Quote Of The Day

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

-Winston Churchill*

 

 

 

 

 

*Attribution to Churchill is questionable.  Still a good quote.  

 

Sayonara

That didn’t take long at all.

Border Czar Tom Homan is arriving in Minneapolis today.

Homan is a cooler head with a steady hand who’s worked under multiple administrations and is a solid career law enforcement guy.  He oversaw and shepherded Obama's record-breaking deportation of undocumented criminals, security and terrorism suspects without the loss of any US citizen or other civilian lives as a consequence of deportation operations.

Lessee if Homan can wrangle the shitshow Bovino and Noem have unleashed on Minneapolis before any more asshat masked ICE paramilitaries kill another of our countrymen.

Meanwhile, Greg Bovino has been immediately relieved of command for unspecified legal, operational and safety reasons.    

Good riddance.  

 

Gentlemen - Start Your Ovens

Good Monday morning friends. 

My Friday ritual is to feed my sourdough starters.

With freezing temperatures across the land it is opportunities like this that call for baking. You know, if you can’t stand the cold; stay in the kitchen. 

 
At Friday bedtime I set this handmade dough ball of future sourdough breadness on the counter (covered) to proof overnight.  Arising on Saturday....

At the time of another pipe freezing sunrise there was this. 

This recipe is from a sourdough baking class and is a reasonably fool-proof bake. Step-by-step illustrated instructions as follows:

Sourdough Bread

Making Pat’s Sourdough Bread at Home: 

Pat is from the neighboring town of Algoma. The starter I received as a gift to the class participants can be traced over the years through Pat’s sister in Michigan, to her daughter in NYC, to her friend Laurent Gras*, a Michelin starred chef from France. I received a gift of a 40-year-old starter that began its life in France.  Here’s how to keep it going.

Feeding the starter:

120g water

100g old starter

100g flour (10g rye flour and 90g high protein bread flour)

 

(Any discarded starter is used for baking) 

 

double in volume

Whisk the water and starter to make a slurry. Add flour and whisk until lumps have dissolved. Pour into a quart mason jar and set on the counter at room temperature. The starter should double in volume. Then settle down to its original level. After 24 hours, refrigerate.  I use a Mason “Pickle Pipe” (fermentation airlock) to seal my jars. 

Starter can live in the fridge for approximately 7 days. Feed once a week. For more sour flavor use starter that has been refrigerated 4-6 days.  If you keep your starter in the garage beer fridge like I do I’ve learned it will keep for up to three weeks without feeding while we’re away traveling.   Lastly, I keep frozen batches of both my starters in a basement chest freezer as a backup against loss.  

Starting the bread:

Start to finish about 12-16 hours - mostly overnight.  Hands-on time is less than 1 hour.

385g water

90g starter

520g flour (100g whole wheat and 420g high protein bread flour)

12g table salt (to be added later)

Mix water with starter to make a slurry.  Whisk the two flours together and add to the slurry.  Mix everything by hand or a plastic bowl scraper.  Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Stretching the bread:

Stretch and fold eight times. Rest another 15 minutes. Sprinkle half the salt on the dough then stretch and fold 8 times. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining salt and stretch and fold 8 times. Cover the dough and let it rest overnight (8-10 hours) at room temperature (68-70 F) until doubled in size. If it is warmer this may take 6-8 hours. Wet hands are non-stick.  

 

Note:  The stretch, fold and rest process is three times.  Resist any impulse to fold and knead on the countertop. I like to finish this step before bedtime. (top photo)

Forming the loaf:

First thing in the morning after the dough and I have risen is this step.  Start the coffee and dump the dough out onto a floured counter. Cover with a bowl and let it rest ½ hour. With wet hands stretch and fold the dough forming a round loaf. Place on a floured towel and place in a bowl seam side up. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 1-4 hours. (It is cold enough this time of year to leave it on the kitchen countertop)

 

Drink coffee 

Baking the loaf:

45 minutes before baking allow the cast iron pot and lid to preheat in a 450 oven. Tip the towel-lined loaf from the bowl into parchment paper-lined cast iron. Slash and bake covered for 40 minutes at a reduced 425.  At the 40 minute interval remove the lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 375 (uncovered).  Total bake time is 60 minutes.  Remove loaf to a wire rack and allow to rest at room temperature.

