How to Bake a Traditional German Rye Bread

December 5, 2012

Bread, Fermentation, Food, How-to, Recipes

...s to Dana Morgan for testing and input! In the interest of health, I’ve focused my bread baking obsession of late on 100% or near 100% whole rye sourdough loaves. I’ve used as my guide a nicely illustrated book How to Make Bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou. His specialty is just the sort of rustic German style breads I’ve always wanted to learn to bake. What I love in particular about his caraway rye sourdough loaf (pictured above) is the crust. Unli...

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Hoshigaki Success!

Mr. Homegrown

December 19, 2012

Food, Food Preservation, How-to

34 Comments

I’d estimate that one out of ten new homesteading projects succeeds. Which is why I’m especially happy that the long process of drying persimmons the Japanese way (hoshigaki) has been a big success. The white powder that looks like mold is sugar in the fruit that has risen to the surface. The result is, incidentally, very different from drying persimmons in a dehydrator (which also tastes good but has a much firmer texture–hoshigaki has the textu...

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Garden Design: Quantity vs. Quality

Mr. Homegrown

January 11, 2013

Design, Garden Design, Gardening

5 Comments

...ity rather than quality made the best pots. I’ve noticed, from the years I used to be in the art world, that he most talented creative folks I’ve met crank out lots of material. So how do we apply the quantity over quality principle to laying out a garden–especially since you often get only one chance a year to get it right? Above you see some of Kelly’s ideas for the parkway garden we planted in the fall. I think it is at this first point in the...

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More on our gardening disasters

Mrs. Homegrown

January 21, 2013

Gardening, Mistakes, Thoughtstylings

15 Comments

...ng any fun either. We need to approach our land with the joy and wonder we used to have. There’s a huge difference between hopeful expectations and dull expectations–or worse, cranky demands (Grow, damn you!). How do we find that spirit again? I can’t speak for Erik, but for me, it starts with curiosity. Along with the standard edibles, we should plant some unusual things this spring, stuff we’ve never grown before, or plants that attract me for s...

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How to Keep Squirrels and Birds From Eating Your Fruit

Mr. Homegrown

January 25, 2013

Fruit Trees, Gardening, Pests

14 Comments

...it orchard. Noel says: I use those clear plastic fruit containers that are used for packing strawberries and grapes. I personally don’t buy fruit in these containers but I asked some neighbors and friends to save them for me and in a short time amassed a large collection. They snap shut over most fruit like these mangos and this helps to control fruit damage. Since they have vent holes, they don’t collect water inside. They can be washed and store...

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