July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home Magazine
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazinePublisher’s NoteThankful for Backwoods Home MagazineAs COVID-19 has swept across the U.S. the past fewmonths, I’m increasingly aware of the toll inflicted onsmall businesses. Being a small business owner, I sympathize greatly with those who are facing bankruptcy afteryears of hard work. Since my business primary deals withcustomers over the phone, by mail, or on our website, wehaven’t been adversely affected by the virus or lockdown.In fact, we’ve seen a substantial increase in subscriberswho are looking to become more self-reliant.Our office is fairly spread-out, and with a few basic precautions we are able to stay open in relative safety. Ourthree office ladies and I each have our own comfortablespaces, the large editorial area is separate from them, andthe book shipping area is at the back of the building. Myparents, Dave and Ilene Duffy, who are important to boththe business and editorial sides of the magazine, are in the‘at risk’ age range for COVID-19 so are sequestered at theirhome and only come into the office after hours. The managing editor, my sister Annie Tuttle, is also sequestered ather home as she has underlying lung issues.All editors have workstations at their homes that we’veupdated with programs like Zoom, so we hold our editorialmeetings in real time. The only thing we can’t do effectively is have office parties. I am thankful for the position mybusiness and family are in right now. This crisis makes therisks of owning a small business clear.On the newsstandLast issue marked thefirst issue of BHM’sreturn to the newsstandsince we withdrew fromit two years ago duringour brief transition to adigital-only publication.Our timing may havebeen slightly off sincethe issue hit the shelvesof Tractor Supply,Coastal Farm Supply,and Wilco at the beginning of the pandemic.In this issueI hope you’ll like this issue. We have a few more articlesthan usual in our Making a Living category. Maybe they’llhelp you get the juices flowing if you’re trying to figure outa way to make some money while you’re waiting for yourjob to come back or are looking for another revenuestream. Even our Farm and Garden category talks aboutselling what you grow.We’re also still discussing the pandemic in this issue. Dr.Joe Alton asks where the virus came from in his article,How did COVID-19 originate? And John Silveira exploresour response to the pandemic in his Last Word column, Theunintended consequences of the lockdown. My Dad examines the pandemic from a more personal angle in his column, My View, on page 7. — Sam DuffyThe Backwoods Home Magazine office — BHM founder Dave Duffywatches Crew Dragon astronauts on an office monitor during a break in activity.6www.backwoodshome.com
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazineMy viewI never got to say goodbye to Dador my uncle, but I have no regretsOne of the tragic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the inability by many to say goodbye totheir loved ones as they lost their lives to the virus. It wasmainly the result of policy guidance issued by the CDC(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the CMS(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) to nursinghomes and long-term care facilities where many of thedeaths took place. Visitors and anyone else who weren’t“essential staff” were barred; they were advised to stay intouch with their elderly loved ones through computer platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype. The guidance isnow being relaxed somewhat, sometimes allowing end-oflife visits by relatives.It brought back memories of my father when he died ofcancer 56 years ago. I was 20 and he was 57, and I raced tothe hospital to see him because I knew he was dying. I hadbeen at home caring for my mom, who was also ill, and mybrother had come home from the hospital so I could get myturn to say goodbye. But I got there too late. He died minutes before I came into his room. All I could do was kisshim and hold his hand and talk softly to his lifeless body. Itwas very hard not being able to say goodbye, and for yearsI felt I had let him down. I can only imagine in my nightmares how hard it must have been for Dad.And although the pandemic has highlighted this tragicend-of-life situation where loved ones cannot be with adying parent, throughout history it has happened on aregular basis, whether from wars or sudden heart attacks.At age 15 my wife was denied the ability to say goodbyeto her 52-year-old Dad when a fatal heart attack took him.She has talked about him often, from the perspective of ayoung girl with a true hero for a Dad.Forty years after my Dad died, his brother, age 99, laydying at a care facility. He had been asking me to visit himfor