Hi Gardeners
What a difference a week can make! Things have gone crazy it seems. Maybe one
good thing about this pandemic is that more people will have time for gardening
and reading about gardening. I am getting very annoyed when I hear someone
urging people to stay indoors. There is no reason people can’t be outside, in
their own yard, or walking in the neighborhood or park. If you stop to talk
with others don’t shake hands and stay 6 feet away, that’s all that needs to be
done. Covid 19 does not blow in on the wind and is not circulating in the
air unless someone is sneezing or coughing near you.
If you have been sent home from work get out there and garden.
It’s fine to be outside, you don’t need to hunker in the house. Being out in
the sun and fresh air helps dispel depression, the smell of soil is known to
ease depression symptoms. Get the kids out there too. Let the kids play in the
yard, just discourage the whole neighborhood from playing in your yard. If you
don’t have a yard take your kids and dogs someplace they can play, just avoid
crowded playgrounds.
When the garden work is done, just take a long walk, or even
sit in the sun. Everything looks better after a day outside and some work that
leaves you tired but happy. The sun is going to shine, there will be spring
thunderstorms, flowers will be popping out of the ground, birds will be
singing. Life will go on, and it’s important to get outside and acknowledge
that.
I’ve been outside most days in the past week doing bits and
pieces of garden clean up. I’m still wrestling with wisteria vines. The earliest
crocus are just starting to bloom. The buds on the trees are swelling.
Temperatures have been up and down but 45 degrees in bright sunlight feels just
fine for working.
Spring by the calendar arrives Friday. In you are in zone 6
or lower don’t get carried away by the mild weather. Only a very few things can
be planted directly in the ground now, dormant trees and shrubs, grass seed,
peas are examples. While the days can be mild, the nights are still going below
freezing fairly often. It’s only mid-March after all. We could still get a snowstorm.
You gardeners in zone 7 and above may be able to proceed with planting cool
season crops, but tender crops could still be in danger.
I don’t know how this virus will affect the
greenhouse/nursery season. My favorite nursery opened this weekend for
business. I have been known to go to a greenhouse on a cold dreary spring day
just to soak in the smell of growing things and see the cheerful blooms. I probably
will put off a trip for a few weeks – it’s too early for planting outside
anyway. But unless they close, I expect to visit my local nursery. If they have
to limit the number of people inside at a time, that’s fine with me.
I don’t think the virus will inhibit traditional farming
very much. At this point it looks like farmers may get an early start, which is
very good news for them. Food is still going to be produced. But if you are
thinking about producing some of your own food this year, this blog issue may
interest you. I’m giving advice on beginning
a vegetable garden.
I used to do spring vegetable gardening classes for the community
for a low fee every year at Extension. I had the thought, wow this would be a
great year for me to hold a food growing class in a hall somewhere but then the
reality of the quarantine sunk in. Guess I won’t. But I can write about it.
And if you are thinking about adding chickens to your yards
for eggs and meat, I have written a book for that – Raising Chickens for
Dummies. If I do say so myself it’s an excellent guide for beginning
chicken keepers covering all aspects of chicken keeping, including how to
butcher your own meat birds. It’s in its third edition now and has been the top
selling animal husbandry book from time to time. If you are feeling very
interested in self sufficiency buy the book, it’s available on Amazon.
 |
| https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Chickens-Dummies-Kimberley-Willis/dp/0470465441 |
Shamrock shenanigans
Today is St. Patrick’s Day and shamrocks will be everywhere.
But what exactly is a shamrock? Well they are that little leaf from a plant
some people call clover. True shamrocks usually have 3 leaflets, although they
are sometimes portrayed with 4 leaflets.
But what plant family do true shamrocks belong to? In the
late 1800’s a debate raged among botanists in Europe and America over this very
important question. Some believed firmly that shamrocks were wood sorrel or Oxalis and others that they were of the
clover or Trifolium family. Both plants grow well in Ireland.
A clever botanist by the name of Nathaniel Colgan carried
out a survey in 1893 by asking residents of Ireland to send him pressed samples
of the plant they considered a shamrock. The survey found that the Irish
overwhelmingly chose a clover, either Trifolium
dubium (Lesser or Hops clover) or Trifolium
repens (White Clover) although a few wood sorrel leaves arrived also.
