Suck it up, it's not even winter yet.

The onset of winter in Alberta is bittersweet. The change in seasons seems to happen overnight. You wake up one morning, look outside the see everything is covered with snow and you realize you're into it. Yet, you can't deny how beautiful and clean it all is.

For the past 10 years we've gone south for the winter. This year however, we've decided to tough it out in Alberta. Covid-19 cases are relatively low here compared to Arizona and the other states. 

This family of otters seem to be trapped on the wrong side of the ice. They were spotted walking across Lac La Nonne towards Moonlight Bay where there was still open water near a beaver lodge. In this photo they appear quite small but in fact they were about 3 ft in length and it only took minutes to run the half mile across.

Pileated Woodpeckers hang around all winter so if you feed them, they'll keep coming back.

Medium sized female Downy Woodpecker

Male Downy Woodpecker. The male has a small red patch on the back of his head.

Blue Jays virtually take over the feeders with their aggressive behavior. They seldom eat at the feeder but instead will take seeds away and store them elsewhere.

The new platform feeder should keep the birds around for most of the winter.

Female Pine Grosbeak

Three males and a female Pine Grosbeak enjoying sunflower seeds.

Pileated Woodpecker dining at the suet feeder

 

Sourdough Country Bread

Sourdough bread April 19th and 20th, 2020

Loosely following the Country Bread recipe in Tartine Bread cookbook that Colin and Amanda lent us.

The Country Bread recipe will yield enough dough to bake 2 small loaves and 1 large boule of bread. The small loaves will be baked in bread pans while the boule will be baked the following day in a 12 qt cast iron dutch oven.

12 quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Kitchen scale

List of ingredients;

• 900 grams of white and 100 grams of whole wheat flour.
• 230 grams active starter replenished the night before baking.
• 20 grams salt.
• 750 grams water.

Note: Have at least 2 cups of sourdough starter on hand. You'll need approximately half (230 grams) for this recipe. The remainder can be refrigerated and will become your future starter.

Use a kitchen scale to measure and mix in the ingredients.

Use a large mixing bowl for Step 1

Warm 750 grams of water to 80 DegF of which 50 grams will be used later in the recipe.

Note: Professional bakers ofter refer to "Bakers Percentages" as a way to measure ingredients for their recipes. The amount of flour always represents 100%. All added ingredients are measured as a percentage of the flour weight. Bakeries often handle large quantities and it's often impractical to measure in gallons, cups and tablespoons. Weight is weight, plain and simple and you don't have to compensate for whatever sticks to the measuring cup. Let's say a bakery recipe for Rustic Bread calls for 100 lbs of flour to be hydrated to 70% hydration. You'll need 70 lbs of water for 70% hydration. Reducing these quantities for smaller batches suddenly becomes simplified. 50 lbs of flour needs 35 lbs of water. 100 grams of flour needs 70 grams of water and so on.

Step 1: Initial mixing.

Stir 230 grams of your starter into 700 grams of 80 degree water.

Zero the scale and Add 900 grams of white flour and 100 grams whole wheat flour.

With your hands, thoroughly blend until the mixture is smooth and all dry flour is dissolved.

Clean the bowl sides and your hands into the dough using a spatula and let the dough rest for 20 to 40 minutes.

Step 2: Bulk fermentation.

In a cup, dissolve 20 grams of salt into 50 grams of 80 Deg water.

Add the salty water to the dough mixture and hand blend till smooth.

Transfer to a smaller mixing bowl and let rest. Ensure the bowl will hold twice the starting volume.

Note: The dough temperature should be kept at 75 - 80 degF. Most kitchens are not that warm but this can be achieved by using your kitchen oven as a warm space while the dough goes through the fermentation steps. The oven light bulb should produce enough heat to warm the oven to 75 degrees. My oven has two light bulbs and will reach 100 degrees if I'm not watching.

The dough is now into the bulk fermentation step (first rise). This should take approx 3 hrs.

Every 30 minutes for the next 3 hrs the dough will need to be “turned”. To do this, hold the bowl with one hand and slip your other hand under the dough ball and fold it over onto itself 3 or 4 times. To keep the dough from sticking to your hand, wet your hand under running water prior to handling the dough.

Step 3: Proofing.

