Wasn't much better today. I'm tired, and the showers continue. Least there isn't much wind. The road I was on was narrow, with a lot of truck traffic. Not ideal.I wanted to stop at Wollembi, but the camp ground is too close to the creek, and still had water pooled on it. With more rain forecast, it was on to Broke.
It took another attempt to leave. But finally I made it out. The first attempt, the trains were not running well, and I had a "did I turn off the stove" moment. Rather than spend days wondering I went back.
Finally I was off. Standing in the rain, cold, I was hoping for better weather. It did ease up later in the day. but I struggled with lack of fitness. After 40 km, I called it a day and set up camp.
The weather is cooling, the rains have come and my patience is done. Time to cycle away north. This visit has been longer than I'd anticipated. It has been starting to feel like a bit of a joke as each week I plan to leave, farewell friends, and yet remain.
What has been keeping me here is my dental problems persist. Frustratingly, I didn't have any problems when I went for a visit for a "clean and check". But that found that some fillings needed replacement. After having fillings replaced, a tooth started aching. It has then dragged out. Maybe just irritated from the filling. Sounds like the root is dying. Root canal needed. Maybe not needed. Lets wait to see if it gets worse.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that the ache goes away, or at the least, don't get any worse.
I'm riding out on a fine day. But after that, the rains will return. But it will pass..
More food! Been a big week. Bread, yoghurt and sauerkraut.
Home made yoghurt. Made with powdered milk. I'm onto the second batch now, this only lasted two days before being eaten. Kept well, considering no fridge - kept it in the shade during the day after making it.
Making it was easy. Mix up the milk, add some vanilla, then boil it.
An important step. Not only does it sterilize the milk, but some reading says that the heat changes the protein, to help it 'set' later (if all goes well). Other people say it doesn't matter that much for commercial milk. Not sure how much heat is applied to powdered milk, but I need to boil anyway to sterilize the water.
Wait till it cools to blood temperature, then add in two tablespoons of Jalna Low Fat yoghurt, and mix it well. Then keep it warm for 6-8 hours. I wrapped it up spare clothes. Made it in the morning, and found it set the next morning when I checked. It may have set by the afternoon - but I didn't check. Keep two spoons to make the next batch.
I used Jalna low fat yoghurt as that is what I had. I like Jalna yoghurt; Australian and simple. No thickeners, gelling agents, nothing artificial, no colours, no preservatives, no stabilisers or emulsifiers. But any natural yoghurt would work to provide the culture.
I'll try making yoghurt when travelling - will be a bit more messy as the best time for the temperature will be during the day. But then it will shake about on the bike. Probably will not 'set' in that case. But hopefully will still be 'yoghurt'. Thinking a bag might be better - then can force the air out and it will not splash about.
Also have a two batches of sauerkraut fermenting. Ideally they should stay a few weeks before being done. But since I'm leaving soon, I'll eat one later this week. Might try the other in a bag on the bike also..
Looking forward to being mobile again.
Mmmmmm Hot Bread!
I got access to a stove, so rather than making my usual flat bread, I decided to bake bun. Haven't done this since was on the Great Central Road.
But, while doing this, I read the self raising wholemeal flour ingredient list: "Wheat flour, Coarse Bran, Acidity Regulators (339,341,450,500)".
I'm not that keen on the acidity regulators now that I look them up, but 'Coarse bran'? Why is there coarse bran in wholemeal flour?
I had perhaps, naively, assumed that "wholemeal" meant what the dictionary said it did "...made from the entire wheat kernel... " .
But, no. Foolish assumption!
Hunting about led me to Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code - Standard 2.1.1 - Cereals and Cereal Products
Extracting out bits:
"flours or meals means the products of grinding or milling of cereals, legumes or other seeds."
"wholegrain means the intact grain or the dehulled, ground, milled, cracked or flaked grain where the constituents – endosperm, germ and bran – are present in such proportions that represent the typical ratio of those fractions occurring in the whole cereal, and includes wholemeal."
"wholemeal means the product containing all the milled constituents of the grain in such proportions that it represents the typical ratio of those fractions occurring in the whole cereal."
What is the typical ratio of endosperm, germ and bran?
Looking about, found on Wikipedia that "Wheat consists of approximately 83% endosperm, 14.5% bran, and 2.5% germ by mass."
Over on Australian Food Standards website, they state "Ingredients must be listed in descending order (by ingoing weight)." Seems to me that the flour isn't wholemeal as per the standard as it is missing the 'germ'. Since it has ' wheat flour ' as the first ingredient, and bran as the second.
Looking at Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council picture of the parts, and the section "Identifying Whole Grains" it says "When checking to see if a food contains whole grain ingredients look for these words in the ingredient list:" and then, shows that "wheat flour" is not a wholegrain.
Looks to me like false marketing - calling the flour "Wholemeal flour" when it isn't.
Also note, nothing says they have to add in the same part of that grain back in. So, start with the grain, remove the germ, and bran, and then mill the endosperm. Ship the three parts to different factories. Each factory adds in their own stock of missing parts, maybe from overseas sources, and then calls it 'wholegrain'. And that is ok.
I cannot find a definition of "coarse bran". Looking about the supermarket, the one other "Wholemeal" flour I found had the ingredients as "Wholemeal wheat flour" - which is more like what I wanted - having all the parts of the grain.
You cannot trust any words written on the front of a packet.
Edit: fixed weird formating.