Back to Baking

Well, it’s official. I’m no longer growing food. Today I bought a head of lettuce from another farm! We’ve put the fields to sleep at Brookwood so that means I am both job-less and bountiful produce-less. This is a sad combination, since the joblessness affords me a whole lot more time to cook, but combined with an income of $0 and no more free fresh veggies, it’s a bit harder to cook as much as I’d like. So, a return to baking. Colder days make me want to huddle over a warm oven anyway. And I have a pretty crazy sweet tooth and friends spread out around the country (actually the continent, with a strong showing in Ontario) who I hope will soon be receiving a tasty box of whatever festive goodies I can whip up in the next few weeks that can tolerate some long-distance trucking. Requests are always welcome. Definitely on the list are some salty caramels, a new favorite of mine and a great, shippable treat.

A super-volunteer from the farm has also given me some of her wonderfully complex sourdough starter, improved over many months or years of baking. It’s full of all kinds of flours including whole wheat and rye and to go with it, she lent me a fabulous bread baking book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, that I hope will help me really refine my bread making skills. I will be sad to return it soon (hint, hint). She also gave me a really impressive tasting bottle of home-brewed beer and has rekindled my interest in all things preserved, home-made and generally kitchen crafty. So I have a big bowl of starter, recently fed, sitting on the counter and look forward to a soup and bread dinner one of these days soon.