On Sat we had a tight schedule with bike pick-ups; drop offs at Green Lee's (repair shop) chores, Hannah Rose's band practice, lunch, laundry and hopes to make it to the fair. I ran at 11 to Kroger’s and said "I'll be about half an hour can you help bring in the groceries?" Sure, great plan. "While I put them away and fix lunch you can pick up Hannah Rose" etc. etc. etc. ending with going to the fair about 1:30.
So promptly at 11:30 I return. No Ken no Josiah. Keys in the car door. Back door open, lights on. In the yard no Ken. Neighbors? Nope no Ken or Josiah. So I call no answer. I bring in the groceries, put them away fix lunch. Now it's 12:15 and I figure he went to get HR. At 1 still no Ken, no Josiah and now no HR. 1:15 she calls from the school, she's still there and the band director needs to leave. So I turn off the stove, run and get her. Come home still NO KEN....I call again.
Hannah Rose said something about him saying that he was fixing the fence when she called and SPOKE to him about being picked up. I run the sides of the fence. Nope still NO KEN....so about 2 hours later I realize the bike shop is going to close with Josiah's bike in it so I run off to Green Lees. As I speed around the corner I nearly run over a man dragging a half of a tree down the street.
You guessed it. Ken. So I pull over, wind down the window to really scream at him and after a few choice things are said I see Josiah and a 78 year old sweaty horrified Mrs. Wallace. Mrs. Wallace says "I'm so sorry I kept him too long; don't be mad since my husband died I have such a hard time keeping up with the place."
Great, I might as well be riding a broom. So Sunday I take over some homemade Sour Dough bread, peppers and tomatoes from our garden and ring the bell on Mrs. Wallace’s house. She is cowering as she answers the door. I hand her the bag and cheerfully apologize for chewing out The Husband in front of her. She launches into a speech about what a good man he is and how much he's helped her and how she misses Her Henry and how you don't know what you have until the man you love is gone. Then she tells me how dear the days are how you never know how much time you'll have and to make the most of it because you'll never get those Golden Days back.
By the time I left I was ready to cry and really needed a nice piece of homemade bread maybe topped with a home grown tomato. And a glass of wine.
Getting Started with Homemade sour dough bread:
Some of the best starters have been specifically developed to provide predictable results. Buying a tried-and-true starter is your best bet, although you can begin your own with very little trouble. Yeast and bacillus are everywhere in our environment, including the water and milled grains used to make most starters. It is possible to mix together just these two ingredients, and create a new starter in a number of days.
Recipes for Success
Regardless of the source of the yeast, there are a few things to keep in mind when making a starter from scratch.
· Use non-chlorinated water: adding chlorine to your starter will almost certainly destroy the very organisms you are hoping to nurture. Use distilled or filtered water, or simply leave tap water open to the air for 24 hours to evaporate the chlorine.
· Choose unprocessed grains such as whole wheat or rye flour for the best results when beginning a starter. You can switch to bread flour or all-purpose flour after the first few feedings.
· Don't starve the yeast. This is a common mistake. Even if you do not see any activity, the starter must be fed every 24 hours in the beginning. Stop feeding the yeast, and you'll end up with a stinky gooey mess, as mold and "bad" bacteria take over your starter.
· Store in a glass or ceramic container at room temperature, and cover with a loose-fitting lid or a piece of damp cheesecloth.
Maintaining Your Starter
Usually a feeding consists of stirring in amounts of flour and water equal to the amount of starter you have. For instance, if you have 2 cups of starter, stir in 2 cups flour and 2 cups water. This may have to be adjusted slightly to maintain the consistency.
Tips for Refrigerated Starters
Most home bakers store starter in the refrigerator. This slows down the growth of both the yeast and the bacillus. A refrigerator will keep your starter at temperatures between 36 and 38 degrees F (2 to 3 degrees C). Growth will slow quite a bit, but not completely.
· Feed the starter right before placing in the refrigerator, and whip with a wire whisk to incorporate oxygen.
· The starter will need to be fed once a week. If you will not be using it, discard half, measure, and feed accordingly.
The starter should be fed at least once, and allowed to reach peak activity before incorporating into a recipe. (This will take about 6 to 8 hours.) For the best flavor, some bakers recommend building the starter up with several feedings in order to bring the yeast and bacillus to the highest possible level of activity. Since there are many thousands of organisms per gram of starter, you can use very small amounts of starter in this process.
· Remove 2 tablespoons from your starter, and mix with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Continue feeding at 6 hour intervals until you have made enough starter for your recipe.
· After the first feeding, maintain a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part flour:1 part water per feeding, effectively doubling the starter each time you feed it.
