So I know I promised you a part two on the sourdough starter but I kinda decided to marry together this past week plus the remaining sticky, yeast-y goods altogether on this one post! The past week has been busy with simple tasks that feel slower but still fill so much of the days. Before I know it the sky is dusty pink again and I've gotta get dinner on the table! I really feel like the Lord is calling my attention elsewhere since the move and I want to share it with you. Away from work hustle and eyes on my family.
In the days since we last hung out here, it has gotten considerably colder in Kentucky. Some heavy rain came in and gave us a bit of a scare around the perimeter of the house- I'll show you below. The kids have been feeling the sluggishness of mid-school year, we got some Christmas decor up AND, I made my first loaf of bread!
Several days ago it began raining heavily in the night and kept going until about lunch the next day. I noticed so much rain around our house and freaking out I pulled on my farm boots and Everett (our 6 year old) and I raked away leaves where the water was pooling.
This created a channel for the water to flow away from the house. It really did seem to help- within the hour the water had drained away. Thanks to my dad for the tip and assurance that a little rain wasn't going to bring the house down after standing firm for 80+ years lol.
I notice the boys have less and less focused energy to do much of our book work- which is totally fine. I'm looking for other ways to learn throughout our day. I've seen the joy and reward of letting them lead a bit more and it's been really sweet. They end up spending more time independently reading. They create money sorting devices from card board boxes, learning origami, and are showing more interest in helping me in the kitchen. Learning is everywhere and that is such a blessing when we embraced it!
Especially in the midst of moving and unpacking! The other day I took them for a hot chocolate treat to The Amsden , which is now just a few minutes away from us! They practiced their handwriting and spelling as they wrote letters to Santa. Also, if you visit, which you should, (pro tip) get the cheese and ham scone, it's incredible!
Before we moved in, I decided to give myself grace and permission (as silly as that sounds) to NOT decorate like I normally would for Christmas. Usually I go all out and have my decor going up before Thanksgiving. This year an unassuming, "pencil" tree made it's way up in the family room with some of my favorite trinkets and bobbles I got last year. I did get our elves out- thankfully they got the change of address notification! And I pulled out a few bottle brush trees and such. The simplicity feels a bit like a blessing honestly- taking note for next year.
As for the Sourdough starter, that baby kept rising and bubbling and getting to be stinky-sweet smelling. So much so, that after 8 days of cultivating natural yeast, I decided it was ready to take it's maiden "voyage" into the oven via a brand new Lodge enamel cast iron dutch oven! If you decided to begin your sourdough starter from reading this blog- YAY! I do NOT- think you will regret it! Here are the steps for the remaining days until your starter is ready to leaven some yummy bread:
Days 3-7ish:
Continue feeding your starter using the discard and feed method mentioned here .
Once it has been at least 7 days (maybe longer) and you can see that your starter is steadily rising and bubbling- your may be ready to start baking bread! HOORAY!
Continue the feeding process each day to keep developing and maturing your starter and most importantly keeping it ACTIVE! I think I will make a separate blog post on how to store and nurture your sourdough starter once its been created...
I decided to make my first loaf this week with the help of my friend Rachel! She kindly shared with me a super easy recipe that is basically NO-KNEAD! I find it results in the most delicious crusty loaf of bread that is made irresistible with a thick shmear of salty butter. I'll be sharing her recipe soon! I put a poll up in instagram stories recently and so many said they would LOVE to bake fresh bread- no surprise there. We (Rachel and I) will be doing a weekly bake so meet us over on Instagram and watch for info in stories!
-Cozily Yours, Rach