On a breadboard, divide the dough into two equally sized  balls. Use minimal flour the breadboard. Avoid adding additional flour to the dough at this point so use a dough scraper to lift the dough and lightly flour your hands if you find the dough too sticky to handle.

Place one ball into a medium sized bowl for overnight proofing in the refrigerator. To prevent the dough ball from sticking to the bowl, oil the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. See Step 4B for baking the boule.

Next, divide the other ball into two equally sized smaller balls.  Gently knead and fold both balls and place them into bread pans for proofing in the 100 degF oven.

Step 4a: Baking the loaves.

When the dough has risen, bake in a 450 degF oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Note: I have a convection oven and I always select the "no fan" option when baking bread. The circulation fan provides even heat distribution but it also removes moisture for the baking chamber. When baking bread it is best to keep a high degree of moisture in the oven. Some bakers actually add steam by placing water trays in the oven.

Step 4b: Baking the boule.

Following the overnight proofing. Remove the proofed dough from the refrigerator at least one hour before baking time.

Meanwhile preheat the dutch oven to 450 degF. 

The dough ball should not stick to the plastic mixing bow if it was oiled. Simply let the dough ball roll out of the proofing bowl into the hot cast iron dutch oven and replace the hot lid.

Place the Dutch Oven into your kitchen oven and bake at 450 degF for 20 minutes with the lid on.  Remove the lid and further bake for 10 more minutes.

Check for an internal temperature of 195 degF

Cool for 1 hr before slicing.

Sourdough starter and bread recipes.

First it was toilet paper followed by respiratory masks and sanitary disinfectants. Now, three weeks later there's a shortage of latex gloves, hair dye, home barbering kits, eggs and bread yeast.  The shortage of yeast came as a complete surprise to me but apparently people are staying home more and shopping less often. Home baking has become a very popular pastime during this Covid19 isolation crisis.

Not to be outdone, I decided it was time to fire up the outdoor oven and make bread.

Our wood-fired brick oven at Lac la Nonne

I was inspired to build a brick oven in 2002 after reading 'The Bread Builders' by Alan Scott and Dan Wing. Included in the book was a basic set of plans for a restaurant style pizza oven. The oven is designed to be wood fired for 4hrs. The remaining ashes are then raked out and the oven floor is swept clean. The oven design combines high-density fire brick and cement for heat absorption with high-tech ceramic and glass fiber insulations for heat retention. Once fired to 800 degF,  it can be used for continuous baking for 3 days and nights without reheating. Since completion of our outdoor oven in 2003, we've baked almost everything imaginable in it. On the hearth we've baked pizzas, breads and rustic crackers and in various pots, pans and cookie sheets we've baked beans, stews, pork ribs, beef roasts, chickens and even turkeys.

Here are a  few tips, observations and opinions from my bread baking experiences.

• I have a fondness for Sourdough and one way to still bake bread without commercial yeast is to first make a Sourdough Starter. Magically you can create your own starter by simply mixing flour and water. Some people add a few other "optional" ingredients like sugar or honey but all you really need is flour and water. 

• Keep in mind that keeping a starter alive and flourishing is a commitment. It takes a week to get it into a usable condition and it needs a few minutes of your attention every two or three days afterwards.

• Always refresh your started the evening before you plan to bake.

• Get a good electronic weigh scale capable of measuring in grams. Many of the variables will disappear once you start using a scale, as opposed to cups, teaspoons and tablespoons to measure your ingredients. Sifting flour to loosen it up will no longer be needed. Weight is weight regardless of how tightly packed your flour is.

• Get a good quality electronic probe thermometer.

• Salt is important. Salt plays a role in tightening the gluten structure and adds strength to your dough. Salt slows down fermentation activity and helps hold carbon dioxide (bubbles) during fermentation resulting in better volume. 

• Keep your flour supply fresh and avoid overbuying quantities that will get old. 

• I use non-chlorinated bottled drinking water for baking. Not because I have anything against chlorine. It's simply because I have a well and I find that water is too soft.

• Keep a good supply of parchment paper on hand. Parchment paper lessens the need to flour your work surface, peel or cookie sheets.

