It's a Potato 4th of July

Today marked 94 days from the root planting date in our garden. I noticed that most of the potato vines had died off and the cantaloupe has been trying to climb the dead broccoli and invade. I spied some mounding in the dirt and went for a garden fork. Sure enough! Potatoes!

I carefully dug my way from one end of the potato patch to the other and pulled out the best harvest I've ever had in my life! Now, I don't have a scale in my house...which I have just realized might be a little strange...but my husband and I both independently guessed about 20-25 pounds. That is just slightly above the average US yield for potatoes for the square footage we planted. This is a result of the Biointensive planting techniques we are trying out. (Any book by John Jeavons is a great guide!)

Also, I did leave one potato plant in the corner. Although it is past the 90 day period, the plant is still mostly green. Potatoes should only be harvested after 90% of the above-ground growth has died off. Potatoes don't like the heat, and I'm kind of glad about that. I couldn't imagine harvesting these spuds in the heat of late July or August! It was a dirty, sweaty job on a cool day like today.

I do want to mention the reasoning behind planting potatoes. After some research regarding health and diet I have concluded that potatoes are fairly evil for women's bodies (as is white rice and white bread). That being said, one of the major steps toward be self-sustaining is to grow your calories. Growing vegetables is great, and organic fruits and vegetables are vital to your health. But, the truth is, your body needs a lot more calories to survive than fruits and vegetables can provide. Ideally, I would also grow some beans and grains, but I wanted to be cautious this year and plant things I knew I could handle. Also, my husband refuses to eat beans of any kind, so I tried to grow things we would both enjoy, or at least consume. I am aware of the dangers of simple carbs, but I'm not quite ready to mark potatoes off my list of edibles.

That was all the good news, now for some gardening sorrows. The broccoli is dead. There, I said it. I failed at broccoli after being so successful with my completely random crop of last year. Everything was great, the crowns were just showing up, then BOOM! My husband came home and checked the garden and asked what happened to the broccoli. I proudly lit up and stated that it looked great, it is so big because I'm awesome. Then he informed me that they were gone! In one day, between morning watering and evening, the entire crop had been devoured by caterpillars. I saw the signs, and ignored them at a price. I was thinking that a few butterflies would be lovely, I would let them eat a little. Nope, they ate it all, and in less than 12 hours!

Another possible sorrow occurred with the carrots. They look great above ground, but I dug a few up hoping they would be ready, and they were scarcely the size of my pinky. I think I did not thin them out enough. I have transplanted a few to see if that helps.

In the meantime, we continue to harvest a few green beans and tomatoes each day. I have been watering for about 30-40 minutes every other day. This may have to increase as the heat goes up this month. I must keep motivated for the melons' sake.

Green Beans, Dryer Balls, and Bees

Summer vacation after my first full year of teaching is somewhat bittersweet. It is too short and I'm too tired! But, alas, after an entire week of doing absolutely nothing, I have gotten back on track with my goal to use this time wisely to improve our sustainable living habits.

Although today was not our first harvest from the mini-farm, it is the most promising. With dozens of green tomatoes waiting to ripen, several melon blossoms waiting to pollinate, and tiny crowns of broccoli waiting to grow, the future looks mighty tasty. There are a few orange tomatoes, but the harvest of today is from my Kentucky Wonder Pole beans. A few weeks ago, I plucked a single green bean from the vine and graciously offered it to our sugar gliders. They were thrilled. Today, I received seven green beans. Just enough for a good side to my dinner. These are more plump than the haricot vert you typically get at a Chinese restaurant, so you need less of them. My favorite way to eat them, however, does follow the Chinese tradition. I simply blanch them for one to two minutes (basically place them in a pot of boiling water) or until the green color seems the brightest. Then I put them in a frying pan with either butter or sunflower oil and some browned garlic. Eat 'em while they're hot!

Something I have always wanted to try is using wool dryer balls. I have heard great things about them. They apparently tumble out the static from your clothes, they decrease drying time by creating

air pockets between clothing, and if you put essential oils on them, they are as good as scented dryer sheets but better for the environment and your family. The downside:  to get four of these things it is almost $40. Well, for $8.24 I bought wool yarn, and for free, I looked up the directions on how to make them! Here is the link to the actual site where I learned how to make them:  http://www.seasonedhomemaker.com/2012/11/how-to-make-felted-wool-dryer-balls.html. I pinned this after coming across it on another site that I am officially in love with:  http://thehomesteadsurvival.com/. They also have a facebook page. Anyways, I have created six dryer balls and still had some yarn left over. Laundry day is Sunday in our house, so we will see how they work out.

