Phaedra's 2025 Journey

[Rhodie Ranch]

^^^maybe we could do a bulk order from Phaedra!! YUMMY!!!

 

[Phaedra]

Picked some dinosaur kale from the garden and made my morning juice with other ingredients

homemade bread

deboned chicken thigh, marinated with 5-year-old lemon salt

Today's Brunch - with the slow juicer, most of the Brassica leaves will turn into juice from now on

 

[Dahlia]

Picked some dinosaur kale from the garden and made my morning juice with other ingredients
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homemade bread
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deboned chicken thigh, marinated with 5-year-old lemon salt
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Today's Brunch - with the slow juicer, most of the Brassica leaves will turn into juice from now on
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Yum, that looks amazing!

 

[Phaedra]

I am still playing with sourdough, a lot of fun. As the microbes are growing, it's not too different from 'gardening'.

The third starter, Trinity (Rye flour, whole wheat flour, linden honey), finished her 21-day establishment training and moved into the fridge for aging (till 90 days old)

The first starter, Zophie (whole wheat), that moved into fridge one week ago, she looks totally fine. After a new feed, she went back to the fridge for another 7 days. During this 90-day aging and maturing period, unique flavor will develop.

Levain built from sourdough starters, water, and flour -- this is the hero behind each bake.

It's interesting to see how dough transforms in a few hours (on the counter, room temperature, just some gentle folds, no kneading needed)

Another dough, which is in the final cold fermentation and will be baked tomorrow morning. Sourdough is something so much full of life. I will say, it's a pleasant winter learning and hands-on activity.

The bread I baked this morning - in fact, same dough, half became English muffins, and the other half became a bread, totally different end product.

Another dough I made today, with lightly roasted potato - this dough will be made into buns and baked on Monday.

 

[Phaedra]

Wow! She has a Cheddar & Jalapeño Sourdough bread recipe!

I wonder what that would be like ...?

Steve, I didn't follow her recipe yet (and won't, I guess, haha). However, I made my own combination in today's bread.

The bread has undergone 72 hours of cold fermentation (including 48-hour Levain building), giving it a charming, bright, but inviting sourness. With cheddar cheese, chestnuts, polenta, and a hint of pickled jalapeño (mild, not spicy), this combination is bold, lovely, and unique - Personally, I’m very fond of it.

Scarf shape with extra cheese

Lovely airy structure

I am happy for my progress.

 

[Phaedra]

It's still cold, and the soil is frozen. However, the afternoon sun is warm enough to do some tidy-up jobs. I cut back perennials in two beds, trimmed the fruit trees, and cleaned the surface a bit.

Tomorrow the temperature will be a bit warmer, but it might rain. I plan to do these cutting and trimming things this week and cover the cleaned beds with compost as kind of preparation.

 

[Phaedra]

I kept cleaning the garden today, mainly removed bramble canes and some damaged clay pots. I had the impulse to do some propagation from the cuttings, but at the end, I brought all of them to the compost.

Enough is enough; less is more.

I sleep much longer this winter, and enjoy so.

Two Japanese Milky Loaves for today - they look and taste professional. I'm pretty proud of myself that they can achieve such fluffiness and flavors with very simple and natural ingredients.

The doughs are ready to be baked - they are beautiful.

Today's juice, from different veggies and fruits

Our hens are trying their best to offer eggs even in such winters.

Different grains arrived this afternoon, and I can't wait to put them in containers, right besides my milling device.

Then, I mixed and pan-roasted them slightly, to bring out the nutty, warm, and charming aroma. They will be milled and added in the next batch sourdough bread.

It's not bad to live a slow and quiet life.

 

[Phaedra]

Nothing romantic - as there is no rain, no snow, time to clean up the garden bit by bit.
For the sowing, still holding, I will start the first sowing next week: pea (for shoots), lettuce, small brassicas, and sweet peas.

 

[Phaedra]

I had a very relaxed Saturday and did almost nothing, so during evening, I designed a funny 'tea map' for my cafe, which will re-open on March 7.

Compared with coffee, tea rarely received a proper preparation in German shops. Let's ignore specialized tea shops. Most of the time, when you spend 3~3.5 Euros in a cafe, a bakery, or a bistro, what you get is a lukewarm water and a tea bag. I don't think I need to address more.

So, as I prepare some really nice tea varieties, loose leaf, flowers, herbs, dried fruits, and etc, I would like to focus more on tea from this year. I used Alice in the Wonderland as a concept design, and the result looks pretty nice. It's a funny flow chart, but could help people decide what tea to try. Besides, tea, herbs, fruits, and sparkling water -- they can work with each other and create more possibilities. No need to say, when drinks can further pair with desserts - another universe!

One of the lessons I learned from running the shop for 6 months - product is important, of course, but the way how you can design the overall experience matters even more.

So far, I am happy about what I've tried.

The NichiNichi Tee N°1 on the map is my garden blend - different mints, chamomile, and rose.

Mints are easy, I just let some escaped from the pots intentionally. Some can be harvested for making fresh tea, and more can be dried for using later on.

Chamomile self-seeded happily and will be there forever.

Rose, I mainly use the Rosa Rugosa - very large petals, moderate fragrance (much stronger after fully dried), easy to pick, low maintenance (compared with normal hybrid tea roses). Rosa Rugosa used to send basal shoots and root easily - I have dug up several and relocated them as a kind of hedge for the chicken coops. Those young plants should be ready to offer some decent harvest from this early summer.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

From age 18 to now 70, I start my morning with a cup of black tea. I also use a splash of milk in it (lactose free) to make it absolutely the best part of my day.