the previous couple of years. We weren’t close like myDad and me, but we were close enough. My excuse for notvisiting him before he died was the inconvenient crosscountry plane trip, plus a relative told me my uncle hadmild dementia and may not recognize me anyway. A fewmonths after he died, another relative told me my uncle hadclung to life for days after he was expected to die. “He saidhe was waiting for you to come see him,” she told me. Youcan imagine how I felt.But I’ve justified not saying goodbye to both my fatherand my uncle. My justification rests on the fact that duringtheir lifetimes I was a friend to them, and I was honest andkind and respectful. I had no regrets about my relationshipwith either man. Asimportant as it is tosay goodbye, it’seven more importantto have been an honest friend while theylived.We take a lot ofstuff for granted,including ourrelationships withour parents, siblings, children, andfriends. It takes apandemic to make us realize these relationships are all temporary. Time marches relentlessly forward, kids grow upand move, our health changes, and once-in-a-hundred-yearevents (like a pandemic) occur.Wouldn’t it be nice to get a carefree hug from yourgrandkid right about now. How about a casual visit froma neighbor we only see occasionally. Look at all the family visits and vacations we’ve had to put off without muchnotice. We did all these things without a thought before;now we take tentative steps toward those we love the most.The other day while reading the news I came across aphoto of children in a playground. Each child sat on theasphalt inside a rectangle drawn with chalk, while theteacher, wearing a face mask, talked to them from a standing position. The kids were not looking so much at theteacher as they were at each other. Their body languageeasily revealed their eagerness to play with each other.The headline over the photo blared, “Is this the new normal,” obscenely suggesting the impossible scenario of children being unable to make contact during playtimes of thefuture. We hear that phrase, “the new normal,” often thesedays. But it’s all backward! It’s not “the new normal” wefear but “the old normal” we are fearful of returning to. Mygeneration is the first to emerge from “the old normal” ofconstant deadly and debilitating diseases plaguing humanity. We emerged into “the new normal” when we defeatedpoliovirus in my youth, and when we eradicated smallpoxin 1980 when I was 36. We have been living “the new normal” and we’re not going to give it up. A vaccine is justaround the corner for this coronavirus, and not only willwe be up and running as a healthy society soon, but ourrenewed energy will kick our economy into overdrive.Life is a wonderful thing. Out of the abyss we came toenjoy it, and someday into the abyss we’ll return. But as ahuman being, let’s endeavor to live and die on our terms.Put regrets and missed opportunities aside, and stop takingfor granted all the wonderful relationships life offers us.Once this pandemic is behind us, let’s make sure we live ashonest friends with those we love. — Dave Duffywww.backwoodshome.com7
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazineSourdoughsimplifiedIBy Jim Capossela’m not a movie buff but onecould imagine that you wouldn’thave to watch too many JohnWayne movies before seeing oldDuke sitting around a campfire(scolding someone?) with a largecast-iron pot suspended colorfullyover some hot coals. If you couldhave peeked inside, you might wellhave seen a batch of sourdough biscuits or a loaf of sourdough breadbaking. Although compressed yeastbecame available in the mid nineteenth century, it’s fair to assume thaton the frontier, it wasn’t always athand. But what was and is alwaysavailable is the yeast in the air allaround us. It simply needs to be captured by a slurry of flour and waterthat will become a starter or “mother.”This living starter containing naturalyeast was transported from campsiteto campsite, or from cattle drive tocattle drive, much as more ancientpeople would transport a live coal tostart the next fire. Even if you’replanning to skip the next cattle drive,you can make your own starter andcraft the exact same baked goods thathelped settle the old west or feed thespeculators in the California andKlondike gold rushes.But a lot of people make sourdoughmore complicated than it has to be.My approaches to both creating astarter and baking with it might beseen as heretical by some professional bakers and certain purists, especially in regard to the fact that I usuallyadd commercial yeast for extra boost.But I’ve enjoyed sourdough breads,biscuits, rolls, pancakes, waffles, andeven jelly doughnuts for decades andhave never wanted for more flavor orrichness than my methods yield.8Early morning breakfast on the patio with sourdough biscuits and coffeeThe rap against