Prep of The Day Thread

That looks awesome! One of my favorite cuts at the store is beef shin. Always tender! I bet the elk has great flavor!
 
Took the 12 year old around the house today, played "what if". Mom and dad are caught away from the house in a blizzard, roads closed, power goes out. What do you eat, drink, how do you stay warm, etc. He asked for it all to be put into a checklist so I'm working on that.

Tilled and re-planted the garlic garden. Had a decent crop this year but a little small. Wife dried out the pumpkin seeds for planting next year. We only planted one last year but it did well and the seeds will go towards many more next year.
 
hillman said:
Took the 12 year old around the house today, played "what if". Mom and dad are caught away from the house in a blizzard, roads closed, power goes out. What do you eat, drink, how do you stay warm, etc. He asked for it all to be put into a checklist so I'm working on that.

Tilled and re-planted the garlic garden. Had a decent crop this year but a little small. Wife dried out the pumpkin seeds for planting next year. We only planted one last year but it did well and the seeds will go towards many more next year.
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Nice! We planted about 60 garlic about three weeks ago. We tried last year but the crop failed. We think we may have planted too early. We also used locally grown this time.
 
peterk123 said:
Nice! We planted about 60 garlic about three weeks ago. We tried last year but the crop failed. We think we may have planted too early. We also used locally grown this time.
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We planted 80 today. So many reasons they can fail. Ours all came up but were on the small side. Lots of garlic scapes though, my wife made a great garlic scape butter and froze it. So good!
 
Built an insulated mini-shed for the spigot and got a heated hose for filling waterers now that we have the pigs. I have some metal roof to put on later and I'll side it to match the house next year.
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Also got the metal roof on the shooting cabin porch. Still need to trim it and add side facia boards.
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Prep of the day: Common Sense and Use What You Have.

I can't believe how stupid people are in a minor "crisis."

I live in a townhouse condo community and our association is replacing the back decks. As part of the replacement, the heat pumps need to be disconnected while they replace the joists. 2 owners emailed that their heat pump was disconnected Wednesday and their homes were approaching 60 degrees on Saturday. They have working electricity in their homes.

I had to suggest that they run their electric ovens and house fans periodically to heat their homes until the joists are in place and the electrician reconnects the electric to their heat pumps. Maroons!

Another homeowner emailed in a panic, that the contractor removed their dryer vent cover Friday and there was a gaping hole where rodents and "rabid squirrels" could enter their dwelling. I suggested duct tape over the hole and don't use the dryer until they replace the vent cover.

More Maroons! And, they vote. Scary.
 
P-14 said:
Prep of the day: Common Sense and Use What You Have.

I can't believe how stupid people are in a minor "crisis."

I live in a townhouse condo community and our association is replacing the back decks. As part of the replacement, the heat pumps need to be disconnected while they replace the joists. 2 owners emailed that their heat pump was disconnected Wednesday and their homes were approaching 60 degrees on Saturday. They have working electricity in their homes.

I had to suggest that they run their electric ovens and house fans periodically to heat their homes until the joists are in place and the electrician reconnects the electric to their heat pumps. Maroons!

Another homeowner emailed in a panic, that the contractor removed their dryer vent cover Friday and there was a gaping hole where rodents and "rabid squirrels" could enter their dwelling. I suggested duct tape over the hole and don't use the dryer until they replace the vent cover.

More Maroons! And, they vote. Scary.
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That's funny. To think we keep our house at 62 during the winter. Your neighbors would die in a week at my place 😁

So your neighbors have some serious first works problems going on there!
 
peterk123 said:
That's funny. To think we keep our house at 62 during the winter. Your neighbors would die in a week at my place 😁

So your neighbors have some serious first works problems going on there!
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They are little baby sheep and totally helpless. Very sad.

They will be food when the world ends.
 
prep of the day included yard work to make future yard work less involved and less time consuming. laid out 3 yards of stone I had delivered Saturday morning, which will seriously cut down on weed whacking times at a property I am not at as much as I would like anymore.

Cleaned the garden bed out and pulled the last of the potatoes, onion and shallots.
as @hillman did I will, be saving some pumpkins seeds soon. My largest is still looking great so I haven't cut into it for seeds to save yet. I'll do that before chucking it in the woods. may even let it decompose along the wood line and see if anything sprouts naturally next year as there is plenty of sun and room for it to run.

two more dump runs to get rid of recycling and pick up some more dirt. tackling little projects but finally starting to see big picture movement and changes. much like many projects, it has been the prep work which has taken longest, but doing things correctly is rewarding, especially when things come into clarity and you get to see the fruits of your labor.
 
BarnBuilder said:
Peter please forward the bread recipe. That looks amazing.

Many Thanks

GPS
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It's super easy because this particular one does not require a starter yeast, I use instant. I don't get the as much gluten development, but it's quick and still tastes pretty darn good.

I make small batches so it gets eaten immediately. So the recipe can easily be doubled up.

I apologize because I only kind of measure when I make these breads. I figured out that things like altitude and humidity play a role. I'm at 5,000 feet and have very low humidity. So the amount of water I use plays a role as well as my baking time...... I think. Anyway, here it goes.

1.5 cups of bread flour. You can use regular as well, but you do get better gluten development and rise with the good stuff. I do not buy king Arthur anymore. It's too expensive. I use the store brand.

1.5 teaspoons of instant yeast. No need to activate. Just toss it in the flour.

Honey. Probably a tablespoon. You can go more if you want. Little honey pulls out the flavor of the bread more, more honey will sweeten it. It's all good. Sugar also helps to feed the yeast.

