Whole Grain Spelt Pita Bread

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Dave @ HappyAcres

Home baked pita bread has been a staple on our menu for several years now. The tasty flatbreads are great for wraps, pocket bread, pita crisps and pizza crust. And they freeze well too, making it possible to have them on short notice whenever we want them. As a result, we pretty much always have some on hand.

Whole Grain Spelt Pita Bread (click on any image to enlarge)

Whole Grain Spelt Pita Bread (click on any image to enlarge)

My original recipe for Whole Wheat Pita Bread calls for half whole wheat flour and half unbleached flour. Those pitas are great for those who want a lighter taste, especially when you use milder tasting white whole wheat flour. And for those who like the taste of sourdough and whole wheat, my Whole Wheat Sourdough Pita Bread recipe combines the two for a more full flavored, naturally leavened whole grain pita bread.

Nutrimill grain mill

Nutrimill grain mill

But regular readers will know that I’m also a big fan of spelt. Since we got our Nutrimill grain mill a little over a year ago, we’ve been grinding our own flours and flour mixes, and I keep a supply of whole grain spelt on hand for grinding into flour. Spelt has a sweet, nutty flavor and a nutritional profile that is hard to beat, offering up lots of fiber, protein and minerals.

whole grain spelt berries

whole grain spelt berries

Baking with spelt does require some special considerations though. The gluten in spelt is more fragile than the gluten in wheat, which makes it easy to over knead. And breads made with 100% spelt may not rise as much compared to wheat breads. That’s not an issue with most quick breads, and spelt is great in those recipes. But on the plus side, spelt flour makes doughs that are supple and easy to roll out without snapping back. This makes spelt great for pita bread and other flatbreads like pizza and foccacia.

spelt dough is easy to roll out

spelt dough is easy to roll out

So today I want to share my recipe for pita bread made with spelt flour. The actual baking procedure is the same as for my other pita recipes. I bake the dough for 2-3 minutes on a very hot preheated pizza stone. The pocket in the bread is formed by steam when the dough meets the hot stone. If you’re using it strictly as a flatbread and don’t care if the pitas puff up perfectly or not, then oven temp doesn’t matter so much.

mixing ingredients with dough whisk

mixing ingredients with dough whisk

One thing that is different with this recipe is a resting period after mixing the ingredients together, and before kneading. The rest period allows the flour to get fully hydrated, and the gluten to begin developing. I find that 100% whole grain flours, especially those freshly ground at home, can take longer than usual to absorb liquid. Without the rest period, it is sometimes necessary to add additional flour in order to work with the dough, which then causes the dough to be too dry later on. When I use the Kitchenaid mixer to do my kneading, I just mix the ingredients up in the mixer bowl using my dough whisk and then cover with foil or plastic wrap. After the rest period, it’s on to the mixer for the kneading.

pita dough ready to be rolled out

pita dough ready to be rolled out

Also, I weigh the flour and water for this recipe, and for all the bread recipes I develop myself. When you use volume measurements for flours, there is so much difference in how much flour you actually get depending on how you fill the cups, and how fluffy or dense the flour is. Weighing gives me more consistent and dependable results. You can get a good digital kitchen scale for less than $25, and it will be money well spent in my opinion. A scale is so handy that I can’t imagine baking or cooking without one.

pita pizzas topped with arugula

pita pizzas topped with arugula

This recipe can be made with either all spelt flour, or with half spelt and half unbleached flour. Either way, you may have to add a little bit of either flour or water to get the right dough consistency. The baked pitas keep for several days, or you can freeze for longer storage.

Whole Grain Spelt Pita Bread Print This Recipe Print This Recipe
A Happy Acres original

280g (1-1/4 cup) room temperature water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp yeast, active dry or instant
2 tbsp olive oil
400g (3-1/2 to 3-3/4 cup) whole grain spelt flour
1 tsp salt