• Invest in a quality cast iron dutch oven. Buy one with a flat bottom that you can place on your oven racks. Mine is a 12 quart, which is quite large and I love it. Using a dutch oven inside of your regular oven gives you a way to add and retain extra moisture around the dough for the first 15 minutes of baking. The added moisture greatly increases the crust quality and give the loaf more "oven spring". When I bake in a dutch oven I place the shaped boule or loaf on parchment paper and then lower the boule into the preheated dutch oven. I drop 4 ice cubes between the parchment paper and the hot sides of the dutch oven and quickly place to lid on. Slide it into your 450 degF preheated oven. After 15-20 minutes, remove the lid and bake another 15 minutes.

• Use a probe thermometer to check the internal bread temperature. Remove the cooked bread from the dutch oven when you've reach an internal temperature of 200 degF.

• Place your cooked bread on an elevated cooling rack and let it cool for at least 1/2 an hour before slicing. This will give the loaf some time to stop cooking and firm up for easier slicing. 

NATURAL LEAVEN - SOURDOUGH STARTER RECIPE

(Some information was derived from “The Bread Builders” by Daniel Wing/Alan Scott)

DAY #1 (Monday)

Measure 120 grams of fresh unbleached Whole Wheat flour

Variation would be 60 grams of whole wheat and 60 grams of rye flour

Measure and add 120 grams of non chlorinated water (bottled natural spring)

Mix in a 4-6 cup measuring cup with a non metallic spoon, cover with plastic wrap

120g of flour + 120g of water yields 240 grams of inactive leaven

Let sit for 48 hrs at room temperature

DAY #3 (Wednesday)

Retain half (120 grams) and discard remainder of Day #1 mixture

Measure and add 60 grams of fresh whole wheat flour

Variation would be 30 grams of whole wheat and 30 grams of rye flour or organic white flour

Measure and add 60 grams of non chlorinated water (bottled natural spring water)

Mix in a 2 cup measuring cup with a non metallic spoon, cover with plastic wrap

120g of leaven + 60g flour + 60g water yields 240 grams of leaven

Let sit for 24 hrs at room temperature

DAY #4 (Thursday) repeat as per Day #3

Retain half (120 grams) and discard remainder of Day #3 mixture

Measure and add 60 grams of fresh whole wheat flour

Variation would be 30 grams of whole wheat and 30 grams of rye flour

Measure and add 60 grams of non chlorinated water (bottled natural spring water)

Mix in a 2 cup measuring cup with a non metallic spoon, cover with plastic wrap

120g of leaven + 60g flour + 60g water yields 240 grams of slightly active leaven

Let the starter sit for 2 days at room temperature. It should be ready to use by Saturday, 6 days after starting. 

Always retain at least 1 1/2 cups as storage leaven.  Some recipes call for 1 cup of leaven so that won't leave much to keep your starter going. Refresh by adding 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water.

Allow newly refreshed storage leaven to ferment for 5 hrs at room temperature before refrigerating if it will be used again the following day, 3 hrs if it will be used in 3 days and 1 hr if it will be used within one week. This will prevent it from over-ripening.  Remove from refrigerator 1 hr before you plan to use it.

Discarded starter can be pan-fried like pancakes until crispy. Add chopped green onions, sesame seeds and salt to one cup of discarded starter.  Cut into bite size pieces and dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Robert’s SOURDOUGH

Almost all sourdough is based on the following proportions.

100% Flour

65 - 75% Water

15%  Starter (storage leaven)

1.8 – 2% Salt

FYI:  The following recipe with yield 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs) of dough. Enough for 2-3 loaves

Day #1 7PM (making the 1st leaven sponge) Tonight you'll make 500 grams of 1st sponge by expanding a small amount of your natural leaven starter.

• From your storage jar measure out 150 grams of starter into a medium size mixing bowl.
• Thoroughly mix in 150 grams water and 200 grams whole wheat flour.
• Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let this ferment on the counter overnight (8 to 12 hours)

Day #2 8AM (making the 2nd leaven sponge) This morning you'll make the 2nd sponge by expanding the 1st sponge to 1520 grams

• Thoroughly mix in 420 grams of water and 600 grams of whole wheat flour
• Cover and let this ferment on the counter for 7-8 hours

Day #2 4PM (Mixing the finished dough) This afternoon you will make 3 kg of finished dough by doubling the amount of your 2nd leaven sponge.

