Homesteading

Welcome to our homesteading page. We are homesteading in New England, with cows in the pastures, chickens in a coop and run and budgies, a cat and a dog in our home. We love to garden too and hope to share and inspire you!

On the homestead, one thing we value is eating nutritious food, mostly homegrown, or whole foods. In 2020, we acquired a sourdough starter from a friend and have been storing it in a mason jar in the fridge, feeding it once a week after making a beautiful sourdough bread and then using the discard for other recipes, such as sourdough discard muffins or sourdough discard pizza dough, which are all super delicious!

Sourdough bread. Is it good for you?

Let’s take a look at sourdough bread and why it really may be worth a try.

1. It is delicious and good for you.

Sourdough is made from only 4 ingredients: fermented yeast, flour, water and salt. The good bacteria of the yeast makes it easier to digest. Sourdough bread fuels the production of good bacteria in your gut.

Sourdough also contains a variety of vitamins and nutrients. It has small to moderate amounts of: B1-B6, B12, calcium, vitamin E, folate, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, selenium, thiamin, and zinc. Compared to other breads, sourdough maintains many of the original nutrients that are processed out of other kinds of bread.

2. No added preservatives.

Sourdough bread contains acetic acid, which naturally prevents the growth of mold. It essentially preserves itself for up to 5 or 6 days without all those added preservatives found in most store-bought breads.

3. Lower glycemic index

Sourdough is fermented in a way that depletes bad starches within it. It has a lower effect on blood sugar than most store-bought breads. The longer prep time for sourdough bread means that much of the protein gluten is broken down into amino acids before it is consumed. This is better for those sensitive to gluten.

4. Provides healthy bacteria and “good acid”

Because of the fermentation, there is more beneficial bacteria. Sourdough contains Lactobacillus a kind of bacteria that results in higher levels of lactic acid which is easier on digestion and helps you to absorb minerals.

5. Less yeast.

The healthy bacteria in sourdough bread works to reduce yeast populations, which helps prevent infection and lowers yeast overgrowth.

6. It’s so tasty!

If you’ve never tried Sourdough bread, plain or toasted with some drizzled olive oil or sweet cream, melted butter, on top, you don’t know what you’re missing!