Lastly, I wanted to update the beekeeping events of late. My husband and I discovered that the bees have been so productive, that they had nearly filled the entire hive. Four medium hive boxes had all been drawn out with comb and filled, two with brood, and two with honey! To give them some more space we removed one of the frames from one honey super (really...it was for their space...not for the desire to have honey...really). Currently it sits in the freezer, because we are not sure which is the best way to extract the honey just yet. Our investment in this project has been higher than expected and we really don't want to invest in extracting equipment just yet. We had read that it would be a year before we would be able to take from them. So we had some decision making to do in regards to the hive.

Our mentor told us that we should go ahead and put in another brood box and add two more honey

supers. This requires a little more investment as well. We had already ordered a single box when we were able to reach her, and the shipping is not cheap. She also told us that only one honey super needs to remain for the bees over the winter. (If we also intended to provide sugar water.) To be on the safe side, however, we have decided to keep the hive small this year. While having eight hive boxes might be a reality at some point, it is a little more than we can handle right now. Besides, the queen seems to be laying at a good rate and there appear to be bees in all stages of life present:  egg, larva, pupa, bee. It appears that she is handling the space just fine. So, today I have added the new box as a honey super. Our goal is to leave them with two honey supers for the winter and harvest one for ourselves. That still gives us about 30 lbs of honey!

We are very excited and happy about what we have accomplished already this year. We drive by two locations in our area with bee hives, and in comparison, ours appears much more active and healthy. It might be because they are new and healthy, but it also might be some of our own skill and care.

Happy Homesteading!

The Perfect Loaf

 After making my first natural yeast loaf of bread, the levain, P-Dee, became too powerful. While I was on vacation from work and enjoying a day of junk shopping in Hot Springs, I decided to search for a crock. In the old days, levains were kept in a crock. I have read that this is better because the insulation of the pottery keeps the yeast culture at a more consistent temperature, protecting it from frostbite in the refrigerator. The only downside is that you cannot see what is going on below the surface. I decided if I could find a reasonably priced crock, I would switch from glass.

On Amazon, crocks cost as much as $80 dollars, with some in the $30-$40 range. This is steep for a first-year teacher on a budget plan to eliminate debt. So a day of junk shopping with my mom in Hot Springs seemed the best bet. The first store supplied two options, both beautiful, but slightly too large and still $35. The next shop was better priced, but the crocks were huge ($20). Finally, we arrived at Re-Store, one of my favorite places. They collect donations from individuals and builders alike and supply anything from appliances and furniture to books and dishes. This was the jackpot, or the crock pot. We found several choices and for less than $10. So for $5, I bought a nice sized crock. 

The timing was perfect, too. When I arrived home, P-Dee had exploded! She was growing so fast, that just hours after feeding led to an overflow. I pulled Whea-D out of the fridge for a last inspection and decided to throw her out. I combined my strategies. I fed P-Dee with whole wheat flour this time, and placed her in the new crock, and in the fridge. Finally, everything was running smooth. This was the birth of D, the fourth and final approach to a successful levain (one that is sustainable in the fridge). In addition to this success, the flavor has mellowed out.

Since the creation of D, there have been two successful loaves of bread and a very successful batch of whole wheat blueberry pancakes. The last two loaves also included honey, to try to sweeten the flavor a little. While much milder, the bread still has a unique flavor. 

I have found success in these simple steps:

• if using tap water, allow to sit for at least 24 hours to let any chlorine bubble out
• use whole wheat flour, only if the container will remain in the fridge, and buy organic if available
• use a scale to measure equal parts according to weight, not volume (I use 8 oz. levain, 8 oz. water, and 8 oz. whole wheat flour - this leaves me almost 16 oz. of levain to use before each feeding too.)
• remember to put a breathable cover on the container to prevent hardening and explosions
• use a crock to maintain better temperatures
• feed at least twice per week (I do Wednesday and Sunday)

 In terms of making bread, I have developed this recipe based on the previously mentioned websites:  3 oz. levain, 11.5 oz. water, 1.5 oz. honey, and 17-18 oz. whole wheat flour. Put the first three ingredients into a mixer on low until dissolved. Add about half the flour, mixing on low. Attach dough hook if available. Continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides. The tricky part is the kneading. What works for me is to use the dough hook in the mixer alternating between stir, 2, and 4 (the three lowest settings on my mixer). I tried to time it, and it took about 10-15 minutes before the dough passed the window test. This is when the dough stretches instead of breaks. If it broke too soon, I turned it back to 4 for a minute, then to 2, then to stir, and checked again. I then hand kneaded a few times. (When dealing with wheat dough, the natural yeast book had some great advice:  use water to wet your surface and hands, not flour. Flour will dry the dough out more and whole wheat flour creates tiny tears in the surface. The kneading technique they use, since it is a little tougher than normal dough is the "French Slap." Grab one edge of the dough, sling the other end away from you and up, then slap it on the counter-top and fold the piece you are holding over the top. Grab the edge perpendicular to you, rotate, and repeat. Just watch out for the angry husband who comes stumbling out of the bedroom to ask "What the heck are you doing in here?" It also might scare animals.) After forming a nice large ball, I place it in an oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and place it in the oven. (If it is cold, you can turn on your oven light to warm up a little, otherwise a room temperature oven is fine.) 6-8 hours later, it should have doubled in size. Gently remove it to a wet surface, fold in the corners to create a small rectangle, and place seam down in an oiled loaf pan. Again, wait for it to double, about 2-4 hours, then bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Let it cool for about 30 minutes if your impatient, or for 3 hours if you want to preserve the moisture inside the loaf. Eat within 5 days, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

