Phaedra's 2025 Journey

[Phaedra]

Thank you for sharing your journey with us Phaedra. It is such a a pleasure to read your posts, and to see your beautiful creations. You are such an inspiration!

Great that you like, and it's also my pleasure to have friends here to share my journey.

 

[Phaedra]

Cleaning and trimming and filling containers~
Kwern is a very reliable partner to clean and remove weeds from such a paved ground. DH takes care of the basic cleaning, and I take care of the planting.

Time for a hair-cut!

Okay, 65% ready for re-opening on March 7 - And there will be a pop-up event tomorrow for introducing spring drinks. I am appreciated that I sanded and re-painted the tables. For the black pots, I planted mainly two bulbs.

Narcissus 'Lemon Shake' and Tulips 'Novi Sun' - so we will have a warm yellow tone for late spring.

I mixed all 5 sourdough starters into one yesterday, and renamed it 'Nichi Star'. As I am not running a bakery, maintaining 5 different starters isn't that convincing to me.

Before going to bed last night, I mixed the discarded starters, water, and bread flour to make Levain. It looks very nice after overnight fermentation.

So, I made a batch of sourdough bread - multi-whole grain, cheddar cheese, and pulp (mainly purple cabbage, apple, and pear)

After 6-hour fermentation, the dough has a charming color presentation. The bulk fermentation will keep going for another 4-5 hours. The dough will be divided and shaped then and enter overnight cold fermentation in the fridge. Long waiting, but in fact pretty stress-free - the baking will be done tomorrow morning around 8am.

Joy of the day - Amaryllis 'Picotee'

 

[Phaedra]

Taking it slow—I want to embrace a slower life. The Amaryllis are in full splendor, a gentle reminder to live in the present.

The weather isn’t ideal, but after all, it’s still winter. I’ve been busy cleaning planters, trimming herbs (like sage, catnip, mint, and MUMs), and planting tulips—though a few daffodils and hyacinths are still waiting their turn.

This year, I’m in no rush to sow anything. What’s growing now are either propagated from basal shoots or self-seeded babies—strong enough to thrive on their own. They’ve already proven their resilience.

After some trimmings, four were transplanted into nursing pots and stay now with other frost hardy young plants on the outdoor shelf. As they are pretty hardy, staying outdoor can avoid a lot of troubles from the aphids.

Coleus - rooted so easily in water. I accidentally broke two stems, and after a few weeks, now I have two young plants.

But they came back indoors as they are not hardy.

I won't have time tomorrow, so hopefully, I can sow leafy greens on Thursday.

 

[Phaedra]

I sleep a lot this winter, but as spring is on its way, time to go back to my original schedule.

Last Sunday, I have a pop-up event for introducing new drinks for spring. The desserts are also charming and sold well - from one sourdough, I created four different end products, and people love them.

I also tried the other iconic sweet bun from Sweden, Cardamon Knots. I didn't know about it until recently. And guess what, I love it, even more than cinnamon rolls. Isn't it lovely to serve both in my cafe?

The sunday offerings include also panna cotta, almond tart, cookies, and chiffon cakes.

Now, I’ve also become a fan of using multi-whole grain flour in my bread. Lightly pan-roasting the grains before milling takes it to another level—the aroma is simply unbeatable.

I got up around 6 AM, and before taking the dogs for a morning walk, two loaves of Pumpkin and Pistachio Shokupan were already baked. The multi-whole grains are roasted, the levain is developing for the next batch of sourdough, and we have freshly rendered chicken fat and crispy chicken skin—what a win-win!

A good slicer can easily cut the bread into different thickness you prefer.

Tomorrow will be another bread day!

 

[SPedigrees]

Isn't it lovely to serve both in my cafe?

The variety of sweet goodies at your cafe is indeed lovely! I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing you were closer and I could visit in person.