More Garden Cleanup and the Kerria

We are still abnormally warm....and no rain.  That is not a good combination.

I picked a bouquet of lilacs and the fragrance is overwhelming me.....I will have to relocate it when I am at the computer.


I managed to get a couple of hours of garden work done yesterday morning.  It was mostly pruning and string trimming.  I ran out of string and DH said he couldn't find any at Walmart.  I wish he had called me because I am sure a local farm supply, Race Brothers, would have had it.  I plan to go to a nearby Ace Hardware this morning and check.  If they don't have it, we will head back into town. 

I finished the bed in front of the kitchen window which involved string trimming along the edge, pulled more henbit and pruned back the dead stalks of the Endless Summer hydrangea and the hibiscus moscheutos, swamp mallow.

I left some of the moscheutos stalks because the clematis was already climbing up about three feet;  too late for the new (from MIL's garden) wooden trellis.

I have started the  foundation beds.  This is the diningroom porch bed, done to the corner, except for the ongoing weed pulling.

The purple flower is the lunaria (money plant) just beginning.

When talking about things in bloom, I forgot about the kerria!  I don't see how I could have.  It is a brilliant gold and this is its finest year.  This is the double one.

The Neighbor's Cattle

I forgot  to explain this on the other post.

We know we can't count on the absentee owner to do anything and it is critical we keep our grass for our cows.

We aren't much for taking legal action. It would be more time consuming  and the ugliness involved wouldn't be a thing we  would want to live with.  If the tree hadn't fallen, we had been successful keeping them out with the new fencing improvements.

DH said they were still at home yesterday after his repair. 

I wish he would just sell out! 

It is traditional for neighbors to share fencing projects but I don't know if it is a legal thing or not.

We hope we have the problem resolved so we can go on to other 'farming problems'.

As the old saying goes "it's a great life if you don't weaken!"

Berry Patch

Another very warm day yesterday.

I went out around 8:30 to finish the berry patch and it took approximately two hours but I got it done.  I was assisted (after mentioning it a more than a few times) by the helpmate to fork all the prunings over into a deep ditch at the back of the patch.  He still has another pile to go but it is out of the way of the mower and so may just decompose insitu!

I may have set things back by pruning this late but so be it.  Another season and they would have been out of control.  I still want to get in there with the string trimmer and knock back some weeds/ground cover of mostly chick weed.  I may share a picture once that is done; and I may not.  It isn't something I am proud of.

The patch has spread wayyyyy out of the original row.  I also see I have lost about half of the blackberries over winter and that the raspberries that I thought I would never get going have moved into the blackberries and may take over.  I still want to do new rows in the new orchard.........probably just a dream.

A side benefit of the cleanup was I exposed 21 steel posts that DH pulled for fencing.  This used to be a tomato patch.  We figure we made $105 on the posts.

Lunch  was a simple redneck fare of barbecued hot dogs (fried in catsup and mustard with a lot of sliced onion), chips and I did toss  together an apple tart.



This was made with frozen apples and crust.  I cooked the apples first and made a sort of pie filling thing.  I wanted it to cook fast and it did. 

GARDENING

I love my Japanese snowball bush but so do the aphids and each year it is ruined  by them.  I sprayed it with dormant oil spray when I did the orchard and now I am watching it closely to see if it helps.
It is in the green stage now,



In bloom now are the apple trees, the pie cherry tree, the lilacs, the snowball bush (green stage),  and  I see the clematis are budded. 

An Ordinary Day

We are still way too warm here, 84° in March!

I had great plans to work outside yesterday after milking, but decided to stay inside instead.

I cooked a really huge pot of white bean s with the ham bone and that required constant monitoring.  Then there was the overload of unfolded laundry from our company weekend.......it was getting ridiculous to see the pile of things just waiting for me. 

I folded about 4 loads of things and put them away....did my normal daily housecleaning which is minimal.

FARM
I just had to share a follow up story about the neighbor's cows and the fence.  After the boys and DH working and reworking, we finally had them contained (on their own land).  DH had mentioned to me that there was a tree in danger of falling....on the fence.  Well, it fell day before yesterday!  As I have said before nothing is ever static on a farm.....always something  to keep you busy.  He was able to run all the cows back (yes, they came through instantly!) and patch up the fence.  The boys came yesterday and did more work on it and set the post for a new gate.  I will be glad for them to get the fence repair project finished.

