Stamping and Such

For the last two weeks, Ed has spent his spare time laying bricks. Unfortunately, he hasn't had much spare time. The evenings that we have been home, he has rushed out to lay brick as soon as he arrived home from work, grabbing a bite to eat while the mortar dried. It always gets dark before he is ready. But slowly, the chimney is rising higher!


On Thursday, my brother's crew came to prepare for concrete. They laid out the forms for the sidewalk.


The soffet and rain gutters would put up.



The dry wall was started.



 

On Friday, Ed stayed home from work to help pour concrete.


We had a beautiful rain-free day, perfect for concrete work.


After pouring the concrete, they sprinkled a dye color over it and troweled the color into the top layer.


Then they sprinkled on a powder dye that was also a mold release.


The mold or skin was "stamped" into the concrete to form a random stone-like design.

My brothers have been doing this kind of concrete stamping for several years but I've never seen them in action. It was fun to actually observe how they do it.

Help for Lettuce

Thanks to all you who shared your tips on how to get rid of the aphids who had taken over the lettuce in my cold frame. Several of you mentioned that the ants were probably caring for the aphids. Getting rid of the aphids would be impossible unless the ants too were persuaded to leave.

I decided to start with the simplest solution first. One reader suggested that I spray the plants with water to possibly knock off some of the aphids then use ant bait.


We have had lots of ant problems inside our house and the only ant bait that I've found to work is Terro. It comes in a liquid in a small bottle which you apply on a scrap of paper.

After spraying the lettuce vigorously with water, I placed several scraps of paper on the ground under the lettuce plants and dripped some Terro on the paper. Several days later, after more of our spring downpours, I replaced the paper and the Terro.


The result - a week later I had no aphids. Whether they died or moved the party elsewhere, I don't really care. I'm just happy that the aphids are gone without needing to spray my lettuce!

Thanks for your help! And for those who asked about my cold frame/hoop house, I wrote a post about it last year here.

New blog - PA history books

I love to talk about books.

Maybe you've noticed.

I have to restrain myself to keep from turning this blog into a book blog. I try to keep it down to one book post a week.

My other love is history, especially local history. I happen to live in a state blessed with a fascinating history. I was doubly blessed to have a dad who loves history and made the subject come alive.

While there is plenty of dry boring history books, there is many other books that allow you to experience the sights, sounds and emotions of the past.

I'm pulling my love for books, history, and my state together into a website celebrating the Pennsylvania's history through living books.

I hope you come visit PA History Alive. Even if you do not live in Pennsylvania, many of the events in Pennsylvania impacted the history of our nation. I plan to review some of my favorite living history books about Pennsylvania, mostly children's books, but there may be some adult books as well. I hope it can be a resource for homeschoolers, parents, and anyone looking for a good history book.

Right now, the site is rather empty. I don't expect to blog there as often as at Home Joys but I have a goal of adding to it each week, until I run out of books to review - which with my stack will be a LONG time. I'd love if you would stop by and subscribe so you can keep up with the new additions. And if you know another history buff, please feel free to share the link!

But most of all, I'd love to hear your book suggestions. I'd especially enjoy knowing about rare or unknown books. Just last week, a friend shared with me a book written by a family member telling of an ancestor's life during the Civil War. To me, book finds like this are like hitting a gold vein! Even better, she said it was available on Paperback Swap! Gotta love friends like that!

So come on over and welcome PA History Alive. Share your feedback on how it could be better organized. And find a new book to learn from the past.

Caring for your Sourdough Starter

Whether you purchase a sourdough starter, get a starter from a friend, or capture your own, you'll need to know how to take care of it.

When I first started using sourdough, I was frustrated at the care it took. Not that it was difficult but a sourdough starter is not just an ingredient that could be placed on the pantry shelf until needed.

It actually helped me to think of my sourdough starter as a pet. Like a dog or cat, sourdough needs food, water, a safe environment, and oxygen. It even benefits from exercise. But I'm not a dog or cat lover, so I'd rather compare my sourdough to my chickens, who with very little care will  continually bless me with great food and never climb onto the couch with muddy paws. Some bakers actually name their sourdough starter, but I haven't went that far. Yet!

Let's go over the basic needs of a sourdough starter.

