This jar of sourdough starter is not my actual  attempt of bringing up my own delectable concoction of water and flour that ferments and when added to other ingredients, turns out breads, pancakes, muffins, anything that spells cozy and comfort food. 

I’ve not had the best of luck in the past in the world of sourdough starter, but I am somewhat determined to give it another whirl. After all, flour is pretty inexpensive…our water is free and I have numerous jars in my pantry…plenty of counter space to let it have a cozy place of its own and pray for its magic to happen. Wanting to be able to create some tasty breads, once again I found myself searching the YouTube channel for a simple approach to this age-old practice that everyone says is easy. Well, my starter is almost 7 days old…I’m following the instructions…I’m seeing bubbles…and I’m keeping the “discard” on hand in the fridge because the gal in the video said “don’t throw that away! You can use it to make all sorts of wonderful things!” (some comments to the video said gals were even giving names to their starter–I didn’t commit to that, at least until I have “proof of life”….. Ok, I obeyed, and today I had enough discard on hand to begin wondering if it was time to search for a recipe to use some of it. Lo and behold, Google took me to a banana bread recipe. “I have those frozen,” I declared. Here, I’ll toss in a few frozen blueberries”…not enough of those to use in something other than a smoothie…who doesn’t like blueberries, right? So, as I type today’s blog, I have a loaf of banana bread baking in the oven. I’m praying it turns out yummy…(I’ll let you know next week how I fared)

Fall makes me want to make all things yummy. Pumpkin anything. Apple anything. Squash any…well, as a warm side dish with pork or turkey….I truly enjoy baking and now that cooler days are mixing in with the latter days of summer, having the oven on isn’t a hindrance to creating tried and true recipes or venturing into the world of ‘trying something new’.

When it comes to life’s adventures, I’m not as quick to try new things that require great risk. I am not a fan of roller coasters..or great heights…ladders still make my heart pound and jumping into a pool…well, those days are behind me. Last June, when we visited the southern rim of the Grand Canyon I paid close attention to my footing. I was happy to stand near an edge but NO way did I venture out onto some flat rocks where others made their way to get a different view. Um, no thank you. My view of this majestic handiwork from God was very comfortable staying away from slippery gravel and jagged rocks. I guess some would say I’m not very adventurous….maybe a bit scared or dull….whatever adjective you want to give me that doesn’t match your level of courage is okay with me. I’m content to live my version of dodging sandy soil and rocky edges experiences…

I have no idea how a new sourdough starter or life adventures tie in with one another. I guess it’s all due to my self reflection related to taking risks…big or small. Trying a new recipe isn’t the boldest or most exciting thing to pursue, but if it turns out real tasty, the payoff is worth the work! Taking a trip to the Canyon was a lifelong dream duly noted on my bucket list, checked off now and surrounded by photos and memories. 

Let’s hope that I can take a photo of the sourdough banana bread and check it off my list as “that was worth it”….”Sure is yummy”….”Glad this doesn’t need to be tossed in the garbage”….then I may actually come up with a name for my starter…any good ones to offer?