Tag Archive | grasshopper plague

A Wonder Bread

Sep3

I’m grateful I got four early cabbages, and learned a lot in the garden, before I took the screen covers off the late cabbages when they got too crowded. Because there’s not much left, and less each day.

And I’m really grateful I had a fun distraction over the weekend, making a seemingly complicated bread that said it was “same day,” but took several steps and lots of rises over about 28 hours. ‘That Sourdough Gal’ offers a one, two, or three day version in several loaf-pan sizes, starting with this Sourdough Wonder Bread Copycat Recipe. Amy’s made it a few times but this was my first effort. On Sunday night I made the stiff sweet starter (right) and let it rise overnight, and well into the morning since it was a cool night. Late Monday morning I made the tangzhong (left), and was delighted it was done in the microwave instead of stovetop. Both of them could have been more their ideal selves than they managed, but I learned.

After the tangzhong cooled, I mixed all the ingredients in the KitchenAid with a dough hook and let it run for about twenty minutes. I plunked the dough into an oiled bowl and let it rise for almost four hours.

It remained too cool inside to rise well so I set it outside, first in the sun but the top got dry even covered, so I flipped the dough over and moved it into shade. It was supposed to increase by about 30%, and this looked about right.

Then I rolled it into a log and let it rise three plus more hours in the pan, until the center was just above the pan edge.

And baked to perfection! After it came out of the pan I brushed the top with melted butter, and by the time it had cooled enough to slice it was midnight. So I put the loaf away and dreamed all night of the tomato sandwich I would have for lunch the next day.

I’ve waited all summer for this moment: a vine ripe tomato from my garden, homemade soft white bread, and just the right amount of mayonnaise. Amy saw this picture and said “I think you might need more mayonnaise.” I told cousin Mel about the sandwich and she said, “Whenever I get mayonnaise I think of you.” She recalled a time when I was horrified that there was no mayonnaise, and she said, “You wailed!” We laughed and laughed. It’s nice to be known.

I was extra grateful to be able to eat this sandwich yesterday for lunch. Not only that the tomatoes survived the grasshopper plague and ripened beautifully, that the bread turned out so well, that there was sufficient mayonnaise, but that I could finally chew again after five days on a liquid diet. The dental crowns that keep on giving! It’s been awful, but with some friendly advice and a recollection, I finally got some relief from the mouth and face paralysis and pain. I drank custard, soup, and smoothies for five days, took Vitamin I morning and evening, and looked up some Feldenkrais sessions for jaw pain. It still feels awkward to close my mouth but the teeth have almost quit hurting, don’t feel loose anymore, and can at last do their job again. On a wonder bread.

Pure and utter perfection: tomato, mayo, salt

Yesterday evening by the pond, I was trying to capture a gorgeous blue dragonfly, which I didn’t quite succeed in, but a sweet mama frog hopped into the picture. And when I looked at the picture, I saw another frog already hiding beyond the lily pads.

This morning, who did I find up in the vegetable garden all the way the other end of the yard? One of my darlings in the wood chips damp from the sprinkler. They are on the move! I wanted to catch it and return it to the pond, but who am I to say? It had come all this way braving untold hazards, I could hardly be the decider and make it start its journey all over again. And then for lunch, I enjoyed another perfect tomato sandwich, with some lightly curried carrot-corn soup. It’s been a peaceful couple of days at Mirador, as the wild world spins around.

Squash Blossom Season

Jul13

First, the bad news. After demolishing almost everything else in the garden, the grasshoppers finally attacked the onions, which were doing so well. I pulled those they’d eaten down to the ground, then consulted with Dr. Onion. He offered a “Duh!” solution: cover them, he said, with an old window screen or some row cover, and they’ll keep growing. So I chased out all the grasshoppers (a few times) as I laid over some old row cover I dug out, tucked in the edges, and weighed it down with hoses. We’ll see what happens.

And in Surprising New Garden Pests, I discovered several limbs of the precious cherry tree had damaged leaves, gnawed to lace by these horrible creatures, which Neighbor Fred identified as Pear Slugs. They’re the larvae of a type of Sawfly, which feed on pear, plum, and cherry leaves. After I removed eight or nine leaves, I hosed the tree down hard, then found one remaining. I’m glad I noticed before they did too much damage, and I’ll have to monitor the tree.

But the good news is, grasshoppers don’t prefer zucchini plants. They’ve eaten a few of the flowers, but so far haven’t bothered with the leaves much. For the past few days if I get to them first thing in the morning I’ve been able to harvest four or five for stuffing. A quick batter of one egg beaten with â…“ cup flour and ÂĽ cup soda water (the recipe calls for beer) yields a nice light coating.

By the third day stuffing flowers I branched out. The Brie was mostly just melting away, so I mashed some rice with cream cheese and Za’atar and stuffed today’s blossoms with that for a much more fulfilling squash blossom experience.

And while I was stuffing things in the kitchen, I whipped up some stuffed red peppers from a recipe Cousin Mel shared the old fashioned way, in a photo of a magazine page. She spiced hers up, I didn’t add so much chipotle. They were good! One for lunch, one in the fridge for later, and two in the freezer for later later. I’m grateful for knowledgeable friends, plenty of food and the energy to prepare it, and for squash blossom season.