Rose Cottage

 One of my favorite ways to use my gluten free Sourdough starter is in pancakes / leaf fritters. Another is sourdough raisin rolls! Tasahara Bread Book  is a great source of both tips for beginning your own starter, and lovely bread recipes. These raisin rolls are one of those. I've found that shaping them, & letting them rise  overnight (in the original recipe)  makes for very flat, hard rolls, so I shape them in the morning, let rise ~ 20 min & then bake! They are still a bit flat, but not hard!! Basic Gluten Free Starter :  Combine in glass or ceramic container, cover & let ferment a few days on a counter : 1 C warm water 1-2 tsp sugar 1 C flour (I use sorgham and brown rice) 1 Tbsp dry yeast "You can also begin with some sour food, 2 or 3 day old 'rice, cereal, coconut (!) fruit, veggie or milk & mix with 1/2-1 C flour & sufficient water to make dough spongy. Cover & let sit 3 - 4 days, un-refrigerated" (Tasahara Bread book P. 73) I ...

 Several years ago, my friend Nikki invited me over for a  tea party , both teaching me how to process the leaves, and sharing cups of her beautiful tea and simple snacks.  After tea, went out to pick another flush from her 9 shrubs, and she sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves, which I augmented with leaves from my own tea camellia, making a batch at home the following day.  Camellia sinensis Sochi Nikki and I both grow the variety from Sochi Russia, which is on the Black Sea, and the "most Northern tea," which is very aromatic and frost Hardy. Sochi is especially suited to  our PNW zone 8b gardens.   While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower!) Sochi's leaves are about the size of those on our common ornamental Camellias.  The flowers can also be used for a light and fragrant tea, which i first tasted at the Dao of Tea in Portland.  Tea camellia in center of the Tea Garden High in antioxidants, especially catec...