Biga

For years I baked bread every week, sometimes 2X. Then I STOPPED. Early this week I decided to start up my old habit again. Evidence is that I didn't simply bake bread last week, but pinched off a piece and set it to work becoming Biga. The word is Italian, what it "is" is a sourdough starter, what else the word connotes I haven't a clue.

Today poured most of my biga out of the quart bottle it was resting in, then added back equal parts flour and water, and a half t of sugar. Lid on, shake-shake-shake, then loosen the lid and set it aside at the back of the counter or in the fridge. If the lid is tight and the yeast works....... yes, it's possible that it will explode. So keep it loose.

Meanwhile, into the bowl with the biga went a cup of water and a cup of flour, plus a teas of yeast. With a little extra time, that should suffice. When the yeast is completely 'eaten' and still bubbling away, it loses the tame taste. The wild yeast overcomes it. Someday there will again be so much wild yeast in the air that I'll be able to set aside flour and water for a couple of days and it will bubble up. But it takes a lot of baking to get there, and I've only just begun.

I found durham flour recently - I love it. This bread will be all durham, and the crumb will have that distinctly golden durham wheat color. When it was working strongly I added a cup of home made yogurt, a T of oil, a heaping t of sugar, a slight t of salt, and enough flour to make a sticky, loose dough. I beat it with the kitchen aid for about 5 minutes, until it just began to ball on the paddle.

A dough this sticky is best kept off of the counter, in your hands as much as possible, and hands oiled, not floured. I tossed it around to finish it, kneading it a bit on the counter, picking it up and slapping it down to make the gluten structure strong. Oiled bowl, plastic wrap top, into the oven with only the light left on for warmth.



An hour later it was doubled, and, hands oiled I deflated it by pulling it away from the edges of the bowl, and broke it in two.



working it in my hands, I kneaded it into a ball, and placed it in a well-oiled pan, then did the same with the other piece.



I tried to snip the top of one, but the cut seemed like it might deflate the structure, so I gave up, didn't finish. Pressed course salt gently over the top (remember, hardly any salt in the bread itself), covered with plastic wrap and into the oven, out of drafts, to rise.

Properly risen, oven heated to 420, I placed the loaves in the oven then dashed a quarter cup of water onto the oven floor and closed the door to contain the steam. 3 minutes later, I repeated the steam bath. (Steam during the first 10 minutes keeps the surface moist and prevents the crust from hardening before the loaf rises). 7 minutes after that, I lowered the oven to 350 and left it for 40 minutes. Getting nicely brown, but the bread still stuck to the pans (usually a sign that the loaf is not yet done), so I returned it to the oven for another five, then prized the loaves gently from their pans and let them rest on the racks to finish the crust and finish setting the internal structure. When the bottoms tapped hollow, they came out to finish cooling on a rack.

As desired, the grain is large with many evenly distributed bubbles, and a definate 'chewiness.' Crisp crust and a chewy crumb! Yummmmmm

Frustration.

Sure, sure, we need rain. But today? When I'd saved a whole day for weed wacking and getting things in order?

sheesh.

Starting Point

Unfortunately, these pictures don't show the full challenge. While there are a few small spaces that are "flat-ish," overall my yard is on a 20 degree slope. Until 3 years ago, I was slowly reclaiming areas from the weeds, and planting perennials. The hardy ones are still underneath.



Most of the overgrowth in this pic is Miner's lettuce, and it's getting ready to die back because this is the end of it's season. It may look messy, but its a nice salad green and grows here freely. I've been told that it is an indication of fertility. This area gets lots of sun - I'm thinking arugula and radicchio. I'm told if you keep radicchio picked and don't let it form heads, it's perennial. Last time I planted arugula I let some go to seed and harvested it for 3-4 years. I like that in a veggie! Along the near edge, mostly out of sight, some nasturtiums are volunteering again. There is one bright orange blossom at the front edge of the pic. They'll stay. The flowers are nice in salads, and the really young leaves are peppery and good if you shred them. They can be overpowering on their own.

When it's time for winter veggies, I think this is where I'll put kale, mustard greens, maybe some dandelion and broccoli rabe.

This space is about 8 feet deep and 16 feet long. There is a rose that I'll leave for now in the middle, towards the back of the bed. I should transplant it next winter... if I can figure out where to put her!




This overgrown pathway still gets a lot of sun, but the ground hasn't been improved, is mostly clay. If I can manage to kill the fennel here this year, that will be enough. The tall deep green"hedge" at the left side is Italian bay laurel. I have too much of it, but I needed a screen to give the side yard some privacy from the street. It seemed like the right idea at the time. On the right side is some kind of opportunist native that needs to go.



weeds, weeds, weeds. A plethora of mixed weeds, grass, fennel, blackberry, and lots of stuff that everyone but me knows.

There's a lot more, but this is pretty representative. There is a biggish (relative term) full sun area off to the side, but there is a lot of clay and it will take a major effort to irrigate. On top of it, the kids decided to use it to run their bikes on (slopes, they built little jumps etc.) so they've totally compacted it and made a massive project. GRRRRRRR! Soon I need to get over to that side, wack it, and hammer in stakes and yellow tape instructing them to STAY OUT. They're fundamentally good kids, I think there's a chance they'll pay attention. If not, I'll destroy their bikes. (Just kidding! But I will have a word with the parents.) That is at least a full day project that I'm not looking forward to.

Tonight I wacked weeds in the backyard until the battery needed recharging - didn't get a whole lot done. I'm recharging it tonight and hopefully I'll get the rest of the back done if I have a full charge.

I've accomplished big things here before, I can do it again. The trick is to not think of everything that needs to be done, only the piece that's under my nose. If I can get SOMETHING done every evening after work, then this year I'll make a good start of it.

There is a short wall in front with a row of rose bushes. One of the first things I did is plant trailing rosemary at their feet, tumbling over the wall. That's very solidly grown in now, so I've plenty of that herb. I would like to plant some bunching onions and walking onions among the roses. I'm told they will help with lots of rose ailments, and I imagine the blossoms will look nice emerging between them. That's something to do next fall.




This area is under fir trees, and gets mostly shade. Other than weed-wacking it, I don't think I'll pay attention to it this year.

Its a beginning....

Why a farm, not a garden?
Because farm is an attitude and a way of life, it connotes a functional purpose that goes beyond flowers

Why a front yard farm?
Because I live in a major metropolitan area.

Why bother?
In the beginning, I cooked. I don't remember being too young to cook. I've worked in restaurants, catered, taught cooking, and most of all, cooked and eaten with friends. Then, from time to time I dabbled in gardening.

I've become increasingly distressed by the less flavorful, less nutritious foods that our factory farms churn out in uniform truck loads. I'm distressed by the chemicals that ooze into drinking water, I'm distressed by the repeated outcrops of food poisoning caused by factory farming.

And so I've decided on an exercise in partial self-sufficiency. No, not a "back to the earth" retreat; my career and life is inexorably interwoven with city life.

Something in my personal life changed last year, I began working from home. While I still work absurd hours, I've eliminated commuting and with it a lot of stress. I've begun eating better again, because it's easy to throw a quick home made soup on the stove while I'm in the middle of a conference call. And now I want to take it to the next step and begin growing some of my own food organically.

Here, on these pages, I'll track and chart my progress. I'll notice what works and what doesn't. I'll complain about my aching muscles, and I'll brag about what makes me happy.

I dedicate this garden to the commute I no longer do. I pledge to dedicate my commute time to learning to feed myself, and feed myself well. Some of this will be about gardening, and some of it will be about cooking up the results of my labor.

I'm new at this, your comments and advice are welcome.