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1-1/4 cup warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate yeast. (If using instant yeast, skip this step and mix all wet and dry ingredients together at the same time)
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, yeast/water mixture and oil. Stir mixture until flour is hydrated. Let rest for 20 minutes.
3. Place dough on work surface and knead for 5 minutes, or use low speed of electric mixer to knead for aout 2-3 minutes. Add small amount of flour if necessary.
4. Place dough in bowl lightly coated with a little oil. Cover and let rise for 90 minutes, until doubled in bulk.
5. Punch dough down to release trapped gases. Divide dough into 8 balls for large pitas, or 10 balls to make smaller ones. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so it is easier to shape.
6. While dough is resting, place pizza stone or baking tiles in oven and preheat to 500F.
7. Spread light coat of flour on work surface. Place one ball of dough there and sprinkle top with flour. Use hands or rolling pin to flatten out to 1/8″ or 1/4″ thick. If dough is hard to stretch, cover and let rest another 5-10 minutes. Prepare as much dough as will fit on pizza stone at one time.
8. Open oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the stone. Let bake for 2-3 minutes, until puffed up and as brown as desired.
9. While pitas are baking, form next batch of dough. Repeat until all dough is baked.
10. Remove pitas from oven and let cool, covered by a cloth towel. Bubbles should deflate as pitas cool. Be careful – pitas are full of hot steam when taken from the oven!

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 231 calories, 44 calories from fat, 5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 293mg sodium, 60.1mg potassium, 38.5g carbohydrates, 6.4g fiber, 1.6g sugar, 6.9g protein, 2.9mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.

 

 

Posted in Baking, Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Seed Starting 101

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Dave @ HappyAcres

This is one of my favorite times of the gardening year. I’ve had a chance to rest up a bit from heavy-duty gardening chores, and my batteries are recharged. The days are getting longer now, and it’s time to start planning for a new garden. For me it’s a time of year that’s full of hope, energy, and the promise of things to come! Last month I took a little time and planned my 2013 garden, deciding what I want to grow. Then I did an inventory of my leftover seeds, and came up with a list of what I needed to order.

seed starting supplies (click on any image to enlarge)

seed starting supplies (click on any image to enlarge)

I have ordered most of the seeds now, and a few have even started to arrive. I start most of my plants myself from seed, and it is an easy and economical way to get new plants. It can often be the only way to get the specific varieties you want to grow. You can start seeds for most vegetables, flowers and herbs – even trees and shrubs for that matter. A seed is just a plant waiting to happen, and as gardeners all we need to do is create the proper environment for it to grow.

broccoli seedling, with seed shell still attached

broccoli seedling, with seed shell still attached

I’m often asked questions about starting plants from seed. There’s certainly a lot of different ways to go about it, and every gardener has slightly different methods and materials they like to use.  But most of the basics are very similar. A little bit of planning can ensure success with your seed starting, and perhaps head off some of the common problems before they happen. And if you’re new to gardening, there are a few things you want to address even before you open that first seed packet, like the following items:

  • Light – young seedlings need 12-16 hours of light per day. For that you need a bright sunny windowsill (south is best) or fluorescent lights. Seeds and seedlings should be kept 1-2 inches from the lights. Use plant grow bulbs or a combination of 1 cool white and 1 warm white bulb. I use fluorescent lights with an automatic timer set to be on for 14-16 hours per day.
  • Containers -need to be clean and sturdy. Plastic is easy to clean and sterilize, plus it is lightweight and reusable. You can use pots, cell paks, or flats. Other choices include wood flats, peat pots and pellets, and homemade soil blocks. Plastic cups and the bottoms of milk cartons can also be used.
  • Growing medium -needs to be well-drained, light and fine-textured. You can use a commercial mix or make your own. Avoid using soil  straight from the garden, because it’s heavy and can harbor diseases and insects. A commercial mix containing peat moss, vermiculite and perlite works well (I use Pro-mix). Coco coir, which is made from coconut husks, is gaining popularity as an economical and earth-friendly alternative to peat moss for seed starting and growing mixes.
seedlings in 288 cell plug tray

seedlings in 288 cell plug flat

There are also a few other things to research before you start sowing those seeds. Much of the information can be gleaned from the seed packet itself, or from a good gardening book. Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog has a lot of data on individual seeds and their needs, plus their seed packets are some of the most informative I have ever seen. And “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible” by Edward C. Smith has good information about each vegetable’s requirements from sowing to growing. Some of the things you need to know include:

