Empty Fruits
May. 20th, 2021 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39And it's the weekend. For me anyway.
Woke up late Wednesday, which was nice. For once I wasn't making bread so didn't have to be up by 9 to ensure it'd be done before steno class at 5:30. Had some nice coffee and breakfast and did a little gardening. The passion fruits are starting to drop from the vine, and I'm collecting them and waiting for them to finish ripening.
I've cut some of the smaller ones open and they're empty. Kinda suspected that might be the case when some of the fruits never got any bigger. I just hope the larger ones have some pulp. If not, I'll probably just buy some at the store and make a thing with them. It's been really dry so far this summer and, not being a farmer, I'm really unclear about how much water and when to apply nutrients and such. So if they're ALL empty, well, I'm failing at everything this month so why not one more thing.
In the pollinator garden, I finally got to work moving sand from one part of the swampy area to the part where my plants are. My plants are on a slope, and this makes erosion and water run-off a problem. But this isn't my property and I'm not supposed to be gardening here, so I try not to get too crazy. I moved several buckets until I felt it was as good as it was going to get (it'll never be level without some serious excavation), then put down a layer of topsoil that I hope will help retain moisture and provide more nutrients. While I was out there I planted the Joe Pye weed as it's gotten fairly big, and should probably get used to its permanent home. Assuming it doesn't die in this dry hot weather lately.
The milkweed is coming back really well from being eaten, I'm especially impressed with the giant milkweed. Can't wait to see it really fill out.
In the afternoon I went to the dentist, about 45 minutes away because I became a patient there while we lived closer to downtown. Dude is a really good dentist so I've hesitated to go somewhere else. Got some extra-fluoride toothpaste this time because lately I've had more sensitivity on one side.
On the way home I got groceries, but forgot saurkraut and will have to go back again tomorrow.
I measured the ingredients for "MaryAnn's Slow Rye", a recipe from a facebook bread group I'm in. It's a NY deli-style rye that has an overnight rise and calls for a "bread sponge", which is kind of like a preferment I guess. These are techniques and grain types that I'm unfamiliar with, so I'm pretty nervous about it. But for some reason the idea of making my own rye for reuben sandwiches has been swirling in my brain, so this week I'm going to deviate from my lesson book (gasp) and try this recipe on my own. At least I should be able to make the bread first thing in the morning, so if it sucks I'll have time to go buy real rye before dinner.
Steno class was ok, I could have done better but I wasn't terrible.
Afterward I started the bread sponge which was easy enough, then mixed the dough, which was a little weird and sticky but seemed to turn out ok (rye flour just happens to be stickier than AP flour). I'm super torn about leaving the dough to rise at room temperature as instructed, because "room temperature" here is between 75-80 degrees and if I get a six hour rise I'll have to punch this stupid dough down at 4:30 in the morning. argh.
After some stressed indecision I decided to put the dough in the fridge for a few hours before bed, then take it out to sit on the counter for the rest of the night. Maybe it'll keep colder a bit longer and delay the rise. At least I can check on it when I get up to pee?
I DID check on it when I got up to pee around 4am, and it seemed to be rising steadily but slowly. As long as it wasn't overflowing the bowl, that's all I really cared about. Thinking about it disrupted my sleep, though, so I was up at 7:30 to go look at it. It seemed to have doubled in size to me, so I scooped it onto the counter and flattened it, adding the caraway seeds and folding them in one, two, three times. The dough was a little stiff after three folds so I let it sit for 15 minutes, then came back and finished shaping it, setting it on a greased sheet tray with some cornmeal on the bottom. There it did it's final rise for about two hours while I made and ate breakfast and did some small chores. It seemed to me like it had doubled, so after a quick egg wash and scoring into the oven it went.
Apparently I put it in too early, though, because it split along the side of the loaf and also had some dense spots inside. This happens when you "underproof" bread, or don't allow enough time for the yeast to aerate and/or don't have a good gluten structure. Fortunately I did have a good structure, it's just that I put it in the oven too early. Still need to work on being patient I guess.
Here's where it split on the side.
The crumb. you can see the dense parts near the corner and bottom.
Right when I took the bread out of the oven, Jameson had some free time, so we decided to hit the gym.
This is my first actual workout since December 2019. Isn't that insane??
I took it easy, just doing 30 minutes on the elliptical at level one. Hopefully I can go one more time this week before the weekend, and then go each weekend day. Three days a week is ideal for me right now. It felt good to work up a sweat, even though I still hate exercising lol. Once I get going, it feels good.
Back home I was still irritated about the results of my bake, so I went to the store for sauerkraut and to look at the mass-produced rye bread because I didn't want to serve Jameson some dense crappy bread that I had messed up. But I was somewhat surprised to see that the half-loaves of rye sold in the Publix bakery had many of the same features as my bread...they weren't blown out the side, but they had a more dense crumb near the bottom. Even the prepackaged Arnold's brand really didn't look all that different from what I made. It's been a while since I had rye, so I guess my expectations were incorrect for how it's supposed to turn out. So then I said screw it, we're eating mine tonight.
