JonnyRFT

On 16/12/2023 at 09:29, sime42 said:

Seeing those pictures tempts me back to sourdough though..... ...

Do it!!!

Now my starter culture is a lot stronger, I find that I can cut a few corners without spoiling the loaf.

At first I had make levain and autolyse and get the hydration ratios just right. However, I can cut those steps out now and I just pour in un-fed discarded starter into the flour and water and I’m still getting the same results providing I’m leaving the dough to proof overnight as it takes longer to rise.

24 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

I have not tried sourdough baking but a year ago I had to cut my way into a patch of ripe rye a tree had fallen into, I brought home some ears , threshed and ground them in a coffee grinder. Added to whole strong wheat if caused the bread to be flat but I liked it. Next time I went back I asked the farmer if I could have a bucket full from the combine. A friend long term lent me millie, a french quern. 15 minutes of grinding just about makes enough rye flour for a loaf. Milling got suspended for a bit while I dealt with a mouse infestation ;-).

I hadn’t thought about using coffee grinder, but it makes sense. I take it, it works well to grind into flour? 

33 minutes ago, Big J said:

I am super tempted to start with sourdough. 

I've been baking most of my own bread since moving to Sweden (the bread here is a bit inconsistent and quite expensive sometimes) but I'm bored of my own loaves. 

 

Half of the issue is that it's virtually impossible to get good, wholemeal flour. 25% wholemeal seems to be as much as you'll get. 

 

So perhaps before going down the sourdough route, I'll start milling my own flour. But if I'm going to go to all that effort, then sourdough doesn't seem like much more outlay. 

 

Great effort though - your loaves look outstanding!

I’ve joined a Sourdough forum so I can get mid-life crisis out of the way early, and I’ve seen people who mill their own flour. Certainly seems like a lot of effort but apparently the quality of the bread is incredible. I’ve just signed a long lease for 4 acres of land where I’m starting a permaculture farm in the new year and I will definitely be growing my own wheat to try it out.

40 minutes ago, joshuatree said:

1st ones free eh? That's how these dough dealers get you. 

Be robbing your nan for a flatbread shortly after. 

I’ve been rumbled

8 minutes ago, AHPP said:

Smashing job. There’s (pardon the pun) a whole culture around maintaining and sharing starters. Pizzerias do it too. Same dough since 1965 etc. Cooking coppicing. 

Funny you should say that…

Here’s the front of my house

I’ve recently been into making Sourdough bread. It’s surprisingly fun and addictive. I’m supplying my neighbours with all the excess loaves while I’m practicing.

I got a little jar of Starter Culture from work as an early Christmas present. It’s one of those gifts in which I was going to give it a undignified death in the back corner of my fridge. However, I thought I’d give it go and make some bread.

I was awful. Which I think spurred me on to make better loaves.
 

I’m getting pretty consistent in making light, fluffy, well risen examples which I’m pretty proud of.
 

I don’t know what has happened to me…

Measure the stem just below the union. Doesn’t always have to be 1.4m from gl if there’s a stem to measure. 

Twistedhicap has covered most of it. The vapour barrier is the most important thing though. Also, If you end up using a glue adhesive, I recommend the following…it’s awesome. 

The company I’m with at the moment did a lot of the preliminary Eco and Arb surveys prior for large housing developments. I was involved with quite a few when I first started. Interestingly, only single dwellings/developments  seem to come through. I hadn’t given it much thought until I read this post. We mainly focus on large scale utilities now.

A survey with camera footage should be the first thing you would need to see. If it’s roots ingress, it’ll likely be the finer roots that can be blasted away by high pressure water. The pipe can then be internally sleeved, in situ, without any excavation whatsoever. Also, root ingress normally occurs to already damaged pipes.

Back when I was working with a housing association, we covered a 100 mile radius. They had a lot of land in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambs, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire. Most of the work was often over 50 miles away.

Now, I’ve moved on from physical tree work and concentrated my efforts in consultancy. There seems to be only a handful of Arboriculturists (from what I’m noticing) compared to what work is out there. I’m now travelling all over East Anglia and a bit further West and North, working on behalf of large utility companies and only a handful of domestic clients.
 

I live in Norwich, so everything is miles away for me. I’d kill to have all my work within a 10 mile radius. 

11 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

Would AOD just take out a single stem like this?

 

I had a large Oak down in Framlingham with AOD, in a similar overall condition. However, by pairing the stem bleeds with the exit holes, it was an almost certain diagnosis.
If there’s nothing of the sort in your case, then I would be looking for root dysfunction. What size was the RPA? Is there any scars in the ground within it, to suggest trenching, compaction or such like has occurred? 
 

As suggested above, soil level changes could be the culprit too.

Any stem bleeds and/or exit holes? Perhaps AOD?

The tiktok guy who posted lives in Melton Mowbray, so probably around there.

I’ll be there on the Friday. 

Cercis siliquastrum?

https://www.corkbeo.ie/news/local-news/tractor-towing-truck-carrying-truck-23807619?fbclid=IwAR2jfMW5g6f_8Oq78GJY2YPwoNd8J33FG54dVv2Cuxc_oTAG5gc5hJ7OzHQ#l2jzgxukqkstqvgut8q

Here’s a selection of me and my team.

3 hours ago, swinny said:

Hebden Bridge? Going there in the morning though not my  up of tea

Horses for courses I guess. It’s my childhood home. Every time I visit family, I fall in love with the place. It is filled with a rum bunch though.  

Just now, eggsarascal said:

Now, that's a good call. Full of weirdos, but I enjoyed staying there when I had my narrow boat.

All those weirdos are probably most of my family 😂

I’d go back to Hebden Bridge, West Yorks in a heartbeat if I didn’t have so much keeping me in Norwich. 

I’ve been an advocate for Irish Setter and Danner boots for sometime now but wondering if any of you wonderful lot have any recommendations for an alternative hunting style boot?

My last pair of Elk Tracker (Pictured) have served me very well but I’m interested to see what else is out there that I may not have seen.

4 minutes ago, Tree hugger lover said:

Sorry guys I don't have the app and only just logged back in. Thank you so much everyone, this has genuinely been so informative and useful! Will probably do my level 4 next year and try and get employed as a junior in a surveying company and try and get some experience and put myself through the PTI. Defo keen on doing my level 6 and Bat inspection in due course, as well as my climbing. Always loved it as a kid and as long as im not wielding a huge chainsaw I should be ok! Hahaha

 

 

Wielding a chainsaw is probably the best way you’ll truly understand the trees. Some of the best surveyors are those who have spent most of their working life as a climbing arb.

I’ve had a keen interest in tree management for a number of years, but I already worked in the industry alongside consultants which is where I gained most of my experience. I then took my PTI along with my QTRA to make sure I was on the right track, as I don’t have the time to do a long course. Hopefully I can study for my level 6 and keep working at the same time, but it’s going to be hard going with full time employment. Until I gain my level 6, I will still rely on contracting surveyors in.

I keep mine at around 17 because I don’t have an open fire anymore. It cost a fortune to heat my house, it’s old and just looses heat so fast. I’ve learnt to adjust to a cooler temp. Just wish I didn’t knock out my fireplace just so I can stick a cooker in its place.