Weekend wash out turned out to be very productive

This weekend was pretty much a wash out. We did manage to trim some overhanging trees and dispose of those and the ones that were removed from beside the shed and clean out the chickens (and using the material as fertiliser for the fruit trees). Especially setting up the temporary run for the young Sussex roosters, as their too big and we needed the room in the brooder box for our impending broods.

So we had 9 arrivals throughout Saturday and Sunday. All of varying shades of gold, brown, grey and black… all stripped! I am curious to see how they turn out. We have decided to keep all 9, least until we can sex them. Then the boys (being a game x layer) will be for the table and the girls will either join our girls, or be sold as pullets. As we need to start preparing to replenish our laying stock, as our youngest bird is 12 months now and elders 3 years or so.

The ducklings in the incubator, being due Thursday began to move,

 churp and break through last night. So am keen to gethome this evening to see thier progress!

Other than that the rain was fairly persistent and restricted us to indoors for most of the weekend. We did however have a big clean out and tidy of the shed… it’s amazing how much room is in there now!

And I successfully made 2 loaves of Sourdough! Funnily enough all I did was stick to the recipe. So here it is.

My starter is now in a lidded/sealed container, this is much better than the mixing bowl and clingfilm- as this had started to show signs of mould around the lip. It definitely has its own distinctive aroma now, much like brewing cider. They say every batch smells and is different as it is made up of the cutlures unique to its environment... not sure what that says about us!

Anyway, I now keep my starter (in its new, more hygienic container) in the fridge. So I have to remove it the 2 nights before I need it, so that I may activate it and prepare the "sponge". So on removal from the fridge I “fed it” to activate it- ½ cup of flour.

Then the night before I I want to make the bread I prepare the “Sponge” by mixing 650ml warm water, 500g strong bread flour and a ladleful of starter. This is best done by hand, and is a little messy. This is then left over night (covered)

When the bread is nearly ready, place a bakestone in the top of the oven, and an oven dish with 1cm of hot water in the bottom-heat for at least 10 minutes at 250°. Turn down to 180°, and then transfer the bread on to some well floured bake proof paper and on to the bake stone. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Then the following day I begin the bread by mixing the Sponge with 600g strong bread flour and 25g salt. You will want extra flour for dusting (surface and your hands). This then has to be kneaded (until smooth) and then form a round and place in a bowl and left for an hour (covered). You then repeat the kneading/ covering twice more. On the final time you divide it into 2 or 3 loaves and shape. Place on a well floured board and cover with a plastic bag to prove for 1-4 hours (til its doubled in size).

With the miserable weather Friday and Sunday consisted of some cooking and gardening.

Following my post on Friday I finished my chutney and this is maturing nicely in the cupboard- made 6 jars!

Recipe: Green Tomato & Zucchini Chutney

700g zucchini, peeled & diced

700g tomatoes, peeled

300g apples, peeled & diced

300g onion, finely diced

300g sultanas

300g brown sugar

600ml cider vinegar

2 tsp chilli flakes

Tbsp grated ginger

12 cloves

2 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

Blanche tomatoes, run under cold water and then remove and discard skins. I do this over the container you are collecting your tomatoes in, as they may burst out during this.

Then place all ingredients in a large pan and simmer for 2 ½ - 3 hours. Leave to cool and then transfer contents to jars and seal for at least 4 weeks. The longer this matures the better the quality of the chutney.

I also attempted my Sourdough bread- with mixed success. This hasn’t put me off; quite the opposite. As I now know where I went wrong- had I just done it by hand as per the recipe it would have been fine.



More successful,
but still room to improve



Makes 2-3 loaves

Sponge

650ml warm water

500g strong bread flour

 

Ladleful of sourdough starter

Dough

Sponge (see above)

600g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting

25g salt

Dough in breadmaker

Once you have your starter, you need to activate it. So if it is refrigerated like mine get t out a day or two before hand and feed it.

 

Also make the sponge the day before, so it can prove over night- place in a bowl in plastic bag.



Now I attempted one purely using my bread maker- this did not work at all.

