Bread 101

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaam Saaaaaaaaaahhhh

this is the mantra of our breath not of our tongue
this is the mantra of our life essence
this is the name of a modest organic farm in south india where i lived happily for a time

Farmer John and his lovely wife Swetha encourage all kind of wonderful experiments in sustainable living. Last year i had lived with an amazing sourdough bread baker (much love Yossi!) and experiencied his passion for the simplicity of sourdough bread. I've been cooking for some time, but at Hamsah i finally stepped up and bridged the gap into bread baking. The first couple came out much too sour and i had to develop a new starter, but after some loaves i finally developed a culture that didn't turn your face inside out.

(for those of you who don't follow, sourdough bread is made without packaged yeast, instead, you ferment flour and develop a bacteria culture from the local environment which helps the dough to rise.)

thanks to everyone who ate the bread regardless of how sour it was!

ragi tomatoe basil sourdough, and yeased rosemary



















prepped ragi sourdough
look how much they rose!
starter success!!














the faithful oven
and finished loaves

Muralism

after visiting the Sri Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
i had a strong case of mandala madness
i had an itch to paint one of my own
luckily i was staying on a very lovely farm with an encouraging farmer
here is the result...

Cyclin Saddhu

saddhu cycle














down time



















workin mans cycle

MONTHS BACK

So
what is it april already?
i'm at the edge of the holy ganga
gateway into the himalaya

but this post is regarding work done months back
experiments in the paper realm carried out in the deep south at the turn of the year

i was working in auroville to develop a papier mache flooring prototype for a zero waste building
it brought me into contact with many things of the paper relation
posted here is a day spent with Hervei, long time aurovillian and paper guru extrodanaire
we harvested papyrus and other water plants and used some already pulped banana to make some excellent papers

ours didnt come out at professional quality, but it was fun none the less

paper making:








































papier mache on tetrapak wall panel














papier mache floor samples

AURO-everaythin

Being in Auroville is like somewhere inside outside of India. occasional trips to the nearby city (Pondicherry) or neighboring villages reminds you that India is still on your doorstep, where the general population lacks basic infrastructure like sewage management and clean water. Auroville, however, is like a forested playground, but all the attractions are hidden away in dense woods and you have to have the proper passwords (people) to gain access, or that's how it can feel anyhow. There are people here from all over the world and there is all kinds of investment in creativity. So, if youre passing through India, auroville is not really the kind of place you just drop in to visit (unless of course you got some contacts here), Auroville is the kind of place you drop in and set some roots down, a place to return to, a place to concentrate and develop in more ways than you can imagine.

As for me, i'm glad i made it here and saw what can happen, and all the potential projects for me to dive into,

But the road calls to me in her sultry voice on the tips of the wind, and soon enough i will heed

Auroville, I will return!

DOUBLE TROUBLE

bikes are excellent, efficient, fun machines

coconuts are delicious, exciting and require a machete

the two together

double trouble

The Next Step

SO

i did it

i finally left the comforts and delicious eats of the middle east,
the road has been long, and at times arduous,
still, at other times easy and sweet

but every step i've taken has helped me to take the one yet to come
whether it is immediately apparent or not
all lessons have led to NOW.