GARDENING

Before I left the milk barn (remember it doubles  as my potting shed), I planted tomato seeds, Granny Cantrell, Mortgage Lifter, Early Girl and Jung'sWayahead and Mule Team.  I may do a few direct later if I can just remember to do it.

I finally can see a few carrots....I hate trying to grow those darned things....it is like little green hairs and you think they will never show up.

I have the best row of peas I have ever had....I hope the rabbits don't discover them.  The spinach that I thought looked so promising....does on one end but the other end is very sparse....

Only one herb survived and it is a French culinary thyme.  I need to move it....it is right in the way for tilling.  I still haven't decided on a permanent herb bed and need to.

One picture to share, this is the west foundation berm, the blue flower is vinca major and the yellow is yellow variegated euonymous.  I like the contrasts.



Note:  Lunch was beans and cornbread with wilted lettuce.  I froze three containers of beans for quick meals later.

Yard Work

This was another perfect warm  spring day.  I took advantage of it!

I mowed most of the yard yesterday and finished up today.  I think it is about a 3-hour job but I rarely do it all on one day so am not sure.  I left my little meadow of wild violets.  I also mowed around the garden.
 

I think the lilacs are the best they have been in years, but it may be because the border has been cleaned out so they can be appreciated.
 

I took a short coffee break with DH on the porch and then while he went in to exercise, I cleaned off the bed (HB Bed) in front of the kitchen and the new stump bed.  Finally the bulbs I planted came up, the white muscari and some blue alliums, the Tete a Tete are finished.  All the agastache returned.  I still haven't decided what kind of small tree I want in the center of this bed or just what...maybe the bird bath???
and the small stump bed,


I fixed a quick and simple lunch of barbecued ham (from Sunday Dinner ham), baked potato and a salad of mixed greens (also left from  Sunday dinner).

I retired for the day, even left DH to put away my gardening tools.

OK,OK.  I don't even know what happened here! 

Just suffice it to say I was wiped after the company and spent all Sunday evening in my chair.

Monday, I just checked in briefly and then worked outside about 4 hours............

I am still not used to Blogger's new format....should go back to the old one.  I seem to hit some blasted key when I am doing a draft that just publishes it......I may give this thing up entirely!!!

More later; I am trying to get caught up with outside work and it is a losing battle.

We had perfect weather for the girls to enjoy the farm.

Our granddaughter is on the ATV, her friend is doing gate duty.



Of course the llamas caught their attention.   Our SIL took this with the zoom,

A Busy Thursday

4:45 AM 41° no more rain so far.

Yesterday was bread day.  Two new recipes and both turned out well.  I need to quit using recipes and just go with the standard ratio of liquid to flour.  My daring sis does that now.  She is much more adventurous than me in the kitchen.



The little planter by the back door is beginning to bloom.....still nothing on the hellebore plant.
That is a variegated Solomon's Seal with it.  I may have to move the hellebore....solomon's is beginning to spread!

Jack Frost brunnera is blooming, but so far no sign of the yellow tulips.  I thought nothing could get to them in this planter but maybe two or three years is the life of them.  What kind of luck do you all have with tulips and longevity?


I seriously cleaned the bathrooms yesterday.  DH vacuumed.  Today I will dust.  I may be keeping a cleaner house.....it seemed easier to get ready for company this time.  What a nice change.

13 eggs.

I will milk this morning so I won't have to this weekend.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

4:45 AM, 48°, no rain overnight an none for today.  More is moving in for Friday and then a nice weekend is promised.

I do hope the weekend is clear.  I want our GD and her friend (who are visiting for her birthday over Saturday and Sunday.) to be able to get outside and enjoy the farm.

I milked and it went  well, no oxytocin needed.

Yesterday was errand day, library, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Wal-Mart and home.

11 eggs.

Trace of rain.

Put a ham out to thaw for Sunday dinner, the birthday dinner.  We will have pizza as requested for  Saturday.

The white quince is blooming.


and the lilacs,

This is the newer one,  Isabella (I think),


Under the lights:  lettuce in clay pot is up thickly, California Wonder Peppers are up, Yellow Cheese peppers up, so far the Serrano, and Hungarian Wax and the red Cheese are not???

In the garden:  Spinach up nicely, sugar snap peas that I pre-soaked are up, no carrots yet, but it is early for them.

