Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 3
Week 4: January 28, 2023

One of the mixed blessings of rural living is seeing wildlife up close, from a fox to a bear and everything in between – we’ve seen everything except wolves.

The henhouse has been fortified with extra straw for winter. The hardware cloth (this is wire mesh, not fabric) covered windows are boarded up. We have only lost 2 hens since Samuel reduced the size of the hen yard. Tree cover makes it more difficult for hawks and bald eagles to steal our chickens and the two that were taken had flown outside the fence.

However, a plump gray fox in a resplendent winter coat spends his nights camped outside the fence looking in. Sam locks the chickens and ducks up promptly at dusk to prevent predation. He was daily becoming more curious and bold, (the fox, not Sam) so Sam set the live trap inside the hen yard to see if the fox was visiting, crossing over the fence, at night.

By morning, we had a fox in the trap. He (or she, but I’ll refer to it as “he”) is an attractive animal.

Sam and I took Mr. Fox for a short drive and released him. He came out of the trap like a shot as soon as Sam lifted the door panel.

Mornings are so beautiful here. Whether it’s frost, rain, snow, or sunshine the view is breathtaking.

Birthday tea for Mom

We celebrated Mom’s 78th birthday with a surprise luncheon and tea at Mom’s. Mom’s best friend Joy brought Cream of Broccoli soup and biscuits, I had made one of Mom’s childhood favorites: schlitz kuchen.

There were plenty of grandkids to add merriment and Joy brought a newly completed quilt to show. Amelia played some fiddle tunes and Mom was all smiles.

Storing wheat and other staples

Do you have a bucket of wheat in your pantry?

Installing Gamma Seal lids on 5 gallon food-grade buckets turns them into canisters. Gamma Seal lids spin on and off easily with one hand. SO much better than prying a lid off with a bucket tool – there’s no comparison!

I order pantry staples wheat, salt, rice, oats, popcorn, and more from Azure Standard. I keep quart and half gallon jars in my kitchen cupboards and when the jar is empty I refill it from the bucket. Quick and easy.

Adding a grain mill to your kitchen allows you to stock up on wheat berries, which retain their freshness for at least a few years, and grind your own fresh flour with nutrients intact.

Like The Little Red Hen, I grind wheat to bake our bread. A grain mill seems expensive at first glance, but with regular use it pays for itself. I really appreciate my KoMo Fidibus 21 grain mill. It is compact and attractive enough to leave on the kitchen counter full time, which means it is always handy. I don’t have to pull it out of the pantry to make flour, just drop the wheat in the hopper and out comes flour!

Today I am baking with hard red wheat berries, traditional whole wheat. Hard red wheat offers nutty flavor and earthy color and makes great bread.

Big batches (this is dough for 7 loaves) are easy with the Ankarsrum Assistent mixer. I love using my Grandma’s antique McCoy pottery bowl for the rising dough. The heavy bowl retains warmth and the shape promotes good structure.

I decided to divide the dough into 6 loaves instead of 7, so they would be extra plump.

Weighing the entire mass of dough and dividing it by the number of loaves you want to bake ensure loaves of even size.

The loaves rose high in their pans and turned out fluffy. The entire batch went to friends Don and Margaret Crow as part of a trade for seafood. We’re both happy!

If you are looking for a very fine bread flour that is also whole wheat, consider Azure Market bread flour. It is made by a special process that includes the entire wheat berry; bran, germ, and endosperm, and is very, very soft.

I have been using it in place of high protein white bread flour in loaves and pizza with good results. Let me know if you have tried it and what you have learned in using it.

Wishing you well this week, thank you for visiting!
Michele and Samuel

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 2

Week 7: February 19, 2022

Cool, frosty mornings are right around freezing and afternoons in the mid 60’s F (18c). The birds are happy and fill the air with chatter. It is surprisingly loud. Anyone who says they, “crave the quiet of the countryside,” has never been there. Or here.

The skunks have returned. From where, we do not know. We enjoyed being skunk-free these last several months, but when we heard the cat food bowl hit the side of the house on Monday evening Sam and I knew that meant the reprieve had ended.

We haven’t been sprayed (badly) yet, just small puffs of nauseating stink that last only a couple of days so far, and that due to Sam who persists in chasing them off. Sometimes I think he is worse than Toby, our grumpy old Maine coon cat. “Get outta here, go on, get!” says he, gesturing with his arms.

Skunks retaliate by picking up the empty cat food dish and flinging it against the house. And spraying, of course. Then ever so leisurely slipping under the gate to seek vittles and hospitality elsewhere.

Which means re-washing whatever is in the dryer because the scent goes right up the dryer vent and permeates the wash. Gahhhh!!! But as I said it hasn’t been terrible – yet. That day is coming, I am sure, and wouldn’t you love to be here visiting when it does?

