Happy House Archives - Living With The Moon

Recession-proof living

by Jutta Russell | Nov 28, 2022 | Biodynamic way of life, Cooking and baking, Home-made biodynamic food, Preserving food

“Happiness is like jam – you can’t spread even a little without getting some on yourself”

Since the 2nd World War, the world on the whole has been on an upward trend. Bigger, better, faster – certainly the last few decades – was the motto. But now the momentum is slowly turning to go slow, community and nature. It has been coming for a while, but the Covid epidemic accelerated this process.

There is so much fear attached to the word ‘recession’. If you are not 100% sure what the term means – it is the economy shrinking for the last 2 consecutive quarters. The economy follows like nature cycle behavior. The economic winter (recession) is therefore an inevitable season and the preparation for new shoots to come.

Instead of fretting, let’s look a the good points a recession can bring:

We are forced to stop and think about what we really need and get rid of all that is surplus anyway.
We get more efficient with natural resources – food, energy to name a few.
Material possession gets less important and intangible qualities such as love, friendship, happiness, and nature come to the front. You can enjoy it a lot – even with very little money.
Goods actually get cheaper and if you have looked after your pennies and have some savings, now is the time to make big purchases. But go for quality rather than quantity.
It forces you to invite change into your life – a change of job, scenery, change of mind, and heart.

Economically speaking we are about to enter the phase of winter. The time to save, reflect and reorganize.

The ‘Biodynamic lifestyle’ is actually very compatible with this life phase.

It pushes you to be conscious of the environment and its natural rhythms
it urges you to produce less waste and recycle whenever possible
It is a very economically efficient way of life where you rely more on what you can produce instead of what you can consume.

Now that times are getting tougher and the environment is close to breaking point, this way of life makes real sense. So why are we not all living like this?

Producing takes skill and time. Once you take the time to learn the skill again, you will get faster and better and you will just love making your own homemade products. There is nothing nicer than bringing your homemade jam or chutney to friends. It is a thoughtful and useful present. As food prices rise you want to use up any bought food. Here are a few recipes for you to try

Winter Chutney:

Ingredients: 300g carrots, 400g apples, 300g onions, 200g tomatoes, 2 red peppers, 400g red wine vinegar or apple vinegar, 2 tbsp (tablespoon) sultanas, 1 tsp (teaspoon) salt, 1 tsp pepper, ½ tsp of cinnamon powder, a pinch of cayenne pepper, 500g jam sugar.

1) Wash fruit and vegetables, chop, peel, deseed and dice them into small pieces and put all ingredients into a large, very clean pan. Bring to boil and cook gently for about 1 hour, stirring regularly. When vegetables have the desired consistency, pour the hot mixture into clean glass jars and seal immediately with cling film. Leave to cool. The chutneys last for a couple of months unopened.

Strawberry Jam:

Ingredients: 1kg strawberries, 1kg jam sugar, 1 small unwaxed lemon, a small pinch of pepper

Wash strawberries remove stalks and cut them into small pieces. Rinse lemon and grate the rind finely. Put the strawberries, grated rind, pepper, and sugar in a clean pot and boil for about 4-5 minutes. Pour straightaway into clean (wash out with boiling water) jars, cover with cling film and tightly close the lids. Makes around 8-9 jars, depending on size. The best time to do this is of course in June but you can use this recipe for similar fruit jams, for example, plum jam – but I would substitute the pepper with a pinch of cinnamon.

Home-made cleaning products:

Living in a biodynamic home and garden, you will be surrounded by more diversity than most other gardens that use pesticides. The upshot is that you will attract lots of wildlife into your garden. In our garden – in the middle of London- we have earthworms, butterflies, spiders, cats, bees, many bird species, squirrels and even foxes can be seen on a daily basis. But sometimes all these lovely creatures can become a bit much – especially when you have moths invading your clothes cupboards and eating your most loved garments. It can be a dilemma if you don’t want to use pesticides. So here is a recipe for my own super-effective and totally organic moth deterrent. And as a bonus it makes the carpet and furniture look great, too.

