Brooke Last week I tucked three starters into my microwave, each fed at a different ratio, hoping for sweet, sweet yeast. What I got was a pink sourdough starter. Three of them, actually. The pink was the second surprise. The first was the smell. Not acetone. Not sweet yeast, either. Feet. By day three, that’s what … Read more
A couple of weeks ago I said I’d bake a loaf of sourdough every day for a week. That hasn’t happened. It’s not for lack of effort. My starter has other plans. Where things stood If you’re just joining us, I scrapped my first starter and started over in mid-August using the King Arthur instructions. … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. I only link to gear and books I use myself. Giant puffball mushrooms might be my new favorite thing to forage. They’re easy to find and cook, and easier to identify than most wild mushrooms, … Read more
I waited 30 days for my starter to act like a starter. Thirty days. At that point, I’d put in enough time on a jar of flour and water that I figured I’d earned a loaf of bread. What I got instead was a rubbery, flat, delicious-smelling failure. Bread’s a bitch. If you’re looking for … Read more
It’s hard to ask someone about their disability without worrying you’ll say the wrong thing. So most people don’t ask Brandon. They ask me. Here’s the thing — Brandon has a great sense of humor about all of it. This morning he sent me a post from another disabled outdoorsman: “Yeah, I have a disability. … Read more
You probably have native wildflowers growing in your yard and don’t even know it. We didn’t. We spent years looking at our backyard without really seeing what was growing there. This summer, that changed. It started with a garden. We added a lean-to onto our shop this summer — a little covered porch for morning … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. I only link to gear and books I use myself. Pressure canning can feel intimidating. Especially when you’re standing over a batch of green beans, venison, or chicken wondering if you’ve done everything right. I’ve … Read more
Making your own sourdough starter sounds simple enough: flour, water, a jar, and a little patience. So why is mine still sitting on my counter 19 days later refusing to double? That’s the question I’ve been trying to answer. I started making sourdough because I love the bread and already had the two ingredients needed … Read more
I did a thing today. I applied to become a Master Gardener Volunteer through the University of Minnesota. Until about a month ago, I didn’t even know the program existed. We were catching up with a friend whose mom had recently retired, and I asked what she’d been doing with all her free time. Along … Read more
Ask someone where they caught their biggest walleye, and you’ll probably get a vague answer. Ask a forager where they pick wild blueberries, and you’ll get the same response. While you may not get the exact location from a seasoned forager, what doesn’t change is the environment where wild blueberries grow and thrive. If you … Read more