But for most people the shamrock they are going to see
around St. Patrick’s Day, especially in stores, is usually an oxalis. Oxalis
are small plants, with a bulbous root. The leaves have 3-4 leaflets, sometimes
heart shaped. Most oxalis have small, 5 petal flowers that open flat in the
spring, although some species have funnel shaped flowers. Oxalis or wood sorrel
species are common throughout most of the world.
The species sold as “shamrocks” are usually tender
perennials and won’t survive outside in a cold winter. Keep them in a bright
window and keep them moist but not over watered to the soggy point. A light
fertilization once a month with a fertilizer for flowering plants will keep
oxalis blooming for long periods of time, although they will take occasional
breaks from blooming. Well cared for plants will become larger and live for
several years. The tender Oxalis can make great container plants outside during
the frost-free months.
There are also a few types of oxalis that can be planted
outside. When looking for oxalis to plant outside look in bulb catalogs. They
may be called wood sorrel, a common name. The bulbs are quite inexpensive for
most species
An oxalis that was a fad just a year or two ago is the Candy
cane oxalis, Oxalis versicolor. It
has funnel shaped flowers, striped in red and white. The pictures in catalogs
make the plant look impressive, but actually the plants and flowers are very
small. They are hardy from zones 7-9. It
will grow in sun or partial shade and is best seen in a rock garden setting or
in a pot. It should be planted in the fall.
Shamrock legends and customs
Nobody really knows if St. Patrick used a clover or shamrock
to teach about the holy trinity or whether he used shamrocks to drive out
snakes or whether he even wore shamrocks on his blue, (yes blue) monks robe as
is so often depicted in pictures. But somehow the shamrock got associated with
him and with Ireland in general.
In Irish culture true shamrocks are worn in the labels of
coats or on the hat on St Paddy’s Day through the drinking and parades. Then
they are put into the last drink of the day, there is a toast, the drink is
downed, and the shamrock thrown over the left shoulder for luck. This is called
drowning the shamrock.
Since 1952 it has been a tradition for the Irish Prime
minister to present the President of the United States with a bowl of shamrocks
in a fancy Waterford crystal bowl on St. Patrick’s Day. (It’s unclear whether
that custom will be performed this year.) Unfortunately, security protocol
demands that the shamrocks immediately be destroyed after the ceremony and
photo taking. The crystal bowls have various fates- President Reagan used one
for jellybeans.
The shamrock also appears on Montreal, Canada’s flag as a
symbol of one of the four major ethic groups which made up the city’s
population when it was founded. It’s hard to think of Montreal as being part
Irish, but it’s nice that all immigrants were honored. Almost everywhere the
shamrock is seen as a symbol of good luck.
The lucky 4-leaf clover
The “lucky” clover leaf with 4 leaflets instead of 3 is a
rather common mutation in clovers and it can be inherited. In fact, there are
varieties of white clover that have been developed that will have a high
proportion of leaves with 4 or more leaflets. These are grown to make those
lucky charms with a real 4 leafed clover inside. There is a purple leaved
variety, T. repens 'Purpurascens
Quadrifolium' and a green-leaved variety called T. repens 'Quadrifolium'.
If you ever need to keep a bunch of kids occupied for a
while tell them a 4-leaf clover is good luck and send them to look for one on
the nearest patch of ground. If there is any clover nearby- either white or red
clover- they may actually find one, although the odds are about 1 in 10,000
leaves. Some adults search diligently for four leaved clovers too, and some
make a hobby of collecting them.
The largest collection of 4 leaf clovers as of 2007 was that
of Edward Martin Sr. from Cooper Landing, Alaska, with 111,060 four-leaf
clovers. Clover can also have more than 4 leaflets. The largest number of
leaflets ever found on a clover leaf was 56.
So Happy St. Patrick’s Day and lots of luck this year.
Starting
a vegetable garden
I am hearing many people saying they are going to grow their
own food this year. Some are almost frantic when asking for advice. They are
worried about the Covid19 virus disrupting the food supply. I always encourage
people to grow some of their own food, but I don’t think people should panic
and think the world as they know it is ending. It’s not. Food is going to be
produced this year by farmers everywhere. But it is nice to know how to grow
your own food.