The Bird House (that I hope never to do again!)

We have been getting some wonderful rains, not the heavy things predicted......just daily light rains that have totaled up to 2.5 inches so far and more is promised over the rest of the week.  The temperature is back in the more normal range.  We are very grateful and things are greening up nicely.

I have been absent for a while....doing the bird house.  It began as this, over 80 parts not counting the tiny 1/4 inch screws and nuts:


and after two days and I don't know how many hours, ended as this:


This was not the most fun I have had in my life.   To top it all off, I had ordered the wrong post.  I should have the correct one here in a few days and then we can get it installed.  It turned out to be much larger than I thought it would be.  It does seem very sturdy.  I sure hope the martins like it!

Note:  It looks a little cockeyed because the floors don't attach and are just stacked here.

The redbuds are in bloom and the large one is alive after all.  Here is a seedling I moved to the front yard about three years ago.

I knew we were going in to my MIL's for a barbecue rib dinner (Hog Wild Ribs) so I made myself get out early this morning and I am happy to report I planted:

The carrots at last, Danver's Half longs, Sugar Snax and a freebie from Baker  Creek whose name escapes me at the moment.

Then I finished the row with 30 feet of potatoes from my last year's saved tiny potatoes that were all sprouted.  It was a mix of white and Yukon Golds.  I have a peck of leftover seedling and then there are the red ones  I bought this year....I am thinking plow a potato plot in the new garden/orchard area.  This might be the year to raise all the potatoes we can.  Once up and mulched, they don't require much care.

I planted a 8 inch pot of lettuce yesterday and also broadcast some dill around a couple of roses.  I did grandma's trick of placing rose branches over the bare dirt.  When one has 9-12 cats, something must be done!

I was delighted to see the beginnings of the spinach popping up, also the sugar snap peas are up.

I was on a roll  but had to quit to get ready for town.

I want to plant  some lettuce direct....maybe even risk cilantro and more dill.

Eggs

We gave 2 dozen to our mailman today.  We have had him since we  moved  out here in 1976.  He was bringing the bird house to the door.....the pole came yesterday so all that is left is the base thing that attached to the house to receive the pole.   I will begin the assembly process tomorrow.

Then as we headed to town, we stopped at another neighbors and gave them two dozen.....took one more dozen to MIL.

We still have the fridge almost full but our daughter is coming in next weekend and we will give them as many as they can handle.

An old buff hen is setting.....I am not going that route again. The eggs aren't fertile.  I don't have enough rooster power and he is getting pretty old.............

I may trade some eggs with a new neighbor who has chickens.  Theirs run free which sounds  really good until you realize they have lost about half the flock now!  They may even need eggs!

No pictures....just want to post to keep the journal current for me.

Daily Doings

4:30AM 61°,  We are still having very warm weather, about 20° higher than normal.  Finally a weatherman warned us not to plant tender things too early unless we want to replant.......contrary to local nurserymen who are telling us to plant before things get too hot.......

I haven't done anything unusual the last couple of days....just normal daily things.  I did milk again yesterday morning and used oxytocin again to get letdown.  I didn't bottle the milk immediately so I will skim the cream off this morning and see what I have.

Chickens are still giving us over a dozen a day now.  We are gifting eggs to everyone we can think of.

I still haven't planted carrots but I do have  the row laid off and ready to seed this morning. I think I will also water the spinach row.  All rains are skipping us.......nothing new.

We may finally have the neighbor's cows under control.  Yesterday after driving the herd back (took three people, a truck and an ATV) they put up the corral panel/gate and by evening no one had returned.  We will still check daily.  The man caring for them doesn't know diddly about cattle and thinks if he feeds a bale of hay they won't visit us.....the hay is fit only for mulch.  The cows aren't stupid!

I am seeing a few honey bees now but not as many as last year.  The neighbor who keeps 4 hives called about hay yesterday evening and after we finished that discussion, I asked him about his bees.  It seems he lost three hives last summer....he thinks due to the heat but I don't know about that assumption. He has a vigorous hive left and says he is restocking.  I hope so because we are enjoying their work here.
I wish I had the nerve to keep bees....

