Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

 Coffee is a daily morning highlight, so I'm always chipping away at this goal.

While shopping online for a birthday gift, I found that the author of my favourite coffee guide, Kevin Sinnot, had another book, so I popped that in my cart. I read it. It seems almost like a precursor to the guide I love, except interspersed with psalms and comparisons between coffee and Christianity, which wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

I am learning that my flavour palate definitely prefers coffees whose flavour notes are "sweet". I've heard time and again that Yemen has sweet coffee beans, so I've been investigating. As mentioned previously, the ones I received from Mokha Bunn were a very dark-roasted medium and I couldn't really taste any flavour notes. They tasted more like the smokiness I associate with dark roast - burnt out, and not my thing. As a result, I found some more local Yemen beans online at a roaster called Maravai, where I could request a roast type. Erring on the side of caution, I requested light. Now, I have roasted my own beans and these were even lighter than any I have done - and I usually turn the roaster off after first crack (which is very light). As such, this roast really brought out the acidity in the beans in a way that I did not love. They also didn't taste sweet. I then tried mixing the two roasts together which, of the three, was my preference, but - again - this didn't make flavour notes suddenly appear. (I ended up surprisingly preferring all of these beans in the French press to the Ibrik. Maybe soon I'll try out the vacuum again.)

From Maravai, I also ordered an Ethiopian Gesha, and again requested light. I ended up with the same issues as with the Yemen -- heightened acidity that I didn't find palatable. I learned from the recent Sinnot book I purchased that the only real issue with light roast is that it can really showcase any issues present in the production process. I ended up mixing these ones with a basic Columbian from De Mello and, again, preferring the Press.

I subsequently ordered two more Gesha from another local roaster, I Drink Coffee, out of Milton. The absolutely amazing thing about this place is that I ordered online at 7:18am, and they were on my doorstep by 11:25am that same day. I thought maybe I had the days I ordered them mixed up and just thought it was that morning. Email receipts confirm: Just over 4 hours after order, delivery. For this, I emailed a thanks. I wish, however, I was as impressed with the beans. Like Mokha Bunn, they were a very dark medium roast, and it just tastes like the origin flavours were burned out. I think I was spoiled on my first two Gesha attempts - both limited runs by Black Sheep Coffee Roasters and Detour Coffee Roasters. Both my favourite coffees I've ever had; both disappeared into the ether.

If roast type is the problem, I'm waiting on my final last ditch effort: I ordered 2 lbs of green Columbian Gesha beans from Green Beanery that I will try to roast and perfect myself.

Failing that, any good recommendations for Gesha beans that aren't limited runs, or Yemen beans that actually taste sweet would be appreciated.

Failing THAT, I'll stick with whatever natural-processed Ethiopian beans De Mello has on hand.

Original goal list posted here

Completed: #3. Build a train set

 Two weeks ago, I found this train set at a garage sale for $10. It actually fetches quite a bit of money, even used, so this was a good deal! 

The other morning I set it up in my daughter's room, much to her delight, as she loves any sort of motorized vehicle. She literally chanted CHOO CHOO the entire time. Later on in the afternoon, my husband got the mechanics up and running (again, to our daughter's delight). 

We disassembled it afterwards, but if I ever have time again in my life for hobbies, I'd love to work on making my train sets stored in boxes permanent features on plywood, chugging along in miniature worlds I construct myself. Someday.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #24. Learn more about rocks

 I find that the best kits for amateur rock identification are made for children. I bought this one at Value Village and, to my learning pleasure, the rocks were all mixed up. I set to ID and arrange them myself.

Based on prior knowledge, I was able to correctly ID 12 on my own and used the enclosed guide to help me ID the rest of the 36. Oddly, one listed in the tray (Blue Aventurine) was not present, though the book had another - Specularite - listed, which also seemed to match the characteristics of the rock remaining. Therefore, I relabelled it in the tray.

This was fun. 

(P.S. My daughter is not yet 2, but she's pretty into rocks already, so I look forward to future rock activities with her!)

P.P.S.: This pretty Moonstone is my favourite:

Original goal list posted here

Completed: #41. Plant bee-friendly herbs

 Oregano, Thyme, Sweet Basil.

Original goal list posted here

Reflection: #27. Tap a tree for maple syrup

 I'd say this was a success. I learned a lot. Box Elder maples produce more sap water than a lot of other maples, but the sugar content is lower, so boiling takes a realllllly long time and the yield is less. The colour is much lighter than with, say, a sugar maple and the taste is different -- fruity and interesting. It kind of reminds me of cider. In Toronto, if you want to avoid citation, you want to make sure you're not tapping the city-provided (owned?) trees at the base of the lawn. We tapped only our backyard Box Elders. 

There was a lot of trial and error and waste and I hope next year will be slightly more productive. I overboiled one yield waiting for it to darken in colour, before I learned that Box Elder syrup stays almost a white-yellow. I accidentally dropped my thermometer in the first yield and boiled it while tending to a fussy toddler, so that one had to go (along with the thermometer). I lost an entire sap sack of sap water when I waited too long to empty it and the bag broke (which was almost worth it to hear my then-19-month old point at it on the ground and emphatically yell "Ohhhh nooooo. It ripped!!"). All in all, we got about a 500ml mason jar of syrup, which we've been enjoying.

The bigger success story is that I bought my dad an early birthday gift of a sap bucket, tap, to-do guide, cheesecloth, etc. They have a BIG backyard sugar maple that my sister planted as a kid. It must be over 30 years old. He had a LOT of success - and dare I say, fun? - with his syrup creation.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #12. Do more foraging

 Garlic mustard is a tasty invasive, easy to identify, and spreading like a wildfire in a lot of backyards. If you can't beat it, eat it. It makes a really easy pesto; recipes are plentiful online and easy to veganize with nutritional yeast in place of parmesan (I also think vegan parmesan exists?).

Original goal list posted here

Completed: #27. Tap a tree for maple syrup

 I'll let you know how it works out.

Original goal list posted here