Potato Bread. 5.12.2022

Today I made bread using a mixer with dough hooks, for the first time.  Part of my drive down the nostalgia highway.  I used the recipe in the old Mixmaster cookbook.  The recipe was for potato bread - Mashed potatoes, water, egg, flour, a little sugar, a little salt.  The mashed potatoes were made with potato flakes, water, milk, butter.

It was very nice using the mixer to knead the dough.   I mistakenly left out the egg and sugar until after kneading, so added them and kneaded a bit longer, adding a little more flour.  Not as easy as if I included them before kneading but the loaf still came out great.

The loaf was delicious!  It had a great rich flavor, nice crust, slightly chewy texture.  Nice old fashioned home made bread.  

I never wanted to use dough hooks - sort of takes the baker a bit away from the dough.  But, I thought the process was kind of empowering.  Kneading by hand is too much work now.  Cleanup was easier too.

I could easily see going another step further, and making the mashed potatoes from home grown spuds from the June harvest.

Making Garden Mineral Supplement Using Chicken Bone & Wood Ash. 5.12.22

 In addition to eggshells, I make garden mineral supplement using wood ash and chicken bone.  I am vegetarian, and all of the bones come from the dog food I make for Rufus, which uses chicken thighs.   My calculations from the few articles that I could find about chicken bone ash, is that Calcium content is about 68% and phosphorus content is about 29%.  Wood ash is more complicated, varies by tree species and probably where it is grown.  From Wikipedia, calcium content can vary from 25% to 45%, less than 10% potassium, and less than 1%phosphorus, with the rest being trace minerals.  

By my tests, my garden soil is deficient in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.  So I supplement.  Growing crops removes a lot of those elements, which go into the plants and the food products.

I dry the chicken bones same same as I do eggshells.  They are already slow cooked overnight in the process of cooking for Rufus' meals.  I haven't been using the woodstove much, but today was chilly so I made a fire and added a big batch of bones.

After the fire burns out and cools, I collect the ashes and spread on the garden soil.  It's a dusting, not a thick layer. I prefer doing that before planting anything in that area and letting it mellow a week or more.  In the past I tried just burying the bones, but sometimes they don't break down and I find them when  cultivating.  Burnt bones are mostly fine ash, and the ones that are recognizable are brittle and crunchy like potato chips, and disappear when cultivating.

Squash Seedlings. Home Saved Seeds Germinate Faster. 5.12.22

 Of the squash seeds that I planted, the home seeds are all showing germination.  That is Galeux, Fordhook, Red Kuri, and Costata.  None of the purchased seeds are up yet although some seem to be swelling a bit.

Galeux

I don't know why the home-saved seeds would germinate faster.  I've also noticed that with tomatoes.  To hazard a guess, maybe I let the fruits ripen completely on the vine before saving seeds, while sellers might use less fully ripe ones?  Or maybe their storage is different in some way.  Mine are dry, in paper envelopes, in cool pantry.

I think the bought ones should still germinate.  They just seems to take longer.  Last year, my own Pink Banana Squash germinated in a week, but new bought ones needed two or three weeks.

Making Eggshell Soil Supplement. 5.12.22

 My soil test indicated low soil calcium.  Lime is a perfectly good calcium supplement, as is good wood ash.  So is ground eggshell.

I dry the eggshells until ready to grind up.   I store them in an open container so they dry quickly and done become gross.  I used to crush them in my hands but the food processor does a better job.  I don't know if they will dull the blade over time.  I have t noticed any issues.

I scatter the ground eggshell and, when the soil is cultivated, it disappears into the soil.  The main mineral in eggshell is calcium and a fair amount of phosphorus, but they also contain small to trace amounts of  magnesium, sodium, aluminum, boron, copper, manganese, iron, potassium, sulfur, and zinc.   Eggshells are 5% protein, so there is a fair amount of nitrogen as well.  Research varies as to the pH altering effects..  I think that is due to, the eggshells are slower release than lime so the effect is spread out over a longer time.

Considering the high cost of things, it seems like it's a good idea to make use of the eggshells' nutritional benefits rather than disposing of them in landfill where they serve no purpose.  Combined with coffee grounds and bone ash, this is a replacement for much of the fertilizer needs of my vegetable garden.

Rufus Had A Spa Day. 5.11.22

 Rufus has been panting more, which I take for being too warm.  So I gave him a haircut and a bath.

He KNOWS what's about to happen.  Even though he really doesn't like the face and paw parts, he jumps onto the table anyway.  I use mix of scissors and clippers depending on how sensitive an area is and how evenly I want it cut.  Then he gets a good bath, which he likes a lot.

After.  There's that handsome boy!

Not as nice a cut as a professional groomer, but a lot less stress for him and for me.