Back home I sliced up the bread and set aside the best-looking slices for our sandwiches. Then I threw together the ingredients for my favorite granola as I haven't made any in a while, got that going, and pre-made my breakfast eggs and overnight oats with yogurt for the week. I also marinated some thin-sliced chicken breast and cooked it in the grill pan, figuring it'll go well with the rye for lunches. Good nutrition is 99% of the reason I was able to stay healthy during the pandemic, and I will ride that train for as long as I can afford to.
At some point during the day someone posted this in one of my circus-related facebook groups:
So this is actually happening. They're actually going to restart Ringling.
But, it's crushing. Because according to my friend who works in wardrobe on Feld shows, it'll probably be a small show, similar to the size of their Marvel Live production. No chance of a live band. I doubt they'd have animals either. This gentleman they've hired seems to have some experience with Cirque du Soleil.
Jameson thinks they're going to make a "kid-Cirque", in other words a more kid-centric version of what Cirque has already put out there. I think he's probably right; I just don't see what else could possibly be done that would be a) not what Ringling was, b) not what Cirque is, or c) not already being done in other small circuses. I reached out to the new Director just to introduce myself and express interest in what Feld's got planned, and he responded very kindly, but I do not expect more than that. Outside of being a musician I have a few administrative and creative skills that I could apply, but I very much doubt there will be anything for me on this new show. I just don't have the specific skills sets that they are likely to be looking for. This makes me incredibly sad, but there's nothing I can do about it but wait and see what will happen.
Anyway, around dinnertime I made the reubens for us. It really did feel special to use my very own homemade bread, and that cheered me up a bit. I layered each slice with homemade thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, thinly-sliced low sodium turkey, and shredded Swiss cheese. I cracked some fresh pepper into the sauerkraut and added a little fresh dill, then onto the grill pan they went. They turned out delicious, the bread crisped up so nicely and I honestly would never have known the bread wasn't storebought if I hadn't made it myself. Served with celery and carrot sticks and dip, and watermelon cubes. Kind of a lunch-ish dinner.
After cleaning up from that I packed my lunch and got things ready for work, then practiced steno while Jameson did his final D&D session with his friends for a while. With his show coming up, he won't have time to play again until after June or maybe even until after the summer.
I cut open three more passion fruits. All empty.
I think they are all just empty. Sad, and disappointing. There wasn't enough water. I screwed it up.
Well...this week, Jameson has more rehearsals so I'll be on my own most nights.
On Sunday I have my little charity concert.
Somewhere in there I hope to make time for the gym.
Other than that it's more of the same. Work, steno, eat, sleep. Wonder what I ought to be doing instead of this treadmill-like life path I'm on.
Woke up late Wednesday, which was nice. For once I wasn't making bread so didn't have to be up by 9 to ensure it'd be done before steno class at 5:30. Had some nice coffee and breakfast and did a little gardening. The passion fruits are starting to drop from the vine, and I'm collecting them and waiting for them to finish ripening.
I've cut some of the smaller ones open and they're empty. Kinda suspected that might be the case when some of the fruits never got any bigger. I just hope the larger ones have some pulp. If not, I'll probably just buy some at the store and make a thing with them. It's been really dry so far this summer and, not being a farmer, I'm really unclear about how much water and when to apply nutrients and such. So if they're ALL empty, well, I'm failing at everything this month so why not one more thing.
In the pollinator garden, I finally got to work moving sand from one part of the swampy area to the part where my plants are. My plants are on a slope, and this makes erosion and water run-off a problem. But this isn't my property and I'm not supposed to be gardening here, so I try not to get too crazy. I moved several buckets until I felt it was as good as it was going to get (it'll never be level without some serious excavation), then put down a layer of topsoil that I hope will help retain moisture and provide more nutrients. While I was out there I planted the Joe Pye weed as it's gotten fairly big, and should probably get used to its permanent home. Assuming it doesn't die in this dry hot weather lately.
The milkweed is coming back really well from being eaten, I'm especially impressed with the giant milkweed. Can't wait to see it really fill out.
In the afternoon I went to the dentist, about 45 minutes away because I became a patient there while we lived closer to downtown. Dude is a really good dentist so I've hesitated to go somewhere else. Got some extra-fluoride toothpaste this time because lately I've had more sensitivity on one side.
On the way home I got groceries, but forgot saurkraut and will have to go back again tomorrow.
I measured the ingredients for "MaryAnn's Slow Rye", a recipe from a facebook bread group I'm in. It's a NY deli-style rye that has an overnight rise and calls for a "bread sponge", which is kind of like a preferment I guess. These are techniques and grain types that I'm unfamiliar with, so I'm pretty nervous about it. But for some reason the idea of making my own rye for reuben sandwiches has been swirling in my brain, so this week I'm going to deviate from my lesson book (gasp) and try this recipe on my own. At least I should be able to make the bread first thing in the morning, so if it sucks I'll have time to go buy real rye before dinner.
Steno class was ok, I could have done better but I wasn't terrible.
