I found this post in my wordpress draft files, written two autumns ago, and for reasons that escape me now, unpublished. Though anachronistic, its message rings true for me today, even as spring beckons with warm winds and a promise of longer days to come. Thought I’d share it.
Closing up the cottage always brings a bittersweet sadness as we say goodbye to the mountain in the midst of glorious autumn colors, but that sadness is made better by our dear friends Andy and Linda, who have made coming for cottage closing a new annual tradition. Their joyful presence helps us to see the autumn beauty and dwell on the present day, not the winter to come. A hike on the rail trail helped.
They also stayed to help us clean out and pack up the house. Linda is the queen of getting a lot of stuff into small spaces, and I’m telling you she was amazing! We got the four of us and all the food and provisions into the car for the ride home with plenty of room to spare.
My starter has been wallowing in the fridge since we returned, unfed for two full weeks. But all it took was 24 hours and two feedings and she’s a maniac!
I used her to make a levain for a spelt-wheat boule inspired by a recipe in Tartine No 3. I did not have the exact flours Chad Robertson uses, but I did have some Palouse white wheat, some wonderful One Degree Sprouted whole wheat (currently my fave flour), and exactly 200 grams of spelt from Arrowhead Mills. I adjusted the recipe and ended up with a slightly over-proofed (left it in the fridge for almost 24 hours) but delicious loaf.
I’m not sharing the recipe because it was a makeshift attempt at cleaning out some small amounts of flour, and unlikely to ever be replicated again.
It wasn’t my best loaf, nor was it a bad loaf. It was today’s loaf. Not perfect, nothing amazing. Just delicious, fresh and lovely.
Let’s make every day that way.