Gapey's Grub

Time 2020-12-13 04:02:37

Web Name: Gapey's Grub

WebSite: http://www.gapeysgrub.com

ID:132355

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Gapey,Grub,

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I received my first sourdough starter from a friend recently and I made my very first loaf. I was actually surprised how well it turned out and after sharing the photos on social media I had lots of requests to share my recipe. I didn't follow any one recipe or method for my first loaf. I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos and looking at recipes on blogs to come up with my own recipe. If you haven't made sourdough before, it's normally a two day process but some people have come up with shortcuts to fit it into one day by adding a bit of bread yeast to help the dough rise more quickly. For the best sourdough flavor I think 2 days is best. I used 3 different flours from Janie's Mill for this loaf. Janie's Mill has a variety of great organic flours and delivery was pretty quick considering how busy I'm sure they are at this time. Here are a few photos of how the dough looked after scoring, just before putting in the oven and how the finished bread looked. I couldn't have been happier with the look, texture and flavor of my first loaf.Feed sourdough starter around 9am and let activate for about 4 hours, until at least double in size. You know when it's ready if a spoonful floats in water. If it doesn't float, it needs more time.Stir together starter and water then add in flours and mix until combined. Cover and let rest for one hour.Move the dough to a large cutting board or a clean counter, use a wet dough scraper if needed. Wet fingers and push dough out with your fingers to about an 8" round. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the dough. Keep fingers wet to avoid dough sticking to them and stretch and fold the dough. (pull out each side without breaking and fold it back down just past center). See https://youtu.be/1timJlCT3PM for a good example of how to stretch and fold dough. It will be sticky. Do not add any flour to the dough. Turn the dough over so the seam side is down. Cover with a bowl and let rest 30 mins.Repeat stretch and folds every 30 mins at least 3 times but I did 5 times. After last stretch and fold, transfer to a bowl, cover with saran wrap and put in fridge overnight.In the morning scrape the dough onto floured counter or cutting board and stretch and fold to pre-shape into a ball, with assistance from a bench scraper if needed. Turn dough over with seam side down and let rest for 30 mins. See https://youtu.be/8uz97MZZmRg for a good example on how to do pre-shaping and final dough shaping.Add a bit more flour and turn dough over so seam side is up. Stretch out dough slightly and fold into final shape whether it be a ball or an oval. See shaping video in step 1. Dust proofing bowl with flour and place dough seam side up into bowl. Cover bowl with towel and refrigerate 3-4 hours.Preheat oven with dutch oven (with or without lid, I did without) for 30 mins at 500 degrees.Transfer the dough seam side down onto a piece of parchment paper. Dust the top with flour and score the top with a razor or serrated knife. You can google sourdough scoring to get some ideas on designs. I like the leaf design so used a series of small slits in a row with one big slash down one side, pictured above. Transfer the dough with the parchment to the hot dutch oven and bake covered for 20 minutes.Reduce temperature to 450 and remove the lid and bake for additional 25-30 minutes.Open oven door and let bread cool for about 20 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool for at least 40 more minutes before slicing.I was gifted a sampling of cacao tea to try out. It's funny because I had recently seen something about cacao tea on Instagram just before and was instantly intrigued. The tea is made from the husks (shells) from cacao beans after they've been fermented and roasted. Cacao Tea Co's tea is 100% natural and organic and it contains no caffeine or added sugar. When it came in the mail I couldn't resist giving it a try. I followed their recommendation of brewing 2 tsp of the tea with about a cup of boiling water for 7 mins using a french press. I was surprised by the strong chocolate smell of the tea and the very light chocolate taste. I tried it both with and without sugar and I actually preferred it without sugar.After enjoying the tea in drink form, I decided to try it in a banana bread recipe. I used a double strength brew and longer steep time for the recipe.Cacao Tea Banana Bread RecipeIngredients:2 Cups all purpose flour1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1 tsp cinnamon3 ripe bananas, mashed3/4 cup strong brewed cacao tea1.5 sticks butter, softened1 1/4 Cup light brown sugar2 eggs1 tsp vanilla extract2 tsp granulated sugarDirections:1. Brew 3/4 cup of strong cacao tea. I used 1 Tbsp Cacao Tea Co tea brewed in 1 Cup boiling water for 15 minutes, drinking 1/4 cup and saving the remaining 3/4 Cup for the recipe. Set 3/4 cup of tea aside and let cool to room temperature.2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.3. Grease 5x9 loaf pan and drape wax paper across the pan for a sling and set aside.4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.5. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, add room temperature tea, stir until combined and set aside.4. Beat together softened butter and brown sugar until well incorporated then beat in eggs one at a time until well blended then add vanilla extract5. Gradually mix in the flour mixture and banana mixture 1/3 at a time, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Be careful not to over mix.6. Add batter to loaf pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar. The addition of the granulated sugar gives the top of the bread a nice crispy crust. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 mins, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.7. Let cool for 10 mins in pan. Lift bread out of pan using the sling and cool on a wire rack.It's the beginning of March and that is the time I start my tomato seeds. I love trying new varieties every year, but I always grow a few I've grown before because they are so good that I just have to grow them again. I will be growing 20 varieties this year and these are the 4 I've grown before which have found their way into my 2019 garden plan.SungoldThis is a favorite by many, me included. It has been grown in my garden for many years. It's a beautiful orange/gold color that is super sweet and great for snacking on. It's known as a hybrid but there are some varieties out there that are said to be de-hybridized which allows you to save seeds and grow them year after year without having to buy them.FertuniaThis is a gigantic Italian paste tomato from my friend, The Modern Day Settler. You can't find this in stores anywhere as it's a family heirloom that has been grown in her family for generations. You don't need very many of these big guys for a batch of tomato sauce. I grew it in 2017 and missed it last year so will be growing it in the garden this year.Barry's Crazy CherryThis is a beautiful yellow cherry tomato I discovered last year from Wild Boar Farmsand it's a must have in my garden from now on. It's the most productive tomato variety I've ever seen and it's amazingly sweet too. If you haven't grown it, you must!! I entered it into the fair last year and it got a 1st place ribbon.San MarzanoSan Marzano is a very popular roma type that is great for sauces. They may not be large but they are great tasting and the skins come off super easy. I've tried a few different roma type tomatoes but didn't purposefully grow this one last year. I let it grow as a volunteer in the onion bed and it was more productive than I had expected though there were still a lot of green tomatoes left on the plant at the end of the season. They ripened up pretty well in the window. Since it did so well last year I decided to grow it again.In addition to the above I'll also be growing:Autumn's SunriseBibbiBlondkopfchenBlue BeautyBlue Cream BerriesComstockCosmoGarden PeachLitt'l Bites CherryMatt's Wild CherryMortgage LifterPainted LadyPink Berkeley Tie DyePink VernissagePork ChopTiger PearIf you have any favorite varieties you grow in your garden every year or have grown multiple times, let me know what they are!I've been wanting to try making brandied cherries for a long time and finally got around to it after picking up some organic Rainier cherries at Costco this year. There are lots of variations of brandied cherries out there. Most recipes use a simple syrup of sugar and water but I decided to use honey instead. Another unique ingredient I chose to use for my brandied cherries is limoncello. I was originally going to use brandy and bourbon but at the last minute decided on limoncello instead of bourbon. I later picked up some lapin cherries and made a batch of bourbon brandied cherries too. You can really use any liquor you want. You can also play around with different spices like cardamom, allspice, juniper, etc.Limoncello Brandied CherriesInstructions:Gently simmer honey, water and spices for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove spices with slotted spoon. Stir pitted cherries and lemon juice into the pan of syrup and return to a simmer until cherries are heated through. You can simmer longer for softer cherries. Stir in the brandy and limoncello. When heated through (do not boil), remove from heat. Use a wide mouth funnel and ladle into clean, sterile glass jars leaving a 1/2" gap from the top of the jar. Tap the jar on the counter to remove air bubbles. Top with clean, sterile canning rings and lids, screwed on lightly. Allow the jars to cool and seal. Tighten the rings of the jars that sealed properly, you will hear a pop and the lid will be sucked down. After the jars are cooled, there should be no give when you press down on the lid if the jar sealed properly. Sealed jars can be stored out of direct sunlight for up to a year. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and consumed within 2 weeks. Yields approximately 56 ounces.One of the ways I enjoy the brandied cherries is to top off a cheesecake.I grew so many peppers this year that I've been trying to find all kinds of things to make with them. One of the things I did was dehydrate and grind them into a powder. I grew a couple peach peppers this year that were very productive, Sugar Rush Peach and Jays Peach Ghost Scorpion. I made a peach hot sauce I call Paula's Peach Pain Sauce as well as a peach colored chili powder I call Paula's Peach Pain Powder. I used the peach powder to make these chili roasted pumpkin seeds which are crunchy and spicy, very addicting. You can use any chili powder you'd like for this recipe and make it however hot you want by adjusting the amount of cayenne or other hot powder you decide to use.Chili Roasted Pumpkin SeedsIngredients:1 tsp salt+ 6 cups water1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (thoroughly washed)1 tbsp olive or coconut oil (melted)1/2 tsp fine sea salt1/2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp chili powder1 tsp paprikadash of cayenne (optional)Instructions:1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.2. Bring the salt and water to a boil, add cleaned seeds and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.3. Drain seeds and dry on a paper towel.4. Put seeds in a small bowl and drizzle with oil. Stir in the sea salt, garlic powder and all chili powders.5. Spread seeds on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 mins, stirring and turning seeds every 5-10 minutes until lightly browned and crispy.6. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an air tight container. For my 42nd birthday, Mark took me out for dinner at Flavour Bistro, a new restaurant in Duvall. It was previously known as Fall City Bistro which we had been to once before. They moved to Duvall last month and have a new name. They serve a lot of the same dishes they did in Fall City. They pride in making dishes with as much local and organic ingredients as possible and use a lot of Asian ingredients that give the dishes so much flavor.I'm all about talking on my phone as little as possible so I found that you can make reservations online. They seem to prefer that method as we got complimentary truffle popcorn for making the reservations online. You'll find some interesting things on the menu like kangaroo gyoza and alligator frites but we didn't try any of those. Mark got the Peking breast of duck served with a bing cherry rum sauce and jasmine rice. After reading lots of positive reviews of it, I went with the Togarashi pork shank with braised fennel and sobe noodles. Both were tasty but I preferred my pork. The meat was tender and full of Asian flavors and the meat slid right off the bone.There was no dessert menu to look at but the menu was given verbally. We decided on the most popular one, "Zongo", which consists of a banana and cheesecake wrapped in a tortilla and deep fried. We also got a surprise birthday dessert as well which Mark ate most of because I wanted the Zongo! Did you know the blossoms of chives are edible? I have never used them for anything before but last year heard about making chive blossom vinegar and decided I had to give it a try. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to make it again this year and will most likely continue making it every year. You can also separate out the individual blossoms from the flower ball and use as a garnish. I like adding them to the tops of salads.Making chive blossom vinegar is one of the easiest things. I got lots of questions about it when I posted it on my social media so I decided I would do a blog post on how I make it. You can use pretty much any vinegar you'd like but my favorite to use is white wine vinegar. Several weeks before the blossoms came out, Napolean organic white wine vinegar went on sale at my local PCC Market so I stocked up on it, knowing I'd be needing a lot of it soon. Love the color the chive blossoms give the vinegar. You'll notice the chive blossoms also change color, from light purple to pink. The vinegar makes a great base for salad dressings, which is what I use it for.Chive Blossom Vinegar Recipe1 quart glass jarapprox 28 ounces white wine vinegarapprox 3 cups chive blossoms1. Harvest chive blossoms that have recently blossomed and put in a bowl with water and swish around to remove any dirt and bugs. Drain the water and pat the blossoms dry or run them through a salad spinner.2. Pack the chive blossoms 3/4 to the top of a 1 quart glass jar and fill jar to the top with white wine vinegar, or other vinegar of your choice.3. Cover jar and let sit at room temperature, out of direct sun light, for 2 weeks or longer.4. Strain the blossoms from the vinegar and pour into original vinegar bottle and store in cupboard and use within 12 months.My first incubator was the Brinsea Mini Advance. It is a great incubator and have used it for a few hatches but it only holds 7 eggs. I ended up borrowing a Hovabator last Fall for a hatch because they didn't all fit in the Brinsea. I was not a big fan of the Hovabator and decided I needed a model with more capacity. Brinsea recently came out with some new models and decided to get the Brinsea Maxi II Advance. It has all of the same features and settings as the Mini with a few additional bells and whistles. It holds 14 eggs, has a small vent that can be opened and closed and a reservoir on the outside to allow you to add water without opening the incubator. It also has a much larger viewing area so hopefully will be able to get a better view of the hatching.I have a smallhygrometerin the incubator to keep track of the humidity. I like to keep the humidity around 35% until lock down then will increase it to around 50%. I know some will go with a higher humidity and some even go lower or do what's called a dry incubation where they don't add any water until lock down. I