So far, this has been a fun and tasty adventure. I am so proud of discovering an almost extinct technique (at least to American households). Why choose between expensive bakery bread (most of which still uses commercial yeast) and flavorless factory bread? Get flavor, health, savings, and a hobby!

Yes, There was Success

There was success that night! I was up very late, trying to make sure this loaf had every chance available to be perfect. While it was not perfect, it was close enough for me! The flavor was incredibly sour, but as my husband put it, the texture was exact. This meant P-Dee had become a legitimate levain. Here are some photos of the whole process, from levain to loaf.

Success with P-Dee, Well Almost

P-Dee has won the race!

Previously I had split Dee Dee (the original levain) into two separate jars for some troubleshooting. Whea-Dee was kept in the fridge and fed wheat flour twice per week, while P-Dee was kept on the counter and fed all-purpose flour daily. Wednesday night (3 feedings ago) I noticed that P-Dee smelled like a very lovely beer. This is a good sign that yeast cultures are doing their thing. I continued regular, nightly feedings of 4 oz. of water and 4 oz. of all-purpose flour (added to 4 oz. of P-Dee, the remainder was discarded). The smell became more and more rich each night. Last night (Friday) I asked the husband if I should go ahead and try baking. I noted, however, that it had still not doubled in size. The expectation for a healthy levain is to double in size within 6-8 hours (12-24 in the fridge). Although the smell was brilliant and on spot, the size just wasn't there. This morning when I woke up:  PERFECT! The jar I use has cup measurements on the side and P-Dee had expanded from the 1.5 cups to the 3 cup mark. I was so thrilled! Immediately, I began prepping for some baking.

I looked through my Baking with Natural Yeast book, which has been somewhat disappointing lately, and decided I didn't really want to use the recipe in there. For one, it uses measurements by cup instead of by weight, and my experience so far has been much better using my scale. So I pulled out my trusty More with Less book, but couldn't find a simple recipe that I could convert to use the levain instead of commercial yeast. So next, I went to the internet. I tried the two sources posted previously:  King Arthur Flour and NaturalLeavening.com. King Arthur, again, mentions sourdough baking but does not necessarily provide recipes for a maintained levain. The other site has some good looking advice and recipes. I clicked on a basic dough recipe. I followed this so far, except this recipe includes no mention at all of kneading. (strange) I decided to put the dough hook on my mixer and knead the dough until it had almost passed the window test (stretch the dough between your fingers, if it breaks instead of stretching into a translucent dough, then it isn't ready yet). I also removed the dough and oiled a bowl, put a hot, damp towel over the top and then left it to rise. In 8-12 hours, I will either have another brick, or have a doubled-in-size dough ball.

From there, I will attempt to bake in a normal loaf pan. Updates to come on how the first loaf turns out!

Levain: French term for a bread leavening agent

Time for some experimentation. I’ve been trying to get my levain (natural yeast starter) going for a few months. According to my original resource book, which I am now discovering contains various annoying errors, I should be able to bake bread by now. This is not the case. My book talks about the levain doubling in size after feedings, but mine never has. It stays the same size and just slowly “fizzes.” No big happy bubbles like expected. I have successfully created a few batches of waffles and crepes, but when I finally ventured into the full loaf of bread arena, I discovered a lifeless blob of dough in the morning. Solution:  more research.

I have come across these helpful websites:

http://www.naturalleavening.com/kitchen-help-recipes/ - recommended by my book, this site also sells “old world” levains.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2012/04/08/maintaining-your-sourdough-starter-food-water-and-time/ - this website just happens to be the brand of the flour I have been buying and contains loads of good info, although they refer to everything as a sour dough starter, which I view as something slightly different.

While tempted to chunk out the levain I have lovingly nicknamed DeeDee, I have decided to hold off and try a few experiments. The Natural Leavening website has a sale on their Hard White Wheat Levain, but I really am determined to succeed with what I have.