  • When to plant – use the seed pack, catalogue or book to help determine the timing.
  • How deep to plant seed/how much to cover. Some seeds need light to germinate, while others need darkness.
  • Temperature needs (hot, warm or cool). Use a heating mat or cable to warm the soil for heat lovers such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.
  • Germination time – how long do the seeds take to germinate
  • Seed viability. Seeds typically last from 1 to 5 years depending on species. Store seeds in a cool dry place. You can test viability using a damp paper towel in a ziploc bag.
  • Special considerations – some seeds need to be nicked or soaked, or need a cold treatment before they will germinate.
handful of lettuce seeds

handful of lettuce seeds

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time for the fun part – actually sowing some seeds. Here are a few tips and considerations about the process itself:

  • If using pots or containers, fill with mix to within an inch of the top. This leaves some room for watering later on. Either pre-moisten the mix or water after filling the container but definitely moisten it before seeding. If using small cell packs, fill almost completely with soil.
  • Sow seeds thinly and uniformly (try not to put too many in one spot). The number of seeds depends on the size of the container. Sow several seeds in pots and larger containers (you might sow a dozen or more small seeds in a 4 inch pot), and sow one or two per cell pack, peat pot or soil block. You can thin or cull seedlings later as needed.
  • Cover seeds with seed starting mix, vermiculite or sphagnum moss. For seeds that need light to germinate, don’t cover seed at all. For soil blocks and peat pellets, sow the seed to the proper depth.
  • Water gently or mist. Bottom watering is also good – place container in pan of water. You want to make sure the seed has good contact with the planting medium.
  • Containers or flat may be covered with clear material like plastic wrap or cover to retain moisture and heat. Remove covering as soon as germination is underway. Don’t put covered containers in direct sunlight, or the seedlings will get cooked.
  • Label what you plant. Remember, all tomato seedlings look about the same when they’re coming up!
  • Don’t allow seeds to dry out before germination. Check daily and water as needed.
lettuce seedlings in plug tray

lettuce seedlings in plug flat

Once you’ve got the seedlings up and growing, here are a few considerations to keep them healthy and happy:

  • Keep seedlings in good strong light to keep them short and stocky. Tall, spindly seedlings are a sign they’re not getting enough light. If using fluorescent lights, adjust the distance to keep the growing plants within 2″ of the lights.
  • Maintain a good growing temperature , typically around 70F during the day and 60-65F at night. Check specifics for each plant.
  • Do not over water, water only when needed. Soil should begin to dry out between watering, but never allow seedlings to wilt.
  • Fertilizer – plants will need fertilizing. Begin 2-3 weeks after germination, or when true leaves start to appear. Use half strength or weaker liquid fertilizer every two weeks (I use a fish emulsion and seaweed combination like Neptune’s Harvest)

I know that’s a lot of information to digest, so I’ll be back later on with more information on handling any problems, plus tips on thinning, transplanting, and hardening off seedlings to prepare them for planting. I’ve also put this presentation on my main menu, under “seed starting information”. I hope you this information proves useful to you, and Happy Growing to all you gardeners out there!

 

 

 

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Photo Friday: Melbourne Sights

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Dave @ HappyAcres

Melbourne was the first stop on our recent trip to Australia. What a lovely city it is, and what a great way to start off our vacation. The city itself has a decidedly European feel to it, with lots of parks and green spaces, a gentle but changeable climate and elegant architecture. It was very easy to navigate around there using the city’s tram service. And that’s a good thing since yours truly decided early on that he was going to leave the driving to others on this trip!

tram72

#72 Tram in Melbourne (click on any image to enlarge)

cullen

Entrance to the Cullen

cullen2

View from our window at the Cullen

We stayed at the Cullen Hotel, which is in the Prahran district, and conveniently located on the #72 Tram route. It is also right across the street from the Prahran Market, which is a wonderful farmers market chock-full of fruit, veggies, meat, seafood and other goodies. You can bet we had to check it out and make some purchases. We picked up bananas, mango, papaya and passionfruit to go with our breakfast yogurt, and some lovely walnut sourdough bread for toast. Of course I had to have some honey too, the first (but not the last) on our trip.

Outside of Prahran Market building

Outside of Prahran Market building

fruit display in Prahran Market

fruit display in Prahran Market

Goodies from the Prahran Market

Goodies from the Prahran Market

We also visited the world-famous Queen Victoria Market. This Melbourne landmark has been open since 1878, and is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere, with 600 vendors (I didn’t count them all myself). We spent several hours there and didn’t even begin to see it all. I let my wife take the photos there so I will share a couple of hers. We took so many photos on this trip that in some places we decided that only one of us need do it.