The blooms have dropped from the apricot tree.  I sure hope some were pollinated.  Only time will tell.
The two peaches in the garden are fully opened and so is the Kieffer pear.  The little plum tree still has blooms but some are dropping.  I trhink I will have blooms for the first time on one of the Seckel pears.
I am still keeping my fingers crossed on this fruit thing.

This is the split peach tree; I am glad I didn't cut it to the ground when it split.  I have noticed the various peaches blooms are a different shade of pink.



At last the white tulips opened with the hyacinths in the whiskey barrel.  The back row of the  hyacinths was so delayed by the hay flake that they are going to be stunted.  The smell they are giving off is stunning and I go past them every time I go outside and come back in.

A gorgeous productive day!

Up at 4 AM, 61°!

Yesterday was 80° a near record for us.  It was really too hot to be working out in the sun for me.

I milked and finally had to resort to oxytocin   to get her to let her milk down!  Just to get even with her, I did not let the babies in with her when I finished.  I will win this battle.

After milking, I finally was able to hook up the power sprayer and spray dormant oil but only on the trees that haven't broken dormancy yet, the apples and three of the pear trees, Moonglow and two Seckels.

In the afternoon, I mowed the new garden/orchard area.  The henbit and chickweed were so rubbery and thick that I almost killed the mower a few times.  The orchard looked very pretty with the blooming trees.


Two families of bluebirds are back nesting again this year.  They are such beautiful birds and they work together to get the nests ready, the male and female are true partners.

I finally saw a bee yesterday; I was getting worried.

I didn't get the carrots planted yet and hope to do that this morning.

I did get the tub of hyacinths moved down to the patio area.  We loaded it on a pallet slipped over the spikes on the front end loader to bring it down.  It is almost fully recovered from the late mulch.  The hyacinths are huge and smell glorious.  The white tulips are budded.  I do hope I have the blue and white in bloom at the same time. There is a ring all around the tub of the hyacinths but the hay mulch delayed the back side...not a good move on my part.

 

I can smell them almost when I step out the back door now; before they were up by the garage door.

I gave up after a little over an hour and came inside.  It took most of my energy just pulling three steel posts out of the garden and chasing down everything I needed.  I can't decide where to put the carrots.

I did take a stroll around and check everything out.  So far I am seeing very few poppies......and no larkspurs.  I can't seem to get larkspurs to stay with me for long.

A Lost Day

Up at 4:15, 49°.

Yesterday wasn't really a lost day, just a lost gardening day.  I wanted to look  for a Martin house since our el cheapo plastic one finally bit the dust during an Ozark gale last year.  We both decided to buy a better quality house this year.  It was DH's day to exercise so to be frugal with gas, I decided I would go in with him and we could look for the birdhouse and pick up dog and cat food.  I wanted him to help me pick out the birdhouse.  We looked at two places before I decided (as I usually do) that I would just order one online.  Amazon hasn't failed me yet.   BTW, the cost locally was very close to $200 for the house and the pole; I found the same brand on Amazon, a package deal and with my $25 discount points accumulated for $118.  I do dread putting it  together though!  I got the Heath 18-room metal house, a 15 foot pole and  the bracket for the pole.  This is the month the birds arrive here.  I do hope I am not too late getting  it up.  I love gardening with the  Martins visiting overhead .  They are very friendly and I can work right underneath them and they don't fly away


We got oil  for the tiller and I need to change it before I use it again.  We also need to change the oil in the riding mower.

I took my Kindle and enjoyed a nice 45-minute read while waiting for DH to exercise.

A is still fixing fence but the blasted  cows are still jumping over.  One breaks the top  wire and the rest follow her over.  Today they will try to put some corral panels (not cattle panels) in a few places to see if that stops  that one cow....she need to be permanently fixed IMO! If the neighbor would put some hay out that would help.....

The rhubarb is growing....I need to find it a permanent home.


and another clump of daffs,

The Fruit trees are Blooming

Up at 3:15 AM, 51° and supposed to be unseasonably warm all week.  The rains fizzled out here; we may have received 3/4 inch total.  Fickle weathermen!

I have begun, slowly. to clean up flower beds.  More and more daffs are blooming.  I finally remembered to uncover my whiskey barrel where I had planted hyacinths and tulips last fall.  I waited so late they were bleached badly but trying to bloom.  I had layered a flake of hay over it to keep the numerous cats from using it as a litter box!  I hope to get their full green color back.

