It’s a busy time of year on our Australian goat farm, but thankfully we’ve had fantastic Autumn weather to work in, so it hasn’t been a hardship at all.
I’ve been gardening, reading about gardening, and talking to Aussie gardeners learning everything I can about how to grow things in this part of the world. Dear friends gave us cuttings from their quince and bush lemon trees, so Bear and I have been planting trees, cuttings of trees, seeds for trees, and innumerable veggies, herbs, and flowers. Phew! It’s heaps of work but so satisfying to see bare patches fill in and the first shoots of winter veg push through the dark brown earth. I’m still battling the dastardly cabbage moth, so if any of you brilliant gardeners out there have advice for me, I’d LOVE to hear it.
We’ve also been spending a lot of time with our goats, keeping a close eye on them since they will start delivering babies within the next couple of weeks. They’ve eaten down their normal paddocks, so we’ve started taking them on feeding walks through the bush for two hours every morning.
Bear and I take turns, an hour each, and we actually look forward to it every day. It’s a wonderful thing to “have” to wander in the bush. I find it really calming and a great start to my morning.
Although it’s late Autumn, I’ve been digging in to Spring Cleaning. It feels fantastic to be getting things tidy and organized, making new usable outdoor spaces that will be brilliant for the fun projects we both love to dig into.
This weekend I got back to making homemade medicines for my medieval medicine demonstrations. It is so fun, especially now that I’m growing nearly everything I need. I made a Sage Thyme treatment for sore throats (very handy this time of year), Lemon Balm oil for bringing deep wounds to the surface so they will heal quickly, and a Fennel eye wash and general tonic.
With all the outside work we’ve been doing, our menu has held a lot of crockpot meals, soup, and homemade bread. Good, nourishing, easy to make things that warm our bones and keep us going as we mend fences, drench goats, build cages, and whatever else comes along. Tonight I’m having Creamy Cauliflower and Parsnip while Bear is noshing on White Bean with Chorizo. Mmm.
My favorite bread is this loaf that looks like an artisan bread but is easy-peasy to make. I mix up the dough in about two minutes before I go to bed, then pop it in the oven when I wake up in the morning. No kneading, no waiting around for rising, just simple, good, and gorgeous bread.
The recipe is based on this one by Le Creuset, but I make it even simpler with just four ingredients and an old cast iron pot.
What interesting projects are you working on these days? xo
Easy Artisan Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 teaspoon yeast
1 3/4 cups water
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.
- Add water and mix until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set on counter (or in microwave) overnight.
- Place lidded cast iron pot in cold oven and heat to 450 degrees. Leave for 30 minutes.
- While it heats, scrape dough onto floured surface and shape into a ball. (Don’t knead)
- Carry dough to oven, remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake 15 minutes more.
- Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
- Once cut, store in airtight container so it doesn’t dry out.
- NOTE: can be made with gluten-free flour as well, just be prepared for a much wetter dough to begin with.
This is so lovely … look at the flowers and your cute goats they are
adorable. I live in Colorado and wish to start even planting my herbs, I
used to do that when I was back in Egypt many years ago but the weather
here is so unpredictable!!!. It is funny though hearing you talk about
fall and winter when we are getting ready for summer :). Your bread is
so so easy to make and looks very tempting to try.
I’m so glad you stopped by, @amira_ibrahim:disqus 🙂 I have friends and relatives who live in Colorado too, and they say the same thing about the weather – CRAZY! 🙂 The weather here in Australia is strange to me too, but I’m learning to work with it. We are building a greenhouse this week so I can grow tropical plants and herbs and tomatoes during the winter. 🙂 I’m excited! 🙂
I feel like I am living my childhood book favorite, Secret Garden, when I read your blog posts about the farm. I just feel like I’ve taken a sneak peak into a very special secret place that makes me smile with each visit! Have a wonderful week~
Ohh, that makes me happy, @disqus_WseMqaTPwi:disqus 🙂 I’m so glad it feels that way to you, because it really does to me. xo
Now to find a cast iron pot with a lid! That recipe looks SO good and sounds easy enough for low energy people. 🙂 I canNOT wait to try it! Thank you Lovely.
Yes, Marie!! I think you can get them at that sporting goods store in Bellingham. That’s where I found them when I lived there. 🙂
I love no-knead bread and haven’t made any for a while. Thanks for the reminder – your bread looks terrific.
I had let it slide for a while too, @disqus_v9uRgGTGfe:disqus 🙂 So glad to be back making it. 🙂
Krista, congratulations on making those herbal medicines! I must try them, especially the one for sore throats! A lovely recipe too! Pinned.
Thank you, @lizposmyk:disqus ! It’s been so fun. 🙂 xo
I love the sound of this No Knead bread. We have a camp oven as well so I might even give it a go. Do you have to use baker’s flour or will cake making flour be O.K.? I am so jealous of your goat walks. In Turkey where the animals graze anywhere and everywhere they are always accompanied by a shepherd or cowherd or goatherd who spends the whole day with them. (The same in Morocco too come to think of it). It is lovely that you have your own land to take your goats a walking in. By the way I emailed you the photos of the Rosella Pipper. 🙂
I envy the rustic, natural environment you’re in. Breathing fresh air and walking around with the vibrant scenery is just amazing! Those flowers are vibrant. Great job!
Julie
Gourmet Getways
I’d love to start my day with a bush walk. Do you have trouble getting the goats to go back to their paddock? How do you round them up? I imagine if I was the one walking the goats there’s every possibility I would lose a few! I love the look of your homemade medicines. And great bread too xx
bread does not get easier than that! Love all your home remedies Krista 🙂
I used to make this same bread when I did kids cooking classes it was always a bit hit. Which reminds me that I haven’t made it for ages. As always your photos are just gorgeous.
AWESOME!!! How crazy cool are your goats Krista?! Love the tan one in the middle who’s looking all macho and manly. 🙂
My world seems ALL about the work at the moment, have had a wedding reception every weekend since the end of January, our big budget luncheon this week, and we are mid way through another judging for Best Wedding Reception Venue. Hmmm… Gonna have to find some other things to be passionate about huh?!
I am such a sucker for homemade bread. I must give this a try!
That bread sounds fabulously easy. I find yeast breads a tad daunting, with all the proofing and kneeding and whatnot – nevermind investing in a special pan. No kneed in a Creuset, however – that I could handle. We got ours as a gift when they came through Costco a few years back, and I use that Dutch oven for everything.
Current projects include knitting a baby blanket (my first non-scarf project), planning out our summer holidays, and tending to our little container garden.
And I agree, “having” to take a walk every day is a wonderful obligation!
What a beautiful post. I love seeing your animals. They are beautiful! And medieval medicine – how utterly fascinating. Don’t you just love those no-knead breads? They have such marvelous depth of flavor and they look so beautiful. It i a joy to visit your site, and I will be a regular reader now! Thank you/