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

Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

Some more I've learned about Gesha: A pound at auction from Panama went for $1300 in 2020. Though coffee tastes are definitely individual, Gesha consistently ranks at the top of blind taste tests.

I found this limited edition Gesha coffee from Costa Rica from Detour Coffee, which - with an initial buyer discount of $10 -  cost me $36 for 300g, which I thought quite reasonable.

Detour Coffee is located in Dundas, Ontario, and I remember really liking beans of theirs that I sampled in a Roaster's Pack subscription (which was a - highly recommended - birthday gift from my sister).

Their motto is that coffee is an adventure and, the more you know, the more you want to know.

Though the Black Sheep Gesha was still my favourite of the two, this roast had all the scents and flavours I've been missing, and I'll definitely be consuming this one until it's gone.

(This was especially welcome after a rough night of toddler teething.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

This morning I tried the Gurmah from Mokha Bunn (see post yesterday for more details). I'm really not used to medium roast coffee tasting and smelling so dark, and I had hoped to be able to detect more sweet and fruity notes than I have so far. I'll save the last one for after I try another coffee from another roaster that arrived yesterday, because I'm particularly jazzed about that one.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

I am using the opportunity of this goal to sample some expensive specialty coffee I've been wanting to try. 

First, I ordered these coffees from Mokha Bunn, as I think Yemeni beans fit my preferred flavour profile. Also, this site is AWESOME, with lots of great historical information about coffee in Yemen and such devices as a coffee selector based on your preferences and method of brew. 

This place is fairly local to me (it's in Kitchener and I'm in Toronto), so the shipping only took a day from time of order, which is amazing. I was also impressed with the insert of a coffee taste chart based on such factors as temperature, grind, ratio, and extraction. This is something I want to learn more about (though I'm not sure all factors are relevant to the Ibrik -- are they?). They also do a buy 5 orders, get the next 25% off, and I like incentives like this (especially when this specialty coffee worked out to $29 for 250g). 

This morning, I tried their Mokha Blend, medium roast. It definitely wasn't as sweet as I hoped, but - as their site says - it's a really dense coffee that may require a lower brewing temp and very fine grind. I always do the latter, but I'll try to pour before it completely boils next time. I'm looking forward to trying the other two packs of beans.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

 It's odd to learn more about a coffee AFTER drinking and loving it, but Gesha (Geisha) coffee is actually the most expensive and valuable coffee in the world (as much as $601 / per pound -- that isn't a typo).

It originated in the Gori Gesha Forest in Ethiopia, but is now grown around the (coffee-growing) world. It is known for its unique sweet flavour profile.

My sister's friend owns a coffee roastery and I once had the rare opportunity to try a very limited run of this coffee. (I think the producer actually lost money on this one, but was just so excited to roast such a special bean.) He sold it in small 100g tins and I bought a lot. It was the best coffee I've ever tasted and I miss it every day.

I tried to get some good coffee-loving friends to buy some when he eventually started selling it off for $10/tin. They didn't. That's an absolutely wild price and truth be told my heart kind of hurts that they didn't get to try such a special coffee (though the fault really lies with me because I drank all I had instead of buying them some, which is definitely what I should have done). I didn't even know quite how special it was at the time, and I don't know if I'll ever get an opportunity to have it again.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

 I bought a mocha pot recently and used it yesterday. I've never been a fan of espresso; it tastes like a permanent marker to me and is too small a cup to savour. Therefore, I added water when I was done to make it an Americano. It was good, but I prefer the crema of the Ibrik or French Press.

Original goal list posted here

Completed #31. Make my own vegan doughnuts

 I thought these would taste better than these did, but there are a billion other recipes out there. I think the effort to fry them and let them yeast-rise may be worth it instead of this one, which is baked and oven-risen. I used this recipe.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #6. Learn more about coffee

 Yesterday, I tried this pretty manual grinder I bought. It was quite a workout, but was quiet enough that I could grind it without my toddler even really noticing that a noise was happening. It also made waiting on the Ibrik water to boil seem like it didn't take so long because I was occupied with grinding the beans the entire time.

They made a really smooth and flavourful cup of coffee. (Though, truth be told, sometimes I like a bit of grit in my cup.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress #6. Learn more about coffee

 The cool thing about the coffee experience is that it is so different depending on who you talk to.  This goal is a lot about learning more about myself and my preferences in relation to coffee.

I think I will start with making a point form list of some things I already know about coffee, as it isn't insubstantial (it's kind of quietly one of my autistic hyperfocii):

- I think coffee roasts need to be light or medium if you're drinking them for taste, because that is the taste of the actual origin flavours. In a dark roast, those flavours have been burned out and you're tasting the burn.

- My consistent favourite coffee bean is Ethiopian, natural drying process, light or light medium roast, pref. Guji region, with blueberry tasting notes

- I most consistently order beans from De Mello Coffee Roasters

- The best coffee I ever had was a Columbian Gesha from Black Sheep Coffee Roasters

- The other bean type I have more recently taken to is from Myanmar

- Someone recommend beans from Yemen based on my flavour palate, so I want to try those soon.

- I also like really bad coffee, especially when travelling, because it makes me feel like I'm roughing it and tastes like adventure. (Therefore, I'm not the kind of coffee snob who has to take machinery and beans along with me to appreciate the trip. I'll even drink instant on hand, or a hotel Keurig cup, and call it part of the experience).