  

unsuccessful Breadmaker version



So I made a batch using the mixer for the dough, I think this “knocks it back” too much. As the recipe says to knead it for 10mins, then leave to prove for an hour each time (4 times in total)- this is the “knock back” . The dough setting takes 90minsutes, each time, so think it knocked to much air out of it. This was more successful than the version make totally in the break maker, but was still a little dense. So I’m going to make the next lot entirely by hand.

   

Frozen Chicken Stock



Easy store/use- Best Chicken stock!



This weekend I also cooked one of our home grown chooks for dinner. So, as to make the most of the bird I also make some stock from the carcass. Simply by placing it in a stock pot with a few carrots and sticks of celery, cover with water and simmer (on a low heat) for a few hours. I wanted to add this in, as this is a great way to get great tasting stock and is something you have available anyway. Once I am happy with the flavour, just leave to cool. Then this is my storage tip- Place freezer bags over appropriate sized freezer able containers (plastic dishes, tuppaware etc). Carefully fill the bags to level of container (or near enough). Leaving enough of the bag to tie it off.



Then place in the freezer, til frozen and then you can remove the containers and store the bags- use when required.

Other than that Sunday I managed to get some weeding, sowing and mulching done. In preparation for the warmer months approaching. Whilst it wasn’t the most pleasant day, it wasn’t cold and the drizzly rain was probably ideal for new planting.I was also quite excited as the “vine garden”- the section of the veg garden we dug out last year (that became water logged) and has not been built up. So where I intend to grow tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers etc- so vines. Had 2 plants growing in ti, which I am sure are eggplant/aubergine plants! We had great success with 4 of these that I bought as seedlings last year; only they were lost in the wet season- or so I thought!



Whilst I was busy Matt made a start on clearing the bed beside the shed. This had a few drought tolerant plants and yukka trees in it when we bought the place. Unfortunately the trees are becoming too big- both blocking the light to the shed, as well as its roots are going to become problematic to the shed’s foundations. So whilst we had hoped to re-locate these trees, unfortunately this was not possible. Hopefully we can save the few smaller trees still.

But other than the stumps this bed will soon be ready for planting, we decided this is to be the herb garden.  It’s close to the house, good sun and partial shade, whilst hopefully providing a welcoming aroma when approaching the house.





Sourdough Starter

Meet the most recent addition to the house. Apparently I should build a relationship with this and treat it as a pet. Well it should be with us for some time and I have to nurture and feed it- so I can see the comparison.
 This is my sourdough bread starter. We are following the recipe/instructions from our favourite series/author Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall and River Cottage. (We have follwed this from the first series on Channel 4 in the UK, and is available on lifestyle on Austar for anyone in Oz. I actually booked Matt into a day course at River Cottage HQ, on our visit home last year.- but now I'm going off track. But basically if you get chance to look this up; there's a website, books, DVDs TV series I recommend it!)  http://www.rivercottage.net/

Anyway, from the series and the Bread handbook (3), we have started our own sourdough bread starter.

Basically this will produce live yeast that we will use for our bread in the future. With each batch you use half your starter and then feed it, to replenish the stock for the next.

To start we have used 150g of wholemeal flour and 250ml of warm water, whisked and left to develop. Cover with a lid or Clingfilm (this isn't clear initially in the instructions, so ours took 2 days to start developing). Then when you can see some action (bubbles and the beginning of a fermenting smell) add a further 150g of flour and 250ml warm water, whisk then recover. On the 3^rd

day you now discard half the starter (or use it to start a second) then add 150g flour and 250ml of cold water. This process is continued for the remainder of the week. At this stage it should be ready to use for baking.

At this stage we are at day 5. Am hoping to use this starter on Sunday, if not then I should have time next Friday, so it should be beginning to develop its own flavour and aroma; As each starter will be individual to its environment.

I was initially concerned (as we live in the tropics- not that is an

 issue at the moment, as its winter) that the starter would become too active or smelly, but if your only planning on using it once a week or less, then the activity can be reduced by keeping it in the fridge (you can even freeze it). So I am hoping this system will work for us. As a batch (or ½ the starter) should produce 2-3 loaves (depending on their size etc), which would be ample for us.

So meet our sourdough starter, its 5 days old…