First, according to King Arthur, when storing a sour dough starter in the fridge, you prevent daily feeding and can use weekly feeding. This is relatively accurate to what I have been doing, except I feed twice a week. They mention that the starter should then be left at room temperature and fed daily just before using to bake. This gets the yeast working and ready to go. This makes since, but contradicts what my original book states and what the Natural Leavening site claims. These sources say it should be ready to use with just one 12-hour rise. I am open-minded, however, and will be splitting my levain tonight and using the room temperature, daily feeding method. I will also reduce this portion to 4 oz. and use feedings of 4 oz. water and 4 oz. flour to save on flour.

Second, the King Arthur website also mentioned some interesting details about types of flour. In response to one question on their blog, they noted that unless the starter was to be refrigerated, it should be fed all-purpose flour. Wheat flour has a tendency to go bad at room temperature. They also noted that the use of whole wheat flour is a good idea due to the presence of more lactobacilli and wild yeast, which can be less likely in the “more sterile” all-purpose flour. For this reason, the other half of Dee Dee will remain in the fridge, but I will begin feeding this one with whole wheat flour twice per week.

Third, I have become aware of the importance of measuring weight for feeding instead of volume. Both sites mentioned the importance of weight. I happen to have a food scale, bought years ago, that has been living on my husband’s workbench to weigh remote-control airplane parts. Now I finally have a good excuse to steal it back. One problem I may have been having is the difference between volume and weight! My original book stated 1 cup of water and 1 heaping cup of flour. Out of curiosity I just measured the weight of what I have been feeding Dee Dee. I have been feeding 8 oz. of water but only 5 oz. of flour! That is a big difference! The poor dear has been starving, no wonder she isn’t happy!

With this information, I venture forward in the world of growing healthy, happy bread in my own home. Whether it is the temperature of my refrigerator, the type of wheat, or the amount of wheat, I will discover my faults. If none of the above works, then it is time to purchase a levain and try again.

So long Dee Dee, now I have Whea-Dee and P-Dee.

Spring Work and Its Rewards

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”
― John Muir, The Wilderness World of John Muir

Well, it's not all joyful, but most of it is. It has been an interesting seasonal transition to say the least. My first round of seedlings, planted according to the earliest start date for transplants, did not last very long at all. Quickly, I adjusted my planting calendar in my journal and started a second batch. Now that batch has also perished. I have never had much luck sprouting seedlings indoors. I think I will just go ahead and purchase some tomato and broccoli transplants. The good news is, I have an abundance of life happening outside!

On a beautiful afternoon (March 29) I began planting some outdoors seedlings. 50 potatoes (19 small yellow, 13 red, and 18 large yellow), 4 square feet of carrots, 2.5 square feet of lettuce, 16 green beans, and a second round of 21 spinach. Today, all of these were showing beautiful green signs of life. Of course, this downpour/tornado tonight is not very promising, but at least I took photos to prove I didn't do it all wrong! Surely everything will do fine. They all survived the hail just two days after being planted, and a few nights near freezing.


In addition to edibles, I splurged a little on some annuals and an azalea, in preparation for my bees. I picked a semi-shady bed where I have had little luck, so I chose light colored begonias and some petunias. From my time spent working for a landscape architect (a very good one), I learned a few things. One thing is that plants can sometimes be like people. For example, there are different types

of begonias, those with dark green foliage and those with lighter green foliage. Like skin, the darker leaves can handle more sunlight without burning. So if you have a sunny spot, get the darker variety and vice versa. Anyways, I planted one azalea surrounded by 12 white blooming begonias, and 18 pink petunias. We'll see if they last, and if they don't, oh well, they're annuals!

Now for the most joyful, enthusiastic news:  we have bees! At the April Lady Beekeeper's Association meeting I gave a nuc box complete with 5 frames to the president. She had promised a swarm for me and I wanted to be prepared. Then, just two days ago, on the way home, I got the call. "Stephanie, we have your bees. You can come get them today." So off we went, bee suit at the ready, and jumped in my husband's car (I drive a hatchback, which is no good for transporting a box of bees, unless you want to drive in your bee suit...). We arrived to find the bees neatly packed in a box and tied with a piece of twine. Just like a beautiful, buzzing present. After some discussion, we headed home where they were set atop our hive to spend the night. To keep them fed while they were enclosed, we mixed 4 lbs of sugar with 1 gallon of water, heated until dissolved, then put in a spray bottle, and sprayed the bees through the air vents.

With the impending storms of Wednesday, I rushed home Tuesday to see if they were situated enough to be moved to the hive. Sure enough, I saw lots of activity and heard lots of buzzing. When we originally picked up the box, a number of bees had been trapped on the outside. They were still very much attached to their colony and not wanting to be separated. We managed to make it home with at least a dozen or two attached to the outside. Yesterday, I could tell that these bees had been exploring and bringing back some pollen and nectar to the box. All very good signs.

