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Quiet days are perfect for me to try out interesting new recipes or experiment (play time!!), always looking for ways to make a Bed & Breakfast stay a bit more special and memorable for our guests. Lately, my experiments have centred on sourdough and Amish Friendship Bread (AFB) starters since they need to be fed to keep them alive and happy, and that results in excess amounts of fermenting formulas. So, unless it's put to use (or, heaven forbid, thrown away!!) I get to have some fun. Hence my winter compulsion with baking bread and other goodies. Today's endeavors, besides baking 4 loaves of bread, included reducing and testing a recipe to make an individual German /Dutch Baby Pancake, except incorporating a starter to make use of my lovely, bubbly ferments. The results are pretty evenly matched, but a bit more custardy texture from the sweeter and more hydrated AFB starter. Otherwise, they are equally good and will each get their 5☆ rating in my file and be added to my recipe repertoire here at Bentpath Getaway. I'm including a picture of admittedly "slightly" overbaked cheese crackers, made Sunday when I had company for late lunch, and which I've been nibbling ever since. The sourdough matches perfectly with the sharp cheddar. Such an easy, tasty way to use up some discard, and particularly good with soup and salad.
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September 2024
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Beyond the Yard
Our goal to enhance, expand and enrich wildlife and pollinator habitat, while creating a natural area of interest for our guests to enjoy, began taking shape in the spring of 2022. Through the collaboration and funding of several agencies, including ALUS, Ontario Nature, OSCIA, and Ducks Unlimited, we retired 10 acres of our crop field. A pond, approximated 1200' (365 m) long, was excavated parallel to the Sydenham River which marks our western property border. In turn, this would provide a wetland area, and prairie meadow where many native wildflowers and grasses were planted.
Nature moved quickly to reclaim the area and provide us with a beautiful, peaceful space where we can experience her wonders first-hand. Insects, birds, fish have almost miraculously inhabited the area, bringing sights and sounds that have, unfortunately, been lost to most people. From brightly coloured butterflies, and dragonflies of several varieties, to an occasional turtle sunning itself, or a Great Blue Heron quietly fishing along the pond edge, to the songs of warblers and honking, quacking and antics of several types of waterfowl, especially during their migrations, we hope guests will find a walk "beyond the yard" to be energizing and relaxing at the same time.
From the house, out to the pond, around it and back again is a walk of about 1.5 km. Through the small woods that shares a boundary with the Shetland Conservation Area, there are some meandering trails that guests are also invited to walk. In the Conservation Area, which offers trailer and camping sites, you will find a dock at the river, some playground equipment, and picnic tables available for public use.