I don’t believe there will be a shortage of food, although
there may be a shortage of some types of food. Food that must be harvested by
hand such as the early strawberries, may be subject to shortages because there
isn’t labor to pick and pack them. Foods brought in from other countries, such
as bananas may be short for a while. We really don’t know yet. But things like
wheat, oats, corn, and potatoes will be grown and available. I don’t think
there will be much disruption in meat or dairy production either. When people stop hoarding stores will be
selling these as usual.
When asked what crop I would grow that would give the most
food for the space used, I would have to say potatoes. My grandfather used to
say he fed the neighborhood, (which was just a few families) one year during
the depression with an acre of potatoes. So, if you are worried about quantity
of food, grow potatoes. They are fairly easy to grow and are easy to store. But
I suggest you grow a variety of foods you like and learn to can and freeze the
excess.
Most home gardeners with just a small lot are not going to
be able to grow their entire food supply, regardless of what some cheerful
articles want you to believe. (Maybe if you can exist on zucchini and kale.) You
aren’t going to be able to grow enough wheat for bread or grow rice. You can
grow some of your fresh food however, and maybe a little extra for canning or
freezing.
If you don’t have your own bit of land or it’s too shady to
garden, maybe you can commander a plot of unused city land and grow a guerilla
garden. Many communities have communal garden areas where you can grow food
also. People in apartments may want to ask where those areas are. Whatever you
manage to grow will be good eating.
Here are the very basics of starting a vegetable garden if
you are new to gardening. If you want to know more about growing a specific
crop there are many articles to the right of this blog that you can click on.
The list is alphabetic.
The site
For starting vegetable gardens, you need a place that gets
at least six hours of full sun each day, the more sun, the better. The site
should be close to water and to the house. A vegetable garden close to the
house receives better care, is harvested more frequently and is less likely to
suffer animal damage. And you may want to see if the spot you want to grow
vegetables in has any restrictions on it’s use. In some neighborhoods for
example, you cannot have a vegetable garden in the front yard.
Don’t choose a low spot or one that doesn’t drain well for a
vegetable garden. Low spots collect cold air which gives a shorter season and
most vegetables will not grow in wet areas. If a wet, poorly drained area is
all you have you can make raised beds. Do not site food crops close to well
heads or over septic fields.
When starting a vegetable garden for the first time think
small. A vegetable garden that is twenty by thirty is a good start for a family
of four. Big gardens may overwhelm beginners and you can always expand next
year. Even this year with all the panic don’t make a garden bigger than you can
handle.
If there are deer in your area, you’ll probably need to
fence the garden to get a good harvest. It has to be a high fence; 8 feet is
good. To save money deer fencing can be plastic netting attached to poles.
Netting won’t keep out other pests like groundhogs and rabbits though. You’ll
need wire fence for that. Three feet of wire fence topped with 5 or 6 feet of
net fence can help stop all pests.
The soil
Choose your area and then get a soil test. A soil test gives
you an idea of what your vegetable garden will need for optimum plant growth.
Submit the soil sample at least six weeks before you want to begin planting.
This gives you time to get the results back and amend the soil if needed.
Contact your County Extension office, they will explain how
to collect the soil sample, where to send it, and when the results come back,
they can help you interpret them. The service costs a small amount. Don’t
add anything to the soil, such as lime, until you have had a soil test. Most
gardens do not need lime. Compost is an exception, it’s fine to add compost
as you wait for results.
Don’t worry too much about the type of soil you have. Both
clay and sandy soil can be turned into good vegetable gardens. The key to
improving both types of soil is to add lots of organic material. Your soil test
will tell you if you need to add lime or fertilizer.
Tools and supplies
You will need a good spade (shovel), a garden rake and a
hoe. You will need a hose and nozzles or watering cans for a small garden. Get
a good pair of gloves, your seeds and plants, and you are ready to start.
Tillers are not necessary. Some other things nice to have are stakes and
string, mulch, and row covers. Your soil test may reveal that you need to amend
the soil or fertilize. For small gardens these supplies are not very expensive.
All those colorful pictures of yummy vegetables can make you
spend much more on seeds than you need to. Read the back to see what size row
the package will plant. There’s a chart below this article that will give you
an idea of how much to plant for each person. Don’t order six types of bean
seeds if you only have room for one row of beans. It seems obvious, but only
buy vegetables that your family likes to eat.