• Thoroughly mix in 600 grams of 80 degF water and 850 grams of whole wheat flour. Dissolve 24 grams (4 tsp) of salt in the water before mixing in.
• Knead by stretching and folding for 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Cover and let dough rest overnight in refrigerator

Day #3 Baking Day.  
If you have access to a wood fired brick oven go to Option #1, if not, go to Option #2

Option #1, lucky you, you get to start at 6AM

• Remove dough from refrigerator
• Fold and press the dough continuously for 2 minutes, rest for 10 minutes
• Repeat 3 times, letting the dough rest for 10 minutes each time
• Divide and shape the loaves into individual balls or loaves and place on parchment paper or into bread pans for proofing.
• Proof at 75 – 80 degF for 4 – 5 hours.

• 8AM Light a fire in the outside oven approx. 5 or 6 hrs before baking time or preheat your indoor oven to 500 degF and proceed to scoring step.
• Oven brick temperature should be 550 – 570 degF (as determined by IR Thermometer on brick)
• Oven air temp ~460 degF (as determined by IR thermometer on bread pan or objects in oven)
• Test oven floor temp. Spread a sprinkling of white flour on the hearth floor. The flour should not brown for 15 – 20 seconds.
• Score the topside of the loaves with a sharp blade and position inside the oven. Minimize the time the oven door is open to retain heat.
• Bake for 35 to 55 minutes depending on the weight of the loaves.
• Inside loaf temperature should be around 200 degF when ready. (185F-210F)
• Allow bread to cool for at least one hour before slicing.

Alan Scott

1936 - 2009

Option #2, Baking in your kitchen using a gas or electric oven

• Remove dough from refrigerator
• Stretch, fold and press the dough repeatedly for 2 minutes, rest for 10 minutes. If the dough tears while stretching, try to be more gentle. You may have to let it rest longer to warm up a bit.
• Repeat 3 or 4 times, letting the dough rest for 10 minutes each time.
• Divide and shape the loaves into individual balls or loaves and place on parchment paper on cookie sheets or into bread pans for proofing at 75 – 80 degF for 4 – 5 hours.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until 200 degF internal loaf temperature.

Using a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Baking with a cast iron dutch oven can be dangerous.  Both the lid and the dutch oven are heavy and awkward to handle while wearing oven mitts. 

• If you intend on using a dutch oven, shape and proof your dough in an oiled bowl or floured banneton overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the dutch oven to 450 degF with the lid off.
• The proofed dough should go directly into the dutch oven from the refrigerator. If you allow the dough to warm up, it will soften and loose its shape.
• Invert your proofing bowl or basket over a piece of parchment paper. Minimize any handling of the dough at this point.
• Score the topside of the loaf with a sharp blade. Make your cuts at least 1/2 inch deep. Carefully lift by gripping the four corners of the parchment paper and lower into the hot preheated dutch oven. 
• Drop a few ice cubes into the space between the parchment paper and the hot dutch oven sides.
• Minimize the time the dutch oven lid is off to retain heat and water vapor.
• Slide the dutch oven into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until you reach 200 degF internal loaf temperature.
• I like to use the broiler for the last couple minutes so I can brown the crust a bit. 

Juans Yawn and Junos response

The battle of the K9s

Juan: Check this out

Juno: Check THIS out.

Dear deer

The birds we have at the lake are messy eaters. There's usually more birdseed on the ground than there is on the feeder.

This trio is in our yard almost every day since our return from Arizona.

Self Isolation project

Dreaming of warmer days ahead. 

Using old plywood and scrap pieces of lumber, I made a dozen of these over-sized dice that can be tossed around to play Lawn Yahtzee. The dice were painted with clear exterior urethane and 3/4 inch pip holes were filled with blue resin epoxy.

Self Isolating

We've been isolated at home for a week now after returning from Arizona. We're being diligent about not having contact with others.  14 days is a long time when you're counting but we've realized that it's not much different than our normal lifestyle except for the occasional happy hour get-togethers with neighbors. We use the phone and social media to communicate with everybody.

Our neighbors know we are healthy but are still avoiding contact for the mandatory time period. Twice we found cookies and brownies on our doorstep. Today when Maryanne brought over a bag of books for Yvonne, she rang the doorbell and stood back about 15 ft as if we had the plague. She offered to bring us groceries but we're declining because we are fully stocked with stuff we brought back from Arizona. We even have two 5 gal pails of navel oranges from our trees. We likely have more fresh fruit than most households in Alberta have.

