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mrsbrownI've often commented that the middle ages were all about the pieces of wood and the white cloth.
Pieces of wood with which we put together beds, tents, tables and chairs. When they're all in the trailer they're just pieces of wood.
White cloth I use to make under tunics, chemises, shirts, veils, aprons, food straining bags, napkins, tablecloths, bibs, dilly bags, food storage bags. When they're all clean and folded and place in a chest, they're just white pieces of cloth.
The last couple of weeks, it feels like it's all about the yeast, and the water, with occasional bits of flour too.
We've bought wooden barrels, to serve beer and cider from at Festival. So I've brewed beer and cider.
I made a wood fired oven, so I made bread.
We made verjuice from the grapes in our backyard and it got lactobacillus. We didn't want that.
I made a sourdough starter which, I was amused to read, requires lactobacillus to grow, that lactobacillus, I did want.
Anyway, tonight I started to clean out the barrels so I can put the beer in to condition (yes, it's really getting a bit late, but tough!) and realised that we should have filled them with water last week, so they wouldn't leak. Now they're soaking in my backyard and I'll fill one tomorrow instead.
The cider is still occasionally glooping and I have to decide if the sugar content will be sufficient for secondary fermentation in the barrel, without adding more sugar, if I should wait for it to finish and then add a measured amount of sugar. Actually I sort of feel like it's all moot. Once we open the barrels, we'll lose carbonation anyway. But I'll go through the process, at least once. And maybe someone else can angst about it next time.
After my barrel filling plan was foiled, I started my first batch of sourdough bread. I'm going to punch it down (I hope) tomorrow morning before work and put it in a tin in the fridge. When I get home I'll bake it, in my normal oven. I have too many other things to do without getting distracted by a fire in my backyard.
So, tonight was all about the water and the yeast. Although I did get another three eyelet holes sewn on Rose's Festival kirtle, only two more to go and then I need some cord and aglets so I can do it up.
Pieces of wood with which we put together beds, tents, tables and chairs. When they're all in the trailer they're just pieces of wood.
White cloth I use to make under tunics, chemises, shirts, veils, aprons, food straining bags, napkins, tablecloths, bibs, dilly bags, food storage bags. When they're all clean and folded and place in a chest, they're just white pieces of cloth.
The last couple of weeks, it feels like it's all about the yeast, and the water, with occasional bits of flour too.
We've bought wooden barrels, to serve beer and cider from at Festival. So I've brewed beer and cider.
I made a wood fired oven, so I made bread.
We made verjuice from the grapes in our backyard and it got lactobacillus. We didn't want that.
I made a sourdough starter which, I was amused to read, requires lactobacillus to grow, that lactobacillus, I did want.
Anyway, tonight I started to clean out the barrels so I can put the beer in to condition (yes, it's really getting a bit late, but tough!) and realised that we should have filled them with water last week, so they wouldn't leak. Now they're soaking in my backyard and I'll fill one tomorrow instead.
The cider is still occasionally glooping and I have to decide if the sugar content will be sufficient for secondary fermentation in the barrel, without adding more sugar, if I should wait for it to finish and then add a measured amount of sugar. Actually I sort of feel like it's all moot. Once we open the barrels, we'll lose carbonation anyway. But I'll go through the process, at least once. And maybe someone else can angst about it next time.
After my barrel filling plan was foiled, I started my first batch of sourdough bread. I'm going to punch it down (I hope) tomorrow morning before work and put it in a tin in the fridge. When I get home I'll bake it, in my normal oven. I have too many other things to do without getting distracted by a fire in my backyard.
So, tonight was all about the water and the yeast. Although I did get another three eyelet holes sewn on Rose's Festival kirtle, only two more to go and then I need some cord and aglets so I can do it up.