  

slash

cover

40 minutes at 425F covered - uncover and 20 additional minutes at 375F

cool on wire rack

DO NOT give in to any urge to cut the loaf before it has cooled!  After it has cooled you can place the loaf cut side down on a cutting board for up to a day before bagging in plastic.  Sourdough bread is naturally resistant to turning stale; if it lasts that long anyway.

Pro Tip: This sourdough bread is a very forgiving bake; don’t feel like you’re a slave to pinpoint timing.  Nevertheless, weights and measures must be precise.  Pull and fold your dough like taffy.  Do not knead it on a countertop.

Once upon a time my whole wheat flour had turned so I tossed it out.  Substituting 100g of all-purpose flour resulted in a fine result.

If you care to introduce all the salt to the dry flours before mixing I could not detect any detrimental effect to the loaf.  This saves a step in the stretching and folding process.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Gras_(chef).  As of 01.24.26 the starter is now 44 years of age.

If Only The Dead Could Talk

Somewhere along the line I shared that I refreshed my CCW training during COVID.

My instructor had some sage advice. Basically, she had this to say (I am paraphrasing):

If you happen to be legally carrying and someone invites you to a protest, an act of civil disobedience or a riot; run the opposite direction.  

The gist of this was in the wake of the George Floyd protests and the Kyle Rittenhouse shootings your CCW permit isn't a superpower against kryptonite circumstances.  A perfectly innocent legal carry situation is not a shield against an overzealous prosecutor.  Mounting a successful defense can drain your financial resources.  Worse case?  Worse case is always worse.  Use your imagination. 

Anyway, her words were good advice.  Prescient too.

Nevertheless, what happened in Minneapolis shows that ICE will treat the mere presence of a legal firearm as justification for lethal force.

Carrying a gun is not a crime, yet it was readily used as irrefutable proof of dangerous intent.  And now that Alex Pretti is dead and unable to contest that narrative; that’s the narrative.  

 

From the president on down the chain of command the instant narrative is this:  

Pretti was obviously a domestic terrorist and a would-be assassin.  Consequently, he deserved to die.  This was a good shoot.  

The practical upshot of this is if you are interdicted by the Federales while carrying - even legally - masked paramilitary forces without visible personal identification can and will kill you on the spot.  With the support of our government.

Judge.

Jury.

And executioner.

At this point there isn't much you can do about it; you're dead.  

Because our government has declared you guilty beforehand. 

 

Am I willing to be wrong about all of the foregoing?  You bet I am.  Yet the president has expressed a desire to impose martial law across the land.  And he usually gets around to trying to do everything he says he wants to do.  I'd also bet he'll continue to use his shadowy veiled paramilitary forces to terrorize a small blue enclave in Minnesota with only an estimated 130,000 undocumented migrants to provoke unrest.  

It's rather quiet where I live; not that counts for anything in a world where the Constitution counts for nothing....

The Joy of Giving

Over the recent holidays we were the recipient of any number of stocking-stuffer gifts; many of them edible. Cookies, brownies, candies, popcorn, a selection of fine English teas and much more.  Most interesting was a one-pound bag of dried, pitted plums.  Evidence of it being more blessed to give than receive?    

An interesting gift for sure and knowing I would need some time to figure-out how to incorporate them into our diet I placed them on a shelf in the pantry aside the nuts and other baking ingredients.  However, there was something about them that was different.  Sort of off.  I couldn't put my finger on it.  Time passed.

Then, while watching a movie comedy on a recent evening I had a Eureka Moment.  Fetching the bag I produced it for the Missus and asked if she noticed anything unusual?  Nope.  Anything odd?  Nope.  Anything missing?  Such as branding, like Del Monte, Sunkist, etcetera?

