Dreaming of Sourdough Bread

September Equinox has come and gone and we are now officially in Autumn, which means we’re staying indoors more and ultimately have more time to stock up the freezer with stews and breads to warm and nurture us on cooler days to come.

As it happens, I recently finished reading “Sourdough” by Robin Sloan, a little gem of a novel where he explores the connection between a tech-hungry society and the basic need to feed ourselves. Lois is a robotics programmer who finds herself the sudden owner of an ancient sourdough starter with mystical properties. She learns to feed and care for the starter and in exchange it teaches her to bake and stretch her perception of food and how it meets our most simple needs. The book has more, introducing us to the Lois Club, San Francisco Chapter (which is a real thing), robotic arm programming and a mysterious people who don’t really exist except in their shared memories of their culture.

So, whether you are dreaming of cooler weather and pretty colours in your landscape or if food and savoury breads are your thing, Autumn is here and it’s a good time to indulge in those things that make us feel content.