Maybe you’d rather play my apprentice as I go through the farm kitchen tasks of the week: cooking, gardening, fermenting, inventorying the pantry, adding herbs to the apothecary, as well as shooting a video and answering at least a few hundred questions on all of the above subjects in online venues! I wish you could, it would be nice to have the help and the company some days!

Simple pleasures: cozy, beautiful socks (handmade by a dear friend, Linda Chandler, in Kentucky who send them to me as a surprise. Thank you, Linda!) a cup of tea, and a homemade cookie.

Valentine’s Day lunch at Mom’s. We packed a basket with a big jar of German Vegetable Soup with Dill, Baked Rice (custard), and Red Velvet Chocolate Tea from Farmhouse Teas.

PNW-Style Bacon and Veggie Fried Rice with garden greens, carrots, leftover chicken, and eggs from our chickens. A great use of leftovers, cool-season garden veggies, and odds-n-ends in the fridge.

Preparing to shoot a Bosch bread making video for Homesteading Family. Carolyn Thomas’ Art of Homemade Bread masterclass teaches you everything your grandmother (or great grandmother) used to know about baking soft, fluffy, and sliceable homemade bread. This is a batch of 5 loaves of 100% whole wheat bread.

One good way to get to know a far-away place is through their food. Get to know Ukrainian food and you will fall in love with the people. My mom’s side of the family is German-from-Russian, which is actually Ukraine. Summer Kitchens is one of my most-cherished cookbooks, it brings me closer to my family roots.

Four bowls of splendid salad greens: buckwheat, sunflower, pea, and radish (from left to right). I find seeds in many places: bulk bins at the locally-owned grocery store, Sprout People, and Johnny’s Seeds. Seed racks at garden centers frequently offer a small selection of seeds expressly for sprouting and eating. (You would not want to use treated seeds for food.)

I’m guessing grumpy Maine coon (Toby) locked the beautiful damsel in the hutch? Your guess is as good as mine.

Musqueé de Provence seed pumpkin, identified by the macramé yard I tied on the stem after hand-pollinating the female flower last summer. A peek inside reveals rich persimmon-colored flesh wish sweet, melon-like aroma and a wealth of sturdy seeds to save and replant.

Early spring pantry check. Your pantry may be spread out in different places like mine is, between kitchen cupboards, baskets on the floor, a closet, under beds, perhaps a shed or garage, and don’t forget your freezer!

A basket of garlic with many options for preserving before it begins to sprout. This time I plan to turn some into garlic salt, roast and freeze some for savory soups, and ferment some as a paste to season marinades and dressings and add flavor to stir fries.

We have been eating from the winter squash heap all winter and still there are plenty. Some will be baked and pureed for future pies, creamy soups, muffins, and other baked goods. Varieties left here include: Waltham butternut squash, porcelain princess pumpkin, and Musuqee de Provence pumpkin.

We are using up the last gallon jar of water glassed (or limed) eggs preserved in lime water. I keep a pair of rubber gloves draped over the top for ease of grabbing eggs. You also see a gallon of coconut oil, a crock of sauerkraut (in back), a lone bottle of huckleberry kombucha, and several jars of fermented garden produce including tomatillos and tomatoes.

A peek in the chest freezer reveals whole stewing hens (also known as spent laying hens) for broth, a turkey purchased at a discount last Thanksgiving, and local beef and fish.

Five gallon buckets with Gamma Seal lids are a convenient way to store whole grains like wheat, rye, barley; beans, popcorn, salt, sugar, and more as the lids easily spin off and on with one hand. No more struggling with a bucket tool to open a lid. I keep quart and half-gallon jars of individual grains in my kitchen cupboard and refill from the buckets as needed. Since I get into the buckets regularly, we do not use oxygen absorber packets. We eat from our food storage and continually replenish it throughout the year.

Happy mail from Starwest Botanicals included astragalus root, licorice root for, more amble glass tincture bottles, and a new set of tiny stainless steel funnels for easy filling of tincture bottles. Three homemade additions to the apothecary this week included diced dried organic tangerine peels, diced dried ginger, and dried hawthorn berries from a local tree. Some of the ginger was made into a fizzy ferment to add spice to stir fries and peanut dipping sauce for summer rolls.

Family-friendly movie recommendation: Support Your Local Sheriff. James Garner stars in this classic Western comedy, aided and abetted by the late Jack Elam, a southern Oregon local. You might just laugh through the entire movie like we did!

Coming soon: a new roof for the greenhouse!

If you have a few more minutes to relax with your cup of tea, feel free to take a peek at last week’s Cottage Diary entry. Thanks for visiting!

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary Vol. 1 

Week 24: June 18, 2021

This week was filled with roses, homemade bread, and home-canned tomatoes. I can’t decide which is more beautiful, I love them all, but let’s start with bread because I am so happy with this loaf!