Once my husband arrived, we lit the smoker, prepared two feeders with the sugar-water solution, and took all our gear outside. The moving process was fairly easy. It was very exciting, but we were both nervous. At one point, my husband even mentioned that his confidence was not as high as when we had our "mentors" with us. In fact, we video taped the entire process and I realized while watching it later that I got a little too happy with the sugar water and probably overdosed everyone in a five mile radius on sugar. The good news is we got all the frames into the hive, added some more empty frames to fill up both hive boxes, and put everything back. Naturally, there were some bees who did not make it inside the box with the frames, but by dark, most had found their way into the hive and were safe and secure.

First hands-on Beekeeping experience

I started the day at an Organic Gardening Seminar learning about how to run an organic farm. Although most of the information in this seminar was well above my ability and land availability, I did learn a few new things about extending my growing season, how to build a seedling shack, and some basic organic pest control. I also enjoyed learning about some of the tools and tractors that are available. But the real fun came this afternoon.

While at the seminar I received a call from the president of the Lady Beekeepers. She was going to inspect her hives today and wanted Kevin and I to join them to get some real hands-on experience. Naturally, I first had a moment of panic. Was she really wanting us their? Would we be imposing? Would they be finished before we got their? But, as he always does, Kevin managed to keep me calm and insist that we should go and learn as much as we can. So we grabbed our bee garb and hit the road.

I purchased a jacket and bee hood combination that is conveniently sealed quite well. This combined with my XXXS gloves made me very confident. I simply tucked my blue jeans into my socks and was ready to go. Kevin, on the other hand, was not blessed with an outfit. He simply got stuck with the standard equipment from the beginner's kit we purchased:  helmet, veil, gloves. We managed to make it work, though. We duck-taped his waist and the veil to try and keep out any curious bees.

We cautiously walked across the field behind the house. I suddenly became very aware of how tiny our yard is and how close our hive will be to every square inch of my garden. But anyways, we were ready to encounter our first cloud of bees. President and husband are very friendly people and they greeted us first by inspecting that we were sufficiently protected. (It was their idea to tuck our jeans into our socks and tape down Kevin's veil.) Then, we dove straight in. I watched as they unstacked a hive box, carefully loosened each frame, and then inspected the frames for content. Some contained honey, some contained brood and honey, and some were just being laid with brood by very busy queens. We did get to see 3 queen bees (each in different hives, of course). Very beautiful creatures.

We talked about scraping off comb that was built on the outside of the frames and removing the propolis (bee glue made from pine sap to fill cracks or otherwise seal all the frames and boxes together). We also talked about things like feeding (5lbs of sugar per gallon of water, with a hint of peppermint oil in the first batch to prevent tracheal mites). We learned about removing a few unfortunate drone larvae to inspect for varroa mites and also how to spread a bead of food-grade mineral oil on top of each frame to prevent the same.

Kevin also learned what it feels like to get stung (or rather was reminded). After about an hour, one managed to get inside his veil. We were able to remove this one without any problem, but then while walking one innocent bee was resting on his Achilles heel and was smashed against the back of his boot. In response, she stung him through his sock. He managed to not scream profanity, but he did seem quite surprised. So far, it only hurt for a little while and there doesn't appear to be any swelling.
Needless to say, we learned a great deal. The best part is that hands-on experience is priceless. Having just a little bit of time gives you the confidence to do it on your own. You can read and research all you want, but it just isn't the same as getting your hands dirty. She told us of an old man who helped them get started with their hives. Now they are passing that to us, and one day we will pass it to another.

Equipment and tools are the biggest challenge in terms of investment. Honestly, when I chose bees over chickens, I assumed we would be spending less money, but this does not seem to be the case. So far we have purchased the following items:  Hive kit (boxes, frames, base, screen bottom board, inner cover, metal-topped outer cover, foundation), a nuc box, beginner's kit (helmet, veil, gloves, book, bee brush, 2 feeders, hive tool, smoker), hooded jacket for me, gloves for me, another book (kids book for my students), a frame spacer tool, wire, wire embedder, brass eyelets, eyelet tool, a backup hat/veil for guests, a frame holder, and eco wood treatment.

I am sure this list will continue to grow, but we have the main items needed to get the bees for sure. (I am still awaiting the arrival of the foundation. I have emailed Kelley Bees a third time regarding the foundation that was supposed to be in my original order. I have only heard that they were checking to verify that it was not shipped, but nothing else so far. This is frustrating given that the bees will swarm in the next month or so, and our frames aren't complete until we have it.)

So, now we wait. We wait on the remaining tools and foundation to arrive, and for the bees to swarm. The swarm will most likely occur in April. We installed a reed privacy fence of sorts around the part of our yard that touches our neighbor. This will be good to keep the bees out of sight and it will also cause them to fly above anyone outside the yard as well. Bees tend to fly up and over obstacles and only descend on a source of pollen, so getting them to fly up usually keeps them out of people's hair (literally). Honestly, my only concern is when the neighbor mows, since the noise might disturb the hive, but the reeds should help with this too. Today we also "painted" our boxes with the eco wood treatment. Really, my next steps are to continue growing my yeast starter, and tending my garden. I am well aware of a busy growing season ahead, so a little down time, while in some ways disappointing, is still appreciated.