• Food - Sourdough is fed with flour. I use freshly ground Prairie Gold wheat flour but you may use white or rye flour if your prefer. 

• Water - I use my tap water which is from a well. I understand that heavily chlorinated water may kill a starter and should be set out for 24 hours before using in a starter. Bottled water is great but not distilled water which  doesn't contain needed minerals.

• Environment - I keep my starter in a glass quart measuring cup. I like that I can easily see how much starter I have. Any plastic or glass container is fine. Avoid metal. 

• Oxygen - When feeding my starter, I stir it vigorously to incorporate some air. I cover my bowl loosely with a piece of plastic wrap to allow room to expand but also keep out flying creatures and dust.

• Exercise - A starter that is fed and used regularly will be more healthy and active than a starter that is abandoned in the fridge for long periods of time. In the summer, I rarely bake bread but by making waffles and pizza crust weekly, my starter stayed quite robust. But it is possible to forget a starter in the fridge for several weeks (possibly even months) and bring it back to life.

Now for the details of feeding - 

How often to feed? 

If my sourdough starter is at room temperature, I feed it every day. I find that evening works best for me because I'm cleaning up the kitchen, preparing for the next day, and often clearer in the head than at any other time of day. But morning, noon, or night is fine. 

If I am trying to build up my starter quickly, I'll feed it morning and night or every twelve hours. I've had times of real emergency that I've  fed it three times a day or every eight hours.

If the starter is refrigerated, it should still be fed every week. But I have sometimes forgotten it for longer than a week and it has survived.

You want your starter to be active, healthy and bubbling when you go to bake, so the night before a baking day, is a great time to feed your starter, whether it has been at room temperature, or is coming from the fridge. If you have struggled to make good bread, try feeding your starter two or three times before baking.

How much to feed?

When I started using sourdough, I always fed the starter the same amount, no matter how much starter was in the bowl. When someone pointed out to me it was like feeding a tiny poodle and a huge St. Bernard the same amount of food, I began adjusting my food for the amount of starter. 

My method of feeding is simple, uncomplicated, and has worked well for me. Whatever amount of starter I have, I add the same amount of flour and 2/3 the amount of water. 

For example, if I have one cup of starter left, I dump in one cup of flour. Then I take my cup measure and fill it 2/3 full of water and add it to the bowl. Give a quick stir until all the flour is thoroughly mixed in and I'm done.   

Whether I had a quarter cup of starter, or four cups, the method is still the same. Add the same amount of flour as starter, and 2/3 the amount of water. Another way to say it would be add three parts flour to two parts water.

I don't want to overwhelm a beginner but if you read sourdough recipes you'll find reference to sourdough starters at a certain hydration  - 100% or 166% are two common hydrations often found in recipes. I was confused at what this meant for a long time.

The hydration of the starter is a way of describing how moist your starter is. Hydration levels compare the weight of the flour to the weight of the water. (Note, this isn't volume but weight.) I don't bother weighing my ingredients every time I feed my starter but since water is heavier then flour, feeding a starter with three parts flour to two parts water results in a starter at 100% hydration. I've experimented with both higher and lower hydration starters but 100% hydration starter does best for me, especially when using whole wheat flour.

Why refrigerate?

Feeding your starter every day will result in twice as much starter as the day before. If you are not baking for several days, you'll soon have an abundance of starter. If you are aware of the law of doubling, you know that  after a week of doubling, you'll have an unreasonable amount of starter. It won't take long before you'll have a bathtub full of starter. And the next day, you'll have two bathtubs full of starter! Don't let it get out of hand! 

Depending on how much you like to bake, your family size or how much time you have, you'll soon figure out how much starter you'll like to keep on hand. Unless I'm baking for gifts or a large gathering, I don't want more then two to four cups of starter. Once my bowl contains this amount of starter, and if I'm not planning to bake the next day, I place the bowl in the fridge. There the starter will go dormant and stop growing. 

Depending on how wet your starter is and how long it is in the fridge, you may find a layer of dirty looking water on top of your starter. This is called the "hooch". This is normal. I pour it off and feed the starter with slightly more water the next feeding. Mold or strange colors on your starter is not normal - but I've never had this problem or expect you to with proper feeding of your starter. 

