US.

So that is exciting.

I've had so little time lately, that my crafts have started to really suffer... I still spend an hour or so each night either knitting or spinning, but I have so little to show you... Well, the main project I'm working on is a secret christmas project, so I can't show you that. Its going along well though, and will definately be finished by the required time. I have been spinning though. Here is some nice green/blue merino. Lovely, very easy to spin, and my last easy spinning project before the alpacas get shorn... then its back to lots of preparation, carding etc. Here are the singles, and I'll be ready to ply soon.

she is gone...

Yesterday I had to do one of the hardest and worst things I have ever had to do in my life. I had to have my pony put down by a vet. She has been such a big part of my life since she came to us when I was only 12 years old. I will always miss her, but unfortunately it was the way it had to be and I couldn't let her suffer any more.

I know that death is just part of life, and that its one of the aspects of having animals - that you have to see them die. I know that. But I have one thing to say to that bloody Grim Reaper - you come knocking around my place again, and you will have to deal with ME. I am fed up with you and your damn reaping of my family. In the last year or so I have lost 2 grandparents, my pony, a goat, a rabbit, 2 guinea pigs and my favourite hen. That is IT. Bugger off and leave us alone.

Its oh so quiet...

Brad has taken our little girl to Tasmania for the weekend for a big family function. I stayed home, because the animals need me, and I'm not much of a fan of flying... I'm an earthy person - I like my feet planted firmly on the ground... I miss them terribly though.

Its a good thing I did stay too, as my old pony has 'issues' - but I wont go into that as its all a little too gruesome, and unfortunately when my family returns, the vet will have to be called and 17 years of friendship will be over... I can't believe it... well, I guess I can, as I've known that it was time, but I was in denial. Hopefully now we will have had our share of death and loss for a while at least (please).

My weekend has been busy even if so incredibly quiet (our daughter is quite the chatterbox). I've planted out about 50 odd corn plants, cut some grass, tidied up etc. Next on my list is some heavy pruning around the house, more cleaning, and possibly some time at the book shop (a toddler in a book shop sort of spoils the whole browsing experience, so I'm making the most of her absence...)

Anyway, so its just me the boy and the dog till monday evening... Counting down...

I'll leave you with a photo of how clever my Brad is... this is a little horse he carved out of cypress for our daughter with just a stanley knife...