[BakerAunt]

No, it's not ramsoms. My husband is trying to remember the name our botanist friend told him. They look almost like chives.

On another note, the morel mushrooms have been under stress due to the spread of an invasive plant called garlic mustard, which sterilizes the soil so that mushrooms cannot grow. It's a major problem, and it's one of the invasive plants that my husband fights in his woodlands. Others are multiflora rose, honeysuckle, and the Asian bittersweet.

[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I also baked Grape Nuts Bread. We liked the more whole wheat version that I had done last time, so I followed those changes. I wanted to use up some of the high gluten flour, so I used 1 cup bread flour, one cup high gluten flour, and one cup AP (all KAF). I kneaded at speed 3 on my Cuisinart mixer for 6 minutes and 30 seconds before getting a windowpane. The dough had great rises, and oven spring was good. They are now cooling on a rack. We will cut one tomorrow; the other will be frozen for later.

[BakerAunt]

To go with leftover roasted chicken thighs, I cooked a package of spinach noodles and several minutes before they would be done, I emptied a package of frozen broccoli florets into the water. Meanwhile, I sautéed 8 oz of sliced mushrooms in olive oil, then sprinkled with 2 Tbs. flour. I added a bit of half and half that I’m trying to use up, and some pasta water. After I added the drained pasta-broccoli mixture to the noodles, I used a coarse grater to add some Parmesan, then freshly ground pepper. It was delicious, and we will have leftovers for the next two days, although on the third day, I’ll re-purpose them.

[BakerAunt]

My husband and I looked at the picture. What we have are not ramps. We think they are a kind of garlic, although it has a taste reminiscent of green onion.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

We actually like lima beans--dry ones I cook or frozen ones. I've not tried canned. My sister bought some to use in a lima bean casserole she wanted to try. She said the dry and frozen ones were sold out.

[BakerAunt]

My husband and I noticed that our York apples need to be used, so I used eight of the remaining ten to bake an apple pie. I used my oil crust, which I roll out before fitting into the Emile Henry deep-dish pie plate, and I use Bernard Clayton’s French Apple Pie recipe, which is an apple pie with a streusel topping instead of a top crust. I reduce the streusel ingredients by 25%, except for the butter, which I reduce by half. I always par-cook the filling, since I need to par-bake the oil crust. It should rest until tomorrow, but I suspect that my husband will want to cut into it for dessert tonight.

[BakerAunt]

Update on the fruited sourdough bread: it is delicious, especially with Land o' Lakes Light Butter Canola Spread, or the Greek Yogurt-Cream Cheese Blend that Kroger makes. My husband and I both had some at breakfast. I though that perhaps I should have added more sugar in the dough, but my husband says it is fine as it is. It has a soft interior texture. The crust did get "wrinkly" as it cooled, but the taste is what is important.

[BakerAunt]

Out of curiosity, I also consulted Bernard Clayton. In the first edition of his The Complete Book of Breads, he says that "the phrase salt-rising refers to the old kitchen practice of keeping the bowl of starter nested overnight in a bed of warm salt, which retains heat nicely. It does not refer to the bread's peculiar taste" (p. 306).

He notes, as did Beard, that the starter can be "temperamental" and warns: "

. . . if it doesn't bubble up during the night to produce its oddly sweet odor, have no patience. It is only a sacrifice of cornmeal and milk. Begin again, but put it together in another way. Use a different milk, or another kind of cornmeal. There is no easy explanation of why one combination will work and another will not" (p. 306).

Like Beard (and unlike that article that got us started on this topic), Clayton emphasizes warmth when making the starter. Indeed, he days to "warm everything it touches, the bowl, the cups, and the spoon" (306). He instructs readers to find a spot in their house which is between 90F-95F and notes that in his house "that is on a shelf near the hot water heater in the utility room." He, like Beard, also recommends the pilot light of the oven, but of course our ovens don't have pilot lights anymore.

He suggests using pasteurized whole milk and notes he has had no success with non-fat dry milk.

He goes on to give three different recipes. He notes in the first one that the dough "will have a strong smell not unlike a soft ripe cheese, and it is here the lovers of salt-rising bread are usually sorted out from among those who are not. To the former, it is a glorious aroma; to the latter, an unpleasant smell" (p. 307). Clayton also includes two of the three recipes in the revised second edition of his book.

[BakerAunt]

A lot of foraging for morels goes on in our area and in the state parks when they are in season.

There are some wild green onions that come up in the woods at this time of year as well. They have to be eaten close to when they are harvested, as the flavor fades rapidly.

[BakerAunt]

Here is what James Beard says in Beard on Bread:

"Salt-rising bread is one of the oldest breads in this country. It has a delicious and unusual flavor and a very smooth texture. In fact, it is one of the most remarkable of breads. It does present one great difficulty for the breadmaker. It is unpredictable. You may try the same recipe without success three or four times and find that it works the fith time. Or you may get a loaf that is halfway good. If it works, fine; if it doesn't forget it. I am including it in this collection because it is a worth recipe, but I do so with a warning that you may be disappointed" (p. 68)

He also states that the starter, as it sits, needs to be kept at a "steady temperature" of 100F. He gives a time of between 12 and 24 hours for the starter to foam.

It does not have a rise between the mixing of the starter and other ingredients, but he notes that the rising in the pans may take 4-5 hours or longer.

This is definitely NOT a bread to recommend to new bakers. They would have better luck with starting their own sourdough culture. As an experienced baker, I have no desire to try it.

[BakerAunt]

None of those recipes is going to pass the "healthy" test, Aaron!

[BakerAunt]

You (and your Mom) are correct, Aaron. One of my girl scout leaders made her coffee this way. Her husband, who was along for support on the weekend camping trip, looked at it and said, "Is that a pot of grease!"

I'm not positive, but I think that Swedish coffee may be made that way as well. I don't plan to try it. I'm quite happy with my French Press.

The mushrooms have Vitamin D because many are grown under ultraviolet light. I'm not sure about the ones in the woods, not that I know enough to harvest any from there.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Like Len, I answered correctly through a process of elimination. However, like Joan, I learned from the explanation. However, there's probably a good chance that John the Baptist ate insects, which are a food source in other parts of the world.

[BakerAunt]

Or they ran out of room. 🙂

Last December, Kroger had King Arthur AP on sale at a great price, so I bought about four bags, while my husband rolled his eyes, especially as I had a 10 pound container full at home (well, he didn't know that part as he stays out of the pantry). It wasn't foresight on my part but thrift. The best flour prices seem to be in November and December. I mentioned that once on the now closed KAF Baking Circle, and Frick said that she does the same thing, and that her husband was consistently surprised at the places where she had stashed flour bags.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--we left the apples in the bags from the orchard. The York were in a paper bag. They are starting to get slightly soft, so I've stuck the bag in the house refrigerator. I plan to bake an apple pie tomorrow, which should leave two or three that my husband can eat. I've wondered about finding a better way to store them. Our garage is heated, so the temperature does not go below the low 40s, and it is built into the hillside, which also protects the temperature.

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