Should you go organic?
Part of the value of starting vegetable gardens at home
instead of purchasing produce is so that you can control what is put on the
vegetables you eat. Home gardeners should strive to use the least amount of
pesticides possible. There are many ways to deal with problems other than using
pesticides.
Some people also choose to buy organic seeds and use only
organic fertilizers. Both are slightly more expensive than conventional seed
and fertilizer. You can have safe healthy vegetables while using non-organic
seeds and fertilizers, just don’t use pesticides.
There’s one thing to consider here. If food production is
going to be vital to your survival you may want to use chemical pest controls
if a serious problem occurs that might wipe out your crop. When chemical pest
controls are used according to label directions and produce is washed before
eating there is little to worry about. If it’s washing produce or your family
suffering from not enough to eat, chose washing produce.
Choosing a method
When starting vegetable gardens, you can choose to lay out
traditional rows in the soil, you can form mounded rows, or you can build
raised beds. If your soil drains poorly, mounded or raised beds will work best.
Mounded rows simply take soil from the paths and pile it on the rows. Raised beds can be built from many materials
to hold soil. If you have very little soil over a rock layer in your yard this
may be the best way to garden. Raised beds allow you to concentrate your soil
amendments and water in the actual planting area.
Straw bale gardening is not a good way to produce a lot of
food. It’s mostly a gimmick or a last-ditch effort to grow anything on very
poor or contaminated soil. Don’t chose it if you have other ways to garden. If
you want to read more about it try the link below.
In the beginning
Starting vegetable gardens where there is grass can be hard.
If you can start the fall before it’s easier. But whether in fall or spring
here is how to proceed. Remove sod by cutting underneath it then lifting off
pieces. Put the pieces on your compost pile. Then proceed to prepare the soil
for your garden.
This is vitally important. The soil must be ready for
you to work it before you start. Pick up a handful of soil and make a fist. If
the soil stays clumped in your hand when you open it, it is too wet to work. Your
soil may take longer than the guy across the streets soil to become ready to
work in the spring. If you work the ground when it is too wet, you compact the
soil and destroy soil structure and your garden will suffer.
If you are going to plant directly in the ground tilling
garden soil is no longer recommended as a regular yearly practice. But the
first year a garden is made one tilling or spading up the area will be fine. You
can rent a tiller or hire someone to do it. Then rake out stones and sticks and
smooth the area.
If you are making mounded beds simply pull soil with a rake
or shovel from where your paths will be to where your beds are. You may want to
measure and lay out the rows with stakes and string. If you are building raised
beds make sure to measure and plan before you start. It’s harder to correct
mistakes with raised beds. You can use soil from the path areas to help fill
beds, but you may also need a load of compost or good garden soil delivered to
fill raised beds.
Raised beds can be built to fit almost any space and they
are the solution to growing crops when the soil is really poor or contaminated.
They should be a minimum of 8 inches deep, but they could be as high as 3 feet
which might allow you to sit on the edge to garden.
While older treated lumber was considered toxic, many
experts feel that modern treated lumber is fine to use for raised beds. If you
worry about chemicals seeping from the wood, you can line the boxes with
plastic or just use untreated pine or cedar lumber at least an inch thick. There
are now plastic wood planks, which while expensive, are safe. You can also buy raised
beds made of plastic.
Make the raised beds only as wide as your arms can reach
across to weed and harvest. That’s about 2 feet if accessible from one side, 4
feet if you can access both sides. Raised beds can be used for all types of
plants.
Inside the raised beds should be soil that’s loose, light
and enriched with compost and other organic material. Instead of making rows
within raised beds you plant your seeds or transplants as far apart as
suggested on the seed packet or tag instructions throughout the whole bed. For
example, if the seed packet says plants should be 6 inches apart in the row,
plant the bed with all plants 6 inches away from each other, solidly throughout
the bed.
Make sure the paths between raised beds are wide enough that
you can get a wheelbarrow and/or mower down them. Paths can be mulched or just
kept mown very short.
Planting
Ask your county
Extension
Cool weather crops include peas, lettuce, cabbage, kale,
radishes, beets, and potatoes. Carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and onions
can be planted next, around the last frost. Tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplant,
cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and sweet corn should be planted after the last
frost and when the soil is warm.