Yup.  That bag was devoid of any evidence of who produced and packaged it.  Prominent in the generic packaging was a missive extolling the nutritional virtues of dried, pitted plums, a government website and a big, honking, USDA Logo.  I'm no fool, I'm a tree farmer.  And just like any other farmer or rancher I know the USDA all day long.  

From all outward appearances we had come into possession of a one pound bag of genuine USDA surplus commodity dried pitted plums the likes of which find their way to school lunch kitchens, supplemental meal programs for seniors, children, qualifying families and food pantries.  

This was nowhere near as exotic as being on the receiving end of a twenty pound block of surplus commodity pasteurized process American cheese food product but since we don't share surplus food commodities with poor nations any longer my dried, pitted, plums were clearly unworthy of needlessly languishing in my pantry; or worse yet - a landfill.  

Ecstatic with solving the origin mystery of our bag of deep purple wrinkled fruits I was motivated to put them to good use.  So I asked ChatGPT what to make with precisely one pound of dried, pitted, plums.  Suggestions included all manner of cakes, tortes, braised meat dishes and more.  Looking for easy I replied in clarification with one word:  Jam.

I was going make some jam.  Fortunately, I had everything necessary in the pantry so I put my prunes (that is what they are after-all) to soak overnight and ran a full dishwasher at bedtime to wash and sanitize a half-dozen half-pint jars in preparation for an easy-peasy recipe for prune jam the following morning.

Here it is...

Prune Jam — Water-Bath Canning Instructions

Why this is safe

• Prunes are naturally acidic
• Added lemon juice ensures pH stays safely below 4.6
• Water-bath canning is appropriate (no pressure canner needed)

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried pitted plums (prunes)
• 2½–3 cups water
• 1½–2 cups sugar (do not reduce below 1½ for shelf stability)
• 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice (important for acidity)
• Optional:
  
• 1 tsp vanilla or
• ½ tsp cinnamon or
• Orange zest

Equipment

• Water-bath canner or large deep pot with rack
• 4–5 half-pint jars (or 2–3 pint jars)
• New lids, bands
• Jar lifter, funnel, bubble remover

Step 1: Prepare Jars

1. Wash jars, lids, and bands.
2. Keep jars hot (simmering water or dishwasher).
3. Heat lids in warm (not boiling) water.

Step 2: Make the Jam

1. Soak prunes in water 8 hours or overnight (or simmer 20 minutes if short on time).
2. Transfer prunes and soaking liquid to a pot.
3. Simmer 20–30 minutes until very soft.
4. Blend smooth or chunky. (I used a stick blender for slightly chunky)
5. Add sugar and lemon juice.
6. Simmer 10–20 minutes, stirring often, until thick and glossy.
7. Optional spices go in during the last 5 minutes. (I chose vanilla)

Jam should mound on a spoon and wrinkle on a cold plate.

Step 3: Fill Jars

1. Ladle hot jam into hot jars.
2. Leave ¼ inch headspace.
3. Remove air bubbles.
4. Wipe rims clean.
5. Apply lids and bands finger-tight. 

Step 4: Water-Bath Process

1. Place jars on rack in canner.
2. Cover with 1–2 inches of boiling water.
3. Once water returns to a full boil, start timing:

 Processing Time

• Half-pints or pints:
  10 minutes (0–1,000 ft elevation)

Adjust for altitude:

• 1,001–3,000 ft → 15 minutes
• 3,001–6,000 ft → 20 minutes
• Above 6,000 ft → 25 minutes

(I processed five half-pint jars for 30 minutes)  

Step 5: Cool & Check Seals

1. Turn off heat, rest jars in water 5 minutes.
2. Remove jars; cool 12–24 hours undisturbed.
3. Check seals (lid should not flex).
4. Remove bands, wipe jars.