Salt. Two to three pinches. I add the salt after about three minutes of mixing everything else. I want the yeast to start its thing before adding salt. But if you want, just toss it in there in the beginning. It will be fine.

Water. Okay this is where it's more art than simple math. I prefer high hydration. Rule of thumb is water should be 70 percent of the weight of your flour. Not volume, weight. I have found that where I live I need to be 75%, I have pushed it to 80%. If you are too dry you will have a heavy dense loaf. Still edible though. You can't make horrible bread. Impossible. Well unless your yeast is dead. So here is where I use my eyes. I keeping adding water, tiny bits at a time, until all the floor is picked from the sides of the bowl, BUT there is like a 2 inch diameter circle of dough constantly stuck at the bottom center of my bowl. Oh, I should have told you I use my kitchenaide mixer with a dough hook.

Now don't worry if you made it too wet. Just add flour a teaspoon at a time.

I like it to mix for probably eight minutes.

When done, I put olive oil on my hands and roll the dough around. This will stop it from sticking to the bowl. Cover it. In twenty minutes fold the dough over a few times. Just grab one side lift and flip it on top. Turn the bowl and repeat two times. You should feel the gluten tightening up on the third stretch. Wait twenty minutes do it again. You can skip this step if you want but I feel it helps the gluten do it's thing, meaning the dough starts to firm up.

Wait a couple hours and watch for the rise. Once it's doubled twice carefully from the bowl and begin to shape it. This can take longer than two hours. Temperature will affect how fast it will rise. Back to shaping...You are going for a tight outer skin. Check out a YouTube vid to see the process. It's easy, just hard to explain.

Let it rise again for an hour or so. I place it on a parchment paper because it's easier to put in the oven. Bread goes into a bowl with the paper and covered.

Then set the oven to 450. I use a baking stone. But a very effective method is a Dutch oven. Both the stone and the Dutch oven need to go into the oven the minute you turn it on. When I turn the oven on is also when I score my bread. I use a razor blade. Give it a good slash.

When oven hits 450 put bread in there. I let it bake for 35 minutes on the stone. I used to use the same time in Dutch oven. If using Dutch oven, put lid on it. I get a better crust using the stone. You want internal temp of 189 degrees or so.

When done, pull it out and get it on a rack so it can cool. You need air underneath it, so don't just plop it on the table. That's it. Best is to wait several hours, like 24, but ummm good luck with that 😁

When you're ready, we will talk sourdough. Now that is a great bread!

Here is one I am about to put in the oven.

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BarnBuilder said:
Here is my 5 minute Artisan Bread in my Dutch Oven

I am going to try baking bread inmmy Dutch Oven on my woodstove as I make 80% of my meals on it this time of year and through the winter months.

View attachment 816864
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That looks fantastic! Bread can be very easy to make, or quite cumbersome. After five years and 100s of leaves, I'm learning that slow rising, overnight, can make wonderful bread. But you need the time to do it. It's hard to beat the five minute loaf for convenience and taste. I can't get myself to buy any bread from a grocery store anymore. I rather not eat bread.
 
peterk123 said:
That looks fantastic! Bread can be very easy to make, or quite cumbersome. After five years and 100s of leaves, I'm learning that slow rising, overnight, can make wonderful bread. But you need the time to do it. It's hard to beat the five minute loaf for convenience and taste. I can't get myself to buy any bread from a grocery store anymore. I rather not eat bread.
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The mixing time is 5 minutes (by hand ;)) but I let it sit for 18 - 24 hrs and let it rise by the woodstove. Then I heat the Dutch Oven for 20 Minutes and
Looking forward to the Sourdough journey
 
BarnBuilder said:
The mixing time is 5 minutes (by hand ;)) but I let it sit for 18 - 24 hrs and let it rise by the woodstove. Then I heat the Dutch Oven for 20 Minutes and
Looking forward to the Sourdough journey
Click to expand...
The sourdough thing started during covid while I was still living in mass. I couldnt get yeast because everyone all of a sudden was a survivalist. So I made my own starter. I'm using the same one today. It made the trek to Montana. Guns was number one priority, starter number two.

And it seems that my starter just gets better year after year. Once you have that, it's like any other bread except I don't put it in the fridge overnight. I just let it do its thing out on the counter. But the finished product is next level. Very strong gluten formation, and complex flavors. Hard to explain but it looks like you have been making bread for a while so you know what I mean.

If I was close by I would give you some of my starter. But I guess half the fun is starting it yourself. Since you have been making bread, I bet your house is loaded with the yeast bacteria needed to get a starter going. You'd get one made in a matter of days.
 
peterk123 said:
The sourdough thing started during covid while I was still living in mass. I couldnt get yeast because everyone all of a sudden was a survivalist. So I made my own starter. I'm using the same one today. It made the trek to Montana. Guns was number one priority, starter number two.

And it seems that my starter just gets better year after year. Once you have that, it's like any other bread except I don't put it in the fridge overnight. I just let it do its thing out on the counter. But the finished product is next level. Very strong gluten formation, and complex flavors. Hard to explain but it looks like you have been making bread for a while so you know what I mean.

If I was close by I would give you some of my starter. But I guess half the fun is starting it yourself. Since you have been making bread, I bet your house is loaded with the yeast bacteria needed to get a starter going. You'd get one made in a matter of days.
Click to expand...

I have young friends in Fairhaven who want to shere their Sourdough starter next time I can get down there. Looking forward to posting
pictures of the journey
 

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