Hi everyone. It has been a couple of weeks since my last post. The satellite internet is down and things are just weird right now. Spring is here and work is not, so there is plenty of down time lately. Which means plenty of time to read about cooking, baking and gardening. This year there will actually be time to put some of that reading into action.

WATER, FLOUR, SALT, YEAST by Ken Forkish is a really great book about breads for beginners. The formulas are simple and they produce some great results. There is no kneading and the bread is cooked in small Dutch ovens. I tried some sourdough from another book and the result was a pretty disgusting failure. Gotta keep trying though.

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart has an amazing bagel recipe.

If you follow The Angry Eater on Instagram (theangryeaterblog) then you’ll know about my series on making homemade bacon. The recipe comes from a book called Charcuterie, The Craft of Smoking, Salting and Curing. The bacon has been cured and the next installment is about building a cinder block smoker.

Got the herb garden ready along with a couple of strawberry and jalapeno plants.

SALT SMOKE TIME by Will Horowitz motivated me in my first attempt to build my own smoker. It also has some really interesting recipes adapted for foraging things like acorns and dandelions.

Also got a few books on medicinal herbs, sourdough bread, composting and home canning. My neighbors, who are close family, put in a chicken coupe. They have three chickens and this rooster below who thinks the day begins at THREE IN THE MORNING, EVERY SINGLE MORNING!

It seems like most everyone I know, including myself, is taking this time to get back to the business of taking care of themselves, their loved ones, and their surroundings. People are already adapting pretty well to this new way of life.