How easy it is to eat local in July when there is lots of lovely produce in the garden. It would have been much more difficult without, as it's so hard to find local vegetables for sale. Even the Hog and Hen Farm shop just a few miles from home gets most of it's stuff from a regional fruit and veg wholesaler - I happened to be there as they were unloading crates of all sorts.
The things which were needed that are not local were yeast and milk powder (why do bread-maker recipes always use milk powder?) salt, pepper,cornflour, tubes of garlic and tomato puree and coffee of course. I also 'cheated' and ate shop-bought apples (which come all the way from New-Zealand!) because of not having much fruit from the garden. My eating apples are still several weeks away from being ready to eat.
I ate hardly any meat all week so still have the local sausages in the freezer plus local flour, rape seed oil in the cupboard and the Hill Farm Garlic Mayonnaise(which is very tasty) in the fridge.
Breakfast with the local honey on toast never got tedious and sandwich or that fruit meringue for lunch was good plus finding different ways to eat Aubergines was interesting.
All in all a good few days experiment.
I've now done this "sort-of" challenge in November and July - so perhaps I'd better do it again it in late winter and the middle of spring...........could be difficult.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Breadmaker Question: the milk powder is supposed to make the crumb a little 'softer' I believe. Using powder means you can operate the Breadmaker with basic store cupboard ingredients plus water. You can omit it, or put 2 tbsp fresh milk in your measuring jug then make up the usual amount of liquid by topping it up with water.
ReplyDeleteMust admit I don’t use milk powder in bread either. You have done well. Local meat wouldn’t be a problem here. We used to have a large farm shop near us. I too was there when the veg wholesale van turned up!
ReplyDeleteI stopped using powdered milk in my breadmaker about a year ago - tastes much better without it.
ReplyDeleteI have never used milk powder in my bread maker, or milk so I wouldn’t know the difference to the taste but we make a loaf once a week and it last well and tastes good.
ReplyDeleteI have found your eat local so interesting Sue. If I wasn't in lockdown I would be tempted to try it here.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually put milk powder in my breadmaker although it's a good way to add Vitamins such as vit D to the bread as it's included in some milk powders. I also use much less salt and oil than is suggested in the bread recipes and the loaves turn out fine. Still can't find wholemeal/brown bread flour in supermarkets so I think I will have to order in bulk online.
ReplyDeleteI am another one who doesn't use milk powder in my bread maker, I used to when I first had one, but not for a long time. You did very well eating locally. Helen S.
ReplyDeleteWell done on completing your challenge. It does show it's easier to eat local at this time of year and I guess that's why things from Spring, Summer and Autumn were harvested locally and bottled or preserved for Winter use.
ReplyDeletePerhaps that what you should be doing now, setting aside a stash of jams, marmalades and chutneys as well as harvesting your own veggies and finding ways of preserving them ready for another go at the Challenge in December or January.
I've never used milk powder either - the recipe book which came with my Panasonic doesn't call for it. I add either 1 of butter or a tablespoon of olive oil to give a good crumb.
ReplyDeleteInteresting what you said about local vegetables not being available. Just as well you have a good crop of home grown.
SusanM - I have bought my bread flours (in bulk!) from both Wessex Mill and Shipton Mill and can recommend both.
We've been pleased with Shipton Mill too
DeleteThank you for suggesting where I can get bread flour. I bought white bread flour and SR flour in sacks from The Cake Decorating Company a few weeks ago and shared it with friends and neighbours. I will look at these suggested companies for brown bread flour.
DeleteWell done, Sue. I laughed at your apples from New Zealand - a lot of our winter supermarket apples come from America!! The world is a crazy place sometimes :)
ReplyDeleteYour New Zealand Breaburn apples are delicious!
DeleteGood job! There is lots of local produce around right now, but like you say harder to come by in the cooler months. I suppose that's why in olden days we'd all be canning like crazy!
ReplyDeleteMy recipe for bread in the machine does not use milk powder. However for the first time in almost 4 months there was milk powder in the shops so I bought some to use in baking and to make my own sweetened condensed milk.
ReplyDeleteYou did very well with your eating local.
God bless.
I was told years ago that if using fresh milk you had to heat it up first but if you use milk powder to make the milk it has already been heated so quick and easy.
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