More From The Garden

When I started this blog, it was going to be all about bread. But our garden is doing so well (and isn't the food you grow or make for yourself great in any form?).

We got a really late start planting in the community garden; we had to use starter plants rather than seeds. So what we have are two green pepper bushes, two tomato plants, a strawberry, and six pumpkins (that someone else donated, actually). Not much, it seemed, for a ten by ten plot, especially when one of the pumpkin plants died in the heat. That's what I thought until I walked into the garden last night:

Pumpkin vines taking over the garden plot.

The pumpkins are trying to take over! I really hope we have enough room; even the two biggest ones could probably occupy the plot all by themselves; and we have three more, plus the rest of the veggies (and the strawberry hanging out in the middle).

The pepper and the tomatoes are doing well.

The one tomato plant isn't very tall, but I think I counted thirteen tomatoes on it, which is respectable. The other one is much stubbier; I think it's really intended more for container gardening. But it still has four or five tomatoes. Not bad considering the clayey, acidic ground (somewhat ameliorated, at least, with lime and fertilizer). I am a bit worried about one pumpkin vine, though. The leaves have some kind of gray on them that rubs off. A few other people have pumpkins or zucchini with the same problem.

Overall, though, I'm happy. I'm looking forward to the tomatoes especially: BLT sandwiches on homemade rosemary bread (recipe to follow tomorrow).

God speed, and remember: All sorrows are less with bread.

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The Consistency Of Coarse Meal

I decided to make biscuits this afternoon, and as I was following the recipe, I saw that I needed to mix flour, salt, and baking powder, then cut in shortening (butter is better than mar but marge is what we had). The recipe said to cut the shortening in "to the consistency of coarse meal." Now what the heck is that supposed to mean? I mean, I know what (for example) corn meal looks like; but does the casual baker? How are they supposed to know? It means this. Not that you'd go far wrong with these biscuits, anyway. I mean, it's the Pillsbury cookbook. The only problem I had is that, at some time in the past, I put a note in to myself to use 3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of the recipe's 2. Well, I'm marking that back down. These are edible, but definitely taste of baking powder. Oh well, live and relearn, I guess. The finished product. Yum! Godspeed, and remember, All things are better with bread .

Quick Bread Is Not So Quick

I decided I didn't have the time late tonight to do a rising bread, and then spent about an hour looking for a recipe for Irish soda bread, before Herself reminded me that we had got one from a family friend. I'll comment on how I did in the recipe itself. Irish Soda Bread 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup raisins (optional – I don't use them) 1½ cup buttermilk (see below) Okay, so first of all, about the buttermilk. I knew we had some. What I didn't realize was that it was about three weeks past date. So I opened it up to smell it. It smelled fine, but it was the consistency of yogurt—and smelled a bit like yogurt, too. It wouldn't pour out of the container, either; so I added about half a cup of regular milk just to get it liquid again. It seemed to work, and it looked and smelled fine. Now, on to the instructions: Mix all ingredients and knead into a ball. Hmm. That doesn't look much like a ball. Let's try a bit more milk?...

In Sickness and in Health - Sourdough Day 2

Well, I would have posted something last night, but I was feeling pretty ill, and Herself ... let's say gently suggested ... that I call it a night. Today I'm staying home, so here's yesterday's entry. Everything Bread says, "Stir [the sourdough starter] once a day for the next three days." So yesterday, I stirred it the once. It was bubbly and gloppy, just what it's supposed to be. I came out to check on it this morning and saw this: Or in close-up: Which I think is exactly how it's supposed to look at that stage. So I'm happy. (Note: I hope the picture quality is improved; I'm taking pictures with the actual camera rather than with my phone camera.) We're just about out of sandwich bread (the Amish White from Everything Bread ). But on the other hand if I had made two loaves, one would be hanging around forever in the freezer. I just go ahead and make it every week anyway. I might make the biscuits again as well, or maybe use my...

Bread Makes The Meal

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