Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

They've found honey in Egyptian tombs that was still good. Crystalized, but fine.

Honey... the idea behind the Twinkie, I just know it!

Let's make a snack that is sweet and sticky, and never goes bad! We need it to be portable, and we'll wrap it in cellophane. Some dye, some stabilizers, some emulsifiers...

 

[Sequel]

As usual, I couldn't refrain from sawing off the heel(s), slathering on some butter, and eating them warm from the oven. That made the loaf collapse a bit. Oh well.

I can live with that because...

At lunch today, I had the best sandwich I've had on homemade GF bread, ever! Soft, squishy, and not crumbly! It was like... well, BREAD!

I have a couple tweaks I'm going to try next time I make it. (Oh yes, there will be a next time... soon!) #1, lower the oven temp to 350 from 375, as my oven runs hot, I'm pretty sure. The bread was plenty done at 35 minutes, and the recipe said 45-60 minutes. #2, lessen the amount of salt by a bit. It called for 2 t, and I'm going to knock it down to 1 3/4 t.

I know salt is for more than flavor in baking, but I could taste it a bit too much...? I think? Anyway, I'll try it and see what it does.

That’s great Sally!

 

[Sally PB]

This "weed" is the seedling of a basswood tree. I never knew that. They look similar to the leaves of the winter aconite (bulbs) I planted last fall for the honeybees. But I didn't plant one in the asparagus or the potato patch. Hmmmm.. aconite can reseed itself too... but I saw this before the flowers set seed.

But, it's the seedling of a basswood tree. And honeybees LOVE those too. I plan to pot these and let them grow, if they will. And the honeybees will thank me the summer I'm 75.

 

[Sequel]

View attachment 3817512
This "weed" is the seedling of a basswood tree. I never knew that. They look similar to the leaves of the winter aconite (bulbs) I planted last fall for the honeybees. But I didn't plant one in the asparagus or the potato patch. Hmmmm.. aconite can reseed itself too... but I saw this before the flowers set seed.

But, it's the seedling of a basswood tree. And honeybees LOVE those too. I plan to pot these and let them grow, if they will. And the honeybees will thank me the summer I'm 75.

You have interesting trees we don’t have here! Do you have any paw paws? I heard them called Michigan bananas. I can’t imagine!

 

[Sally PB]

A neighbor is growing pawpaws. I've never had any; they do not ship well, so they're never found in the store.

 

[Sally PB]

I planted 4 Seven Sons bushes today. (Also for the honeybees.) They get to be about 6 feet high, with a 10 foot spread. I picked 4 different spots, dug nice big holes. I'll keep the grass trimmed around them for a few years, until they get big enough to shade it out. Each bush got about 8 gallons of compost mixed in with its dirt.

When I ordered these, I opted for the gallon size, hoping that maybe they'd bloom this year....? We'll see.

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm not familiar with the Paw Paw plant.. Never seen one.. But I'm Familiar with Paw Paw Michigan. Past it numerous times. There are signs for exit off I94. The paw paw plant must have something in common with that area???

 

[aart]

I'm not familiar with the Paw Paw plant.. Never seen one.. But I'm Familiar with Paw Paw Michigan. Past it numerous times. There are signs for exit off I94. The paw paw plant must have something in common with that area???

It's actually known more for being a wine town.
"Paw Paw is named for the pawpaw trees which once grew along the Paw Paw River."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw_Paw,_Michigan

I've never had any; they do not ship well,

They don't even store well and go 'bad' after 3-5 days.
I don't know why people are so enamored of them,
one of the most disgusting things I've ever put into my mouth.

 

[Sally PB]

They don't even store well and go 'bad' after 3-5 days.
I don't know why people are so enamored of them,
one of the most disgusting things I've ever put into my mouth.

Interesting! I'll have to ask my neighbor if she's ever actually eaten a pawpaw.

 

[Sally PB]

We had a very interesting bee club meeting last night. The presenter was one of the members who is an arborist and has been a beekeeper for 50+ years. He donated some of his trees to auction off to benefit the club.

One of them, a Maackia, came home with me. Not common at all, and I'd never heard of them. They bloom in June/July.

People are growing more pollinator friendly gardens. Trees are more space efficient; one flowering crabapple tree can have as many flowers as an acre of clover, and it is more likely to fit in your yard.

I'm still growing the flowers, but I'm looking into growing a lot more trees now too.