Here is my home-made recipe that protects your clothes from moth or other insect infestation:
Get a large empty spray bottle (the ones you would mist your flowers with) and fill it with a mixture of 2/4 washing-up liquid (I use a lavender-infused liquid soap – you can dilute it slightly with some water), 1/4 99% IPA (alcohol) and 1/4 of white vinegar. Shake it well and mist it on your furniture, carpets, and even clothes. I also use this mixture on garden plants that have infestations like aphids.

Here is an article about home-made cleaning products

Don’t throw food away before you do this:
Here is one of my favorite tips to rehydrate vegetables and salads that have gone a bit limp. Fill a bowl of cold water and add a small capful of white vinegar (in fact any vinegar will do, but go for a cheap one here as the results are the same). Chop your salad, and vegetables up and immerse them in the water. Leave them in the bowl for around 30 minutes and you will have crisp, ready-to-eat salads and vegetables on your plate.

These are just a few examples of the many ways you can save and help the environment. Initially, it does take a bit of effort and experimenting. But over time these recipes are quick to make and once you get used to the taste of homemade produce there is no going back!

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Stewardship of the land

by Jutta Russell | Apr 30, 2022 | Biodynamic way of life, Gardening With The Moon, The soil revolution

weeding This article explores the history of agriculture and how it turned into our recent way of farming that is so reliant on artificial fertilizers and pesticides. How can we use the stewardship of the land in a better way?

The history of artificial fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture

We all can make a big impact, positively as well as negatively. When it comes to cultivating the land, nature always took care of itself, and the rhythmic cycles – preparing the soil, planting, harvesting, and composting in preparation for a new growing cycle – took care of itself for thousands of years. The soil was rich and full of life. There were millions of tiny creatures involved in this delicate process. Fungi, earthworms, insects, and microbes all lived harmoniously in the soil. Microbes cultivated the crops and even colonized the guts of the humans and animals that ate these plants. It all worked in a harmonious, ever-repeating cycle.

Historians think that the earliest form of agriculture arrived with the domestication of wild animals such as horses, pigs, and cows and can be traced back to around 10,000 B.C.

During the Bronze Age (around 3,300 B.C.) more sophisticated ways of agriculture sprang up and modifications to harvest cycles and best planting practices – like Biodynamic planting dates – were established. All these were organic tools with the intent to enhance harvest production.

The arrival of the first fertilizers

The first introduction of artificial fertilizers was undertaken during the early part of the 19th century. John Bennet Lawes began the first scientific investigations about adding inorganic fertilizers (mainly phosphates) onto fields to increase crops with moderate success. But other than these early steps the organic way of farming and gardening remained largely unchanged until World War 1 (1914-1918).

The Haber-Bosch process

The first patents for synthetic ammonium nitrates and other chemical fertilizers emerged from Germany. In 1910 Carl Bosch, working at the time for the chemical giant BASF, started to secure a number of patents for the use of synthic chemicals to increase crop production. He teamed up with Fritz Haber and both won a Nobel prize in 1918 for their Haber-Bosch process. This method is still the main formula to produce artificial fertilizers. Basically, this process converts nitrogen(N2) to ammonia (NH3) by a reaction with hydrogen (H2).

In the years after World War 2, more patents were sought and the use of synthetic fertilizers increased rapidly. Countries like China, Russia, and even Vietnam used these products in great amounts and Russia remains to this day one of the leading producers of artificial fertilizers.

Pesticides

The real problem started when pesticides were used in tandem with artificial fertilizers. Again during World War 1, chemical warfare started to be introduced for the first time as a new weapon to kill soldiers in the trenches. Factories had to be remodeled to manufacture and supply these substances, mainly consisting of mustard gas and tear gas. But the war was short and once it was over, all these factories stood idle.

Pesticides such as arsenic, mercury, and sulfur dusting have already been used by the Sumerians in 2000 B.C. but in very small quantities and overall the soil health remained intact. However, after World War 1 and especially after World War 2, its use increased enormously. It is estimated that the worldwide use of pesticides today measures around 2.5 megatonnes per year and this has, of course, a huge impact on the health of our soil and as a consequence our health.

The main detriment is killing the useful bacteria, microbes, and all the millions of other insects and species that help with the composting and the soil preparation. By killing them all, the soil turns to dirt – void of all life, and artificial fertilizers have to be used in ever-increasing quantities to assure a successful crop. The more we destroy, the more we have to artificially feed the plants. It is a cycle of destruction and sadly many farmers are now stuck with this process. To build up a new soil structure takes time, a lot of time. And many farmers would not commercially survive this conversion. This brings me to the next point of stewardship of the land.