These crops are better started inside and transplanted into
the garden- tomatoes, peppers, celery, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. These
crops can be started inside but could also be planted directly in the garden-
melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, head lettuce. If started inside or
purchased, they should still be small to avoid transplant shock. You can often
buy started plants at a good garden shop or even the big box stores in spring.
These crops are better planted from seeds planted directly
in the ground- leaf and romaine lettuce, kale, peas, beans, sweet corn,
popcorn, carrots, beets, turnips. You’ll see them being sold as plants in
stores and some people start them inside, but research has shown that these
crops planted in the ground at the correct soil temperature actually do better
than transplants.
Potatoes are planted as cut up pieces each with a sprout, or
as whole small potatoes. You should buy certified seed potatoes for planting to
help prevent disease. They are planted around the time of the last predicted
frost for your area, maybe a week or two earlier than that date. A little cool
weather doesn’t hurt them, but a hard freeze will.
Onions are a special case. There are many ways to plant
them. The easiest way is to plant sets. These are small onion bulbs. The onions
grown from them are generally small to medium sized cooking type onions or they
are great for producing “green” onions. Shallots and garlic are also planted
from bulbs.
Onions of larger sweet or cooking varieties are often sold
in bunches of small plants. These can be shipped without soil. Onions can also
be planted from seed directly in the garden or started inside in flats.
Buy plants if you want asparagus, rhubarb or strawberries.
They can be started from seed, but it will take several years to get a crop.
Follow the directions on the seed packet or consult a good
vegetable garden reference for how deep to plant seeds directly in the garden and
how to space plants in the rows.
Chart of how many vegetable/fruits to
grow per family member.
Fresh use assumes the person likes the crop but doesn’t want
to can or freeze extras. It’s also based on a normal crop for the type of
produce. It’s based on an adult appetite.
Depending on the age and appetite of children, two or three children
might consume one adult portion. If a family member doesn’t eat much fresh
produce adjust amounts accordingly. If your family eats lots of a certain
product, like sweet corn, adjust accordingly. Preserving use is based on the
amount needed for canning, pickling or freezing supplies for one person through
the off season.
All of these plant numbers are based on averages. Some
figures are given by row length, which means plants are spaced along the row in
the usual suggested spacing for the plant species. The numbers are for one
adult person and are just a guideline. In some cases, 1 plant may be enough for
several individuals, or for fresh and preserving use for one person. Plants are
assumed to be mature.
Add fresh and preserving numbers together if you want both
uses. If your garden is the sole source of food for your family, you may want
to increase the amounts grown.
Number of plants or feet of row per person. For fruit
trees, one tree will feed more than one person, 2 full size trees may be enough
for a family of four or more.
FRESH USE PRESERVING
Asparagus 6
plants 12
plants
Apples 1
standard or semi-dwarf tree for both uses,
Apricots 1
standard or semi-dwarf tree for both uses,
Beans, green use 6
feet 6 feet
Beans dry use ------ 12 feet per variety
Beets 6
feet 6 feet
Blackberries 1 1
Blueberries 1
full size plant 1 full size (2
dwarf)
Broccoli 6
10
Brussels sprouts 6 10
Cabbage 4
full size heads 6 full size heads
Cauliflower 10 2 0
Carrots 10
feet row 10 feet row
Celery 2 2
Cherries 1
standard or semi-dwarf tree, for both uses,
Collard greens 6
feet row --------
Corn sweet 10
feet row 20 feet row
Corn popcorn ------- 20
feet row
Cucumbers 1 3
Eggplant 1 1
Garlic 3 3
Grapes 1
plant 2
Greens, other 6 feet row -----
Kale 6
feet row -----
Kohl Rabi 6 -----
Lettuce, leaf, loose 3
feet row -----
Lettuce head 6 -----
Melons 1
per variety -----
Okra 2 2
Onions 10
feet row 10 feet row
Peaches 1
standard or semi-dwarf tree for both uses,
Pears 1
standard or semi-dwarf tree for both uses,
Peas 4
feet row 10 feet row
Peppers 1
per type 1 per type
Pumpkin ------ 1
Potatoes 20
feet row 20 feet row
Radish 3
feet row -----
Raspberries 2 4
Rhubarb 1
-----
Strawberries 10 25
Sweet potatoes 6 6
Squash summer 1 1
Squash winter 1 2
Tomatoes 1 2
Turnips, parsnips, 6
feet row 6 feet
row
Here’s an
example of a garden for 2 adults and 2 small children who we are going to
assume eat as much as one adult. The family wants to can and store some food
but is not expecting to grow all their food.