The Power of People - Preparing for the Bees

I have a lot of information to share about my adventure of preparing for my bees. Here is the first bit of information, gathered this past Monday:

Tonight was the March meeting for the Lady Beekeepers  of Arkansas. They usually meet on the first Monday at Whole Foods, but tonight is a special annual event with food and labor. All the ladies got together with their new equipment and we basically had an assembly party. I learned a lot more than just how to put together a frame. Some things I learned seem very vital and yet have been left out of all my previous research. But let's take a step back for a moment.

Per advice from the president of the Lady Beekeepers I ordered a particular hive kit. It's called the All Medium kit. Basically, there are 3 sizes of beehive boxes - brood boxes, medium supers, and small supers. Super just means it is a box that goes on top of the brood box where the queen does all her laying. But due to the ridiculous weight involved in wax and honey, the bigger the box, the less likely

I will be able to maneuver the hive pieces by myself. So the goal is to avoid the brood boxes and go for all supers. This also makes all the frames inside the hive the same size, instead of a different frame for each piece. I will find a diagram to make this more easy to understand, but basically you are saving money and your back. I picked up this kit direct from the vendor at the Arkansas Beekeepers Association Conference on Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to open the boxes and inspect the contents while the vendor was there, so I am naturally missing a vital piece - the foundation on which the bees build their comb! I have contacted them about this, but have not heard any feedback yet.

While playing, I mean working hard to assemble the frames tonight I learned some other important and useful info. One is that I can still assemble the frames even though the foundation isn't here yet. Two, is that I should have ordered brads and wire so I could add a horizontal wire to the foundation to keep it from sagging in the summer heat. And three, is that once I do have that foundation, I better keep it in a refrigerator or a box of moth crystals until it goes in the hive or I will get an infestation of wax moths.

So far, I have now built the hive boxes and assembled 20 frames, minus the foundation. More work to come. Stay tuned...

Here is a size diagram from someone else's blog:

Bubbles!

My starter decided to throw in an extra lesson on patience for me. I followed directions to reconstitute starter flakes by adding the flakes to water to dissolve then stirring in the equal amount of flour. Covered with a piece of organic muslin and a ring top, it sat on the counter for the four required days. But, on that fourth day, nothing had occurred except the normal expected process of separation of liquid and solid. So I did some troubleshooting. I stirred the starter, removed 1/4 cup of it, then added 1/4 cup of barely warm water. After stirring this, I added 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. I stirred a lot, a whole lot, then replaced the muslin and ring.

Possible issues:  Issue #1 could have been that I forgot to let my tap water sit out for 24 hours before putting in the starter flakes. This waiting period is essential for evaporation of any chlorine, which is harmful to the good bacteria too. I consulted my friend who is a civil engineer, however, and he informed me that my location on the pipeline should have little or no chlorine remaining since there is nothing added once it leaves treatment (which is a distance away). I agree with him because we have never had any taste issues, but it is obvious when letting a glass sit overnight that air bubbles form from something in the water, so it is still something to consider. Issue #2 could be the use of pastry flour which is very fine in texture. I am not sure of the exact logic behind this, but I had a suspicion, so I switched to all purpose flour to feed the second time. Issue #3 could be the very low temperature in our house. Although this year we have turned off the program on the thermostat and left it at a steady 70 degrees, the actual temperature of most rooms in the house averages around 66.
Basically, I tried to counter these possible issues as much as possible, and then I waited again.

After two more days, I started to see fizz. It looked like a soda had been poured in it a few minutes earlier. I decided that fizz wasn't quite good enough so I gave it another day. Then, Friday afternoon, exactly one week after the starter was started, there were bubbles. I squealed with joy and ran around the house singing bubbles, bubbles, bubbles! My husband was thoroughly disturbed, so I was even more pleased.

Last steps to establishing the starter:  stir it up, add 1/2 cup of water, stir again, then add a heaping 1/2 cup of flour. The book I am using mentions the consistency of lumpy pancake batter. I then placed it in the fridge with its hat of muslin and realized I should really clean out my fridge! (A day and a half later, I realize my "heaping" 1/2 cup wasn't quite "heaping" enough since it didn't really seem that lumpy and it now has a bit of liquid on the surface.) The bubbles have returned on a small scale and it has been in the fridge ever since. Since it appears a little liquidy, I will go ahead and remove some and do the next feeding today. This will also start me on my twice weekly schedule.

