Palm Sunday

As we were walking into church today I was flooded with a memory from my childhood.

I grew up in a small farming town in rural South Dakota. We did not have much in the way of exotic things. The coolest car in town was a Trans Am complete with the eagle on the hood and T top. You know like the Smokey and the Bandit car. The most exotic place I could dream of living was Texas. It was as far as my imagination would take me. Granted it was pretty different from South Dakota, at least in my mind it was.

I can remember one year for Palm Sunday the children received a palm leaf frond. Not the whole leaf like we received today, but one single frond from the leaf.

Yeah our Church did not have a lot of money. I think, I thought the frond came from Jerusalem. I remember them telling us the reason it is named Palm Sunday. Jesus was welcomed into the gates of Jerusalem by all the people laying palms on the street before him to honor him.

I remember keeping my frond for a long time. I think that was the exotic and mystical thing I owned in my childhood. It alway struck me that you could be welcomed with such honor one week and persecuted and dead the next.

On a happier note I managed to make bread correctly today, Mediterranean Herbed Bread.

I was looking at the book store this week for a new bread book. I had found it the last time I was in and the idea intrigued me, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I like making bread so I decided to buy the book the next time I was in the store. Well I researched it a bit further and it is a slow rise method, or some such name. Basically you mix the dough and leave it for 16 to 18 hours unrefrigerated then you can cook it or store it in the refrigerator and bake up bits as you want. You allow natural bacteria to do the work that kneading does in regular bread dough. The bread is supposed to be more flavorful and convenient for cooking. (Plus you don't need a bread machine to make the dough.)

I've got to be honest I know that there is beneficial bacteria and what not, but it totally grossed me out to think of bread dough sitting on the counter for the day. I know that we lived for hundreds of years with bacteria, and I hate antibacterial soaps. But come on my stomach did a flip. I think this may be the reason I've not yet attempted making sourdough bread.

Now after reading a book I have from the library, it is not a new concept to do bread this way. I'm a bit more intrigued, I may even purchase a book about it. I mean it can not hurt to try new things, I hope. I am interested in making more bread and different breads too.

What do you think experimental bacteria anyone?