lummi island wine tasting feb 23 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread this week
Whole Wheat Levain – after building up the sourdough starter over severals days a levain is made the night before final mixing of the dough. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. This particular dough is made with levain and bread flour and about 25% fresh milled whole wheat. I like to say it has a ‘toothy’ crumb, it has great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust. A nice artisan loaf that is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Pear Buckwheat – the preferment in this bread is a poolish, made with bread flour, water and a bit of yeast and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat. Since buckwheat has no gluten using the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the final mix. The addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine makes for a really flavorful bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Tartine Bakery style Morning Buns – My version of San Francisco Tartine Bakerys’ morning bun pastry. Laminated croissant dough is rolled out and spread with a butter and brown sugar filling before being rolled up and sliced and baked in muffin tins. Absolutely fabulous!! – 2/$5
Back to Regular Hours!
We are back from our trailer travels a bit earlier than expected. We did find somewhat warmer weather in southern Oregon, which was entirely pleasant, but a number of complicating factors brought us home early. Just in time, as it turns out for this week-long February nor’easter we have been experiencing this week, temperatures below freezing at night and not much above during the day. And now some snow forecast over the next few days.
The good news for Our Faithful is that we will be open for regular hours this weekend. Bread Friday will happen as usual from 4 to 6-ish on Friday, and open Saturday afternoon from 3-6. Y’all come by now, and let’s catch up!
Hearts and Minds
Mass shootings now happen many times a week across our country. Most of them are ignored by the Press. But when it’s a School Shooting, the Media descend on the grieving community, interview local officials and survivors, report the Body Count, profile the killer…the same stories over and over, and Nothing Changes.
This time it feels Different. These bright, motivated, energized, outraged, courageous, and dedicated high school students from Parkland, Florida are speaking out Loudly and Effectively and Demanding Action against Gun Violence. We listen to their Reason and their Passion and are Inspired to cheer them on and find ways to support them. Maybe This Time, informed by the Truth of their Experience, and Shamed by the collective Impotence of a bought-and-paid-for-by-the-NRA Congress, Sanity can gain some traction and the “Well-Regulated” part of the so-called Consitutionally Guaranteed Right to Bear Arms can start applying Necessary and Reasonable Rules for gun ownership, use, and responsibility. Any rational person can now see clearly that those rules should be increasingly restrictive for increasingly lethal weapons, however defined. The more lethal the weapon, the more certain Society must be about the character of the owner. Every teenaged Bozo does NOT have a God-given right to an AR-15 and high-capacity magazines.
These high school students are Setting an Example for our entire Nation. Our hats are off to them for calling BS and calling out Legislators at every level to take a stand for the same reasonable and rational rules for gun ownership as are found in most civilized countries. If we all join our voices with theirs, we can help them to Make a Difference.
Mar a Lago Update: The Good, the Bad, and the Worst
He likes to think of himself in Superlatives, part of the Ongoing Ritual of Patting himself on the Back. Every Tweetstorm seems to have at its root an intention to push someone Out of the Spotlight to claim it for himself. So it may be of some peculiar Comfort to him to be compared to all the previous Presidents and to see where he might fit in the Hierarchy.
These musings were posted in the New York Times this past weekend. Various observers over the decades have taken it upon themselves to rate and rank Presidents. At the top of most lists are Washington, Lincoln, and FDR. At the bottom are Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce, George W. Bush, and …wait for it…the Tweetster!
As President Washington observed, “the President cannot in any way ‘demean himself in his public character’ and must act ‘in such a manner as to maintain the dignity of office.’ Many bottom-of-the-list Presidents had relatively successful first years, after which a combination of circumstances and character flaws delegated them to Failed status. Curiously, only two of the “failures”– Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan– had Bad First Years. Buchanan’s role in lobbying for the Dred Scott Decision in the Supreme Court is widely viewed as a major cause of the Civil War. And Johnson’s racist views led him to veto Civil Rights for newly-freed slaves, leading to his impeachment in 1868.
In comparison, the Tweetster’s first year as Fake President has been an unrelenting parade of Disgraces, Embarrassments, Inconsistencies, Personal Hubris, Financial Conflicts of Interest, Crude Vulgarities, and a Nation-Crippling Degree of Narcissistic Self-Absorption. Add McConnell and Ryan to that equation, and you have the Perfect Cast for The Three Stooges Go To Washington, Season 2. Next tweet might go,“Like, I am So Good at Being Worst, I am Like the Best at Being Worst, like No One is Better at Being Worst! Am I right? Am I right? Of course I’m right!”
