Oh hey, I finally started that little garden patch in the backyard I kept talking about. Honestly, digging up the sod was way more work than I expected, but once I got the soil turned and added some compost, it started to look like a real garden bed. I planted tomatoes, basil, and a few bell pepper starters. I also tried some zucchini seeds directly in the ground, hoping they actually take off. It's already so rewarding seeing the first little sprouts come up through the dirt. I find myself checking on them every morning with a cup of coffee, just seeing if anything changed overnight. My neighbor gave me a tip about using crushed eggshells around the base to keep slugs away, so I've been saving them up. I'm already planning what to add next season, maybe some cucumbers or even a small pumpkin patch just for fun. It's become a really nice little routine.

So I finally tried making sourdough from scratch this weekend. Let me tell you, it was a bit of a disaster at first because I don't think my starter was quite active enough. It barely rose during the bulk fermentation and I was convinced I had wasted a whole bag of flour. But I decided to just shape it anyway and throw it in the dutch oven to see what would happen. Surprisingly, it actually turned out okay once it was baked. The crust was thick and chewy and the inside had a pretty good crumb structure, even if it wasn't as airy as the ones you see on social media. I toasted a slice this morning with butter and a little sea salt and honestly, it was delicious. Now I'm feeding my starter every day to try and get it stronger for the next batch. I've been watching a bunch of tutorials and reading different methods, and I think I just need to be more patient with the timing.