QVM vegetables

QVM vegetables

eggplants and peppers

eggplants and peppers

One of the highlights of our stay in Melbourne was our visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens there. I think my favorite spot was the Children’s Garden (imagine that). That was where most of the edible plants were located, plus there were so many neat things for kids to see and do. It’s was impossible to get photos of some of the features because they were crawling with kids – literally. One project I really liked were the Memory Flags hung up by people describing what they liked doing as a child, and how it related to their adult life. I really loved Debra’s entry!

Memory flag display with water mist

Memory flag display with water mist

rbgflagnote

rbgflag

rbgflag2

All in all, our time in Melbourne was way too brief. We hoped to visit the Australian Garden at the RBG in Cranbourne, which is just about an hour drive from the city. And it would have been fun to take the City Circle tram and tour the city, or visit the National Gallery or the Melbourne Museum. I’d love to go back and visit again some day.

I’ll close with a gallery of some more photos from the RBGM. You can click on the thumbnails for a larger image, then cycle through the photos. My wife has a lovely photo spread about Melbourne herself, with her view of this magnificent city. I’ll be back next week with more photos from Australia. Happy Friday to you all!

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Vegetable List For 2013

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Dave @ HappyAcres

I’ve just about finalized my list of vegetable varieties I’m planning on growing in 2013. There’s a few new varieties there, and a lot of old standbys. And after finishing my inventory of leftover seeds, now it’s time to start ordering what I need. There’s always some last minute changes to my list, but for now it’s pretty solid (I think).

I often get asked where I order my seeds. These days the bulk of my seed orders go to Fedco and Johnny’s, with smaller amounts going to Nichols, Renee’s, Territorial, Totally Tomatoes, Baker Creek, Seed Savers Exchange, Kitazawa and Seeds from Italy. Fedco has good quality seed at low prices, and a nice selection of varieties. Johnny’s isn’t as inexpensive, but the quality is top notch and they have some unique hybrid varieties. I could order from fewer places if I could limit myself to fewer varieties, but given my love of experimenting that’s difficult to do. Oh well, gardening is my #1 hobby, and it’s cheaper than golfing – plus I get to eat the results!

As always I took a hard look at what performed well last year, and what didn’t. For the most part, last year was a pretty good year for all the vegetables, except for onions and cucumbers. I think the onions suffered under our drought conditions, and I didn’t give them enough supplemental water. As for the cucumbers, the deer kept eating them, and they will all be protected this year by either the greenhouse or the main garden fencing. I have given up on growing the Walla Walla onions here, and will be trying Big Daddy instead. Candy and Red of Tropea will be back for another year, and hope to do a better job of growing them.

I will also be growing a nice assortment of sweet and hot peppers again this year. New additions to hot peppers include Aji Dulce, Tobago, and Joe’s Long Cayenne. Back for another trial is the O.P. Numex Joe E Parker, which replaces Anaheim.  The only new sweet pepper this year is Joelene’s Red Italian, which I will compare with Jimmy Nardello’s. I still have a few of the Happy Yummy seeds to send out if anyone is interested. You can read about this new open pollinated ‘rogue’ pepper I discovered in this post. You can leave a comment here or send me an email.

As for squash, I am swapping out the bush varieties Early Butternut and Bush Delicata for their vining cousins Waltham Butternut and Zeppelin Delicata. It makes more sense to grow these two since I have more garden space this year. I may plant any of the leftover bush varieties at the Impact Community Garden, where space is still at a premium. We are meeting soon to plan out our 2013 garden there.

I’m trying some new broccoli here this year. I’ve not been having good results at all with the spring planted crop, so I’m giving Arcadia and Imperial a try. Both are supposed to be more heat tolerant. Of course if we have a cool wet spring then who knows how they will do. I may sow some of my Packman seed even though it is 2009 seed and may not still be viable. Packman isn’t the best tasting or most productive variety but it usually gives me something. Apollo broccolini is also on the list for 2013.

One new crop here this year is melons. Burpee’s Ambrosia is one of my all time favorite cantaloupes, and I’m looking forward to growing it again. I also like the green fleshed Galia types, so I will try Diplomat this year. It’s a replacement for Passport, which I have grown in the past. Something new to try is the white-fleshed Brilliant Canary melon. And the old standby Sugar Baby watermelon will get some space in 2013 also.

