Appreciation For Farmers

Today as I was driving home from town passing by some farmland I could see farmers out on their tractors working in their fields in the heat. I am not surprised by this as we do it on our farm too. What struck me was how easily we go about our chores without a second thought about the weather nor the temperature that we would be working in. It made me feel a deep sense of appreciation for farmers across Australia and beyond. We are a hardy breed that have learnt to work with nature somewhat so that we can produce great quality produce whether it is for human consumption or live stock. The only setback is many farmers enjoy what they do but the rewards in terms of getting paid fairly, well that is another debate. Most farmers don't even cover their cost of production much less make a profit. I guess some of us do it out of love working with the land and others may be stuck for other reasons.

I was brought up in a city and had never had a real farm experience before this. I would have seen farms out in the country side of Malaysia but never took much notice of it. When I was studying in Switzerland I used to enjoy the green and lush scenery where they had cattle grazing. I guess that was as close as noticing a farm got me. When I shifted to Mudgee it was a huge shock. Here was a small country town that was quaint and pretty but where were all the big shopping malls? Hang on have I stepped back in time? I must say it took a few years and a change of thinking, lifestyle and being before it all made some sense to me. Actually it makes a lot of sense now.

Here I breathe in fresh country air every moment of every day. Where ever I look I see open spaces, nature and an occasional wild life or two as well as all the beautiful variety of birds that live with us and share our space or those that come for a visit, kind of a short holiday thing or maybe on transit to another place. All are welcome, we only ask that they respect our place and not be destructive.

I never took much interest in gardening, the things I grew back home had to be real hardy if they were to survive. It came as a surprise when I decided that we should grow our own food. Basically if it couldn't be eaten or used them in some culinary way then we won't be wasting our time on it. I love to cook and that prompted me to put in the effort to grow the stuff I needed. It has progressed over the last five years and I am impressed at how far we have come. The kaffier lime tree, lemon grass, calamandarin, vietnamese mint, english mint, birds eye chili are just so healthy and productive. They look so much better than what I could buy back in Malaysia. All the time, effort and nurturing had paid off in a big way. There are also many other herbs, herbal tea plants and fruit trees that we grow here and am looking at some way to market them to the public. We practice farming the organic and bio dynamic way.

Being part of the farming society now, I have become more appreciative of where my food comes from and more conscious about being a responsible farmer. Organic and bio dynamic food are best but they do cost more than the commercial stuff. If you can afford to feed your family and yourself the better way not only will you and your family benefit health wise but also taste wise. You will also encourage more farmers to practice farming the organic and bio dynamic way by having your support. We can all start small and make bigger adjustments along the way. It is a learning process as well as an implementing one. Ideally we would like to farm our own meat and poultry in the future. I'll just have to get used to the idea that live stock are not pets.

I have never made bread sticks before, I don't know why cause I have eaten them at restaurants. Maybe I wasn't into dips either at that time and even now just a little. Actually I prefer a good chicken liver pate to a dip.

Yesterday we were going to a friend's place for some drinks and I thought that bread sticks and a dip would go really well. I started hunting down recipes and finally came up with my own concoction. It turned out great and crunchy. I was very surprised.

Everyone thought it could be a little thicker so it won't break quite so easily when used for dipping. I like it the way it is as it's nice and light and moorish. I made a good amount and have portioned them out and packed them away in sealed plastic bags. That made me appreciate having my vacuum food saver as I could use it to seal the plastic bag. It has been a handy gadget to have around to stretch the shelf life of what I buy.

In terms of taste and economy, it would be better to make your own bread sticks as it keeps well in an airtight jar, container or sealed plastic bag. They are also handy to have around for a snack or when you have visitors over. It's really easy to make and if you have a bread maker that would save you time kneading but otherwise you could look at it as part of exercising those muscles which you never thought you had. Either way you will have fun and be fulfilled. Just imagine biting into one of them and feel that crunchiness, Mmmmmmmm.......................My type of snack food and to top it all it's pretty healthy that is minus the dip part, that would depend on you.

So here is the recipe, have a go at it and serve it with your favorite dip and if you like it share it with your family and friends. If you have young kids get them on board to make them. They would have a ball of a time.

Ingredients

Liquid Ingredients

3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp Water

1/4 cup grapeseed oil/olive oil

Dry Ingredients

120 grams whole wheat flour

254 grams bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper (optional)

1 Tbsp chopped dried herb like rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemon thyme (optional)

2 1/4 tsp dried yeast

If using bread maker put all the ingredients into bread pan according to the order specified by your bread maker. Use the dough setting.

When it is done put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and punch down, leave to rest for 5 minutes before hand shaping. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180'C and get some baking trays lined with baking paper.

Divide the dough into four portions cover with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying out. Roll out the first portion to about 1/4 inch or 1/8 inch thick rectangular and cut them into 1/4 inch wide and 6 inch long strips. Lay onto tray and bake for about 15-20 minutes or till golden brown, check after first 10 minutes. Remove when ready and cool on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container.

If doing manually, combine all the dried ingredients then make a well in the middle and start mixing in the liquid ingredients. Knead for about 15-20 minutes then leave it to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours till double in size. Follow as above for hand shaping.

If you want to use an electric dough mixer you could do that too.

Whatever, however you choose to do this make sure you have a good time, that is to me what cooking and baking is all about other then getting to enjoy the fruits of your labour.