supplemental commercial yeast (or even chemical leaveners) goes like this: it’s so potentthat it overwhelms the natural yeastwhile at the same time making thebread rise too quickly, which preventsfull development of that distinctivesourdough flavor. This argument hasmerit, but there’s a hole in it. Onceyou’ve repeatedly fed your starter andbaked with it many times, I believethe commercial yeast you began withis displaced by the natural yeast inthe air and in the flour, since commercial yeast does not do well in theacidic environment of a sourdoughslurry. In this fashion, your startersort of “purifies” itself naturally. Butwhat about adding commercial yeastin the actual recipes? Committed professionals and no doubt some serious at-home bakers who really careabout their product often omit thecommercial yeast, (but not always,www.backwoodshome.comkeep reading) but I’ve found that thatcan make for very long rise times andunpredictable outcomes. Professionalbakers not only bake constantly, ingreat ovens, but also have access toa wide range of flours that are veryimportant in determining how a loafwill turn out. Then, too, professionalbakers often do add commercial yeastto help out those heavier breads madewith whole grains, or that incorporatenuts, fruit, olives, or various herbs.Using my simpler approaches willyield excellent results without theunpredictability and the rise timesthat can stretch to two or even threedays, with rounds of “retarding” inbetween. That said, it doesn’t haveto be either/or. Now and then whenambition moves me, I make a coupleof traditional round country loavesor “boules” with no added yeast.These are always two-day breadswhere the loaves are held back in
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home Magazinethe refrigerator overnight to slow theferment, then put out and set to riseagain the following day. I keep myfingers crossed that the loaves riseenough without them overproofing.Sometimes it works out.You can make whole wheat or ryestarters but these directions are for awhite-flour starter, the one most typically used. No problem adding wholewheat flour to the recipe, though.Making sourdough starterIn a large bowl, put two cups ofunbleached all-purpose flour, one teaspoon of salt, three tablespoons ofsugar, and one envelope of dry yeast.Stir well.Add two cups of warm water, about105 F, stir well. Leave lightly covered (I like cheesecloth) at room temperature for 24 hours. Then, add ahalf-cup of flour and a little less thanthat of lukewarm water — about 78degrees from now on. Repeat this24 hours later. In another day, youshould have a yeasty starter that hasthe consistency of a very thick batter, but one that would pour if youtipped the vessel. I use a clear plasticcontainer with an easily removabletop, one where just the end opens ifyou wish it to be (see photo). Manybakers use glass or ceramic vessels tostore their starters.Don’t let anyone tell you you can’tuse plastic. I once kept a starter aliveand healthy for 20 years in a clear,rigid plastic vessel almost identicalto the one in the photo. Do not usemetal, although some say stainlesssteel is OK.You can begin to use this starterfor simply made items like biscuitsor pancakes. I don’t though. I wantto build the starter a little. After thefirst 48 hours, I put the starter in therefrigerator (probably not strictly necessary in the building stage), lid downif there is a lid. I leave the lid justslightly ajar to let the inevitable gasesof fermentation escape, although I’mdubious that this is really necessary.I store my starter in this clear, rigid plastic container of a type I’ve usedsuccessfully for years. Entire lid can be easily removed as necessary.Whole wheat sourdough bread after first riseThe next day, I take it out, leave iton the counter for two hours, thenadd about a third cup of flour and alittle less than that of lukewarm water.Each time it is fed, I leave it on thecounter partially uncovered so thatit will pick up natural yeast that is inthe air.I’m told that the more you bake, themore of those invisible yeast sporeswill be in your kitchen, not just inthe air but on surfaces. Accordingto the scientists, over time, as different strains of yeast are gatheredin, the complexity of the starter andwww.backwoodshome.comtherefore the baked goods increases.Each time you feed it, it should startto bubble, as the yeast feed on thenew flour being introduced. The fermentation of the sugars in the flourby the yeast combines with chemicalreactions by the beneficial bacteria(which are also everywhere) to produce the famous sourdough flavor. Asalcohol is a by-product of fermentation, a thin layer of lightly coloredalcohol will accumulate on top of thestarter if you leave it be for a spell.I’ve heard that this is where the term“hooch” came from. Maybe it’s what9