- I know how to roast my own green beans in a vintage popcorn popper from my youth. I haven't yet mastered it, I guess, because I can still buy better tasting ones.

- A coffee bean is not a bean. It's a seed from the coffee cherry.

- I didn't start drinking coffee until I was 21. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I stopped drinking coffee entirely because it was completely unappealing to me and that seems weird now. (The first coffee I drank again was a really bad hospital coffee the morning after her birth.)

- I own the following coffee devices: French Press, Aeropress, Ibrik, Vacuum, Pour Over, cloth filters for said Pour Over (they honestly make a better tasting coffee, in addition to being environmentally better), electric grinder, manual grinder (just purchased), Mocha Pot (just purchased, not yet used).

- If I had to rank the machines I own by taste preference, it would be: Ibrik, French Press, Vacuum, Pour Over, Aeropress.

- I used to just own a regular drip for many years, and then gave it away many years ago and haven't gone back.

- The best book I know about coffee is "The Art and Craft of Coffee" by Kevin Sinnott, which I keep on my counter with a select few other cooking books, and which will actually help centre me in this goal and deciding what it is I want to learn. I went first with manual grinders, and experimented with the one I bought yesterday morning. Post to follow!

Completed #11. Grow my own mushrooms

 Grew, cooked, made a good sandwich.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #11. Grow my own mushrooms

 Round 2. (Well, to be fair, it's actually Round 3, I guess, because once I tried to grow mushrooms by attempting to extract mycelium from existing store-bought mushrooms and spreading it on spent coffee grounds in a mason jar. Ambitious.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress #11. Grow my own mushrooms

 All my mushroom attempt yielded was mold, and not the kind you'd want to eat. I'm going to buy one of those cardboard kits instead. Then, I will buy them in the store, or forage for the three foolproof mushrooms I know.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #11. Grow my own mushrooms

 I ordered shiitake spawn, pasteurized ready-to-grow sawdust, and followed the instructional in this book (which is the same one I used to start sprouting -- although this didn't yet work out for me, I'm going to try again in the summer when it is warmer and more humid in our house and will buy a proper wide-mouth mason):

This bag with air holes is now safely stored in a bowl in a cool dark closet and I'll be adding my coffee grounds all week for extra nutrients. This book says I could have mushrooms ready for use by three weeks! 🤞

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #24. Learn more about rocks

 I read this book (bought online from the glorious Book Outlet) and then took notes on the parts I didn't want to forget, and ones I want to research further. They are below the photo.

Gems & Rocks

- streak is the colour of the mineral when it is ground into a fine powder -- many mineral ID kits will contain porcelain plates called streak plates

There types of rocks are --
- igneous rocks: formed when molten material (magma) cools and solidifies
- sedimentary rocks: form from an accumulation of sediments
- metamorphic rocks: form when preexisting rocks are transformed by heat and pressure

- parent rock that becomes a metamorphic rock is called a protolith

- Smoky quartz contains trace amounts of aluminum
- chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz) is the outer shell of geodes and the material replacing plant parts in petrified wood
- nepheline (most common feldspathoid) can be difficult to distinguish from quartz but is slightly softer and cannot coexist with quartz in the same rock
- transparent or translucent crystals of olivine (primary component of Earth's upper mantle) are known as the gem peridot
- calcite, unlike quartz, can be scratched by a knife (hardness: 3) and will fizz in dilute acids
- pyrite is commonly found in distinctive crystal cubes, or crystals with 12 sides in the shape of pentagons
- garnet can be distinguished by its well-formed 12-sided crystals
- obsidian is volcanic glass that forms from viscous lava that cools too rapidly for minerals to crystallize
- basalt is one of the most common rock types -- common dark-coloured volcanic rock
- shales are common sources of fossils
- marble is white when it is pure calcite
- quartzite forms when quartz grains as the protolith are heated and squeezed together until they form new grains -- green aventurine is a quartzite, coloured by the chromium-rich mica fuchsite
- petrified wood is the fossilization of ancient plants when pore spaces around and within the plant's organic material are filled by minerals, usually quartz or calcite
- trilobites are ancient animals, now extinct, that dominated the oceans during the Cambrian period, 540 - 20 million years ago. Fossils are common and widespread.
- fossil bivalves are common
- ammonites are an extinct group of mollusks known for their distinctive spiral shells, existed 400 - 65 million years ago, fossils are amongst the most common on Earth
- sharks shed thousands of replaceable teeth in their lifetime, so these become an abundant source for fossilization in ocean sediment; most teeth become fossilized by filling in the pores around the tooth material, a process that takes thousands of years, and often darkens the tooth

Research:
- mineral identification kit
- gem faceting
- rock microscope / hand lens
- cleavage and fracture
- moss agate

Original goal list posted here

Completed: #1. Make a vest of map-patterned fabric

 This is reversible and for my daughter. The fabric was like a parachute and very frustrating to sew by hand. I may make a matching A-line skirt, and I may fix up some of the seams, still, but it is more or less complete.

Original goal list posted here

Completed: #29. Make something new for my daughter of her old baby clothes

 I made a bunny jumper for my little bunny of an old pair of my jeans, a sleeper of hers I loved but the zipper broke, and a onesie of hers that was too stained to keep. I sewed it all by hand because I find the machine loud and intimidating (though I have used it before, years ago, to make myself a skirt that I still wear). This jumper took three or four days, mostly while she napped. Maybe she will wear it tomorrow.

Original goal list posted here