The last Happy Monk bake day, September 20, was two days after the Harvest Moon, the last full moon before the Autumn equinox. I missed it! I was oblivious! Instead, shaping loaves, mixing the next day’s sourdough, cleaning out the dough bins.
But when I looked up at the moon at 4 a.m. that morning, it sure looked like something special. A holy host of clouds standing out in the darkness, illuminated from behind by the remnants of a Harvest Moon.
Remnants of a Harvest Moon
The official start of Fall wasn’t for another couple of days, September 22. What did this celestial spectacle portend?
Could it have something to do with apples … the season of apples?
“It’s going to be a good year for apples on Pender,” someone told me a few weeks earlier. Andy Nowak of Black Rabbit Farms said he expected a bumper crop in his orchard. Another neighbour down the road was giddy about the haul his trees had already given up. And there was more on the way!
Lulled by moon-glow
It’s the time of apples on Pender, those globes of the sweetest, tangiest, juiciest fruit, exquisite in shape, hue, and colour. All summer, the apples have clung on leafy branches, warmed by the sun, nourished by the rain. They’ve been buffeted by winds, lulled by moon-glow, companioned with nests of robins or ruby-throated hummingbirds.
Now, they appear in full glory, the thump of fruit on grassy loam, their flesh bursting with sweet juices. In May, we could only dream of such bounty!
Orbs of gold
These swelling orbs of gold, red, green, orange, and yellow—dapple and streak, russet and glow—are the crowning notes of celebration for apple summer, this long season of softening, mellowing, and flavouring. The bite of a crisp Liberty or Golden Russet and the sweet dribble of juice on the lip are the crowning notes of celebration for apple summer.
The bounty is so great; there is no transaction but to pick one up and bite.
And we’ve only watched and done so little to encourage them. This miracle of apples is one dream that comes true.
A bread-fail last week produced great-tasting Sesame-Miso Frisbees or Umami Chapeaus! What to do with the remnants? Hard-bread, rusks, croutons, or what have you. And the Ravens get their fair share, too … O come to me Huginn and Munnin! Fill your beaks and carry my greetings and blessings to Odin! [ See link in my LinkTree in HappyMonk Profile ]
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#showusyourfuckedloaves, #sesamemiso, #sesamemiso, #sesamemisobread, #hardtack, #hardbread, #croutons, #huginnandmunnin, #odin, #penderisland, #southpenderisland, #happymonkbaking, #southerngulfislands|
Jul 21
![A bread-fail last week produced great-tasting Sesame-Miso Frisbees or Umami Chapeaus! What to do with the remnants? Hard-bread, rusks, croutons, or what have you. And the Ravens get their fair share, too … O come to me Huginn and Munnin! Fill your beaks and carry my greetings and blessings to Odin! [ See link in my LinkTree in HappyMonk Profile ]
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#showusyourfuckedloaves, #sesamemiso, #sesamemiso, #sesamemisobread, #hardtack, #hardbread, #croutons, #huginnandmunnin, #odin, #penderisland, #southpenderisland, #happymonkbaking, #southerngulfislands|](https://i0.wp.com/happymonkbaking.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png?w=980&ssl=1)
Resurrected a couple of Salish Sourdough loaves forgotten inside Mildrith, the wood-fired oven. They emerged charred and hell-fired, sadly, so I took a knife to them and made them almost new again!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #coboven #Mildrith #Mildriththeoven #woodfiredovenbread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderislands #happymonkbaking #burntbread #showusyourfuckedloaves
Jun 9
Just rockin’ the Olive Sourdough at 4:30 a.m. in the morning. Into Mildrith’s fire they go!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bakerslife #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #breadmaking #breadmaking🍞 #sourdough #sourdoughbread #coboven #earthoven #earthenoven #olives #olivebread #olivesourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany #southerngulfislands #southerngulfislandsbakers #southerngulfislandsbakeries #penderisland
Nov 13
I LIKE TO WORK FAST!
Apr 11