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazineSourdough pancakes baking on a 75-year-old Coleman stove. What storiesthat stove could tell. This batch shows the pancake color to aim for.got John Wayne pumped up for hisfrequent orations? Actually, it’s saidto be undrinkable, but it does clueyou in that you’re not feeding yourstarter often enough. I’ve sometimesstirred it back in but many authoritiesadvise that you simply tip it out atfeeding time.The seven-day preparation ofcourse also builds volume. Then,you’re ready to create your own compliment-winning recipes or try thosethat follow.If you don’t bake regularly, takeyour starter out at least twice or threetimes a week and feed it: two hourson the counter, then a half cup orless each of flour and water. Leaveout for several hours, then return tothe refrigerator where the yeast willremain alive but dormant. If you doplan to bake, take the starter out atsuppertime, and just before bedtimefeed it as just described. The nextmorning it will be bubbly and readyfor use. Every so often, empty thevessel and clean out the harmless solids that accumulate around the sides.Some bakers go to extraordinarylengths in caring for their starter,feeding it not just once a day but even10more often. I’ve no doubt that someplay classical music for their starter,or write poetry to it. I haven’t yetheard of a funeral held for a starterthat died, but it’s bound to have happened.Sourdough pancakes:Serves 3Can you envision a pancake battermade without milk? Well, here it is,and these are the lightest pancakesI’ve ever had. I’ve made them dozens of times in campgrounds, andoften at home, too. In a camp setting,when it’s chilly, I’ll take the starterin a small container into the sleepingbag with me. Make sure the lid fitstightly!Specifically because of this recipe,I make my starter a little thicker thansome to compensate for the thinningcaused by the water.2 cups sourdough starter1 egg2 Tbsp. sugar3 Tbsp. vegetable oil1 Tbsp. melted butter1 tsp. baking soda3 Tbsp. lukewarm waterwww.backwoodshome.com1. Heat your griddle to moderatelyhot. You’ll test it, as described.2. Mix the starter, egg, sugar, oil,and butter in a bowl and whisk untilwell blended.3. In a cup or small bowl, dissolvethe soda in the water. Stir and addto the other bowl. You want to workquickly now when the leaveningeffect of the soda is at its peak.4. Grease the griddle lightly witha dab of butter or a tiny bit of oil.Griddle temperature is key to goodpancakes. Always do a test pancake.If it looks like it should, go ahead andmake your batch. Too hot a griddlewill ruin this delicate pancake, moreso than some others. I like a lightly mottled brown finish. Leftovers?Slather each pancake with a littlejelly, roll up in foil, and use as a trailsnack.Sourdough biscuits:Makes 8I don’t often make biscuits, sincethe very soft flour needed to make thebest biscuits is not readily availablein my area. But when I made this fairly new recipe with standard flour, itpleasantly surprised me, twice. First,it rose quite nicely and was tender,and it also reheated very well afterhaving been frozen. One tip with thisrecipe is not to make the biscuits toothin. I actually measure the thickness.The diameter is less important.1½ cups all-purpose flour½ - ¾ tsp. salt¼ tsp. baking soda2 tsp. baking powder4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into eightpieces½ cup sourdough starterAbout ½ - ⅔ cup churned buttermilk,divided1. Combine the flour, salt, bakingsoda, and baking powder in a largebowl.2. Using a pastry blender (ideal) ortwo knives (far from ideal), cut thebutter into the flour mixture until it
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home Magazineresembles coarse crumbs. Do not usea food processor. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking pan with parchment; if no parchment, lightly greasethe pan.3. In a smaller bowl, combine thestarter and ¼ cup of buttermilk. Stirthis into the dry mixture. Turn overa few times. Slowly add more buttermilk as needed to make a stickydough that is starting to hold together.Turn out onto a floured surface andgather into a ball, incorporating moreflour or water as necessary to make acoherent mass; then knead for a minute or two until you have a smooth,somewhat elastic dough.4. Pat out to 5/8 inch thick. Usinga three-inch round cutter, cut intocircles, placing each cutout on theprepared pan, with the edges of thecutouts touching. I use what’s calleda flan ring, but you can use a cutout tuna fish can or even a bottle top.Important: Don’t twist as you cutas this inhibits the dough from rising.Let rest for 30 minutes. Biscuits willpuff up a little, but most of the risingwill be in the oven (this is called ovenspring). Bake for about 15 minutes.The tops should be golden brown.Serve at once. Good split with butterand jelly.If you wrap tightly, they