Starting with A garden ⋆˙⟡
In April/May 2026, I made an impulse decision to start gardening. I’m not really sure what gave me the idea to start this hobby specifically, but it ultimately boiled down to wanting something to do with my hands. An activity that would keep me busy for longer than a brief period or the like. I wanted something to do with my hands and a reason to get up and go outside. I wanted a purpose.
By the end of May, I had started a little colony of plants that I didn’t even intend to grow. I’d previously ruined a whole batch of tomatoes that I’d tried to grow from seed and really didn’t anticipate this round to go any better… yet every single plant took off. To the point where I felt like every weekend I was spending hours repotting these plants to make sure they had enough space to grow in my mini-apartment garden. After gifting plants to my mom for her to grow in her raised beds, I ended up with several successful plants that refuse to stop growing!
My biggest abundance are tomato plants ranging from cherry to beefsteak (or at least that’s what the package advertised). They’re still maturing and growing, but they’re all producing fruit and though they might be small, they’re juicy and delicious. I’ve gained a new appreciation for food when I begin to cook and cut into veggies that I’ve grown myself. Truly, nothing can beat that sense of accomplishment.
Soon to follow will be an abundance of jalapenos. Multiple plants succeeded this year and are producing way more than I can eat by myself! One of my garden boxes is nothing but peppers and they’ve succeeded truly as fast as my tomatoes did. It’s a blessing to watch them grow every single day.
Herbs are a secondary passion of mine, as my basil (pictured) has outgrown the original bed he was laid in. Starting as one singular plant, he’s grown into 7-9 different stalks that all produce me the most delicious basil! Going out there to harvest is a blessing and peaceful as no matter how long I spend, there’s always more basil to harvest! My basil boy has truly inspired me and made me realize my true passion for gardening.
Ending with sourdough ⋆˙⟡
Oh yes, in the midst of all my gardening chaos and clearly very inspired by the homestead feel of things… I found an interest in Sourdough. At first, it’s intimidating as all get out. Everyone, and I mean everyone, does it differently. Some succeed with method A, others fail; Most succeed with method B, some fail; and you can keep going for the entire alphabet or however many ways there are to make sourdough bread. Think of a question and it’s something that’s been asked and tried and true, your results are going to be split.
Another challenge? Sign me up!
Soon - my entire social media feed began to consist of nothing but sourdough. How to perfect your starter, different ways to ‘feed’ it; Hydration percentages, autolyze vs not; All the different ratio’s that people used, 1:3:2 or 1:1:1. Don’t get me wrong, I know what a ratio is, but I didn’t understand what it meant for sourdough! How does this keep a starter alive? What even makes the thing ‘alive’? Does it really have to have a name?
…Yes. My first two starters, started on experiment, were named Ander and Dingus. (It’s from a tiktok, if you know you know) I got a kit and followed both those instructions and the instructions of strangers on the internet for about 2 weeks… and low and behold, I had two active starters. Those starters eventually went to create 4 more starters, again created on experiment to test all the information I was learning. My most successful starter, and current prized possession is Kenny Breadney.
He’s the starter used for all bread produced out of my kitchen and is very delicately loved. He is two months old as of writing this and I plan to continue building him and learning how to maintain him as I go.