The Stewardship of the land

The fundamental way of human existence is to be connected to the natural cycle and the feeling of being at one with nature. We are not above it, far from it!

We are an integral part of the all-natural processes and share this planet with plants and animals in equal measures. We need to respect them and in turn, will be enriched by their contribution to the natural cycle. It should be a cycle of mutual benefit, not destruction.

The introduction of artificial fertilizers was not all evil. Initially, it was seen as a means to serve a growing population with increased food security and lower food production costs. But now we know that this has not happened and starvation still exists. Instead, farmers are held to ransom with increasing fertilizer price rises and worthless soils.

We better had listened to Rudolf Steiner’s warning exactly 100 years ago when he predicted all this and gave lectures to regain soil health and the linked food production and gut health. At the time this approach was ridiculed by many established scientists and the connection was only proven a few years ago.

As I mentioned above, we all can have an impact, positively and negatively. You may not be able to grow your own food, but at least you can source food from responsible food growers who work with the land and its natural rhythms. It may cost a tiny bit extra as this way of farming is slightly more labour intensive and it takes more time to keep the soil in a good state. But by doing this, these farmers make sure that the land keeps its fertile soil and is in a good state of health when it is eventually passed to the next generation and the next after them. We all share responsibility in this and we all share in the stewardship of our precious Earth.

Here is an article that explains more about gut health and weight control

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How to create a perfect lawn

by Jutta Russell | Aug 27, 2021 | Gardening With The Moon, Happy House

Most gardens, in the UK anyway, have lawns. Some are perfect and would make a wonderful backdrop to a British tea party, others are not much more than dirt patches with bits of grass in it. Below is a guide to help you create the first scenario and what to do when you end up with option two – the weedy, unsightly dirt patch.

Natural lawn care

Create a new lawn from scratch:

When you have to start right from the beginning, then the best time to establish a new lawn is in early spring and whenever you see a turf symbol on the ‘LWTM life-style calendar’. First, dig over the dirt patch and remove all unwanted weeds and stones. Then divide your grass seeds in half and first sprinkle them north to south and the east to west. This will make sure that you get an even coverage and no bald patches. Then rake the ground over with a big rake and sprinkle a fine layer of compost on.

All you need then is to watch for the grass to come up. If the weather is very dry, water the lawn seeds in – do this at least once a week. But if you do have some rainy days, then just keep off the grass and let nature do the work for you. In a few weeks, the first little grass stems will poke through. Try to keep off the grass as long as possible, until it is firmly established.

Once the grass has reached a reasonable height, choose a dry day (preferably when you sign the lawn-mower sign in the ‘LWTM life-style calendar’) to do your first cut. Set the blades of your lawnmower quite high, say 4cm (2 in) and finally lower them to the length you want – usually around 3 cm. ( 1 1/2 in).

Lawn care program in March/April and September/October :

Once your lawn is established it is important to keep it in good shape. The best months for this are March/April and September/October during the Waning Moon.

This procedure will take a bit of time, but will ensure that you have a great lawn.

Step One: mow the lawn as usual.
Step Two: Rake out all the moss, weeds and thatch. If you have a medium to large lawn it might be worth hiring a powered lawn raker.
Step Three: If your lawn is prone to water-logging it is well worth spiking the lawn. It needs to be done every other year. This procedure will ensure that your lawn does not get compacted and that rainwater is free draining. For a big lawn, you can hire machinery to do this, but if your lawn is not too big a good old-fashioned garden folk will do this job nicely. Start at one side at the edge and stab the folk into the grounds, making a row of small holes. Then remove the garden folk. Move about 15 cm (4inches) on and repeat the procedure. This is hard work and you may need to work in small areas a bit at a time.
Step Four: Edging This will require a lot of work the first time you do it. But if you repeat this process regularly, it will be rather quick and easy.
When you establish a lawn, it is a great idea to put stones around it, so it is easier in the future to edge the lawn. If you have no stone border, you can create an edge by using a garden spade or half-moon-shaped edging tool (this should normally be done in early spring). Perfect edges make a big difference and create a real wow factor.
Step Five: Feed the grass: In September it is important to feed the lawn with a nitrogen-low feed to make it grow less and get it toughened up for the hard winter months to come. Although I recommended anything natural, like nettle brew. This is one task when ‘over the shelf’ products are hard to replace with ‘home-made’ equivalents.
Step Six: Finally top-dress your lawn with a layer of compost. Fill a wheelbarrow full of compost and shovel earth onto your grass. It is important not to use too much, as you need to rake it into the grass. It might be better to use less and repeat it more regularly.

