I had one jar of pickles go completely mushy on me (quart)....now I'm nervous about the others. I shouldn't be, because of my success last year....but I just started filling my second 2-gallon jar (woohoo!) and it is already almost full! The cucumber plants are still healthy and producing, and there is still plenty of dill. I threw a small handful of pole beans into the last jar. I didn't have enough beans to do anything with other than eat them as I picked them, so I set a few aside to see how they'd come out as pickles.
Yesterday I picked up two bags of wheat berries and my total bill was less than $45. I hadn't stocked up on wheat berries yet because I couldn't find them for less than $150-170 including shipping for 50 lbs, yet I now have 100 lbs for $45! They are not organic, but are chemical-free, and that will do. I have a bag of hard white and a bag of soft white. I will order a bag of kamut next. It is time for me to start making some of our bread, even though we don't use that much, it is $3-4 per pound for the kinds I will tolerate, one of my grocery splurges. I will be happier with 45 cents a pound! Even if it is just for toast and such, it'll cut down on the grocery bill a bit.
So one goal for this winter will be to perfect recipes for whole wheat bread that we will actually eat. Growing up, my mother made all the bread, but used white flour mostly. I learned from her, and in my teens made the bread for the family quite often....six loaf batches. It was always a battle to not devour a loaf with butter as soon as it came out of the oven. Mom stood firm....most of the time!
I made all my own bread for many years as an adult, but gradually stopped. When I shifted more and more to whole grains, I was not satisfied with the results made from grocery store flour. The bread was too dense, too strong and bitter, and too crumbly. I had two recipes I used for toasting and French toast only, an oatmeal bread and a seven-grain bread recipe. The extra gluten produced in these methods made a softer, less crumbly bread that was wonderful toasted with butter but impossible for sandwiches.
Since shifting to a very low-grain diet, it has not seemed worthwhile to bother with bread-making, especially since we can get the wonderful sprouted grain breads from Alvarado Street Bakery....most of the time.
Now at 45 cents a pound, I can no longer resist the challenge. Grinding the wheat myself will solve the strong, bitter taste that comes from using rancid grocery store flour. I could even sprout it, I've experimented with this a little in the past year or two. Bring on the cooler fall and winter weather! I'm ready!
NOT!
Oh, hey, just had a thought....I have a Gouda almost ready to wax and age, and a Caerphilly waxed and aging....ooooh, grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade bread! I think I'm gonna swoon!