This week’s wine tasting
Leese-Fitch Chardonnay ’16 California $11
Opens with pleasant aromas of apple, citrus and tangerine. Smooth and tasty in the mouth, with rich notes of apple, pear, tangerine, lemon, lime and tropical fruit and a touch of honeyed sweetness.
Anciano 5-Yr Tempranillo Riserva ’10 Spain $11
Aromas of damp earth, mocha, tobacco, and black cherry. On the palate it is sweetly fruited, easy-going, and nicely balanced leading to a seamless, fruity finish.
Tenuta Rubino Oltreme Susamaniello ’14 Italy $14
Fresh, fragrant notes of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries and hints of ripe plum; fruity, minerally, and round on the palate with soft, pleasant tannins, a versatile and seductive pairing with richer dishes.
Cougar Crest Dedication 12 ’16 Washington $13
Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Velvety and round, with gently pulsing flavors of currant and plum, hinting at clove, pepper and roasted meat notes as the finish lingers enticingly.
Maryhill Reserve Grenache ’14 Washington $23
Blueberry, bing cherry and caramel delight the nose while a medium-body, velvety tannins and notes of cedar and cherry accent the palate.
lummi island wine tasting feb 16 ’18
Bread this week
Levain w/ Dried Cherries and Pecans – The final dough is made with the levain, bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf
Poolish Ale – the preferment here is a poolish, made with bread flour, a bit of yeast and a nice ale beer for the liquid and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. This makes a great all around bread with a nice crisp crust – $5/loaf
A new pastry this week, sometimes that may lead to issues in the final product. There are often challenges when doing something new so I need to have a pretty strict limit on the amount I can make so I need to limit to 2 pastries/1 order per order:
Chocolate Panettone – Panettone is a smallish Italian brioche-like sweet bread, with lots of sugar, butter, eggs and honey, 3 different types of chocolate, and cocoa nib praline/chocolate glaze on top. No candied orange or raisins. Great as a pastry, sliced for toast or french toast, or for bread pudding – 2/$5
February Wine Shop Schedule
The Wine Shop will be open for Bread Fridays and Wine Tasting through February. Janice will open the shop this Friday for thbread delivery and wine tasting as usual (thought the tasting menu is still a Mystery!) The loss of a Very Dear Friend is prompting us to return home sooner than planned, so we expect to be open for regular hours Friday and Saturday beginning Feb 23-24.
Mar a Lago Update: A Brief Digression on Psychopathy, pt 2
Last week we expounded on some of the characteristics of the Psychopathic personality strategy. In summary, the Psychopath is someone who has determined that Hiding Hurt behind Smug Superiority, Rewarding Loyalty with Generosity, and Punishing Disloyalty with Vengeance allows him to maintain the Illusion that he is Loved and Appreciated.
So that’s one dimension. A more intriguing dimension of this personality organization is about the Transactional Relativity of Truth.
Broadly speaking, most of us believe at some Unconscious level that there is some Abiding Truth to “Reality.” But for the Psychopath, Truth is completely Relative to the Moment: who we are talking with and what do they want to hear right now?
There is both an Art and a Compulsion about this. On the one hand, the Psychopath has an Intuitive Insight into what people Want to Hear at any moment, and is able to Tune into it and Promise it to them in a Convincing Way. On the other hand, there is an internal Contradiction bound for Failure because he tells everyone a Different Story on the same “Facts.”
The Really Fascinating aspect of all of this is that on the one hand Everybody Knows that he is Lying, while on the Other Everybody Hears What they Want to Hear.
Which brings us to a Disturbing Revelation: the persuasive power of the Psychopath is in convincing people that he Hears them and will Serve Them, in a way they Actually Believe. The Incomprehensible Dimension of all of this is that although Everybody Knows that His Truths are Lies, we as a Society seem to be Unwilling or Unable to Confront Him. Our Bad, n’est-ce pas?
Wine Tasting this week
We are still away; Janice will be pouring the weekly wine tasting and delivering the week’s bread orders on Friday from 4-6 pm. The wine tasting menu is a little vague at the moment. All you need to know is that there Will Be a Wine Tasting, and it will be (as usual) Great!
lummi island wine tasting feb 9 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread this week
Pain Meunier – aka “miller’s bread;” Made with pre-feremnted dough it contains all portions of the wheat berry: flour, fresh milled whole wheat cracked wheat and wheat germ. Always a favorite and a great all around bread. It makes the best toast! – $5/loaf
Fig Anise – One of our most popular breads. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the mediterranean. A great flavorful bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week:
Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, and cut into individual rolls brushed with sugar syrup after baking. – 2/$5
February Wine Shop Schedule
The Wine Shop will be open for Bread Fridays and Wine Tasting on the remaining Fridays in February: Feb 9, 16, and 23, form 4-6. So keep ordering bread, stay around for Friday wine tasting, and celebrate our collective good fortune to live on this beautiful Island. And of course, stay tuned for updates!