will be OKnext day if warmed.Whole-wheat sourdough bread:Makes two 8½ x 4½-inch loavesThis should really be called “partwhole-wheat bread.” It is sensationaltoasted and spread with butter andmaple syrup. For a denser loaf, youcan increase the percentage of wholewheat flour. I make the directionsvery precise for the help of personswho are not accustomed to bakingbread. Like to impress your campmates? Try it in your Dutch oven.1½ cups sourdough starter4½ cups all-purpose unbleached breadflour1 cup whole wheat flour1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar1¾ tsp. salt1 tsp. baking soda1 envelope dry yeast½ cup warm water (about 105degrees)2 cups lukewarm water½ cup additional flour (either flour)1. Reactivate the starter as describedin the above discussion.2. In a very large bowl, combine theflours, sugar, salt, and soda. Stir well.3. Proof the yeast: Put it into asmall bowl and add the ½ cup warmwater and a pinch each of sugar andflour. Stir a few times. Let sit untilbubbly, about 10 - 15 minutes.4. To the bowl with the flours, addthe proofed yeast mixture, the starter,and the two cups of lukewarm water(78 degrees). Stir well with a stoutwooden spoon. Spread part of theadditional ½ cup of flour on the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Youwant to use all of this ½ cup so addmore water as necessary to balance itout and get the consistency you want.5. Knead the dough for a minute ortwo. Slap it down hard on the counter and then let it rest for 15 minutes.(Called autolysis, this gives time forthe starch molecules to absorb themoisture. If you add too much waterright away, you could get past theCutting the biscuits and just out of the oven. These rise a good deal.www.backwoodshome.com11
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home Magazinethat time consuming once you’ve prepared the starter as discussed.Sourdough apple muffins:Makes about 14I like making this with the wildapples that I forage in great quantitieswhen it’s a good year, which, alas, itisn’t always. Use any apple you wishif you’re buying. I’ve never made areduced-sugar muffin that I actuallyenjoyed.Don’t tell anyone but I might use awhole cup of sugar! (My glucose isalways around 90.)2 cups all-purpose flour½ - ⅔ cup sugar2 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. salt¾ tsp. cinnamon1 egg½ cup sourdough starter⅔ cup milk or soy milk⅓ cup vegetable oilAbout one medium apple (see below)¾ cup chopped walnuts, or other nutsWhole wheat sourdough bread after baking, now cooling on rackspoint where the flour can ultimatelyabsorb it.Autolysis lets you better gauge howmuch water you must use.) Resumekneading and knead for at least fiveminutes, until the dough is smoothand elastic. Again, it should be juston the edge of sticking to the counter.Dry doughs make dry breads.6. Clean and oil the large bowl.Place the dough into it and turn it sothat it is very lightly coated with theoil. Cover with a cloth and place in awarm place for about 45 minutes toone hour, or until doubled in size. Donot overproof.7. Grease and flour the baking pans;I prefer glass.8. Punch the dough down anddivide it in half. Lightly stretch eachhalf until it is a little longer than thepan then tuck those ends back underneath the dough. Place in the pan12and cover with a cloth. Put pans in awarm spot free of drafts and let riseuntil double, about one hour. (Risingtimes will vary.) Half way through,preheat your oven to 390 F.9. Place the two pans on the middlerack of the oven spaced at least twoinches apart. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted inthe middle comes out clean. Cool inthe pan a few minutes. Use a verythin knife to cut around the edge ifthe loaf seems stuck (this loaf doesnot seem to stick).Turn onto cooling racks to coolfully.For storage: Wrap tightly and useat room temperature within two orthree days. After that, slice and freeze.Freezes perfectly.The next two recipes are only alittle more challenging, but not allwww.backwoodshome.com1. Combine the flour, sugar, bakingpowder, salt, and cinnamon in a largebowl.2. Heat your oven to 390 F, nothotter. Line a standard 12-cup muffintin with paper or foil liners.3. In a medium size bowl, whisk theegg then add the starter, milk, and oil.Stir well. Add three-fourths of thismixture to the flour mixture and stir.4. Wash and core the apple but donot peel. Grate it using the gratingblade of the food processor. If yougrate by hand, you’ll have to grateright into acidulated water becauseof immediate oxidation. Squeezeall the water out of the grated appleusing paper towels or a dish towelthen measure out one cup not packed.Immediately add to the main bowlalong with the nuts. Now add the restof the liquid ingredients as necessaryto make a stiff batter which is actually more like a soft but spoonabledough that will not pour.
