As I was trying to put my thoughts together regarding our second week in business, I found that my days all ran together and it was hard to pinpoint what happened when!
After I posted last Monday, we prepared for our first Wednesday market. There were several decisions that had to be made. Wednesday's market is known to have light foot traffic, so we only went with what we thought would sell.
 |
| Mom getting baskets ready. |
The weather forecast for Wednesday was warm and windy. The wind was to arrive at 11am. OK, it sounds odd that they predict the time of wind arrival, but let me tell you, when they say 11am they mean it, and just like a Swiss Watch . . . the wind arrived at the Market - packing 45mph gusts! We had secured our tent, and fortunately most of our bread was sold at that point - we ended up taking only 8 loaves home.
Wednesday's bread ready to go to the market!
Our booth before the wind hit. If you look closely, you'll see where we are anchored down to keep the tent from blowing away. We also anchored the tables together. A big thank you to all our friends old and new who came out on Wednesday to get their bread!
 |
| You can just see the Organ Mountains peeking over an Adobe church. The flag tells the rest of the story! |
I'm also not retarding the loaves overnight since the walk in was not complete, which means I have to hone my skill at making sure the oven and the loaves are both ready at the same time. I've had a few loaves get away from me and over proof - but so far it's been manageable. I have to admit, I was looking forward to the walk in being compete. Managing all that dough and then baking the same day is a bit frantic.
Fortunately we don't have the humidity that we had in New Jersey, so I'm finding it a little easier to keep the dough cool. But with that said, the new challenge I face is lack of humidity! Things dry out really, really fast in the desert's dry climate. We'll be putting what's called a Swamp Cooler in the BakeHouse. This simple unit actually puts humidity back in to the air and cools the room.
 |
| I was able to get the inside of the Walk In painted during the week, early in the morning when it was cool. |
When Tom was ready to install the compressor for the Walk In, what became the big frustration was an oversight by the contractor in regard to the wiring. So Tom had to do some reworking of the wiring to accommodate the unit. I'm sure grateful for all that Tom knows how to do, I think I would have gone nuts waiting for the contractor to return to fix the problem!
 |
| I think this photo was taken at around 10:30 PM! Feeding Tom Oreos seemed to keep his spirits up as he fought with the rewiring challenge. Big hands, small space . . . ouch! |
 |
| Walk In is now ready! |
 |
| Baker's racks fit like a glove. Walk in will fit 5 racks at one time. |
Wow, now that I've gotten all this in writing with photos in place I'm realizing just how crazy the week has been. Today we'll be preparing 75 loaves, which will keep me on my toes as I'll be firing the oven at the same time and baking later this evening. Starting next week, with all the pieces in place i.e. the walk in, the thermocouples, the air conditioner, I'll be able to start our prep and bake schedule based on what I did in New Jersey. Which is mix our dough, proof overnight and then bake the next morning. With each passing day it feels as though the kinks are getting worked out. So much feels familiar, but in a new location there is a lot which is new. As we work through each challenge, I'm finding that the wonderful rhythm that I so enjoy as a baker is starting to reveal itself little by little under the sunny skies of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Thanks to all of you who journey along with us, share your kind words and purchase your loaf of bread, we are truly blessed. Thoughtfully - Kath
No comments:
Post a Comment