They are growing only foods they like to eat. Their garden might look
like this; 9 tomato plants, 6 pepper plants, 6 summer squash plants, 36 feet of
“green” beans, 9 feet of leaf lettuce, 9 cucumber plants, 60 feet of carrots,(spaced
6 inches apart that’s 3, 10 feet rows), 48 broccoli plants, 60 feet ( 5, 12
feet long rows) of sweet corn and about 100 strawberry plants (maybe a bed 25
feet long by 4 feet wide).
Preparing Potatoes for planting
Potatoes are
a crop that can be planted early. They can be planted when the soil temperature
reaches 45 degrees F. which is usually
3-4 weeks before your average last frost in spring. The best way to start them
is from seed potatoes, which you can order from a number of companies. These
are certified disease free. You can, however, start potato plants from grocery
potatoes if you have no other source.
Potatoes can
be left whole if they are small, but most potatoes should be cut into several
pieces, each piece must have an “eye”. An
eye is the depressed area on a potato skin, often sprouts have started to grow
from the spot. It is normal for seed potatoes to look slightly shriveled and to
have green areas on the skin. Let cut pieces sit for several days for a “skin”
to form over the cut surface before planting, even if the piece has a large
sprout.
For best
results potato pieces or small whole potatoes, often called seed potatoes,
should be starting to sprout when planted. If your seed potatoes have small
shoots, they are ready to plant. Some grocery store potatoes will have been
treated to inhibit sprouting. Sometimes just washing the potatoes and sitting
them in a sunny windowsill will start growth.
If the
potatoes show no signs of sprouting after a few days, try putting them in a
brown paper bag with an apple or two. Place the bag in a warm spot, over 70
degrees F. The apples give off ethylene, which promotes sprouting. Don’t use plastic bags or mold may begin to
grow. Once you have small sprouts the potatoes are good to plant.
Potatoes with
large sprouts are okay to plant but it’s better not to let the sprouts get too
large before you plant. Lightly cover the sprouts with soil so they don’t get
damaged by colder nights. They will grow through the soil.
For more
about growing potatoes see this article.
Make your own bread
Bread is one
of those things most people take for granted.
Almost any store from the corner gas station to big box stores carry
bread. But homemade bread, fresh from
the oven is no longer found in many homes and that’s a shame. There is nothing
like a slice of still warm bread with butter melting on it. And if its bread you baked the house will
have that yummy yeast bread baking aroma as a bonus.
Bread is made
from very simple ingredients. But like many things it can take some practice to
learn to make bread in a way that pleases you and others. Your less than perfect loaves will probably
be edible and even if they are not, bread ingredients are fairly cheap. You can
use a bread machine of course, and that’s better than frozen bread dough and
much better than store bought bread but still, true artisan bread made at home
from scratch beats them all.
A bread
recipe for white bread will be given below.
But bread recipes often need to be adjusted a bit to allow for slight
differences in temperature, moisture in the air, and many other factors. If
your first try at making bread isn’t perfect, don’t give up. Keep trying and
adjusting the recipe and eventually you will become the bread artist.
Yeast is one
of the most important factors in good bread making. Until you know you will be baking bread
frequently, buy your yeast in the little foil single use packets. Store them in
the refrigerator and don’t open the packet until you are ready to use it. These
packets have an expiration date- check it before you buy it and don’t use yeast
after the expiration date for best results.
Once you have
perfected the art of making one or two loaves of bread at a time, you can
experiment with larger batches if you need to.
But remember homemade bread doesn’t contain preservatives and will get
stale or mold quickly. Freeze it if it isn’t going to be eaten in 3 days.
Homemade
bread does take a little time- what good things don’t? But most of the time
involved is in the rising and you can be doing other things while that
happens.