I have been baking with sourdough for a while, pre-2020. Sourdough baking has its own special learning curve, distinct from baking with yeast. The basic skills you learned when baking yeast bread apply, but differently. The timing is different.

If you’re used to the predictability of yeast, particularly with regard to how long it takes the dough to rise, you’ll find natural learners like sourdough and lievito madre, which is what I used for this loaf, take longer. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact it can be a good thing! I find it easier to dovetail sourdough baking with other tasks around the house, with work, meetings, appointments, and even unexpected interruptions. All good things.

Roses. Rambling up the wood shed, spilling over pathways, swaying behind fences, these old-fashioned beauties sprinkle petals like fragrant snowflakes. I only harvest a small amount of flowers at any given time; I want to leave plenty of flowers for the butterflies, bumblebees, and other insects, and we enjoy the visual treat that blooming roses provide in our surroundings here at Chocolate Box Cottage.

Lastly, tomatoes. The tomatoes ripened last summer as wildfires in Oregon raged, destroying several nearby towns, including my childhood home, my grandparents house, and my Aunt’s house. Our vehicles were packed with important documents and belongings – we were ready to evacuate. Meanwhile, I kept up with the day-to-day tasks like canning tomatoes, making jam and veggie ferments, picking apples and making applesauce. All winter we ate from the abundance in our pantry.  

Meanwhile, Sam took care of all the mowing and weed eating, repaired and thoroughly cleaned Miriam’s car after a slight mishap along a curve, completed several maintenance tasks for the Ford pick-up truck, installed a window unit air conditioner in Miriam’s cottage ahead of a heat wave, and grilled some very fine steaks from local beef! He did a lot more than that, of course, on top of working four tens for the road department.

The baked loaf, and isn’t it pretty! Carrot, Herb, and Black Sesame Seed Naturally Leavened Bread. I learned this scoring pattern (that’s what the cuts in the crust are called) from Reneé, artbreadlove on Instagram. It was so helpful, thank you Reneé!

Do you like to see the “before” as much as I do? I find it fascinating to see what types of cuts bloom into what types of patterns.

“Crumb shot” is baker’s lingo for a picture of the interior of a loaf of bread. This Carrot, Herb, and Black Sesame Seed Boule (round loaf) is soft and airy inside, like sponge cake. The crust is tender, which is what we prefer, and the loaf is already almost gone.

Sunday after church Sam said he wanted to show me something. It was this: pink roses and purple clematis rambling over a fence forming a picture frame!

This pink rosebush (I wish I knew what variety it is) is taller than I am. It blooms with abandon all summer.

I picked two baskets of roses. The rose petals I harvested today are for an old-style potpourri and one of my favorite tea blends. I hope to make rose-scented vinegar and rose petal sugar for cooking and baking. Have you ever tasted pound cake made with rose petal sugar?

*Roses for edible purposes must be unsprayed – not treated with pesticides or drenched with systemic fungicide.

One of the tasks on my to do list last weekend was to clean windows. When it came time to clean the kitchen windows, I enjoyed the serendipity of lemon verbena’s signature sweet, floral, lemony aroma. Oh my, is it ever heavenly! You won’t ever hear me complain about cleaning windows with this herb close by!

If you read last week’s Cottage Diary entry, you know why I am planting beans…or should I say re-planting.

My favorite tree is the Catalpa. The kids planted several Catalpa trees from seed at our previous home and of course when we moved to Chocolate Box Cottage, we left them behind. Sam thoughtfully brought me several of the curious bean-like seed pods full of seeds so that I could have Catalpa trees again.

Canned tomato bounty from last September, flavored with dried herbs to make week-night meals simpler.

My last jar of Mexican-Style Tomatoes went into Chilaquiles, a ground beef casserole that includes tortillas, cheese, and lots of flavorful spices.

Chilaquiles for dinner topped with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, also home-canned, cilantro, and sour cream. Mango with a squeeze of lime for dessert!

A jar of home-canned Italian-Style Tomatoes went into this Goulash with ground turkey, zucchini, lentils, and corn. Toppings: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (home-canned) and halved grape tomatoes.

Weekly tea with my beloved Mom, Donna. We both look forward to Thursdays!

A breakfast planning meeting.

Sam checked off several maintenance projects on the Ford today.

Sunday supper on the front porch: grilled tri-tip steaks, garden salad, corn-on-the-cob, and spiralized curly fries.

Did you know that wheat grains are called “berries?” This jar stays in my kitchen cupboard and is refilled from a 5-gallon bucket of wheat as needed.

This grain mill is a KoMo Fidibus 21 mill, made in Germany. I bought it secondhand and it is a trooper.

What kind of alien is this? A big batch of homemade whole wheat bread dough!

While the loaves are still warm, I brush butter on them for a soft crust.

This was enough to make Jasper tired!