Morris and the first loaf...
I have a new addition to the house hold. "His" name is Morris and he gets fed once a day to once a week depending on where he is in life cycle.
Morris is my newly acquired sourdough culture and is currently sitting with 1.2 kg of flour resting in the kitchen getting ready to make my first loaf of scratch sourdough. I've had him since Sunday and am still a little wary about how one goes about ensuring that the tub of white goop stays as happy as a microcosm can.
Unfortunately my camera cable has disappeared so I am not easily able to upload photographs at this very moment but I will sort myself some sort of process to ensure I begin getting images up.
Stay tuned for how Morris mk I bakes and tastes.
In other, more botanical news, my saffron crocuses have flowered! I have had a total of nine stamens collected so far (six of which disappeared into a paella without touching the sides {sigh}) I think the flowers are, at this stage, going to remain more of a novelty than of actual culinary or dye-based use. If the bulbs survive and split then I may be able to get twice as many flowering next year but I think it will be a slow process.
Saffron Crocus.. It's So PURPLE
And so few spoils - a mere three stamens per blossom.
One of my orchids (a phalaenopsis) has begun extending a flowering stem. I don't know how long it will take before blossoms begin but I take it as an indicator that it is happy enough to want to reproduce in it's current location. The other two (a small oncidium and another I'm not sure of) remain in a vegetative (though still growing) state.
On the art front - my exhibition comes down in a week and I've not two illuminated pages pencilled and near ready to put on the final paper and begin inking, painting and messing with calligraphy.
Morris is my newly acquired sourdough culture and is currently sitting with 1.2 kg of flour resting in the kitchen getting ready to make my first loaf of scratch sourdough. I've had him since Sunday and am still a little wary about how one goes about ensuring that the tub of white goop stays as happy as a microcosm can.
Unfortunately my camera cable has disappeared so I am not easily able to upload photographs at this very moment but I will sort myself some sort of process to ensure I begin getting images up.
Stay tuned for how Morris mk I bakes and tastes.
In other, more botanical news, my saffron crocuses have flowered! I have had a total of nine stamens collected so far (six of which disappeared into a paella without touching the sides {sigh}) I think the flowers are, at this stage, going to remain more of a novelty than of actual culinary or dye-based use. If the bulbs survive and split then I may be able to get twice as many flowering next year but I think it will be a slow process.
Saffron Crocus.. It's So PURPLE
And so few spoils - a mere three stamens per blossom.
One of my orchids (a phalaenopsis) has begun extending a flowering stem. I don't know how long it will take before blossoms begin but I take it as an indicator that it is happy enough to want to reproduce in it's current location. The other two (a small oncidium and another I'm not sure of) remain in a vegetative (though still growing) state.
On the art front - my exhibition comes down in a week and I've not two illuminated pages pencilled and near ready to put on the final paper and begin inking, painting and messing with calligraphy.