15.5.08
A day in the life
That was Thursday! Another day in the life 15th next month.
14.5.08
Involuntary downshifting
Lastly, a present left for me at the back door while I was out in the garden. Cool eh?
3.5.08
Bread and Pumpkins
Here's Alison Holst's basic recipe:
1-1@1/2 tsp Surebake or similar yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 cups warm water (as warm as a babies bath)
3 cups high grade white flour
2 tbsp oil or melted butter
2 tsp salt
2-3 cups of extra flour
My additions cooked brown rice and seeds, experiment with quantities.
Put the first three ingredients into a big bowl and mix well. When the yeast has dissolved, stir in the first measure of flour. Cover the bowl with a plate or glad wrap and put in a warm place for 30 mins. ( In the warming cupboard or near the fire. It needs to rise to about twice the original size.
Stir the mixture to deflate it then stir in oil or butter, salt and as much flour as you need to make a dough which is firm enough to form a ball (add rice here). Turn it onto a floured bench to knead. Knead dough for 10-15 mins add flour to stop sticking on bench and hands. You know it's ready when it kind of starts to spring back and it looks different, kind of satiny.(add some seeds here.)
Halve dough and put into buttered loaf tins with room to rise to twice it's size. Press seeds on top you might need to brush loaf with melted butter first to make them stick better. Stand bread in warm place again till risen to twice it's size. Bake at 200 C for about 30 mins or until lightly browned.
1.5.08
Pumpkin stuff
I did a bit of Therapy:
Overdue harvesting, planning to put mustard and cleome in along the fence as catch crops in spring, the neighbours trees suck all the nutrients there anyway.
I love all things pumpkiny.Sorting and tidying always makes me feel better.
Pumpkin and poppy seed bread. Seeds harvested from the garden.
I've resolved to do a better job with my seed saving after the rain nearly ruined my cannelleni and berlotti seeds. Besides you never know when you'll seriously have to feed your family from the garden. Practice makes perfect.
23.4.08
Pay it forward
First 3 people to post a comment and pledge to pay it forward will receive a handmade pressie from me sometime in the next 12 months.
BUT
You have to put the same post on your blog and send a pressie to the first 3 people to do the same on your blog. ETC etc etc.
SO…if you’re want a pressie from me, leave a comment.
My downshifting week is not perfect but the effort is being made.
* I cooked a meal from scratch with ingredients from my garden and am trying to keep it up all week. So we'll be vegetarian or I might make bacon bone soup from pigs my Dad raised, I think that counts as downshifting cos they're not from the supermarket.
* I gave away some re usable bags, used mine twice but forgot them once. Still want to make and give some more.
* Harvesting and storing things from the garden, more on that later in the week.
* The TV went off but we didn't play scrabble we read instead.
To really be a genuine down shifter I feel like I shouldn't be using the car. Until I manage that I have to admit I'm not being a true down shifter. We only live 8km from town so I should at least bike once in a while.
Here is Skatey Boy's recipe for downshifting week:
Fruit smoothies
Makes enough for 5 glasses
Into your blender put 3 cups of berries and a cup of fruit juice. We used raspberries and blueberries we froze earlier in the season and the last of the fresh strawberries. Peel 2-4 fejioas and add them too. Bananas could be substituted but fejoias taste beautiful. Ice cream can be added but we think it's better without.
Whizz it all up and pour. Easy and delicious.
Check out Homemade Rainbows for more downshifting activities
18.4.08
Downshifting
The Softies book I featured is a collection of blogger's patterns. I first saw it in the Motueka Public library and immediately ordered a copy for myself and a friend. It doesn't give an author. Rather says Viking an imprint of Penguin books, It's just titled "Softies". I love blogs but am totally addicted to books. Before I had children I spent at least 2 hours a week in book shops. Now I'm lucky if I get 2 hours a month. Every now and then I treat myself to a special book. Hope you all still do the same.Look at what I got in the mail from Helen this week. Buttons, fabric, artwork and collage cards which made my day! I really admire Helen's craft work and poetry. I've already sent one card off as a thank you to a friend and am on the look out for old books and magazines to do some card collages with the kids this holidays.
As of today I'm on two weeks holiday, THANK GOODNESS! I hope to use the time to be a good friend and to participate in International downshifting week. 19th -25th April. I've started by donating some bags of pre- loved clothes to the Sallies today. I'm going to cook a meal for my Mum for her birthday on Sunday instead of buying a present.I'll make pumpkin soup from ingredients I have in my garden except for nutmeg and cloves which I can't grow, on Monday night we'll turn the TV off and play Scrabble instead. I'm going to sew some fabric shopping bags to give away to encourage friends to stop using plastic ones and when I shop I'll remember to take mine from the car into the supermarket. I hope every one who reads can make some conscious effort this week as well. If nothing else plant some winter veges, try spinach, brassicas, lettuce or peas.
12.4.08
I've been doing a little bit of everything in the last few weeks.
Other sewing attempts have been disastrous so I've been sowing seeds and making compost instead.
30.3.08
Gardening and sewing
I like the way the brassicas behave themselves in the garden, they don't wander all over the place and grow nice and fast keeping ahead of the weeds. I planted them a bit early though as some are already ready to eat. (Should get some more in) I've got spring onions, celery and peas companion planted with these and my colony of paper wasps are doing a pretty good job on the cabbage white butterflies.
Yesterday was productive. The market season is over so I sewed the "red head" some pairs of winter jarmies he's pretty pleased with them.I even sewed for the" teen" and the "skatey boy". Teen lost his pencil case last week, he was very cheesed off to have lost his beloved scientific calculator and highlighter pens and I was cheesed off to have to go and buy more. He really surprised me saying yes when I offered to sew him a pencil case. He complimented me by suggesting I make more to sell. Skatey boy nagged until I made him one too.
Plain gray denim, a coloured zip, matching top stitching and their name sewn on with my lovely new (pre-loved) Bernina.
Hope every one else had a lovely weekend.
25.3.08
Four things
Do you see the weka?