If you follow these steps consistently, you will keep a good-looking lawn for years to come.

Please click this link to find out more about LWTM and holistic lifestyle planning and download our freebies

The Soil Revolution – part 1

by Jutta Russell | Jun 30, 2021 | Biodynamic way of life, Composting and soil tonics, Gardening With The Moon, Moon Science

The status quo –
where are we now?

As far back as 2014, Reuters reported that a senior UN official said, “If we continue with our intense farming practices and destruction of wildlife at the current levels – we have realistically 60 years of sustainable farming left. “ (source Scientific American)

This is a sobering thought. But what has happened on the official front since 2014?

Where are the school campaigns that explain to children that to make 3cm of topsoil takes the earth roughly 1000 years, but we only have 60 left. Where are the billboards and media campaigns to the same effect? I am interested in this topic and apart from the occasional scientific paper, it does not seem to be ‘newsworthy.

But this ecological wave is coming nearer and nearer and nearer. And the evidence is all too clear. Since 2014 we had more floods, bushfires, and heatwaves and the destruction simply moves on. First the coral reefs, then the icebergs in Antarctica, the increase of desert and soil destruction, and the massive, massive loss of wildlife. The last one is properly the most talked about topic. And it is lovely to look after the bees, but only bees and no other wildlife would never ever work.

I know it is not the best place we currently find ourselves in, but this blog series is not meant to be just doom and gloom. The essence here is – what can we do about it? And then act fast!

Luckily there are a few men and women around who really grasped this concept early on and started doing something about it. Some of these methods are really ingenious and we will hear more about their various projects over the next few articles.

But let’s start first at the beginning

When Rudolf Steiner first taught his first Biodynamic soil lectures – now almost 100 years ago – this topic did not seem relevant and he was called a deluded dreamer for most of the 20^th century. But not anymore. Ever since scientists discovered microbes in the soil and even inside us, the concept of ‘the living soil’ has moved from random fiction to fact.

The first Biodynamic lectures were held just after the First World War and this is by no means a coincidence. Although this war was short (1914-1918), the world saw chemical warfare used for the first time in combat. The real war benefit was only established towards the end of this war, but with peace on the horizon all these chemical plants had no longer any use. So a plan was hatched that these chemicals could in diluted form be brought out on the fields to get rid of ‘soil and leaf’ pests. This meant the farmer did not have to adhere to long-standing traditional methods of crop rotation, weeding and composting. The ‘miracle cure was of course much easier to administer.

And initially the farmers were enthusiastic. Who would not like more yield and less work? But after a few years, the quality of the soil and produce deteriorated and some farmers asked Steiner for advice.

Additionally, the first year a little bit of fertiliser did the trick, but with every subsequent year more and more fertilizer had to be used to achieve the same result. This is costly but after a while, there is not much of an alternative. left. The farmers can’t just stop the farm for a couple of years in order to wait for the soil to revigorate. This is not a sustainable business model and the trap continues.

What had happened?

Let’s look first at how the soil works. Compost material (waste from the previous growing season) together with compost tonics and manure are put onto the fields and reinvigorate the soil. This usually happens in late autum (the end of the growing cycle) and in early spring (the beginning of the cycle). This enables the billions of microbes in the soil to turn the compost into a fertile, nutrient-rich soil, ready for the next growing cycle. This humus is full of fungi, earthworms and insects. It is the ‘internet of the soil’, distributing moisture and letting plants almost ‘communicate’ with each other and certainly cross-fertilize each other (that is the principle of companion planting).

But artificial fertilizers destroy all these natural soil improvers, turning fertile, alive soil (there are billions of these creatures in just a handful of earth) into dirt= dead soil.

