Lest anyone think there’s just one DIY success after another here at the Root Simple compound, behold my failed attempt at a whole wheat pecan loaf. The very wet dough stuck to the banneton and got ripped off when I tried to transfer it to the dutch oven. I baked it anyways and it tasted alright, but it didn’t rise much in the oven.
Speaking of failures, I need to blog this week about why I’m hopped up on Benadryl. Hint: it involves a freak summer storm and a bunch of angry bees. Stay tuned.
Ouch! Sorry to hear about the storm/bee/Benadryl incident! On a related theme, we have a hive of ground wasps (is that what they are called?) living under our raised strawberry bed. So far no one has been stung–we are being ultra careful. It’s fun to watch them coming and going–it’s like the constant stream of planes in and out of an airport. Do you know if they are beneficial to our strawberries, or are they a problem? The picking season is over for now, despite these being “ever-bearing” plants.
Wasps are all beneficial–they eat other insects. But man do those stings hurt!
My condolences for your brush with some angry bees – which, I’m sure were actually bees, not yellow jackets. Benadryl is a life saver, literally, in some cases. Ice packs help and, surprisingly, so does intense heat. My GP told me once that heating up a hive (the skin condition, not the bee house) helps break down histimine. To that end, I bought a relatively inexpensive doodad called a “Therapik”, which works surprisingly well:
http://smile.amazon.com/Therapik-Mosquito-Bite-Reliever/dp/B00820TRBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437350283&sr=8-1&keywords=therapik
I get a bit cocky about my amazing bread, sometimes a failure is good to take me down a notch 😉 Speaking of, I’m still hoping you’ll share your Josey Baker mountain rye secrets with me, someday. Perhaps a rye bread post?
Wasps may be beneficial, but several years ago I was stung on the arm by a paper wasp and ended up with cellulitis. Not fun.
I was out picking blackberries last night and got stung for the first time in years. First on the hand…I gently plucked him out and walked away. The little shit followed me and stung me on the butt!!!! My finger doubled in size in under five minutes…thankfully the butt did not. I had a major Benadryl hangover this morning.
It’s good to know you’re fallible, Mr Homegrown 🙂
For years any attempt at making bread resulted in beautiful “door stops”. I continued to try and found a wonderful detailed recipe then my oven died, twice. I have given up baking all together and now only cook on a stove top. I figured the price of fixing that oven I can just go buy a loaf of bread. I’m a cowgirl cook!
Sorry about your bug attack. I’m no bee charmer myself but I’ve learned to listen to them as I’m working in the garden. When their “hummmm” goes up a decibel, I back off and fast. Hornet stingers don’t fall off like a honey bee’s, they have multiple fire power!