As I draw back further and further into what we're doing here I've managed to eek out a bit of a routine for daily farm bakery living. While Paul had the birds to give him a rhythm to his day, I had only the Bakery. And there were moments when the Bakery was quiet. Whether seasonal baking complete and lulls, dry spells or in this case... losing two clients back to back can drive anyone into a bit of a lull. The lull is nice. Life on Earth is often a frenetic pace for most people we come in contact with. Appointments, schedules, agendas and itineraries pushing the human equation forward relentlessly. That can be exhausting and downright tiring after 50+ years. While I am finally having time to sit and write, collect my thoughts and assign myself tomorrow's tasks and agendas there was another benefit. Daily Bread. The pandemic forced so many people out of their comfort zones into the realm of the home baker. And for someone like myself who already was baking on a regular basis, it made supplies scarce. Everyone turned to sourdough. Everyone, myself included. However, once the hype of fresh bread from our own oven wore off, so did the scarcity of staples. I was able to secure a 2 pound supply of active dry yeast. Plus we decided in December instead of spending hundreds on gifts we didn't actually need, we would buy bulk flours instead. I dabbled and discovered several kinds of flours, both in brands and styles. The journey is only beginning. What it did most, was organize and help me prioritize. It gave me a chance to see how it was possible to every day bake at least one loaf of bread. It gave me a chance to bulk up my Bakery freezer case with quantities of bread dough so we could attend farmer's markets and take orders. Giving myself a backstock of flavors from which to pull. It wasn't too difficult to work into my daily schedule but it took supply. It took practice. And it also took fine tuning recipes that are delicious, easy to bake and lovely to the eye. While I'll never be happy we had a pandemic, I will be grateful that my takeaway as a Baker is, I can and will bake bread daily as part of my Baker's mission on Earth. It's simply the very least that I can do. Or is it... the most?
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AuthorMarihemp is presently owner/baker/farmer at Cloverleaf Farms in Door County, Wisconsin. Archives
January 2023
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