Lifeless dirt is then artificially fed to produce the next year’s crop, but there is no regeneration. Once this chemical is washed away by the rain, it is gone and more product has to be put on to replace it. But more importantly, the food you eat is ‘also dead’ as no or very few microbes survive. Dead food lacks nutrients and most importantly microbes. We need the soil and its creature for our survival, too. IPS, bloating and more severe health crises can often be traced back to food that gives us fuel (and puts on calories) but does not actually ‘feed us’. And that is not even taking obesity and diabetes into account.

I have often talked about the macro-organism and the micro-organism and how they work together. If you are new to this concept it is as follows:

The Macro-organism is the universe, the planets, stars and micro-organisms are all living creatures. Beetles, birds, whales, lions, trees, flowers, and of course us humans. It is like a huge clockwork, every clog and wheel turns individually, but when in harmony they feed and enrich each other.

Going back to the clock example. Taking a small wheel out of the clock may be ok, but destroying half of the clockwork – what do you think would happen? Most children could answer this.

But this is exactly what we are doing with the planet. Currently, we are losing about 30 soccer fields EVERY MINUTE!

We read above that the earth is capable of making 3cm of good quality topsoil in about 1000 years – please make the Maths.

Additionally, the soil is responsible for catching carbon and hanging on to water. Dirt can’t do that and the results are floods and climate change.

So, we are where we are, and no more gloom! From now on this series will turn to seek real, positive solutions. We need to make this positive turning point for the sake of our children and grandchildren. The Soil Revolution has started and we are all hell-bent to reverse this damage done over the last 100 years. Come and join in and do your bit!

Access here the second installment of the Soil Revolution series

Please click this link to find out more about LWTM and holistic lifestyle planning and download our freebies

Natural home clearing

by Jutta Russell | Oct 31, 2020 | Happy House, natural home clearing

THIS SYMBOL REPRESENTS DECLUTTERING AND ENERGETIC HOME-CLEARING AND DUSTING

In the late 1990ies, I had a very interesting home visit. My then downstairs neighbor told me about this ‘wonderful interior designer’ who he met at a recent party. My husband and I were just about to gear up for a serious redecoration process. So I decided to have her round to get some input and ideas.

A few days later a bubbly young Italian woman showed up and I guided her around the house. I had been a makeup artist for a little while but was then experiencing a career-lull and felt a bit lackluster. What I needed was extra energy and a fresh start.

As we walked around the place she noted down a few comments and finally, we reached the top floor. There were 2 rooms. One facing towards the garden was used as a work/spare room and the room facing the street was our bedroom.

She was puzzled by this arrangement and thought the bedroom would be much better facing the back. But we had tried this before and both found that we could not sleep well in this room. And neither did any of our guests.

She turned to me and asked if she could ‘energetically clear this room’ and took out a sage smudge stick. At that time I had never seen one before and was by now getting quite curious. She lit it and then walked around with it, making sure the smoke went into all the corners, behind piled-up papers, in the cupboard, and any other hidden place. She then carried on throughout the whole place.

Once finished, she gave me precise instructions on how to declutter and thoroughly air and clean the place. Then she urged me to hang up colorful, happy pictures of friends and family and snapshots of ‘happy moments. When all that was completed and only then, I was to move the bed back into the garden-facing room, which of course I did.

That night and many after that I slept so well. No more twisting and turning. I could not believe the difference the whole procedure had made. Additionally, a friend called me the next day and told me about an interview for a new TV show. I went to it and got the job. In hindsight, that day really transformed my then-stagnant career and home life.

Of course, this all could have been completely coincidental, but whatever she had done – it just worked! She had explained to me the ‘concept of stagnant energy’.

According to her, dead energy gathers in crevices and around clutter and needs to be cleared away. It is like dust or debris which you would clear away, too.

My grandmother had always mentioned that energy does not get lost but just transforms. So it all somehow made sense. In any case, it had work for me whatever had caused it.

Since then I have kept to this principle. If I ever need a bit of ‘energy’, ‘oomph’, ‘mojo’ – or whatever else you call this elusive “get-up-and-go” quality, I cleanse my home – dirt, clutter, and energy! I call it now my 3 step clean and cleanse.

How to cleanse your home the biodynamic way?