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazineBatch of waffles ready for butter and jelly5. Fill the liners nearly full andbake for about 20-22 minutes. Coolon racks for 10 minutes then serve.Freezes perfectly.Sourdough hickory nut waffles:Makes five 7½-inch round wafflesThe real challenge with this recipeis understanding your waffle iron andits characteristics. Thickness of thebatter and cooking times are not tooflexible.In this original recipe, refined overnumerous trials, I especially like touse wild hickory nuts. It’s hard tocome up with any quantity of this difficult-to-crack nut, but all you needhere is three tablespoons. Howeveryou can use any nut.Cook these slightly well done;some irons have a heat setting whichhelps.If you don’t think this is the mostdelicious waffle you’ve ever tastedyou can write me a letter, but I won’thold my breath waiting for it.3 Tbsp. hickory nuts, toasted if youwish1 cup sourdough starter1 large egg, beaten¼ cup mild vegetable oil, such as safflowerAbout ½ cup whole milk, divided1 tsp. grated orange peel (optional,but do not increase)½ cup all-purpose flour1 tsp. baking powder⅛ tsp. baking soda¼ tsp. salt3 Tbsp. sugar1 Tbsp. wheat germ (optional)A little vegetable oilwww.backwoodshome.com1. Toast the nuts in a small, dry panif desired. Do not brown.Cool slightly, then chop or grindfine. Reserve.2. In a medium size bowl, combinethe starter, egg, oil, and half of themilk. Whisk to combine. Then addthe orange peel.3. In a large bowl, combine theflour, baking powder, baking soda,salt, sugar, wheat germ, and nuts.Preheat your waffle iron.4. Add the wet ingredients to thedry and stir quickly to combine. Addonly enough additional milk to endup with a batter that spreads of itsown accord on the iron. Becausestarters will vary in consistency, thequantity of milk needed is an approximation. The starter, of course, provides part of both the liquid and theflour.5. Very lightly brush the waffle ironwith vegetable oil; a pastry brushworks well. Repeat this between waffles.6. The quantity of batter is critical but cannot be stated since waffle irons vary in size and shape. Myround iron takes a half cup. Pour thebatter onto the hot iron and if necessary gently use a rubber spatula tonudge the batter to very close to theedge of the iron. When you close theiron, the batter will spread outwards alittle more.7. My waffles are done perfectly inthree and a half minutes on mediumhigh. Follow the directions that camewith your iron or just learn by experience. Err if you have to by cookinga little too long; if you open the irontoo soon you’ll have a soggy messand then you’ll have to cool the iron,clean it, and start all over. Also, ifyou undercook this waffle it will be alittle soggy.8. Counterintuitively, the wafflewill soften rather than harden as itsits in the open air. That’s why, if youdon’t eat them literally immediately,waffles must be toasted to restore thatjust-out-of-the-iron crispness. D13
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazineCapturing wild yeastA homestead harvest out of thin airBy Dawn Lamoureux-CrockerThere are a multitude of microscopic organisms that areever-present in nearly everye nv i r o n m e n t o n E a r t h .Amongst these un-seen organisms areyeasts and bacteria that hold the keyto developing a sourdough starter thatis unique to your locale.The bubbling culture of wild yeastis an amazing micro-environment thatreplenishes itself and, unlike otherfoods that may spoil within a week’stime, sourdough cultures can be sustained for decades with proper nurturing. Sourdough starters are uniqueto their location and their flavors areinfluenced by the microbes present.This results in a bread with a distinct flavor and texture specific toyour homestead. Although capturingwild yeast to make sourdough hasmany positive attributes it also comeswith its disadvantages. The primarydrawback is the time intensive pro-cess that is involved to grow and carefor your starter. Additionally, makinga loaf of sourdough bread is a lengthyprocess that can easily take up to aday. However, once you taste a homebaked loaf of your own sourdoughbread using your home grown andharvested starter, you may find it difficult to appreciate traditional breadever again.A healthy sourdough starter forms bubbles at the top.14www.backwoodshome.com