chose to go somewhere in the middle and it has worked well for me in the past.My brother announced he was planning a visit with his girlfriend and daughter and thought it would be fun to do a hatch timed around their visit. I decided to set the eggs on Friday morning so they should start hatching around the time they arrive next month. I lost Shylo, one of my olive eggers to a predator last week and found an egg under her body and decided to put it in the incubator. If it's fertile, the daddy should be a svart hona so it will be interesting to see the result of that cross.I also added some hatching eggs I got from a couple of local chicken owning friends: 2 olive eggers, 2 olive egger back cross, 3 isbars, 2 silver laced orpingtons and 3 ice cream bars (isbar x cream legbar) for a total of 13 eggs.For the past couple of years I have been blogging about the tomato and pepper varieties I'm growing for the year and every year I seem to grow a little more of them. Last year it was 22 tomato varieties and 12 pepper varieties. This year I'm also doing 22 tomato varieties but will be growing 13 pepper varieties. I will be putting 3 determinates in the greenhouse, 2 determinates in containers and 1 will go into a hanging basket which is a first for me. The rest will fill up one of my raised garden beds. The Sungold and black cherry are the only two I've grown before. The rest are new for me this year and mostly came from seed swaps.Here are a couple of pics from last year's varieties.TomatoesCherry/SmallBlack Cherry - Indeterminate - 65 days - saved seedBrad's Atomic Grape - Indeterminate - unk days - Wild Boar Farms*new*Glacier- Determinate - 55 days - seedswap with gratefulseedsaverIsis Candy Cherry - Indeterminate - 70 days - seedswap with Lisa RussellMinibel - Dwarf - 65 days - Baker Creek SeedsNapa Rose - Indeterminate - unk days - Wild Boar Farms *new*Purple Calabash Cherry - Indeterminate - unk days - seed swap withLL McbeeWapsipinicon Peach - Indeterminate - 80 days - seed swap with Lisa RussellSungold (German dehybridized) - Indeterminate - 70 days - saved seedMediumAce-55- Determinate - 80 days -@urbanorganicgardenerFertunia - Semi-determinate - unk days - Italian tomato seed swap with@themoderndaysettlerGoose Creek - Indeterminate - 75 days - saved seen from Heirloom Tomato FestivalGreek Pinks - Semi-det - unk days - Italian tomato seed swap with@themoderndaysettlerSan Marzano - Indeterminate - 80 days - seed swap with@thegreenspatulaStriped Red Cavern - Indeterminate - 80 days - seed swap withLL McbeeBeefsteak/LargeAunt Ruby's German Green- Indeterminate - 85 days - seed swap with homegrowngourmetAzoychka- Indeterminate - 70 days - seed swap with@carmelbellafarmBlack Krim- Indeterminate - 80 days - seed swap withLL McbeeChocolate Stripes - Indeterminate - 80 days - seed swap withLL McbeeGold Medal - Indeterminate - 80 days - seed swap with gratefulseedsaverPaul Robeson- Indeterminate - 85 days -therustedgardenSweet Tangerine- Determinate - 68 days - Hybrid variety seed swap withLL Mcbee2016 Pepper HarvestA food blogger conference friend that I kept in touch with on social media posted on Facebook that she was looking for a few more people to join her table at Lake Wilderness Arboretum's annual Hellebore Tea in Maple Valley. I thought it sounded like a fun event so I put me and Mark down for the last two tickets. Not having been before, I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be 95% women and 80% of them wearing a hat of some sort.Sarah, the table host, mentioned that there was a theme for her table and it was woodland. It sounded like a good table theme. It was mentioned that most people dress up. I'm not a dressy uppy kind of person so I settled on some non-jean pants and a copper/brown shirt which turned out to match the table scape pretty well. I also put on some jewelry which I rarely wear. I have a pine cone necklace that I thought went perfectly with the theme. The table was decorated with copper tea mugs, squirrels, acorns and chopped wood for tea and kettle coasters. There were a couple of contests at the event, one for the best decorated table and one for the best hat. I didn't realize there would be a hat contest even though it said there would be right on the ticket. Needless to say, I didn't wear a hat but enjoyed all the hats everyone else was wearing. One of the tables next to ours had a chicken theme and everyone at the table had hats with nests, eggs and chicks adorning them. The funniest hat I saw was a lady with tea bags dangling from her hat. She ended up winning one of the prizes as did Shauntá at our table who wore an elegant hat with feathers from her chickens in it.This event was actually a fundraiser to benefit the Lake Wilderness Arboretum. There was a silent auction and a plant sale. Unfortunately we didn't come home with any auction items or plants but we enjoyed the event and all the cookies, crackers, pastries and snacks that accompanied the tea.Gapeys Grub is a food blog with a homesteading focus. I share my experiences with gardening, chicken raising and beekeeping. My daily posts on Instagram have garnered me several articles featuring me and my homestead including downtownhomesteading.com, urbanorganicgardener.com and in the printing of the summer 2015 issue of New American Homesteader.

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