Garden 2012 Commences

This year's garden will hopefully be an improvement on last year's.  Last year's, of course, wasn't bad, but I'd like to continue moving forward.

Yesterday, I got started with my seedlings.  Neutral seeding medium, accidental purchase of several new seeds.  Why can't I just be satisfied with the 50 different types of seeds I have??  I did get some stuff to work on growing beets in containers.  I haven't been successful at growing beets in the past - radishes, yes; beets, no.  Some googling helped me to find some good advice.  This site suggests planting radishes next to your beets.  Radishes germinate faster and so that helps to mark where you've planted beets.  It would be easy enough to get 9 beets into a square foot in the raised beds, but I'd prefer to do them in containers.  I've got a few containers ready to go for both beets and carrots.  Here's hoping that works out well.

I got all of my tomatoes, peppers and eggplants started...along with a few other extras.  I've streamlined the process this year.  I've started them in 4packs under humidity domes and under our replica-of-the-sun grow light.  Now, I will have to fight the urge to sit next to them and wait for them to grow.  No, really.  I want to do that.

Additionally, I started my next loaf of bread.  This week, dad and I are doing the Classic French Bread recipe in order to do an Épi de Blé, which means wheat sheaf in French.  I modified the recipe only in that I used active dry yeast and had to rehydrate it first.  I have both types of yeast, and I'd like to deplete them evenly.  The dough was ridiculously easy to do.  It only took me about 15 minutes to get it together and into the frig for the cold rising.  This morning, it's looking great.  I can't wait to bake it!  Tonight and tomorrow, I've got dinner with friends, so I'll be baking it to share with others.  I hope it turns out well!  I've loving (loaving - haha) baking fresh bread.  It's so delicious and easy!

Initially the dough seemed a bit too dry and craggy.  I added a tiny bit extra water, and I think that evened things out.  Only the baking remains!

And lastly, for dinner last night, I stumbled upon this excellent recipe: Hearty Lentil Soup Recipe With Carrots, Tomatoes, & Smoked Sausage. I made a few changes - added less liquid to make it even chunkier.  It was excellent.  This one's going in my recipe file.

Bibliography

I was up like a shot at 6:30am when Ellie came over and aggressively nudged my "dead arm" into a position that it couldn't really go into.  Rather than chastise her and try to get her to go back to sleep, I just got up.  We went for a nice walk, and then I fed her and coffeed myself.

Right now, I'm sitting at the kitchen table consulting many books about many things.

My dad has amazingly gotten me three different books which seem to be of the utmost importance right now.  Mel Bartholomew's All New Square Foot Gardening, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, and Cook's Illustrated's The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles.

This weekend, I start my seeds for the garden.  It's been a while since I even thought about the garden, as evidenced by the fact that we never broke it down, never cleared it and never refurbished the soil.  All bad moves.  I'll definitely need to re-up the soil when it comes time.  In the mean time, however, I need to figure out what needs to be started now and get on it.  I can't wait.  Dad bought me the square food gardening book a few years ago, and I thought I'd just review it to make sure that I'm on the right page and am truly maximizing the space I have.

As I mentioned before, Dad and I are baking our way through Peter Reinhart's cookbook.  We started with the Pain à l'Ancienne Rustic Bread, which you can see below.  I had some trouble with it - in that, I had to let it rise out for about an hour longer than recommended in the book.  The end result, well...much rising, large air bubbles and a lot of dough.  I made three small ciabatta loaves, which have been delicious thus far.  Recommendations from a friend for next time: split the dough into two bowls before the rise.  That way, you can pull them out on different days to bake.  I don't know why I didn't think of that myself, but as it was rising, I thought, "What in the world am I going to do with so much bread?"  The answer: eat it!

For our next feat, we will be doing the wheat sheaf baguette.  I'm thrilled.  It's a beautiful loaf, and it looks so professional.  Here's hoping I do it right.  I've got a potluck on Monday night and I'm hoping to have time to bake it and take it with me.

As for the Cook's Illustrated Pasta book, Dad got me a pasta maker and that cookbook.  I got the pasta maker a while ago, but I got the cookbook just this past week - along with a pasta drying rack!  I've already made lasagna noodles and fettuccine with the pasta maker - both were outstanding.  I used whole wheat flour and found that I liked the heartiness of it.  I can't wait to delve into the book and figure out what recipe I'll do first!

THIS is what a baker looks like

Let's just put it this way - I don't like to be bored.

Currently, I'm working on the following:
1 - working, living, etc
2 - planning a wedding
3 - recovering from shoulder surgery (and the resulting adhesive capsulitis)
4 - wanting to knit a sweater, but needing to wait to knit due to the shoulder
5 - converting to Judaism
6 - starting my garden
7 - baking my way through Peter Reinhart's artisan breads every day - WITH DAD!

Long story, but I got the long distance baking idea from a gay rabbi in Richmond.  Confused yet?  I think am.

I normally bake once a week.  It makes for having great breads for break, dinner, snacks, Shabbat, etc.  I've had this cookbook for over a year.  It's great and is a good read, but I've only baked a few things out of it.  I suggested to Dad that we consider jointly making our way through the book and comparing notes along the way.  He was game.  I'm very excited.

My dad and I have very different approaches to using cookbooks.  I got straight to the desired recipe, do not pass go, do not collect $200.  Dad, on the other hand, who is much more about the process and the learning than just cranking out a loaf like I am, reviews cookbooks, learns from them and truly appreciates the approach of the author.

Spring seems to be in the making here in NC.  I have many bulbs which are coming up - galanthus, crocus, narcissus, iris.  My hellebore is putting off a bloom - it didn't last year.  I'd almost forgotten what it looks like!  Hidden behind the lush new foliage is a dusty purple bloom.  Additionally, I'm hoping to start some seeds tomorrow evening with Alex's help, but in the mean time...

Today's challenge: Pain à l'Ancienne Rustic Bread from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day