I think this is Ice Follies,
 

The chickens have been laying really well.  I am trying to pull lots of henbit and chickweed daily and give them.  There isn't a blade of grass in either of their yards.

Our helper, A, has worked  several afternoons this past week trying to keep the neighbor's cows out, but they are still getting on us so they are going to use some corral panels we have and see if that works.  If they weren't on starvation, I am sure they wouldn't be so interested in our grass.  We have to get it stopped some way!


The Orchard

I have been pruning the trees and watching with a great deal of worry the buds  on them.  The apples are still safe and most of the pear trees, but some of the peaches are fully opened. They can just tolerate a few hours of 27-29° before the fruit will be killed and that most likely will happen.  There is nothing to be done.

Of course, the two apricot trees are blooming,

The Kieffer pear is showing color on the buds too,

The plum in the west end of the garden is in fully bloom, it could stand to loose a few blooms,

The plums in the new orchard have a smattering of blooms. This is the Queen Rose,
,
This is the Madison Peach which is supposed to be a very cold hardy one.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  At least it isn't opened yet, but this week of 80° will probably change that.

I think this is the Red Gold nectarine tree,


The cows got into the orchard and drug the electric fence all over it.  They didn't damage the trees but they chewed off most of the labels on the trees so I am guessing on some.  I should have done a map of the trees, but didn't.  Very careless of me!

This is the Gloria Peach.  It is a later variety and no buds are showing color yet.


I think this is the new Harlayne apricot tree, no tag......That's the Queen Rose plum in the background.



Thankfully, the apple trees are all in this stage so they should be good,



and this is the sorry little  Liberty apple which was a replacement when the wind broke off the other one at the graft.  I think I will be sorry I bought this one.  It seems to be a weak tree but it did survive the winter and has a few buds on it.  Note, the cows also ate the ties and I grabbed a piece of electric wire so the winds  wouldn't break this one off.  I have some nylon stockings to use for replacement ties.
 


Cows

I tried to get a picture of Jewel (Jersey) but she is so nosy and friendly I ended up with her face.  That is Willow's baby in the background.   She isn't nearly as friendly (like her Momma).

I tossed  some henbit on the ground in order to get this one (she didn't care for it!)
She is getting taller than I expected.



Breakfast is calling.........

It's Raining!

Not heavy mind you, but it is rain wonderful rain! and it is a cold rain.  Poor DH has to go out in this but I don't this morning.  Thank you very much.  I did build a nice fire in the living room stove so he can get warm very quickly when he comes in.

I am making bread this morning, some 7-grain and maybe more white bread.

I see more daffodils have opened.  I have several more clumps scattered around now and one tiny little white crocus. 

Yesterday was doctor day for DH, his annual cardiologist checkup, and all was good.  We stopped by his Mom's  so that delayed us getting home.

She wanted to know if I wanted my birthday present early (September!)  DH said she wanted him to bring  it to me the last time he visited and he said if he did I would have to wait to open it. I told them if I had to wait, she could keep it at her house......I ended up opening there it on the condition she wouldn't buy me another present in September!  Here is what I got.....to go with the 13 inch skillet she gave me because it was too big for her.  Now the question is:  Where do I put them.   I am starting to think a pot rack somewhere...

From Blog March 2012

Anyway, we were late getting home and I had to fix lunch.  We had a mystery lunch because I laid out two containers (unlabeled) of cooked food before we left.  It turned out to be white beans and chicken and noodles.  I heated all plus some left over creamed peas and we had a very tasty lunch with a toasted hot dog bun (I told you I was out of bread!), half each.  Made me glad we hadn't grabbed a chicken sandwich at McDonald's on the way home.  The point of this story is I was tired but I knew I had soaked the pea seeds that should go in the ground  and I wanted the rains to help germination of spinach so I made myself go out around 3 pm.

I planted the cattle panel on both sides with the Sugar Snap and Oregon sugar pod peas so this gives me a 30 foot row (15 foot panel) of peas.  I just pulled the mulch back and dug a small trench with the hoe and planted.  Then I planted the rest of the garlic row east, maybe 15 feet, with Bloomsdale spinach.  The whole thing just took an hour. 

I am being rewarded with the rain. 

16 eggs  yesterday. I am getting some strange colors on the dark brown ones.


The bread is doing an autolyse so I better get back to it.
I started another fresh quart of buttermilk yesterday and bottled it up in a clean jar this morning.