Ciliegiolo
Ciliegiolo is a red grape variety of central and northwestern Italy, something of an obscurity in past decades but now undergoing a renaissance in Tuscany and Umbria. It’s dominant flavor is cherry, from which it derives its name due to both its flavor and color which have provided the appeal to fuel its renaissance.
Ciliegiolo brings a certain freshness and lively character to otherwise heavy wines. In a world that increasingly demands early-drinking wines, but which are nonetheless full of character, Ciliegiolo grapes provides an interesting and enjoyable option.
Mar a Lago Update: A Brief Digression on Psychopathy
We are used to hearing the label “psychopath” misused as a synonym for something like “Insane Murderer.” But in most schools of psychotherapy, clusters of behavioral traits are commonly grouped together in consistent patterns that quite faithfully represent the clusters of beliefs and behaviors that describe most ordinary people. Our responses to everyday events as adults depend to a very large degree on decisions we made before the age of six about the nature of the World and Our Places in it. “Psychopath” is just one of these; it is neither good nor bad. Like all personality strategies, it has its strengths and weaknesses.
Between birth and the age of six or seven, we all develop our own relationships with the World, constantly moving toward Rewards and away from Pain. Our own Circumstances and Experiences continually shape a Deep Belief Structure about the World and Our Place in it; these Core Beliefs have long been Unconscious to us, and can, as Jung put it, seem to appear in our lives as Fate, as though our Choices had nothing to do with our Circumstances.
The Psychopathic Strategy tends to form in a male child who so often does not get the sense of safety, affection, attention and approval he needs that he begins to believe, “No One Really Cares About Me.” Lots of children have this experience, but organize around it differently. The Psychopath is someone who has determined that Hiding Hurt behind Smug Superiority, Rewarding Loyalty with Generosity, and Punishing Disloyalty with Vengeance allows him to maintain the Illusion that he is Loved and Appreciated. But the Reality is that no amount of obeisance and adulation can relieve the underlying sense of Inadequacy.
This underlying Ego Structure is common among men who have been Driven to seek Power, Fame, Wealth, and Adulation: Politicians, Generals, CEO’s, Dictators, TV Evangelists, Ponzi Schemers, Snake Oil Salesmen, and all manner of Garden Variety Gang Leaders and Bullies. These are the famous Dominant Males that have Started Every War, Enslaved Entire Populations, created God and Religion in their Own Images, Polluted the World in the name of Profit…in short, visited Untold Destruction and Misery upon Society and Our Planet since at least the beginning of so-called Civilization, all in the Service of Satisfying their Hungry Ghost Egos.
Our Epic Tales of Heroism and Gallantry inevitably focus on the Contest between the Psychopaths of the Moment, while the thousands or even millions of ordinary people that did or could Die in the name of one or the other are turned Namelessly into Bloody Soil. (sigh). But, hey, we Digress: all of this is just to ask: Is the Tweetster any More or Less Dangerous than the rest of the the Psychopaths that have risen to Power over the Millenia??? …to be continued
This week’s wine tasting
Folie a Deux Chardonnay ’15 California $16
Good example of Russian River appellation style; bright acidity and seductive notes of pear, apple, pineapple, apricot, nutmeg and vanilla—all framed by a richly textured palate.
Vina Equia Rioja ’14 Spain $10
Vivid cherry red color with hints of vanilla, coconut, and licorice; it is well-balanced with mature red fruit flavors on the palate and full-bodied with an elegant finish.
Morellino di Scansano Maremma Toscana Capoccia ’15 Italy $11
Bright and clean with a dark color, soft cherry fruit and structure, but nice weight and a juicy finish. Fruit forward without being sweet or alcoholic. Great value.
Goose Ridge g3 Red ‘`14 Washington $14
Syrah-cab-merlot blend; supple ripe plum and blackberry notes with hints of spice, vanilla, black currant and Bing cherry. Nicely balanced with a lush, round mouth and a long, lingering finish.
Gilbert Cellars Left Bank Red ’14 Washington $18
(Cab, Merlot, Carmenere, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot) Meaty, with notes of tobacco, earth, charcoal and dark fruits, medium+ body, with a firm, structured feel on the palate. 19 months in 80% French and 20% American oak.
lummi island wine tasting feb 2, 18
Sorry, we are away and traveling this week, as is our baker, Janice. The wine shop is closed this weekend, reopening next weekend. Therefore the shop will be closed both Friday and Saturday Feb 2 and 3. We regret any inconvenience
The shop will be open Friday nights only for the rest of February…mark your calendars!
2072 Granger Way