Autumn, I love it. The colors, smells, harvest time and filling all those mason jars. Over the years we have been blessed with canning jars received from elderly neighbors no longer wanting to can foods. Considering the current prices for a new case of jars...that's a BIG savings. Hubby's passion for gardening has provided the food to go into those jars. Today we cooked tomato sauce and canned 38 pints. We have one more round of tomato sauce to make next weekend and then we move onto pumpkins to steam and freeze. Thankfully I am allowed to keep a few of the nice heavy meated pumpkins for our food storage rather than carving them up for Halloween.
Baking is back in season with the weather turning cold and we have enjoyed homemade bread. After years of trying to keep my family healthy by feeding them homemade wheat bread that tasted blah and fell every time, they just knew I was torturing them. I finally found a recipe for white bread that works, tastes good and isn't too crumbly. I discovered a few things that have helped, good yeast, fresher flour, milk(keeps the bread moister and holds together better) and lastly to BE NICE to the bread dough during kneading. Chickadee let me know last year that I didn't have to take out all my life's frustrations on the bread dough. Of course, she said this after she pulls out her gorgeous loaves from the oven. Argh!
I have learned, I am now nice and gentle with the bread dough. I don't beat it to death as in my former days. We are still eating white bread as I am making sure this new idea really does work and it isn't just a fluke. I am hoping to gradually add more whole wheat flour into the batches as time goes by thus reducing the shock factor of switching from white to wheat. I would be willing to do 50/50 loaves if they rise:)
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