Focaccia Bread

I guess the sourdough starter was more robust than I thought!

 

   I've made this focaccia recipe (with a modification or two, which I'll include below) several times.  It's easy and produces a light, airy bread.

 

Sourdough Focaccia

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 T oil
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

(Or you can just use 2.5 cups regular bread flour)

 

Instructions:

     Combine all ingredients in a bowl (sourdough + warm water first, then add other ingredients). Stir until well combined.  Allow to rest for ten minutes.

     Knead dough for five minutes, adding more flour if needed. Dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Form into a ball.

     Place dough in an oiled bowl and lightly cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap.  Allow to rise for approximately four to six hours (until dough has doubled).

     Put a small amount of olive oil on a baking sheet or in a lasagna pan.  Place the dough in the pan and shape it into a large rectangle on baking sheet/in lasagna pan.

     Brush small amount of olive oil on the top of the dough. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rise for another 2-3 hours (optional, but results in a lighter bread).

     Dimple dough with fingers and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkled desired toppings on the dough.  Woody herbs (like rosemary, oregano, and thyme) work best.  Some people like to add sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, chopped sweet onions, dehydrated onions, or cheese.  Lightly sprinkle coarse salt over dough (optional)

     Bake at 425 for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Let cool in pan 5-10 minutes, then turn bread out on a cooling rack.

 

 

Ahead of the Game

   It has been a mild April so far, giving the garden a head start.  The garlic has begun to come up (the earliest in my years of gardening, by about 2 weeks!) and the asparagus is poking through the surface of the soil.   R. turned two of the raised beds and I planted carrots this afternoon (Scarlet Nantes, Cosmic Purple, Jaune Obtus du Doubs, Pusa Asita Black, and Amarillo). 

   Here are the first garlic to come up (challenging to see in this picture...click to enlarge).  It looks like Northern Quebec, Persian Star, and possibly Burnstown Wild are the first varieties to poke through the mulch.  The Music rounds are coming along, too, but still haven't broken the surface of the mulch. 

 

 

   The little carrot bed, covered with burlap to keep the moisture in and the neighbourhood kitties out.

 

   Speaking of kitties, one of our garden supervisors discovered some extra burlap on the ground, warm from the sun, and...

   The kale (Frilly, Dwarf Siberian, 'Five-Kale Mix') and cabbage (Copenhagen, Aubervilliers, Golden Acre, Jersey Wakefield) have germinated in their milk jug greenhouses.  Early Charm aster transplants are on the go in the house.  Shasta Daisy, Lavatera (Pink Blush), Dahliettas (Unwin's Mix), and Calendula (Pacific Beauty Mix) were sown in small pots that stay out during the day and come in at night.  As for herbs, Curly and Italian Flat-Leaf parsley and epazote have been started.

Newly germinated kale is adorable...

 

 

 The chives going strong.

 

   The first week of April, a number of the tomato seedlings looked like they'd been damaged or scorched somehow (by the grow light?).  I planted extra tomato seeds to make up for the ones I thought would be lost.  However, most of the damaged ones bounced back and now there are many more tomato transplants than originally planned!  They might end up on the leggy side (there is only so much rotating between windows and grow lights one can do) but they should grow and produce well, nevertheless, once planted.  I hope to sell a few of the extras.  It is nice to make a bit from the sale of transplants to cover the potting soil, vermiculite, and pots that were purchased earlier in the season. 

Some of the tomato and pepper transplants...

 

Peppers, Tomatoes, and Leeks, Ahoy!

   And we're off!  Tomatoes and peppers for 2025 have been sown.  Peppers (Ajvarski and Anaheim) on March 4th, tomatoes on March 25th.  Leeks (Giant Musselburgh) are on the go as well, sown March 6th.

   The tomatoes must have been eager to get going this year.  Most varieties had begun germinating in earnest by March 29!

 

Tomatoes and a few tiny asters have germinated.

 

Leeks, peppers, and oregano clippings from last summer.

  

   Here are the tomato varieties for this summer.  Clearly, I did not succeed in narrowing down the selections to 10-12.  

An asterisk indicates the first time growing a variety.  

 

Determinate and Dwarf

Dwarf Speckled Heart  (DWARF, red & gold striped hearts, 5-12 oz fruit, productive, ~ 75 DTM).

Dwarf Purple Heart  (DWARF, purple-black, heart-shape, 6-16 oz, Deep crimson flesh, meaty, well-balanced flavour.  Plant sprawls a bit, ~4' tall.  Good producer.  70-75 DTM.)