Another Catch up Journal Posting

Today has been a warm sunshiny day but the winds have been extreme.

I have been missing in action for a few days.  My sis and BIL from Iowa came down Friday and stayed until Monday morning so I let things on the Blog/Diary/Journal slide a bit.

We had a great time as always and didn't do a thing but visit.  I made her favorite dessert and his too I find, coconut cream pie.




I also baked an angel food cake...that's gone too!
We always eat too much when we get together.  I made nothing fancy, a meatloaf dinner, pizza and country breakfasts.  I think I had sloppy joes for lunch once too.

Today:

8:30 AM, milked Willow and processed the milk

9:30, gave the bull who is much improved another dose of antibiotic and treated him for lice.  I can see this is going to be a problem until the sun shines a lot.

10:00 Tilled the entire west end of the garden (20x45 feet).  This is another thing off the To Do List!



It is supposed to rain Thursday.  I hope to get spinach and lettuce planted before.  I am putting my snap peas in to soak this evening and will plant  some on the mini hoop frame.

I see I lost all herbs that I planted last summer very late, except for the French Culinary Thyme and it looks wonderful.

I actually mowed part of the yard Friday which  I think set a new record early. 



This shows my newly trimmed front shrub border.  I just realized I now have a lot of open space available for fall bulbs...... if I will just actually get them in the ground!



This area should be particularly good unless the large tree roots are a problem.



Still no signs of life  in the dogwood or the redbud.

Chickens laid 17 eggs yesterday....

Hodgson Mill White Bread

As requested:


Old-Fashioned White Bread

(from flour sack of Hogsdon Mill bread flour)

2 pkg. yeast
1/2 cup warm (115°) water
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt (I add more salt)
8 cups unbleached or bread flour
Solid shortening to coat (3) 9x5x3 loaf pans.


Add yeast to 1/2 cup warm water and let stand 10 minutes.  Combine butter, 2 cups warm water, egg, sugar and salt.  Beat  well.  To this add yeast mixture and 2 cups of the flour.  Mix well by hand or with mixer and dough hook for one minute.  Add remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Knead until it becomes smooth and satiny, 10 minutes by hand or 4 minutes with mixer or food processor.

Place dough in the greased bowl, turning to coat completely.  cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours.

Knead dough down and let rise again until doubled about 1 hour.

Turn onto lightly floured board.  Divide into (3) equal pieces and let rest for 10 minutes.

Shape dough into loaves and place into the greased loaf pans, seam side down.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until dough rises just above tops of pans, about 1 hour.

Preheat over during last rise to 375°.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown.
Remove from pans immediately and let cool on racks.  Yield (3) loaves.

This takes some time due to the three risings, but IMO is the best white bread recipe I have ever tried. 

Note:  I always use bread flour and SAF yeast.  All else is per recipe.

Windy Day - Bread - To do List

Well, the storms missed us this time.  I slept through the entire thing but DH stayed up until the storms passed us.  Buffalo, Mo is pretty close to us north and east.  I dread the storm season.

Good news:  We got the machinery up and running (mower and tiller) and I pruned the fruit trees.  There may be hope for accomplishing that list  yet.  To be honest my helpmeet did the machinery thing.

Bad news:  The plums and peaches have tons of buds not showing color yet but getting very close and that can't be a good thing.

I see little green shoots on the late-planted garlic...about 2 inches tall.

I held off on the dormant oil spray because of the predicted rains but will need to get it done soon.

Chickens are doing well.  We got 16 one day (20 hens) and about 6 getting pretty old.  I am still giving them henbit and kitchen scraps.  I never feed potato peels...but I see others do without problems.  I just add mine  to the compost pile.

I have been  indisposed for two days now...I hope it is gone  by tomorrow.  We have company coming and I need to  do some baking which was planned for today.....best laid plans and all that..........

I did make bread a few days ago and it turned out great but I am still having problems with the loaf bursting on one side.  I roll it up jelly-roll fashion, seal bottom and ends and place  the seam down side in the pan and yet....  It doesn't hurt the texture or the taste.  I cheated this time and made white bread.  My BIL likes it better than whole wheat. That's  our company, Sis and BIL. This bread had an extra rising before forming.


and this is the bad side:


At least it rose nicely and the texture is super.