My Mountain Home

Another New Year

Should one of my non-resolutions be to post on this blog occasionally?  Either that or quit!  The past year sailed past with hardly a word.

Let me start my attempt to get back on this horse with a Christmas picture:

There is a pitiful amount of snow this year.  All over the valley one can see big patches of bare ground.  I haven't seen this little snow at this time of year in the 40 years I've lived here.  

We had a wonderful Christmas gathering with 19 people around the table for turkey one night and 13 for a Guyanese dinner the following evening.  Everything seems very quiet since the folks went home!  

My friend and I are going to Boise for our Nativity celebration tomorrow!   

 

eCourse activities-1st week

It's been a week since I signed up for the eCourses at Gnowfglins.  I'm really enjoying it and learning so much.  At the McCall Farmer's Market last Saturday I purchased a sourdough starter, something I'd toyed with before and never kept going.  This seems to be a strong strain and can produce a doubling rise overnight in a bread dough.  

The first thing I made was Sourdough English Muffins.  Here's a sandwich I made for Richard with pork loin, tomato, and shredded cabbage (from the garden--mmm so good).  

 

I only grew four heads, but next year I'll do a whole row!  I see lots of sauerkraut in our future.

 

I also rigged up a fermenting jar for some sauerkraut, but today I received two new quart jars with air locks.  I dug some golden beets and carrots and went to work.  The carrots are done with fresh ginger and sweet onion.

Time for bread?  I made a Sourdough Rye, and let it rise, contained in a brotform.  It was excellent with a nice chewy crust, good crumb and deep flavor.

Did I mention the sourdough waffles, with yogurt and berries?

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Yesterday, with company coming, I whipped up a sourdough chocolate cake.  It was insanely good, served with strawberries and whipped cream, both unsweetened.

The testing went on as I set up the sourdough cinnamon-nutmeg-cardamom rolls to bake this morning.  The recipe called for extra gooey goodness in the bottom of the pan but we didn't want all that sweetness so we eliminated that part. 

Actually I made a triple batch and put almost all of them in the freezer.  We did have one each for breakfast with a scrambled egg and it was most delicious.

I soaked some raw almonds in salted water and put them in the dehydrator for Crispy Nuts.  The process eliminates the enzyme inhibitors, making them more digestible.

My last project for the week was winding up a project I started a month ago, Lavender Vinegar.  It was finally time to decant and is such a pretty color.  Makes a good skin toner and I use it after washing my face (in the shower) with honey.

What's in the queue?  Cultured cream cheese and feta in brine!

I'm working my way through the eCourse and making new things every day.
A sourdough chocolate cake, sourdough cinnamon rolls, fermented beets, carrots, and sauerkraut (separately), and crispy nuts.

The sourdough whole wheat waffles were the best ever! Served with a scant drizzle of maple syrup, yogurt and strawberries.

I've signed up for the eCourse on Gnowfglins and hope to update the blog with my progress.
Today I'm dehydrating a shredded zucchini that I just discovered in the garden. It doesn't pay to hunt them down at dusk--this one was at least 18" long. Also, building up a sourdough starter that I found at the Farmer's Market yesterday, and making plans to do some sourdough bread. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.

When I'm 64!

And that day is today.  It sure sounds old, but I feel so young.  I'm much healthier this year than last--maybe that's why.

 

First thing I did today was get my hair cut short, not just shorter, but very, very short!  I'm thinking ahead to hot days in the garden and how I detest having hair blow into my eyes and mouth.  It's so short now I don't even have to comb it!  

The seed packets are beginning to pile up and I've been sorting them into piles according to when they get started indoors or planted outdoors.  There is so much work to do to build new beds and be ready, but alas, with 2' of snow still on the ground and lots more falling from the sky, it will have to wait.  Meanwhile I'm setting up grow lights and will begin starting seeds tomorrow.

 

Seeds!

It's a very exciting time when the seeds are spread out on the desk.  I also ordered a copy of Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening.  My plan is to major in the vegetables that do well here and then plant a few other things.  New raised beds will double the size of the garden this year :)

Kitchen Goal of the Month

Kelly the Kitchen Kop has this as a regular feature on her blog.  I'm going to participate this month and see what happens.  I love setting goals, taking on new projects, planning what to do next, but I'm not so good many times with the follow through. I'll start small!

 

My goal in the kitchen this month is perfecting a recipe for whole grain crackers.  I want something like a Wheat Thin but less sweet, something like an Akmak but more flavor, and something more sturdy in its crispiness than short.  I've tried two recipes so far, both of them very rich and tending toward the pie crust end of the continuum than what I'm after.  I may try olive oil or coconut oil for the fat next time with sprouted kamut flour, then add some herb flavoring or some seeds.

 

Back to the Real World

The micro version of the blog was so ugly and unuseful I was "forced" to upgrade.  I'm trying at this point to get things back to normal.  Right now I can't get Facebook to link, and I'm sure other problems are going to surface.  And maybe no one will ever see this because I don't know if I've lost all of my few-in-number followers.  We shall see.

 

I have some new avenues of interest.  Vegetable gardening is a big one.  Although we have a plot and have produced a crop for quite a few years, I wouldn't say I've been all that into it.  Once I've planted the seeds I like to skip right to the harvest.  I'm planning on this year's growing season to differ.

 

Another new interest is cooking in the manner of Nourishing Traditions.  I've basically quit eating processed food this year and am focusing on Real Food, things that do not generally come in packages.  Since last summer I've lost almost 25 lbs which is just a step along the way to health.

 

The third interest is firearms.  Not sure where that is going yet.

 

 

Free is good!

I've debated continuing or pulling the plug on the blog all year.  I don't seem to post very often, yet I hated to lose everything.  I was very surprised to learn that Typepad has a free "micro" option, so I took the middle road.  It's not that user friendly but at least it will afford me the luxury of changing my mind down the road.