Completely Bowled Over!

| 11th May 2015
Sourdough Sunday‘Bread is like humanity itself. We come in many different shapes and sizes, colours and guises, yet underneath the skin/crust, we’re all made of the same stuff.’*

*Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

As I’m typing this I have another batch of sourdough proving – it tastes so good! For those who have ever made it, you know that it is a labour of love; a process which takes days to make just a couple of small loaves. For those who have enjoyed the crisp dark crust and pungent chewy centre, please appreciate that this is not a fast food, true artisan skill brings us this delight and for those who don’t know what I’m talking about, find a farmers market, such as our local Brentford Market and look out for the artisan bakers who sell their wares. The process begins by making a starter, a jug or pot of flour and water whisked together to capture the wild yeasts from the air. This is then covered loosely to allow the starter to breath. As the yeasts begin to feed on the starches in the flour, volume increases and a sour taste develops from the carbon dioxide and lactic acid released during the long slow fermentation.
 Bowlover & Starter 1Bowlover & Starter 3

I was pleased to have been given a Bowlover to review recently and this was the perfect cover for my infant starter. I often find cling film fiddly, sometimes you don’t want an airtight seal and I worry about all that screwed up plastic going into landfill, but this new product has all the common sense of your grandma with the thoughtful design of someone who really cares about our environment (not saying that your grandma doesn’t!). Now that my sourdough starter is safe, and I continue to feed it, it will supply me with batch after batch of beautiful bread – let’s hope I can keep up with my family’s demand for

We love this cartoon which sums up Bowlovers in a minute:

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FFF SkylarComing up at the Corner – Half Term Specials!

We would love to welcome you to one of our courses that we have running right throughout the year. This month brings Intro to Bee Keeping,  Urban Hens – Keeping Chickens in London and a new course, A Day at Hen Corner. During Half Term, 25th – 29th May, we have all-age courses with Family Feathers and Fun! on Tuesday and Pizza Together on Thursday. Hopefully, we will be able to see Bunty proudly displaying her new chicks as a special treat to all our Half Term visitors.

Other News:

  • We are re-queening one of our bee colonies to insure that they are nice and friendly for visitors
  • Our latest article in Out and About magazine is out soon, talking afternoon tea, strawberries, scones and jam
  • The kitchen garden is neatly protected with net cloches over every raised bed – this means the chickens can free range more often and our seedlings stay safe.

Jobs for this week:

  • Plant the baby squash plants into the raised beds
  • Welcome some French journalist as they come to make a film about the rise of urban farming across the UK
  • Watch out for Bunty’s chicks which should be hatching any minute now!

Have a good week yourself…Hen logo good

Join us on the Journey!

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