I’m not really trying any new greens this year, and actually I plan on growing less since I don’t think I will plant either radicchio or endive. Though I like both of these bitter greens, I grow plenty of other salad greens that are easier to grow, so for 2013 I will give these two a pass.

And lo and behold, my wife has decided she kind of, sort of likes beetroots! This is after she had some on a sandwich she had in Australia. I like them myself, at least in small doses, so I will give them a shot in the garden this year. I have seed for both yellow and red rooted varieties. And I imagine we will give them a try at Impact again this year, after germination problems we had during the drought of 2012.

So here’s the list of 2013 varieties. I have also put the list on the menu as a static page. I will be posting my seed starting and planting schedule a bit later, as I get closer to seed starting time here in my corner of the world. If you’re a gardener, I hope 2013 is a great year for everything you grow!

Asian Greens: Komatsuna Summerfest, Maruba Santoh, Mizuna Kyoto, Mizuna Ruby Streaks, Pak Choi Black Summer, Pak Choi Fun Jen, Pak Choi Mei Qing, Pak Choi Red Choi, Senposai, Tokyo Bekana, Yukina Savoy

Beans (bush): Derby, Jacob’s Cattle, Royalty, Rocdor

Beans (pole): Cherokee Trail of Tears, Fortex, Good Mother Stallard, Helda, Marvel of Venice, Musica, Rattlesnake, Yardlong Bean Red Noodle

Beets: Golden, Red Ace, Touchstone Gold

Broccoli: Apollo, Arcadia, Imperial, Purple Peacock

Cabbage: Farao, KY Cross, Parel

Carrots: Kyoto Red, Mokum, Nelson, Sugarsnax, Yaya

Chard: Lucullus, Ruby Red, Verde Da Taglio

Cucumber: Diva, Green Fingers, Manny’s, Summer Dance, Summer Top, Tasty Green, Tasty Jade

Eggplant: Beatrice, Dancer, Diamond, Dusky, Fairy Tale, Hansel, Millionaire, Nadia, Orient Express, Pingtung Long, Rosa Bianca, Raveena

Greens: Arugula, Golden Corn Salad, Mache Large Dutch, Mustard Purple Rapa Pop Mix, Purslane Golden, Saisai Leaf Radish

Kale: Beedy’s Camden, Lacinato, Rainbow Lacinato, Red Ursa, Winterbor

Kohlrabi: Kolibri, Kossak, Winner

Lettuce: Anuenue, Deer Tongue, Des Morges Braun, Double Density, Flashy Trout Back, Gentilina, Hyper Red Rumple, Lingua di Canarino, Loma, Merlot, New Red Fire, Oak Leaf, Radichetta, Red Sails, Rouge d’Hiver, Sierra, Simpson Elite, Spotted Trout(aka Forellenschluss), Tropicana, Winter Density

Melons: Brilliant Canary, Burpee’s Ambrosia, Diplomat Galia, Sugar Baby Watermelon

Okra: Burmese, Louisiana Green Velvet, Perkins Long Pod

Onion: Candy, Guardsman, Red of Tropea, Big Daddy, White Spear

Pepper(hot): Aji Angelo, Aji Dulce, Alma Paprika, Ancho 211, Biggie Chili, Cayenneta, El Jefe Jalapeno, Fushimi, Golden Greek, Hot Happy Yummy, Holy Mole, Joe’s Long Cayenne, Numex Joe E Parker, Pasila Bajio, Serrano Del Sol, Thai Bird, Tobago, Trinidad Perfume

Pepper (sweet): Big Bertha, Buran, Carmen, Dulce Rojo, Flavorburst, Giant Marconi, Goliath Goldrush, Gourmet, Sweet Happy Yummy, Jimmy Nardello’s, Joelene’s Red Italian, Orange Blaze, Pimento di Padron, Purple Beauty, Snapper, Yummy

Potato: French Red Fingerling, Red Norland, Russian Banana, Yukon Gold

Radish: China Rose, Green Meat, Minowase Summer Cross, Red Meat, Shinden Risoh, Shunkyo

Spinach: Amsterdam Prickly Seeded, Gigante Inverno, Space, Viroflay

Squash(summer): Cavili, Enterprise, Gentry, Partenon, Spineless Beauty, Raven, Striato d’Italia, Superpik, Surething, Tatume, Tondo Nizza