When getting your starter out of the fridge, it will be slower and less active but should quickly perk up and behave normally. I have used a starter straight out of the fridge but not always with the best results. Ideally, a starter should be taken out and fed the night before using it in baking.

Review

In a nutshell, every day when at room temperature, or every week when refrigerated, feed your starter with the same amount of flour as starter and 2/3 amount of water. After briskly stirring, cover the bowl loosely. A healthy starter will begin bubbling immediately and sometime in the next 2-8 hours, the starter will be full of bubbles and expand to double it's size. 

Then you know it is time to bake some bread. We'll start that next!

Any questions?

May in My Garden

May is the busy month in the garden. The "to-do" list is long but with out the heat of summer, gardening is a delight.

Our April was so cold and rainy that I'm behind in my garden tasks. My main garden has nothing growing in it but the garlic I planted last fall and a little lettuce. The garden lays low and it has been too busy to till.

The test plots we started last year are up on the hill and better drained (and sure to be dry in the summer). I planted our peas and potatoes in these plots so I don't feel too far behind. But I've said before, after last year's drought, I am trying not to complain about the deluge. It is a blessing to see everything lush and green!

The asparagus was slow at coming up because of the cold. Finally, last week it started growing and we've enjoyed asparagus every other day since then. Our lettuce and spinach is also growing well. I love to eat fresh vegetables again. No more canned or frozen stuff until fall frost!

Here is my list of garden tasks for this month along with a few tips. Your goals may vary depending on your garden and your area of the country. And remember, I'm an amateur gardener and don't claim to be an expert! I'd like to be corrected if I'm mis-informed in any way!

1. Plant beans, carrots, and corn, as well as another planting of greens. Also plant the brocolli and cabbage plants that are still waiting for the soil to dry out. Hope it isn't too late!

2. Set out tomato plants in early to mid May. Tomatoes like 50 degree soil. Cooler temperatures, day or night, will slow their growth. Just because the air is warm doesn't mean the soil is warm. I like to plant as deeply as possible, only letting the first two or three sets of leaves above ground. Roots will grow along the stem and promote a healthier plant.

3. Set out pepper plants in mid to late May. Peppers really enjoy warm weather and should not be planted until the soil is 60 degrees day and night.

3. Plant flowering annual plants and sow flower seeds such as zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers and marigolds directly in soil.

4. Finish dividing perennials flowers and pinch back the mums and fall blooming sedums.

5. Hill early potatoes.

6. Plant vine crops such as pumpkins, squash and watermelon. Vines love the heat and prefer the soil to be 85 degrees before planting so I'm not in a rush! Some folks fork in manure or compost and cover with black plastic to warm up the ground for a few weeks before planting.

8. Mulch. The secret of a weed free garden! Covering our garden with grass clippings has been a huge time saver in the summer! As soon as the seeds are up enough to see the rows, we put a thin layer of grass clippings between the rows. We add to it as the summer progresses.

So what are your goals this May in your garden? Have I missed anything?

Starting Sourdough

One of the questions I get most often is - "Where can I get a sourdough starter?"

Three answers - Raise your own starter, buy a starter, or bum a starter. All three options work. Some better than others - if you go from my experience!

1. Raise your own starter.

This was the option I started with first. I loved the idea. Mix a little flour and water and watch the yeast grow! Only one problem, it didn't work well for me.

I first followed the directions from Heavenly Homemakers. Now, I know her directions have worked well for others, but I didn't have success. The bread I baked was absolutely horrible.

The second attempt was from directions from a magazine. Once again, I had some bubbly action but not enough to rise bread.

The third time I followed the directions in Artisan Breads Every Day. This time I made bread that actually was edible. In fact it tasted very good. But when I attempted 100% whole wheat bread, it was another failure.

But since that attempt was the best yet, a year later, I followed the Artisan Breads Every Day directions again. Again, I was able to bake good bread, just not excellent. I kept that starter alive for a few months before I got tired of caring for such a thick dough-like starter.

I should back track and say that I was going for the purist method. I've seen recipes that start with a little commercial yeast. I wanted a 100% wild yeast AND 100% whole wheat flour. Maybe I was stacking the odds against me.

I also know now that I was too rushed. A new starter needs time to develop and strengthen before it is asked to rise 100% whole wheat bread. If I was repeating the experiment, I would spend a few weeks using the starter for pizza crust, waffles and muffins before trying bread.

Another mistake that I know now was that I would tire of my starter and place it in the refrigerator. This is fine for a mature starter but for a new starter, it couldn't take the neglect. I think this  is why my starter kept getting weaker instead of stronger.

If you want to try making your own starter, I recommend using the pineapple juice method. I had my best success with this method which uses pineapple juice instead of water for the first couple days to keep the bad bacteria from growing before the good bacteria has time to take hold. For complete directions, download the free ebook "Beginning Sourdough".


 

2. Buy a Starter

Numerous online sources sell starters. One company is Cultures for Health. I've never purchased a starter from them but they have numerous types and also very helpful videos and information on their website.

King Arthur sells fresh sourdough.

The cost is very minimal and, I think, a great bargain to avoid the headache of a failed starter.

3. Bum a Starter

Free is best, right! After all my tries at sourdough baking, I finally was given a sourdough starter and had instant success! Getting a mature starter allows you to have professional results immediately without the growing pains of growing your own.

If you have a friend who has sourdough, ask for some starter. I'm sure they would love to share. Sourdough starter is something you always have extra of. If you live local to me, I would love to share some of mine!

If you don't know of anyone local who uses sourdough, there is a free online source. I got mine from Old Sourdough and have been very pleased with it, but he is no longer is mailing starter.

Another free source is Carl's Friends, a group of friends of Carl Griffeth who, in honor of their sourdough loving friend, share starters with anyone who sends a self-addressed stamped envelope. I've heard that it is an excellent starter.

Most starters you receive in the mail will be dried. You will receive instructions on how to rehydrate your starter.

If you are interested in sourdough baking, in my opinion, it is worthwhile to acquire an established starter. Once you've figured out a few tricks, then you may try growing your own starter. This is one of those, please don't do as I did and learn from my mistakes. I wasted a lot of time growing my own. If I would have just started four years ago from a reputable sourdough starter, I could have had years more of sourdough baking.  Just think of all the wonderful bread I missed from my stubbornness. Sigh.

But if you are contrary like me, I won't stop you. You may be one of those who gets it right on the first try!

Have you attempted your own starter? How did it work for you?

Giveaway! - Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Usually on Mondays I've been sharing updates on our house addition. But busy schedules meant very little house progress this past week. Ed did work on more brick laying on the chimney and has it about high enough to need scaffolding.

And I have a new cookbook to talk about today instead!

What happens when ten great cooks get together to blog about food? If you are a reader of the blog Mennonite Girls Can Cook - you know it means lots of good recipes!



Today these ten women released a cookbook based on the great recipes from their blog - plus a few new ones. Like the blog, stories from their Russian Mennonite heritage and inspiration from God's Word are interspersed throughout the recipes.

The publisher sent me a review copy of Mennonite Girls Can Cook and I wasn't disappointed. My favorite part of the book is the photos. Every recipe includes a photo and recipes with numerous steps have detailed step-by-step photos.

I find it interesting that though I grew up with a Mennonite cooking heritage, these recipes are much different, coming from a Canadian Russian Mennonite background instead of the Pennsylvania Dutch cooking I'm accustomed to. Some of the recipes are for complicated "special occasion" meals but many are simple recipes with basic ingredients that the author's grandmothers made in the hard days when food was scarce.

One of the authors has Celiacs and numerous gluten free recipes are included. Though we enjoy gluten at my house, there is so many on a gluten free diet now that I appreciate having some recipe ideas.

I rate a cookbook by how many times I say "I have to make that" and this one won top honors! The publisher generously supplied a copy of Mennonite Girls Can Cook to give to one of you. If you like a chance of winning this cookbook, leave a comment with a way to contact you.

You can also purchase Mennonite Girls Can Cook through Amazon or  Herald Press. All author royalties are going to feed hungry children. For the first year the funds are going to Ukraine to the Good Shepherd Shelter.

If you are looking for more Mennonite cooking, I love the Mennonite Country Style Recipes, More With Less, and Kay's Country Cookin' though none of these three cookbooks are the visual treat of Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

Leave a comment to win your own copy of Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Giveaway will be open for one week and a winner will be chosen through Random.org.