Schedule:
Sunday-Feed 1/2 cup water, very heaping 1/2 cup flour
Wednesday-Remove all but 1 cup of starter, add 1 cup water, add 1 cup flour
Sunday - Remove 1 cup, add 1 cup water, add 1 cup flour
Wednesday - Remove 1 cup, add 1 cup water, add 1 cup flour...
Get the point? So, this will go on for one month. I will be disposing of most of the starter I remove this month so that I can be sure it is well established before I ruin any recipes. Next month, at the recommendation of the author, I can start using the starter to make some quick breads like pancakes. Then, in May, I should be ready for some "real-deal" baking. It sounds like a lot of patience, but it will be worth it to get everything into a routine. Then I will be able to bake each Sunday using the removed start, and use the Wednesday starter to make quick breads (unless I'm feeling like I have extra time in the middle of the week, ha!)

I still haven't deciding on a name for my new pet starter. I will have to think on it some more.

Surprise #2

It is literally the season of surprises! Although I planned for these things to happen, I try to keep a realistic, in-the-now perspective so I do not face disappointment. Surprise is a much better feeling than disappointment. This is why I will continually work as hard as I can, put in all of my effort, and then when I get a result I feel surprised and celebrate as if it happened on its own!
This morning I woke up to even more "results." My seedlings have been sprouting for a while, but this morning they really popped out. Following the Extension Service calendar, the Farmer's Almanac, and the calendar of the moon, I planned out each plant date for each seed. My original plant date for the first batch included broccoli and tomatoes, since they are longest to maturity and do not like the summer heat. This batch was a flop, and I think several factors were at play. First, I read that you shouldn't use super soil in pots, but I disregarded this when I made my seed starter pots. Second, I tried a method where I put them in a cookie sheet and put plastic over it, but did not have enough ventilation and some lovely mold colonies took over. I pulled them out of plastic and put them into

my salad containers (the ones you can buy pre-washed baby greens in) and moved them closer to the window. Note:  If the seedlings are uncovered, it is really best to put them in a container that you can fill with water from the bottom. This keeps the seedlings with pleasantly moist feet but prevents any disturbance from overhead watering. Out of 7 broccoli, 1 survives, out of 8 tomatoes, two are present but most likely not living.
So on my second plant date, I replanted my first batch along with my second batch. On February 16 I created new paper seed pots, this time filled with Organic Potting Soil, and sowed my 4 Roma tomatoes, 4 Cherry tomatoes, 7 broccoli, as well as 3 Alibi cucumber and 6 watermelon. I apparently never got cantaloupe seeds, so I will get those started on the next "moon-approved" day. The following day, I also direct-sowed my first round of spinach in the garden bed.
I know it sounds like a lot of work, but like I said, you have to put in all of your effort. If you throw some seeds in the yard and wait, you will most likely be disappointed. But if you create an effort and dive into the process of gardening as a part of your life, then you will be surprised by the outcome!

My Favorite Surprises

After the longest final day of the longest 4 day week in all history, I arrived home today to a lovely surprise! My Yeast Starter Flakes had finally arrived! I have read about starters and researched yeast ever since I came across this book at the store:  The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast by Caleb Warnock & Melissa Richardson. I came across this book by surprise when browsing the bread related cookbook section at Barnes & Noble. I had been wondering how on Earth people used to make bread rise without a packet of Fleischmanns. While reading the book in the store, I fell in love. The best part:  an offer of free starter flakes for anyone who purchased the book! So I sent in my self-addressed, postage-paid envelope and have been waiting patiently. It's no surprise that I sent this the same day as my tax returns and the flakes arrived faster than my money. Although, I think I'm more excited about these anyways!

I opened my envelope to find a tiny zip locked baggy with what appeared to be breadcrumbs. Hardly any at all, really. It is so amazing that I will be able to do so much by starting with so little.

I quickly ran to scrub my hands clean, find a wide-mouth jar, and pull the whole wheat pastry flour from the cabinet. I cracked my book to page 29 and started to read:  Step 1, dissolve the flakes in 1/4 cup of water. (This took a while, but it is a very cold day and the flakes travelled a very long way) Step 2, add 1/4 cup flour and "stir vigorously to incorporate plenty of air into the mixture." Now I just have to be patient and not touch it for four days...yeah...Not the best quality in this household. Although I am content to just stare at it continuously for multiple days, my husband tends to want to poke and irritate things. We'll see how this goes. After that, it should be bubbly, I simply feed it and then put it in the fridge to keep, indefinitely I hope. The maintenance is pretty simple. Once it is in the fridge I just have to reduce it and feed it every 3 days or so.

Free Time?

As a first year elementary school teacher, free time is a foreign concept. In fact, I technically don't have it right now, I should be lesson planning for next week. But here I am, blogging, I think. Today is President's day and I am not required to be in a classroom surrounded by 26 children who all believe they require my immediate assistance. My brain feels somewhat neglected and is therefore searching endlessly for occupation.

