Blossoms, Baking and Everyday Magic

Ok, so… yeah, I know I disappeared for a few months. But let’s be real — it was summer, and that is when I am the most sparkly. I was a little hard on myself at first for not writing, but then I reminded myself: I can do this however I want to! So I stopped being so hard on myself and just let the words tumble out when they wanted to (many things were written. Nothing finished. Classic me, right?)

Well, let me give you an update. This will be a quackish one, and hopefully, I’ll add more posts later with extra stories, little experiments, and all the tiny details I love to collect. Haha, I don’t really know where to start, but here we go…

June started with a sunshine song and ended sourdough season for me. I had poured weeks, even months into learning every nuance of making a starter. I was so confident in the flavor and consistency of my three starters. And then… the hot mornings hit. I can’t use my big oven in the summer — it heats up the house like crazy, and my house doesn’t cool off well. It was sad to pack them away in the fridge, forget to feed them, and have to scrap them all. But that’s just how summer goes!

The heat nudged me toward smaller baking projects — ones that could fit in my countertop oven. I wanted to make a cake like my wedding cake, a Viennese Spiced Carrot Cake, and after some research and planning (as always), I baked some seriously delicious carrot cakes. People even asked me if they could buy them!

Then July rolled in, and my sweet tooth turned toward cheesecake. I’ve made a few different flavors already, and I can’t wait to try all of my ideas. If you have yummy suggestions, send them my way!

My garden has been a constant delight. I’ve learned to live with the squirrels — offering them a handful of tomatoes or other treats each day as a little “LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE!” offering. They’re cute little thieves. It doesn’t always work, but it helps.

I planted pumpkins — well, I put them in hydroponics actually. I started writing about that, but didn’t finish, so maybe I’ll get to it someday. Verdict is still out on that project! And ooooo, I started some lettuce seeds inside. My little lettuces are so cute; I can’t stop checking on them.

August brought an absolute tomato explosion. My single Sun Sugar plant gave us pounds and pounds of sweet orange cherry tomatoes, enough to share with family and friends. The plant is massive now — over 10 feet high and wide! It’s in a 7-foot-tall, 10-foot-long tent, spilling out through every hole and twisting through the tattered top. Even now, as September moves in, it’s still loaded with fruit and flowers. Remember what I said about Soil First? It’s true, my friends!

Now that we’re creeping into mid-September, the air is cooling from this long hot spring and summer, which means it’s finally cool enough to bring sourdough back into the mix! I started a new starter a few weeks ago, and I am so excited to begin baking again this weekend.

So that’s a super quick overview of some of the things that have happened in my wild and free life this summer. I can’t wait to tell you more in future posts, but for today… this is a start.

Until next time,

Keep your hands messy and your heart open.

Mandy

P.S. Want to peek behind the garden gate, into my kitchen, and catch the little sparkly moments as they happen? Follow me on social media at Mandy Wild and Free — updates often land there first!