Bagels

I took a second try at making bagels last night. The first batch this week turned out ok. The bagels were flat, dense and ugly. There were several mistakes I made, due to my lack of experience with bread dough. After doing some research and switching recipes the second batch turned out great.

The recipe that I used is from the King Arthur floor website. Prep time is easy and quick. Click here for recipe.

First Pumpkin

This year's first pumpkin. I have about 10 still to pick. These popped up on their own from pumpkins I was to lazy to clean up from the garden last year.

Fresh Vegetables

The first real take away from the garden this year. The peppers and onions are doing great this year, last year we did not get a single pepper or onion. Our first attempt at sunflowers seems to be working just fine.

Blossom End Rot

Four of the 11 tomato plants have contracted what I believe is blossom end rot.

"Blossom end rot begins as light tan, water-soaked lesions on the blossom end of the fruit. These lesions enlarge and turn black and leathery. The cause is thought to be a combination of cold temperatures or excessive heat during blossom set, and fluctuations in water supply. When these two factors occur simultaneously, calcium often becomes unavailable to the plant. Hence, a calcium deficiency occurs during fruit formation. To manage the problem, fertilize and water properly. Avoid setting out transplants too early in the season. Use mulch to help reduce fluctuations in moisture levels." Colrado State Unv. http://bit.ly/qduCMu.

I have added some homemade compost, compost pictures/design to come, to the plants. I have also trimmed  the plants. We will see what happens.


Update 8-13-11
I have removed two of the Roma Plants. The other infected Roma is holding in there. There is one beef steak tomato planted that seem to have the same problem, but it is still producing tomatoes.

Home Brew

Is that not one good looking home brew? This will be my first all grain batch. Along with a friend we did a 10 gallon Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. We did this batch at Do Your Brew.

Update: 4-16-11: The brew turned out ok! There looks to be a bacterial infection, so it will have a very short shelf life. We think it might be from the dry hopping. This is the second time this recipe turned out bad. 

Update: 6-13-11: The batch turned out to be like a variety pack, subtle difference from bottle to bottle. I have five left. We though the infection may be from the dry hopping. I am beginning to think it might have been the bottles. A large group of the first bottles turned out better then the last group of bottles. 

Spring is Here

Spring is here. Tulips and Irises are both started to popping up last week. Also the indoor tomato planets are doing pretty good so far.

Second Loaf of Bread

This time it stuck with the recipe and it turned out great. Imagine that! This is a French Loaf from the recipe book that came with the bread maker.

Ingredients for 2 lb. French Bread Loaf
1 1/2 c Water
1 1/2 tsp Salt
4 c Organic White Bread Floor
2 1/4 tsp Bread Yeast

First Loaf of Bread

Come to find out baking is a little different then cooking. I always change the recipe when cooking, so I did the same for my first load of bread. Bad idea. It was was a little dense, but tasted just like Honey Wheat.