Below I describe the 3 steps in detail. You can either do a big session where you do these in sequence and the whole house/workspace is done. This could be a spring/autumn clean. Or if you have a lot to declutter and clean you can separate this task into small chunks. But always try to keep to the 3 steps if you can, even if you just declutter a corner of a room.

Step 1 – declutter, sort, and dust/take off ornaments
Step 2 – deep clean and put ornaments back.
Step 3 – Energetic home cleanse (in my view the quick and fun part).

1) Declutter, sort, and dust: Choose the time of the Waning Moon, ideally an Air Day. Take 3 bags and declutter either a room, a storage area, or whatever else needs doing. If you are a hoarder (like me), make sure you stick to a small area or room, otherwise, it is just too overwhelming. There is always another moon cycle to do the next bit. If you look at the LWTM calendar – you will find these 3 step symbols occur very frequently, so there is always a good time to either declutter, clean, or add energy to your home or workspace.

Bag One is for rubbish, Bag Two is for charity (or giving to neighbors, friends, selling on e-bay, etc) and Bag Three is your treasure chest – this is the precious stuff to keep, ideally not too much. This gets wrapped up and stored away in a nice box with labels attached so it can be easily found and reused.

Once madness turned into tidiness, take a duster and get rid of all the dust and spiderwebs. I like big fuzzy dusters – they are very quick to use – and don’t forget to shake them out of the window, so you don’t move your dust from one area to the next. If you still have some energy, clean mirrors, and possibly hoover. But what is really important – give your home a good blast of fresh air once you have finished dusting. Even in winter, just make it shorter.

2) Deep clean: Declutter/Dusting is reserved for Air Days. These are always followed by Water Days – the ideal time to deep clean. If you have not managed to hover last time, do it today, followed by a wash/wet sponging. Wet and dry vacuum cleaners are ideal for sofas and carpets (you can hire professional ones for the yearly cleaning). Remove curtains, give them a shake outside, or have them professionally dry cleaned. Move furniture to really get as much dust/dirt away as you can. This is not a routine clean, this is a deep clean.

Routine cleaning needs to be done as and when – but for a deep clean try to harness the time of the Waning or New Moon.

Here are 2 articles about natural cleansers that you most likely all have in your larder.

Natural Cleaning Products
Cleaning with Vinegar

3) Energetic Cleanse: Now your home is dusted and cleaned. If you deep clean curtains and carpets please give them a few days until they have thoroughly dried. Then you are ready for step 3 – the energetic cleanse. The element fire is perfect for this task and comes up straight after Water Days – so just follow nature’s rhythm.

Get a sage smudge stick or similar and light it. Then walk around circling the smudge stick, making sure the smoke is going in all the hidden corners and crevices. Put some uplifting music on – this procedure is really fun. It cleanses out the stagnant air and lets new, vibrant energy in.

Have you ever heard the phrase – you can cut the air with a knife? This is exactly what stagnant energy feels like. If you pay attention, there will be some hidden corners where the smudge stick literally gets stuck, spend a little bit more time clearing those ‘energetic cobwebs’. Places where there is a lot of traffic, such as hallways, normally show up a little build-up of ‘stagnant energy. It is those ‘forgotten corners behind the pile of papers where the energetic cleanse has the biggest impact.

Finally, open all the windows and let the smoke ‘ breathe out. Once all the smoke has gone, light a scented candle or use a natural air freshener. I guarantee you – you will notice a big difference and your sleep and general mood should improve a lot.

Please click this link to find out more about LWTM and holistic lifestyle planning and download our freebies

Baking bread

by Jutta Russell | Sep 8, 2020 | Cooking and baking, Happy House

Today is a great day for extra baking and cooking. You can always freeze your meals in small portions to have them to hand on busy days ahead. This is a very efficient way to create home-made meals that saves time and energy.

Bake your own bread:

Making your own artisan bread, especially sourdoughs have become a past time for many people now working from home. I grew up with sourdoughs and for me, these home-made loaves are what I call ‘bread’. Below you can read how to make your very own sourdough starter.

I have a breadmaker for ease but don’t worry if you don’t have one or if you prefer to do yours in the oven. Below is a quick and easy recipe for all those who want to give it the first try. The recipe below is for a simple and tasty mixed loaf that can be done in any conventional oven. No breadmaker or sourdough needed.

