Bounty

Living the simple life definitely keeps a person busy! I've hardly been blogging because I've hardly had time to - and for a change, it's been a pleasure to be lacking time rather than a nuisance!

This year the latent farmer in me began to emerge. It all started back in April, when I convinced B that we should clear and till one entire level of our yard - approximately 500 sq. ft.!! The rest is not quite yet history.

Planting happened a bit late this year. We've had an unusually cold summer, with only a few days above 90 (no complaining here!). In early June, we planted beans, radishes, green peppers that turn red, green peppers that turn yellow, gypsy peppers, jalapeno peppers, hungarian wax peppers, three different varieties of cherry tomatoes, 3 different varieties of large tomatoes, roma tomatoes, pineapple heirloom tomatoes, cherokee chocolate heirloom tomatoes, brussels sprouts, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, yukon gold potatoes, 4 varieties of sweet potatoes, and red beats. And it honestly has not, until this moment when I listed it out on the screen, occurred to me that this was a friggin' huge garden!

We planted. We waited. The red beets came up. The red beets were promptly eaten by rabbits. The beans came up. The beans were promptly infested and devoured by bean beatles. But gradually, things started to come in, peek up through the soil. We learned how to control the pests - naturally! - and blossoms formed.

Now, we are in the thick of harvest. We're picking, and eating, and canning. I cannot tell you how much joy this brings me. When our first tomatoes started to turn red, I think I felt something akin to the excitement a woman must feel when giving birth - or at least after giving birth when the pain has subsided. We haven't bought vegetables in a grocery store or at market in over a month. We go to the store so sporadically now, that I often forget to go, opting to use up something that's been in our cabinet for awhile rather than rush to buy a new ingredient.

We've become more inventive cooks, and I'm learning to can. I'll have to do a post one of these days just on that process. This photo mosaic is a great representation of life at our house right now. Every time I look at those photos I can't help but grin. I am so overwhelmed by, and thrilled with, the bounty that my own hands and sweat - and, face it, luck - have produced.

1. Pickled Summer Squash, 2. Raw Summer Squash, 3. The Lady - Up Close, 4. Canned Hot Peppers, 5. Cans in a Row, 6. Fresh Picked, 7. Summer Bounty, 8. Post-weeding pristine, 9. The Canning Stage

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

About that Bread...

Wow! So, back on February 22, I told you about a year-long endeavor to learn how to make my own bread, cheese, and yogurt. I even posted a teaser photo of the dough I'd just created. And then I promised that I'd let you know how it turned out...

Alas, I did not follow through...

So, finally, for the record, I am posting a photo of the finished product. I promise that this is, indeed, that very loaf of bread:



Isn't it lovely? This one was a 1/3 wheat 2/3 white loaf. We have learned that it is best to use that ratio, because the whole grain flour (whether wheat, rye, spelt, etc.) is much denser than white all-purpose or bread flour. The bread would still "work" if one were to use 100% whole grain flour, however it would likely resemble a pancake.

Since this first attempt, I've made the bread many times, each loaf a bit different. This recipe is wonderful because it is so adaptable. I have used a variety of add-ins, my favorites being cinnamon and raisins or rosemary. The wheat bread is particularly delicious when lightly toasted and topped with a thin layer of real, full-fat butter (I've completely sworn off margarine, especially after witnessing a container of it turn into water after sitting out for a few hours and then going back into the fridge...ew! If I wanted to put water on my toast, I'd just do that, but why on earth would I?!) and along with the butter some locally produced clover or wildflower honey. Soooo yummy!

Some of my friends who have also stuck with the bread-making have experimented with using dried fruit as a ingredient, as well as a variety of different herbs. As our garden begins to produce more and more, I anticipate trying out bread that includes roasted vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes! The possibilities are endless!

The best part, aside from the marvelous taste of the bread, is that I've seen loaves of bread like this one go for anywhere from $4 to $6.50 at grocery stores and farmers' markets alike. (Here comes my moment to gloat...) This loaf cost me less than $1 to make! The three cups of flour, 1 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of yeast are easy to come by, store, and cost very little. I've recently started to buy my flour in bulk which makes it even less expensive.