Technically, when our isolation period is over, we'll be the ones that are verified coronavirus free.  Everybody else out there could be potential carriers because of their poor social distancing practices.

Today, Yvonne had me find her cross country skis and boots and she ventured out onto the frozen lake.  I've kept busy trying to fine-tune the new furnace humidifier that I installed in October and completing a few woodworking projects. The workshop  is cold and I'm regretting not having installed that gas heater last year.

It's time to come home

Source: The White House
March 13: National Emergency Declaration.
Trump declared a National Emergency to help the government respond to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020.



Our stay in Arizona came to an abrupt stop because of rising Coronavirus concerns. Our daily routines and activities were becoming severely impacted by this invisible threat that was spreading around the world and threatening to invade Leisure World. 

Leisure World had just announced they were closing all the public facilities effective immediately.  Swimming Pools & Spas, Fitness Center, Billiard Room, Card Rooms, Woodworking Shop and pretty much everything else was being closed to encourage social distancing of the residents and staff. Activities like Pickleball and Tennis were becoming severely restricted by cancelling all organized play. 

The average age of residents in Leisure World is likely around 75 yrs. This age group is considered to be in the highest risk category for surviving Coronavirus although, so far, nobody has become sick or is willing to tell anyone. Time will tell if the preventative measures were worth it.

Coincidently, the Canadian government was also issuing travel advisories and urging snowbirds to come home. Because of this our health insurance coverage would not cover Coronavirus claims.  Paraphrasing our Prime Minister, "It is time to come home."

We left our Mesa home early on March 17th and headed north toward Salt Lake City. Our first night was spent in Provo, Utah. We were on the road again by 7AM.  A few minutes into our drive, we heard news of a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in nearby Magna, a community in greater Salt Lake City. Live news reports were warning of downed power lines, power outages and building damage but we didn't see anything worse than a splintered power pole along side the Interstate 15. There were numerous aftershocks too but we didn't feel anything unusual as we were driving through construction zones.

The orange and yellow dots indicate where the earthquakes and aftershocks took place between March 18th and March 20th. 

The Angel Moroni statue atop the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands with its trumpet missing after an earthquake in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

At the Coutts Canadian border crossing there was a half mile long lineup of returning Canadians. During our 1hr-20min wait we were entertained by 11 whitetail deer trying to cross the lineup at Sweetgrass. 

After being interrogated for the usual customs declarations and other questions about firearms and liquor the CBS Officer informed us of the new requirements for individuals returning from a foreign country during a Pandemic.  We were asked if we had any cold or flu symptoms like fever, cough or shortness of breath. We replied no to all questions. "You'll both need to Self Isolate yourselves from the general population for 14 consecutive days once you return home" said the Officer. Little did he know that "Self Isolation" fully describes our normal lifestyle at Lac La Nonne.

North of the border radio stations were announcing the Can/US border closure for all but essential travel. It felt great to be back in Canada but we all know that the worst is yet to come.

Finally we arrived home, one month ahead of schedule. This is our view for the next two weeks. There's a foot of snow in the yard and the temperature is around -10C.  Looks like there's still some winter in store for us.

On the bright side, the snow should be gone in a couple weeks and I'm optimistic that we will be returning to Arizona in October.

Mystery in Mesa

Something with very nimble fingers has carefully deconstructed an orange under our navel tree last night.

All the pieces seem to be there. The peeling was torn off and all the segments were pulled apart without damaging them. Nothing seems to be missing.

Could a raccoon have done this? I spotted one in a Leisure World drainage ditch a few months ago while riding my bike. Raccoons probably have the dexterity and the curiosity to pull this off. 

Or possibly it was a coati. We've spotted these in Leisure world too but I don't know if they have opposing thumbs like a raccoon.

(both animal photos were downloaded from a google search)

Two more Tuesday Hikes

Surrounded by the Town of Gilbert, the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is Gilbert's 110 acre waste-water management facility. There are 4.5 miles of walking trails winding through the Water Ranch Lake and 7 accompanying ponds.  

There are apparently over 300 different bird species and various other wildlife that inhabit the preserve.

The Butcher Jones Trail is not new to us. We've hiked this one several times in the last three years.

Storms and Sunsets

These barbed shoots were trimmed from the orange tree.

Kokopelli wall hanging.

This black and white image is actually a color photograph.