How to bake an artisan loaf

You will need kitchen scales, the ingredients below, a ceramic dish with a lid (ideally round), a bowl and a mixing spoon.
Ingredients: 560g wheat flour, 190g rye flour, 550g hot water, 16g salt, some cumin seeds (1/2 a teaspoon should be enough), 3gram of active yeast. You could add some linseeds or other seeds if you like.

1) weigh all the ingredients and put them together into a big kitchen bowl. I use a big mixing spoon to blend them together. Then add some flour to your hands and knead the dough. (please use enough plain flour on your hands, otherwise, the dough will stick to you). After a few minutes of kneading, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and leave it to rest. I suggest a minimum of 3 hours. You could also prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise overnight. Then it will be ready for baking the next day.

Tip: To see if the dough is ready for baking. Pull some upwards. If it rips easily it needs to rise a little longer. A dough that is ready for baking should glide out and not rip straight away. Traditionally you let the dough rise up to 5 times. It sounds complicated, but you let it rise in the bowl and then just take a few minutes to knead it again and let it rise again. It makes sense to make a few bread loafs at the same time.

2) Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 250degree C (480F) and put the empty ovenproof dish with lid into the oven. Yes, that is right – empty to heat it up!

3) Take it out when it is very hot (be careful handling it!) and add some sprinkles of plain flour to cover the bottom of the pan. This is important as otherwise the bread will stick to the pan and it will be hard for it to come out.
Then add the dough. With the mixing spoon create a line in the top of the dough – that is where the crust can rise and sprinkle some plain flour on the top. Put the lid on and bake the bread (middle shelf) for about 35 minutes.
My Tip: Pour water into an oven dish and put it on the bottom shelf, so the bread bakes it in moist air.

Sourdough starter:

This is an old recipe from my grandmother. In Austria most loaves of bread are sourdoughs and when I was a child I can only ever remember eating sourdough bread. Here is a recipe for your very own sourdough starter. If you put it together today, it will take a minimum of 9 days before you can use it. But once you have started, you can keep your sourdough going for years. If fact, if it is fed regularly, it gets better and better. My current one is about 3 years old. You can then give part of your starter away to friends – to give them a headstart in their own process.

What is sourdough?
In essence, it is a fermented dough that you add to your bread mixture before baking.
The reason it has become so popular is that it tastes so good as well as being beneficial for your digestion. Sourdough contains strains of the helpful lactobacillus, also called the friendly gut bacteria. If you suffer frequently from bloating or even IBS, switching to sourdough from a conventional bread might be a good move.

Here is how to make the starter:
You will need 250ml of milk, 250ml water, 1 tbsp of sugar, 2.5 teaspoons of dry yeast, and 450g of plain flour. If you are lactose-intolerant try to do just warm water instead.

Warm the milk to almost boiling and add the water and sugar. When the temperature has cooled to 40degreeC (105F) add the yeast. Cook at a very low temperature for about 5-10 minutes. It is important that the yeast starts to foam a little. Pour this mixture into a container that has a lid and add the flour. Mix well. Initially, you need to keep the lid off as it is essential that air can get to your new starter. I suggest you cover it with a tea towel or muslin cloth. Keep it stored in a warm place like an airing cupboard. The warmer the better – around 30C (80F) is ideal. After a day or 2, it starts to bubble. It is important to stir it once or twice a day. Soon a greyish liquid will form on the top – don’t be alarmed. This is absolutely normal and good. Hurrah it’s working!

Once it starts to smell sour – hence sourdough – it is ready to use. Now you can put the lid on and that is how it is stored. If you don’t intend to bake immediately put it in the fridge. There you can keep it literally for years! Beware it is a live organism and therefore needs the occasional feeding to stay alive.

This is how to do it: Replenish it with 120 ml warm water (4fl oz) and 120g of flour. That’s it. Leave it to bubble up (ideally do this a day before baking and leave it outside). Then return it back into the fridge when it is no longer needed.

If you keep your dough outside, you need to replenish quite regularly (say once a week), when I keep it in the fridge, I only do it sporadically, usually after using it or at least every 2-3 weeks. Even if you don’t use it, it needs the occasional stir otherwise it will separate too much.

Now you are good to go. You can add this sourdough starter to the bread recipe above and you will have baked your first sourdough bread.

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