Afterward I started the bread sponge which was easy enough, then mixed the dough, which was a little weird and sticky but seemed to turn out ok (rye flour just happens to be stickier than AP flour). I'm super torn about leaving the dough to rise at room temperature as instructed, because "room temperature" here is between 75-80 degrees and if I get a six hour rise I'll have to punch this stupid dough down at 4:30 in the morning. argh.
After some stressed indecision I decided to put the dough in the fridge for a few hours before bed, then take it out to sit on the counter for the rest of the night. Maybe it'll keep colder a bit longer and delay the rise. At least I can check on it when I get up to pee?
I DID check on it when I got up to pee around 4am, and it seemed to be rising steadily but slowly. As long as it wasn't overflowing the bowl, that's all I really cared about. Thinking about it disrupted my sleep, though, so I was up at 7:30 to go look at it. It seemed to have doubled in size to me, so I scooped it onto the counter and flattened it, adding the caraway seeds and folding them in one, two, three times. The dough was a little stiff after three folds so I let it sit for 15 minutes, then came back and finished shaping it, setting it on a greased sheet tray with some cornmeal on the bottom. There it did it's final rise for about two hours while I made and ate breakfast and did some small chores. It seemed to me like it had doubled, so after a quick egg wash and scoring into the oven it went.
Apparently I put it in too early, though, because it split along the side of the loaf and also had some dense spots inside. This happens when you "underproof" bread, or don't allow enough time for the yeast to aerate and/or don't have a good gluten structure. Fortunately I did have a good structure, it's just that I put it in the oven too early. Still need to work on being patient I guess.
Here's where it split on the side.
The crumb. you can see the dense parts near the corner and bottom.
Right when I took the bread out of the oven, Jameson had some free time, so we decided to hit the gym.
This is my first actual workout since December 2019. Isn't that insane??
I took it easy, just doing 30 minutes on the elliptical at level one. Hopefully I can go one more time this week before the weekend, and then go each weekend day. Three days a week is ideal for me right now. It felt good to work up a sweat, even though I still hate exercising lol. Once I get going, it feels good.
Back home I was still irritated about the results of my bake, so I went to the store for sauerkraut and to look at the mass-produced rye bread because I didn't want to serve Jameson some dense crappy bread that I had messed up. But I was somewhat surprised to see that the half-loaves of rye sold in the Publix bakery had many of the same features as my bread...they weren't blown out the side, but they had a more dense crumb near the bottom. Even the prepackaged Arnold's brand really didn't look all that different from what I made. It's been a while since I had rye, so I guess my expectations were incorrect for how it's supposed to turn out. So then I said screw it, we're eating mine tonight.
Back home I sliced up the bread and set aside the best-looking slices for our sandwiches. Then I threw together the ingredients for my favorite granola as I haven't made any in a while, got that going, and pre-made my breakfast eggs and overnight oats with yogurt for the week. I also marinated some thin-sliced chicken breast and cooked it in the grill pan, figuring it'll go well with the rye for lunches. Good nutrition is 99% of the reason I was able to stay healthy during the pandemic, and I will ride that train for as long as I can afford to.
At some point during the day someone posted this in one of my circus-related facebook groups:
So this is actually happening. They're actually going to restart Ringling.
But, it's crushing. Because according to my friend who works in wardrobe on Feld shows, it'll probably be a small show, similar to the size of their Marvel Live production. No chance of a live band. I doubt they'd have animals either. This gentleman they've hired seems to have some experience with Cirque du Soleil.
Jameson thinks they're going to make a "kid-Cirque", in other words a more kid-centric version of what Cirque has already put out there. I think he's probably right; I just don't see what else could possibly be done that would be a) not what Ringling was, b) not what Cirque is, or c) not already being done in other small circuses. I reached out to the new Director just to introduce myself and express interest in what Feld's got planned, and he responded very kindly, but I do not expect more than that. Outside of being a musician I have a few administrative and creative skills that I could apply, but I very much doubt there will be anything for me on this new show. I just don't have the specific skills sets that they are likely to be looking for. This makes me incredibly sad, but there's nothing I can do about it but wait and see what will happen.
Anyway, around dinnertime I made the reubens for us. It really did feel special to use my very own homemade bread, and that cheered me up a bit. I layered each slice with homemade thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, thinly-sliced low sodium turkey, and shredded Swiss cheese. I cracked some fresh pepper into the sauerkraut and added a little fresh dill, then onto the grill pan they went. They turned out delicious, the bread crisped up so nicely and I honestly would never have known the bread wasn't storebought if I hadn't made it myself. Served with celery and carrot sticks and dip, and watermelon cubes. Kind of a lunch-ish dinner.
After cleaning up from that I packed my lunch and got things ready for work, then practiced steno while Jameson did his final D&D session with his friends for a while. With his show coming up, he won't have time to play again until after June or maybe even until after the summer.
I cut open three more passion fruits. All empty.
I think they are all just empty. Sad, and disappointing. There wasn't enough water. I screwed it up.
Well...this week, Jameson has more rehearsals so I'll be on my own most nights.
On Sunday I have my little charity concert.
Somewhere in there I hope to make time for the gym.
Other than that it's more of the same. Work, steno, eat, sleep. Wonder what I ought to be doing instead of this treadmill-like life path I'm on.
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