Already this weekend I have completed shopping, sowing seeds for spring transplant, visited with parents, baked two loaves of handmade honeywheat bread, rearranged my livingroom and dining room, done laundry, groomed a poodle, gone to yoga class, made chicken stock and potato soup, taken the dogs to the vet, gotten an allergy shot, and stopped in at a local soda shop for an icecream cone and a new candle. In addition, I have finished reading my book on beekeeping basics, and completed a number of other chores (including cleaning the kitchen at least twice and scooping poop in the backyard). So for the past two hours, I have done nothing but research.

My original passion and the result of my BA in Art History, research is a timeless effort that generally makes one feel either empowered, excited, overwhelmed, or even all of the above. With plans this year of starting my first official "mini-farm," I have set out many goals and necessities. I have spent the past five years of homeowernership attempting to find a happy balance between curb appeal and functionality. Four growing seasons in a row I have learned a lot. There was nothing else to do with my mistakes but learn from them (and/or compost them). Now, don't start doubting the color of my thumb (although my husband does). I have had some small successes; such as some small berry harvests, broccoli, a few cucumbers and tomatoes, and various herbs. I appear to be great with rosemary, yucca, and chrysanthemums, but these would probably be even more successful without my help. This year, I started my research before the holiday season by purchasing a number of books on homesteading, mini-farming, and sustainable living. Slowly, the goals have been transforming into realities.

My gardening journal is a testament to the number of trials we have already overcome in the short amount of time since originally planning for the year. Despite minor setbacks, and financial frustration, we now have a 120 sq. ft. raised bed (100 sq. ft. planting space), all seeds needed for the season, and have even ordered a bee hive. We will once again pass up on chickens this year, as we are not big egg-eaters and my mother and neighbor are generous with their chickens' eggs in exchange for our help with caring for them. However, my husband did seem attached to the idea of honeybees. He likes to screen my Mother Earth News and pretend to tell me which articles I'm "approved" to read. Our previous edition had an article about honeybees, and after both reading it, and doing some minor research, we dove in. We then attended a local Beekeepers Association meeting (which apparently is for all women, yet the hubby didn't seem to mind) and discovered the most helpful people ever. The president even agreed to help us put our hive together and then provide us with her first swarm! Free-Bees! (pun intended)

Other goals are taking place inside our house. I have begun making my own bread on a regular basis and discovered the ability to grow a yeast culture in my refrigerator so I would never have to buy it again. I have the starter flakes on order because I am a bit scared of starting one from scratch and I couldn't find anyone locally who would share. So today I have been researching how I can also start grinding my own flour. Right now I only use about 10 lbs of flour per month for bread (half whole wheat pastry flour, half bread flour) and a little extra for other purposes (all-purpose white flour and oat flour). However, the idea of keeping a grain store in my home and grinding what I need has a health value that I just can't pass up. So most of my research today consisted of grain mill attachments for my Kitchen-Aid. Conservation of space makes less appliances a necessity, so no separate grain mill for me. For this reason I am also researching yogurt making without an additional machine. When really baking great bread, it is best to use cultured milk products, and making my own yogurt is the cheapest option. Plus it is one less thing to buy at the store.

All these things mentioned so far intertwine and build upon each other. My desire for self-sufficiency and my husband's desire for saving money and making me happy seem to all lead to an interesting journey down a path studded with semi-lost arts of survival. For the past few years, we have already managed to do many things like making our own cleaning supplies, and even building a new bed. These small accomplishments somehow fit into our tiny lives and make us more complete, more satisfied. In the end, it isn't so much a quest for happiness, as it is a quest for occupation. Happiness is, after all, the journey not the destination. To quote Montaigne, "The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with a purpose." As a teacher, my purpose is to learn and share, and I believe this about all aspects of my life. I am undoubtedly one of those crazed-hippie-types (minus the hallucinogens). I think we all have a role to play in protecting the planet, and my role is not just activism, but also making adjustments in my own life to lead by example. If just one other family realizes that they can live without frivolous luxuries, or over-processed food, or toxic cleaners, then I feel this effort is worth far more than I could ever expect. So much of what I see today, so much that frustrates me, is just ignorance. Ignorance of our own history, of our own abilities, and of our impacts. Live conscious. That's all it takes. When you find out that something you do has a negative impact, adjust. Monitor and adjust. It's the motto of teachers, and it should be the motto of life. Never run from negativity, just use it to learn.

So my hope for this blog, is not only to occupy my mind on those few days off. It is to share my trials and tribulations. I want to share the journey that my family is taking and hopefully give some useful information to others on a parallel journey. It will hopefully be a mixture of practical knowledge, humorous cock-ups, and a tiny bit of activism for Mother Earth. Peace.