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home MagazineEstablishing and maintaining asourdough starter is relatively simple and, in my opinion, an essentialcomponent of a modern homesteadkitchen. Capturing wild yeast fromthe thin air can be achieved by setting a “trap” using a simple flour andwater mixture. This mixture is leftout covered with a thin cloth in anarea of your homestead that has awarm, stable temperature. After a fewdays, microbes that are present in thesurrounding environment will fallprey to the starchy mixture. You willknow your “trap” is successful whenbubbles begin forming on the surfaceof the mixture. Once these microbesestablish a colony they quickly proliferate and your harvest can begin. Donot despair if your starter may takeup to five days or more to show anysigns of life. Weather and environmental conditions will play a factor inthe culturing and harvest time frame.Making a starter:Glass, plastic, or stoneware containerwith a loose lid (consider expansionand make certain you have a largeenough jar)Wooden spoonCotton dish clothFlourWaterStarboard Farm sourdoughstarter:1 cup unbleached flour1 cup lukewarm water1 Tbsp. of raw honeyDay 1Start your culture by adding theflour, water, and honey to your container and mix. Lay the cotton dishcloth over the top and allow it to siton the counter or a safe warm spot (atleast 70 degrees) in your home for 24hours.Day 2After 24 hours you should see tinybubbles forming on top of the mix-Starboard Farm’s shepherd’s sourdough bouleture. This is a positive sign your trapis working. Stir the mixture with thewooden spoon and cover again withthe cloth.Day 3After 72 h
July/August/September 2020 Backwoods Home Magazine 6 wwwbackwoodsomecom Thankful for Backwoods Home Magazine As COVID-19 has swept across the U.S. the past few months, I’m increasingly aware of the toll inflicted on small businesses. Being a small business owner, I sympa-thize greatly with those who are facing bankruptcy after years of hard work.
For over 37 years, Backwoods has specialized in off-grid power for the remote home. For years Backwoods Solar was entirely powered by equipment from this catalog, and currently most Backwoods Solar employees power a home or a portion of their home with our products. At Backwoods Solar you are talking to people who use the equipment every day.
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What is Backwoods Home Magazine? Backwoods Home Magazine is published in Oregon and is written for people who have a desire to pursue personal independence and self-sufficiency. Since 1989, we have published articles on owner-built housing, independent energy, country living, gardening, and other topics related to a self-reliant lifestyle.
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»BACKWOODS«: RURAL DISTANCE AND AUTHENTICITY 5 Cohen brought Halcomb to New York to record what would become the 1962 LP Roscoe Halcomb and Wade Ward, and drew attention to the city context of the recording at the beginning of the liner notes: »This recording was made in New York City when he was here to present his
Backwoods kit Construction of CMR 'Atlantic' Upon the closure of the Campbeltown & Machrihanish Railway, its loco 'Atlantic' was retained for demolition work during 1934. Later that year, the management of the Craigcorrie & Dunalistair Railway, never able to resist a bargain, snapped up the loco for its scrap value
Scrum for Video Game Development Mike Cohn - background Mountain Goat Software, LLC 1 2 Wednesday, January 23, 2008
