Castello Soffice

02/09/2025

Getting a new sourdough starter going. Day 4 and it's showing signs of life!

I use dark rye flour to begin any new sourdough starter, it seems to have the best results for a quick start. After the first week of feeding dark rye and water, I switch over to all purpose or bread flour to keep it going.

If you make a starter with dark rye flour, you need to increase the water that you use. This is a VERY thirsty flour. For ever 25 grams of flour, I have to use 75 grams of water.

02/09/2025

Getting back into the swing of things for this year. Our onion and chive seeds are popped and sprouting well. We have a few varieties going, this will be the first year we have tried doing bulb onions from seed.

01/27/2025

Time to get some seeds going for spring. Starting off with onion seeds today!

08/11/2024

Due to family related matters, I will likely be away from this page a while.

08/08/2024

Good morning, happy Thursday! The 1st San Marzano tomates from our garden!

08/08/2024

Bonjour, joyeux jeudi! Les 1éres San Marzano tomates de notre jardin!

08/08/2024

Je suis tellement fatigué ce soir. POURQUOI? J'ai besoin plus de café, ou quelque chose comme ça.

08/07/2024

A good Wednesday morning to all

Hope everything goes smoothly and to plan for everyone today!

08/07/2024

I need to get back down there for a day.

An inglenook tucked under a grand staircase in the 1890 House Museum in Cortland NY

08/06/2024

Sneak Peak!

Happy Monday everyone!

This gorgeous charcuterie board/serving platter will be landing in my Etsy shop this week! It’s so pretty! The food grade resin is blue, green and has some secret highlight colors that really accentuate the beauty. If this tickles your fancy, send me a message so I can hold this for you. It’s a stunning, one of a kind piece that you’d display as art, when not in use 💙

I’ve got a number of cool pieces dropping this week! Stay tuned!

Even bigger news. We’re getting Kathy Smiley Art into an eye specialist this week to book her first surgery’s. Progress!

Have a great day!

08/06/2024

Processed some of the arugula seeds last night. 10.1 grams of fresh heirloom seed for next year. We still have a bunch that is drying to process later on.

I just wish the heirloom lettuces had gone to seed before they fell victim to the Great Slug Invasion of 2024.

08/06/2024

Some people seem to think I am exaggerating when I say simply digging on our property is almost impossible. This is a portion of the rock pulled up to put in 700 sq ft of garden space in the back yard. There is still a whole other pile, and a bunch that were in the truck during some dump runs. There is still a ton or rock all over the property that will just be left alone.

On the plus side, it gives me enough material to make a decent stone foundation for a small smokehouse!

08/06/2024

Good morning from Carl in the Crack and myself 😂 time to pick tomatoes again

08/04/2024

Prepping to shred the entirety of the front lawn with the tiller in the next week or so so get it leveled and smoothed out. It'll be one crazy task, dealing with years of things being piled and pushed around in weird places. In one area, our yard is 5" higher than the neighbor's on the other side of the same fence!

08/03/2024

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit

Good morning and Happy first day of August, the hottest month of the year.🤣 Anyone have any goals for set for August? Here, we are just going to stay cool.

Hope y'all have a great day!

08/03/2024

Does anyone have advice on how to see more of the pages I follow, and less of these pages of completely unrelated nonsense?

I'd rather see what the people I follow have to say, than see a page full of memes that are not even funny.