Hey, thanks for asking about the garden project. The tomatoes are actually doing way better than I expected this year. I started them from seed back in March and was worried they wouldn't make it after that late frost we had. But they really took off once the weather settled. I've got about six plants going — three Roma and four cherry varieties. The cherry ones are already producing little green clusters and I'm checking them every single day. My neighbor said I should have staked them earlier and honestly she was right because two of them are leaning pretty hard after that rain last week. I went out and got some bamboo stakes and twine and spent a full Saturday tying everything up. It was oddly satisfying. The basil I planted alongside them is also doing great which is perfect because I want to make a big batch of pesto once everything comes in. I also tried growing cucumbers from seed for the first time and so far so good but I'm trying not to get too confident. Last year I killed every single zucchini plant I touched so I'm taking it slow this season. Anyway that's the update. Let me know if you want some tomatoes when they start coming in.

I finally tried making sourdough from scratch after watching about a million videos and honestly it was not as hard as I thought it would be. The starter took about ten days to get really bubbly and active and I fed it every morning before coffee. The first loaf came out a little flat but the crust was amazing and the flavor was actually really good. My friend told me I should use a Dutch oven and that made a huge difference on the second try. The oven spring was way better and the scoring actually opened up nicely. I used a mix of bread flour and whole wheat and added a little honey which gave it a really nice subtle sweetness. I've been giving loaves to my neighbors and they keep asking when I'm going to start selling them. I don't think I'm there yet but it's fun to share. The whole process is really therapeutic honestly. Mixing the dough by hand and waiting for it to come together feels like a tiny ritual. I'm already planning to try a rosemary and sea salt version next weekend.