Dwarf Audrey’s Love (DWARF, 2-4 oz striped bicolour elongated plum, chocolate with green stripes, great flavour, 3' tall, heavy producer, mid-season: 80 DTM)

*Dwarf Arctic Rose (DWARF, pink, round/oblate, early, often 5-6 oz, 3.5' tall, stout central stem, can grow in 5 gallon containers/pots but will thrive in containers 10+ gallons, balanced/sweet flavour. 65-70 DTM.)

Early Annie  (DET, red globes, 3 to 4-inch round, ~4oz, canning/slicing, reliable.  60-70DTM)

Principe Borghese  (DET, red, heirloom, determinate, small, dry, few seeds, good for sundried tomatoes.  Reliable, productive.  ~ 75 DTM)

Fisher’s Earliest Paste  (DET, red, egg-shaped, early, hardy, good flavour.  90+ years of selection by the Fisher family of Montana. RARE.)

*Siccagno (DET, red, small fruit, no staking needed, drought tolerant/low irrigation, paste, Italian heirloom.)

Taxi (or “Yellow Taxi)  (DET, uniform bright yellow globes, 3-5 oz, sweet/low-acid, compact/busy plant, productive, disease-resistant.  ~2’ tall.  Great for salads/salsas/fresh-eating. ~75 DTM.) 

Semi-Determinate

*Katja (SEMI-DET, pink beefsteak, larger fruit than most early varieties: 3-5” and 8-16 oz.  Good flavour, good slicer variety.  Plant sprawls a bit, does well in cool summers.  60-65 DTM.  Origin: Siberia.)

*Orange-1  (SEMI-DET, orange globes, 2-8 oz, ~75 DTM, good flavour, productive, meaty, few seeds.  Also called, “Belarus Orange”.  Does well in cool summers.  Origin: Belarus.  Uncommon.).

Moskvich  (SEMI-DET, deep red globes, 4-6 oz, productive, cold tolerant, crack resistant, early, slicer. ~ 60-70 DTM. Russian heirloom.) 

 

Indeterminate

Japanese Black Trifele  (IND, black/mahogany, pear-shaped, medium-sized fruit, rich flavour, ~80dtm.  Despite the name, it’s origin is either Estonian or Russian, depending on the source you read.)

Hungarian Heart   (IND, pink, large oxheart (often 1lb or more), paste/canner/fresh, crack-resistant, few seeds, origin: Hungary, ~ 80 DTM. Heirloom.)

Franchi Red Pear  (IND, red, large, pear-shape with vertical ribbing, 8-18oz, early for a large tomato, 75DTM, origin: Northern Italy.)

Eva Purple Ball  (IND, smooth, round, pink-purple fruit, 4-6 oz, multi-purpose tomato.  Excellent, complex flavour. Easy to peel. Excellent disease resistance. Grows well in hot, humid areas.  Late 1800s heirloom from the Black Forest region of Germany brought to the USA by Joe Bratka’s family.  ~75 DTM.)

*Marina’s Praise (IND, elongated orange and pink bicolour plum with pointy tip, excellent fruity flavor, variegated foliage that is more prominent early in the season.  ~80 DTM.  This variety is a cross between 'Orange Russian 117' Oxheart x 'Variegated PL’.)

Indigo Pear Drop (IND, large cherry, elongated pear-shape, heavy yields, golden yellow with purple/antho shoulders, sweet/fruity, great for snacking, 65-70DTM)

Malachite Box  (“Malakhitovaya Shkatulka”, IND, GWR/green-when-ripe, beefsteak, medium-to-large sized fruit, ~70 DTM, very good flavour.  Russian heirloom)

 

Update

   Several varieties were damaged somehow (too much heat?), so on April 1st, I started more Principe Borghese, Hungarian Heart, Dwarf Artic Rose, Moskvich, and Marina’s Praise.   

Also started on April 1st were these additional varieties: 

Bellestar  (DETERMINATE, red, medium/blocky-oval shape, 4-5oz fruits, canner or paste, compact, early set, Canadian heirloom, ~70 DTM)

Orange Strawberry  (INDETERMINATE, bright orange, oxheart, droopy foliage but vigorous plants, few seeds, ~80-85 DTM. Heirloom.)

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye  (INDETERMINATE, pink/red/green striped, beefsteak, 8-12oz fruit, rich flavour, mid-season, ~ 70 DTM, open-pollinated, disease resistant.)