Kneading dough
Kneading the
dough is a skill that needs a little practice. If you have a dough hook on a
mixer or food processor you can use that but the hands on method is great to
know how to do. Turn your dough mix, which may still be sticky, out on a
lightly floured surface and have some flour nearby. Lightly flour your clean
hands and the dough surface. Put your palms down flat on the dough blob and
push down. Pull the front of the dough toward you and fold it over the back. Push
down with the palms of the hands, pull forward, fold over and keep
repeating.
There’s no
exact method that has to be followed but you should be working the dough by
folding and turning it on itself. If your hands get sticky do not wash them. Instead
add flour to your hands. Small amounts of flour may need to be sprinkled on the
dough ball from time to time and worked in.
You are trying to make a dough ball that is smooth and not sticky on the
surface, while still being flexible and not too stiff.
Add flour a
little at a time and work it in well before adding more. If you get too much
you cannot add more liquid, but you can add small amounts of flour until sticky
dough improves. After a little experience you’ll know when the dough has just
the right feel. Never knead bread more than 15 minutes.
Rising the dough
For the first
rising put your dough ball in a bowl or pan that has been sprayed with pan spray
or greased. Turn the ball over once to grease the other side. Cover with a
clean cloth. The bowl or pan should be at least twice the size of the dough
ball because good dough should rise that much.
Bread needs
to rise in a warm but not too hot place.
Air-conditioned homes or homes kept cool in winter may not be great
places for bread to rise. Most homes won’t be too warm. If the temperature in
the home is less than 70 degrees turn on the oven for a few minutes, just until
it feels warm. You should be able to touch the racks without burning your hand.
Then turn the oven off and put the bread dough in there to rise. Over 150
degrees F. will probably kill the yeast and prevent dough from rising.
The rising
time will vary with dough, but it is usually around an hour. Test the dough by
looking at it- has it doubled in size? Then lightly poke a finger into it. If
the impression fills up in a few seconds it needs to rise more. If the
impression stays, it’s ready. Don’t leave dough rising too long or it will
“fall”. You can try dividing it and
letting it rise like below, but it may not recover.
If your yeast
was bad or another problem occurred the dough may not rise at all or very much.
If after 2 hours there isn’t any “life”, there probably isn’t going to be any. You
can still bake this “bread” but it will be very dense and bland tasting.
If the dough
has risen enough, punch it down. Turn it out on a floured board and just knead
it a couple times. Now divide it for the
number of loaves the recipe makes. Shape the dough like a loaf. Place your
dough loaves in the greased baking pans, cover with cloths and let them rise in
a warm spot just like the first rising. It will take a little less time the
second rising. Test as above and when the dough looks like it is doubled and
ready, brush some melted butter on top and bake the bread.
Basic White Bread
Recipe
Yield: 2 loaves
2-1/2 cups milk, room temperature, if you don’t have milk water can be
used but milk tastes better.
3 tablespoons butter or margarine,
melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 envelopes yeast (or 2 Tablespoons)
1/4 cup water, lukewarm, water too hot kills yeast, it should feel barely
warm
7 + cups flour (each batch varies a bit) Using bread flour is great, but
you can use regular flour. Use unbleached flour, it’s healthier.
Put the warm
water in a small bowl and add yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit 5 minutes. It
should look a bit frothy after 5 minutes. Do not leave the yeast in water much
longer than 5 minutes before its mixed with the other ingredients.
Mix the milk,
2 tablespoons melted butter, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add the yeast
and water to the larger bowl. Start stirring in the flour a cup at a time until
it gets very stiff, then turn out on a floured board and knead in more flour
until the dough is smooth and elastic. See kneading directions above.
Let the dough
rise until doubled in a greased, covered bowl. Punch down. Divide into two loaf shapes, place in greased
loaf pans. See rising directions above.
Let the dough
rise until doubled again. Brush loaf tops lightly with the rest of the melted
butter.
Bake at 400
degrees F about 30 minutes. Bread is done when top is light brown and sides
pull away from pan. Turn bread out of pan carefully and let it cool on a rack
or clean cloth for 15 minutes before slicing.
Unless you
are very well self-disciplined and no one else is home, your bread will
probably not make it through the 15 minutes of cooling time before someone
slices it. It will smash up a bit, but
that’s ok, slather on butter and enjoy!
Where flowers bloom so does hope
-
-Lady Bird Johnson
Kim Willis
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