Sourdough starter update

goodness, has it really been that long!!?!.

well, I thought I would show where I’m at with the sour dough starter.

on the left is the starter on the 12th, and the right, the next day. the 13th was the final day i needed to feed it according to the instructions i was using. from then, i was to either progress to making a loaf, or putting it in the fridge until such time i wanted to make a loaf.

because I had a lot on I decided to just put the starter in the fridge. I got a big enough container for it as the instructions said it would continue to grow. I’m now beginning to wonder if there is a problem with my starter as it hasn’t seemed to grown any more since going into the fridge. later this week i plan to make a loaf so I’ll see how things are then. I’ll share photos, even if it turns out like a brick!!.

in other news – I’m reading a lot at the moment ( bodice rippers – the shame!) , so not being crafty. my plan to make 3 cross stitch ornaments is coming unstuck, cos I haven’t done any stitching for about a month!. I’m way behind on Project Life, but a couple of days will sort that, and now its warmer in my bedroom, I should be able to get that caught up. no crochet lately – the hexi blanket will have to be a long term project!!.

I have been doing some abstract art, but I’m not ready to share that yet!.

and, I have been keeping on top of the vegetables – a successful month of successional sowing so far!.

hopefully I wont leave it too long between posts this time – I’ve been taking photos!.

starting sourdough

for quite some time now, i have wanted to make a sourdough starter. after doing some research online and in a few bread books i have i found some easy instructions and tonight got things going.

i now have to feed it everyday for the next 5 ish, and then hopefully i will have a nice yeasty ‘mother’ as i believe its called!.

i had always understood it was just a flour/water concoction to get things going capturing organisms from the air, but came across recipes that had yoghurt and apple in the first day starter.

i hope to photograph progress over the next week!. (although i may not show the first bread made, as my history of making bread is laughable!!)

if you make a starter, what do you use/do?

Garden update

today i have begun a trial for sowing seeds successionally. i say a trial because in all my years growing vegetables, i’ve yet to conquer successional sowing!. so….on the 1st and the 3rd saturday of the month i will sow a few seeds of various vege or lettuce, and come the autumn, i shall look back at how well i was able to do it!.

this morning it was lovely and sunny, so i set myself up for a few minutes of sowing – it really only took about 20mins to complete the process of sowing and recording what i’d sown!. i sowed brocolli, kale and butternut squash – all 1st time sowings, and then some lettuce and green and yellow beans to keep whats already growing going!. i’m going to put the squash under my sweetcorn ala the 3sisters. i wont have any climbing beans up the corn this year as i already have 2 wigwams of french beans and one of runners!. think thats enough beans!.

now, heres some progress with other things growing in the garden –

the potatoes are going great guns, and i’m going to have a bumper crop of blueberries – even better than my UK crop i reckon!.

look look look!!! – the first strawberry!. any day now!. on the right is my red kidney bean bed – i’m just growing a few plants to start filling a jar with beans for cooking – it will take a few years to have a decent supply as i dont have the room for a major planting session with these. i’m ok with that – every year i’ll grow a few plants and the supply will build up.

my corn patch is looking good. i tried corn one year in the UK, but it didnt take off. this crop is already looking better than the previous effort. fingers crossed!. on the right is a plant i picked up the other day for its unusual flowers – i think it belongs to the daisy family and is really pretty.

and finally……i am readying some pots for my tomatos and i happened to look outside one evening this week and discovered someone else had taken up residence in a tomato pot!. i’ll have to have serious words because he wont  be able to do that once i have repotted a tomato!!.

summer is on the horizon, the days are getting warmer, sunnier and the light hangs round for longer. now, off to find out what causes leaf curl on lemon bushes!.