"How could you stand it I asked"

One of my little one's

It died. My sour dough start died so I just visited my blog posts and found Little Grandma Thompson's Potato Bread Start. What I didn't tell you was what else we talked about while we were making that baby blanket. 

She told me about her babies that had died. My heart broke listening to her. "How could you stand it I asked". She said, "You just do, you have to."

Leo was the oldest child of hers that died. He had been very sick and the the sickness turned to rheumatic fever. She didn't have any money so the doctor gave her some medicine free of charge and told her to put Leo's bed in the front room so that he could be with his family for he couldn't possibly live. He was 12 when he died on 12 Jun 1928 in Midvale, Utah.  But before he did he said three times "I wish they would hurry with my light." (I think I know what that means, the light. What do you think?) Then he laid his head on Little Grandma and passed away. He is buried by his two baby sisters in the Garland City Cemetery. Can you imagine such a thing. My heart cries just telling you this story. 

Another very sad story was about her little baby girl named Rosetta who was born on 23 Jul 1923 in  Bear River City, Utah. She got very sick and had a high fever. Little Grandma sent for the doctor but the midwife came and while she was there she gave the advice to starve the fever and not to give baby Rosetta a drop of liquid until her fever dropped. That night when she was cooler Little Grandma nursed her and kept her next to her to sleep. The babies always slept with an parent or older child in those days because they could freeze in the night if they didn't. The baby went to sleep but in the morning when Little Grandma woke her little baby was dead. That was on 9 Mar 1924 in Garland, Utah. That would almost be unbearable. 

The other little baby Elaine was born 30 April 1928 in Midvale, Utah. She had a very hard birth and died when she was a few hours old. Little Grandma said she knew she wouldn't live. And she didn't. 

Well, there again I ask, "The Good Old Days"?
Not so good at times for sure. 

Love,
Grammy T.

Sourdough Starter with potato flakes and memories of Little Grandma Thompson

When I was much younger I was quilting one day with my husbands Grandma Thompson. Little Grandma we called her because she was all of 4' 10" tall. She was darling. She told me she had used a potato water start as yeast for bread making and that it stayed on the back of her wood burning stove. 

She was born in 1891 and of course lived the old fashioned way.

Potato Flake Sour Dough Starter Recipe:  

Starter (first time):

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast

3 level Tablespoons instant potato flakes

Starter Feeder (subsequent times):

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons potato flakes

You can use it in pancakes too. (yummmmm) This is a potato bread recipe that I have used

for years and I love it and I may add a myriad of things to it but this is the recipe. 

Ingredients:

4 cups flour 

(I like Gold Medal Unbleached)

 4 cups water

2 Tbls. yeast 

(if using frozen yeast use cold water or you will kill your yeast)

1/4 cup sugar

4 Tbls. potato flakes

2 Tbls. salt

Mix;

This is the sponge.   Let rest for awhile and then add:

4 more cups flour a cup at a time. Sometimes it takes more and it may take less so keep it a little sticky (not goopy).  

Put some oil in a large bowl and put the dough in it. Flip it over to coat with the oil.

Put in a warm oven, not hot. Just prewarmed a bit because the dough will love being out of a draft in a warm spot. 

Let rise for about 45 minutes or until your finger mark stays down when you poke it.

Toss onto a dusted counter with a little flour and form into loaves.

Put in bread pans coated with Pam.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes for nice crusty bread. 

Take out of pan and put on a big wooden bread board. 

Slather the top with butter and let cool. 

Take to your friends warm in a brown lunch bag so it won't get squishy or if it is all cooled you can put it in plastic bags. 

You can use part whole wheat flour, oats, corn meal, sunflower seeds, millet, flax seed and whatever you want in the recipe.  It's fun to experiment. but remember the sticky or soft part when mixing not stiff. :)