Windy weather, sourdough starter, and more sprouts!

      The weather this week is so unpredictable! It was cloudy with a chance of rain; then it rained; and now it is blustering windy! The temp fell from 60 degrees, to 49 in an hour! I did manage to get my walk in after the brief thunderstorm, however! Tomorrow 's high is only 40's, but the next day back to sixties, then even to 70! Spring has it's moments here in the South! We got some snow flurries this past weekend but no accumulation. We have to watch the weather on a daily basis, so we'll know how to dress! OK, so much about the weather! Just like for my out of state readers to know what we're experiencing!

      I did get outside yesterday as the temps were 60-ish. I emptied the wheel barrow of goat manure onto the big bed. I just need to get out there now and turn it under. I need to do that to all of the beds! Won't that be a good workout! My arms are really feeling the workouts I've been doing on the DVD! I'm actually doing better with them than I thought I would! I hope I can hang in there this summer when it's so hot! I really hate profuse sweating, and that's what happens when I workout in the summer! We'll see!

      I received my co-op order Saturday and am planning on canning some beans tomorrow! Can you believe WM didn't have pint size jars? The hubs is stopping at Winn Dixie to get some on his way home this evening. I will also be trying out my new sourdough starter come Thursday, the day it will be ready. I've been acquiring sourdough recipes not just for bread; like: English muffins, pancakes and waffles, bread, and even dumplins! All you do to start is mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup water, stir, put in a jar, put a coffee filter with rubber band around it and let it sit for twenty-four hours. Then you add the same amount of flour and water, stir and let sit. Do this for seven days, and you'll have captured wild yeast or sourdough starter! Neat isn't it! Oh, I made a delicious new recipe for the bread machine from Bob's Red Mill: New York Rye. It's on their website. It is the best rye I've ever made! The hubs said don't even look for another one!

      I've got lentils and rice in the crock-pot and it smells so good! It has southwestern spices so it will be good in tacos and such. I got that recipe from: lifecurrents.dw2.net if you're interested. Hope ya'll are having a good week! Stay safe! Blessings from Bama!

This was an experiment to see if I could make washing soda. I'm not sure if it ever did, and it's not worth the amount of time spent in the oven if it did. Better to buy it instead.

My co-op order: nuts, dried fruit, beans, oatmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, all organic of course!

The delicious rye bread!

Wonderful smoked salmon! I think this was my first time to eat it! I know it was the hubs first time to smoke it. Make sure you read the label. It may say wild caught but from what country? I ran into that at WM, so this pack came from Washington state.

Sourdough starter. See the separation? Totally natural. You can see tiny bubbles. I think my kitchen is very yeasty!

These are the English muffins I made. They turned out pretty good. My first time making them and they got a little dark. Next batch will be with the sourdough.

My delicious lunch: smoked salmon, pickled onions, pickled beets, lettuce mix with homemade vinaigrette, and Hazel nuts.