Storage

• Shelf-stable: 12–18 months
• Store cool, dark, dry
• Refrigerate after opening                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
  
                                                                                                                                          The yield was five half-pint jars and a sixth scant half pint that went into the fridge for immediate use.  My jam was definitely very prune-like with a satisfying sweet and tart finish.  The vanilla I added was a keeper.  Aside from putting this on a toasted English muffin this jam could also be used like a chutney with pork or poultry.  It would make a fine glaze on braised pork, duck, chicken or a baked ham.  A tablespoonful in a fruit smoothie would add sweetness and beneficial fiber; same for plain Greek yogurt.  If you're making your own BBQ sauce from scratch or simply want to amp-up a bottle of store-bought this is just the ticket to add some depth.                                                              
   
   
  The USDA leaves much to be criticized; nevertheless, the agency's food and nutritional programs serve to feed needful citizens and make use of the bounty of surplus food generated by America's efficiently-productive farm sector.  Someone got those prunes from a channel completely out of my league.  And they were thoughtful enough to gift those prunes. Perhaps prunes are evidence of largess and therefore a prized gift.  Perhaps they don't care for dried fruit or were stumped over how to utilize them.  I'll never know the answer to these questions.  Thankfully, they weren't pitched into the kitchen garbage. The virtue of frugality is not lost on me.  Just goes to show - never question the value of a gift.  Be grateful and put it to good use - Acts 20:35. 

On This Day In History

During World War II a class of small coastal and inter-island freighters were constructed  for the Army Transportation Corps.  This was a steel-hulled, diesel-powered ship, 177 feet in length and equipped with two hatches and central booms.  On April 16, 1944, Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Corporation launched a small coastal freighter at its yard in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. She was originally designated FP-344, but that was later changed to FS-344.  

click on images for a closer look

Photo above is fitting out of FP-344 at the Kewaunee Shipbuilding & Engineering Corp. Shipyard, Kewaunee, Wisconsin circa July 1944. 

Photo below is her sister ship FP-343 underway.

In 1966 FS-344 was transferred to the Navy and renamed USS PUEBLO.  Refitted at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard she was crammed with sophisticated electronic gear and converted to an Auxiliary General Environmental Research (AGER) vessel – a class recognized by few naval officers.  PUEBLO (AGER-2) was a signals intelligence collector – a spy ship.  Jointly operated by the National Security Agency and Naval Intelligence, she carried a crew of 83, 30 of whom were communication technicians.

PUEBLO’s first mission, off the coast of North Korea, was considered low risk. She was to monitor electronic transmissions and observe naval activity around North Korean ports. Orders required her to remain in international waters at least one mile beyond the 12-mile territorial limit. Thus far the North Koreans had not interfered with similar missions.

However, on January 23, 1968, North Korean patrol boats surrounded PUEBLO intent on capturing the lightly armed vessel.  With a top speed of 13 knots, she could not escape. Her captain could only stall for time as the crew worked furiously to destroy documents and equipment. Despite urgent requests, neither the Navy nor Air Force sent help. After about two hours, the North Koreans were able to board PUEBLO.  One crewman lay dying and several were injured.

The North Koreans took their prize to the port city of Wonsan. The crew was taken prisoner. They were beaten and tortured. 

President Johnson considered and rejected a military response. He was unwilling to sacrifice the crew. So their release was negotiated. 

The USS PUEBLO was never returned. It is currently on display at the Victorious War Museum in Pyongyang, North Korea. However, she remains a commissioned vessel in the U.S. Navy.  Commissioned May 13, 1967, PUEBLO is the second oldest in the fleet behind only the USS CONSTITUTION, commissioned October 1, 1797.

Kewaunee Shipbuilding stopped building boats when the war ended.  It did continue doing steel fabrication work.  The company changed its name to Kewaunee Engineering on January 1, 1947.  Oshkosh Truck acquired the business in1999.  What began as the Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Company is now Kewaunee Fabrications and operates as a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation.

Detailed story linked here. 

Friday Music

It is said that Grateful Dead artist wrote the lyrics to this song in London, 1970, after consuming half a bottle of retsina in the process.  Jerry Garcia wrote the music to accompany the lyrics.  The song had its debut in August 18, 1970 at Fillmore West in San Francisco. It was released as the B-side to the single Truckin'.

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 334 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Nice cover of Ripple by Ray Toole and his group.....