Squash(winter): Amish Pie Pumpkin, Boston Marrow, Butterbush, Candy Roaster, Gold Nugget, Kumi Kumi, Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck(pumpkin), Small Wonder(spaghetti), Table Ace, Waltham Butternut, Zeppelin Delicata

Sweet Potatoes: Beauregard, Carla’s Purple

Tomatoes: Amish Paste, Better Boy, Big Mama, Black Cherry, Celebrity, Champion II, Cherokee Purple, Early Girl, Eva Purple Ball, Golden Rave, Golden Sweet, Health Kick, Italian Heirloom, Jetsetter, Juliet, Ludmilla’s Red Plum, Mountain Magic, Rio Grande, Sun Gold, Super Marzano, Super Sweet 100, Ten Fingers of Naples, Vinson Watts, Viva Italia

Turnips: Hakurei, Oasis, Purple Top White Globe, Tokyo Cross

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Back To Brrrr

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Dave @ HappyAcres

After spending a couple of weeks visiting Australia and basking in their warm summer weather, today we’re Back Home Again in Indiana, and shivering in our typical cold winter weather. We had a great time in Australia, and you can bet I’ll be sharing some of the details and photos in the days to come. I came home with over 1300 digital images in my camera, and surely a few of them are worthy of sharing here.

We also came home with luggage that was stuffed full of dirty clothes plus some new goodies we brought home with us. This shouldn’t be hard for anyone to believe, but I brought home quite a bit of Australian honey (about 3 kilos worth), several bars of handmade cold-process soap, and a bit of local coffee and tea. Of course my wife didn’t come home empty handed either. Those who know her won’t be surprised to learn that she brought home some lovely fabric. And we both picked out a few pieces of inexpensive (but beautiful) artwork to hang on the walls.

collection of Australian honeys (click on any image to enlarge)

Now I can guess what you are thinking: don’t they have their own honey, collected from the hard-working bees of Happy Acres? And don’t they make lots of their very own soap? So why would they travel halfway around the world and bring home soap and honey? My wife was asking me the very same thing every time she saw me grabbing another jar of honey or eyeing a bar of soap!

Queensland tea and coffee

But needless to say our bees don’t make honey from exotic nectar sources such as Leatherwood, Red Gum or Stringy Bark trees. And of course I enjoyed talking to the various purveyors of honey about all the different kinds they had to offer, as well as chatting with some of the beekeepers themselves. It also didn’t help matters any that everywhere I turned there were free honey samples. After all, put me in a honey tasting room and I’m a happy camper! I thought the prices were pretty reasonable too. I paid only $6 Aus. for the 500g bottle of raw honey, which is right in line with prices around here.

And no vacation would be complete without bringing something home for the kids or grandkids. In our case we only have ‘furkids’, so we brought home a couple of stuffed toys for them to play with. I suspect they will just be happy to get back home again from their stay at the kitty day camp (aka boarding at the vet).

stuffed sheep and kangaroo toys

We saw a lot of wonderful sights in Australia, doing a lot of typical tourist stuff like touring the Sydney Opera House and riding the historic train to Kuranda. While there we used almost every mode of transportation possible, from planes to trains to buses, trams, river cats, skyrails and taxis. We met some wonderful people, and saw both man-made and natural wonders. We got our pictures taken with koalas and kangaroos. We visited farmers markets and botanical gardens, and sampled lamingtons and damper bread. We sipped some lovely local tea while sitting in the World Heritage Committee listed tropical Daintree Rainforest. And most of all we had a great time.

Me and Lynda at the Circular Quay with Sydney Harbor Bridge in background

We managed to avoid the brushfires that are currently burning in many parts of Australia, but not the record heat that has plagued many areas. During our trip the temperatures ranged from the very comfortable 10°C overnight lows of Melbourne to the scorching hot 45-50°C afternoon highs in Ayers Rock (113-122°F). After we left Sydney, they recorded their highest temperature ever last Friday with an official reading of 46.5°C (115.7°F). All in all the weather was pretty enjoyable, except for at Ayers Rock where we knew it would be brutally hot.

But now we’re happy to be home again. I came home with a lot of ideas for cooking and gardening, plus a bunch of topics to blog about. I hope you enjoyed this little teaser, and I’ll be back soon with more!

 

 

Posted in Life, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments