Sand Castles Boutique, Rockport MA
Today, I had a bunch of errands to do here and there including to going to the supermarket. For fun, I decided to run into Sand Castles in Rockport MA during their annual 50% off sale that runs from January through March, the non-tourist months of the year in that picturesque seaside town.
Usually I look for birthday and/or holiday gifts for friends or relatives during the off-season sale. Unfortunately nothing stood out as a perfect gift for anyone of my friends, but I did manage to score a cute and comfy shawl/scarf for me (no surprise) that goes with both of my winter jackets. The shawl is polka-dotted, always a favorite with me. And it’s reversible: pink on one side and off-white on the other.
The regular price was $28, but the sale price was $14. Bingo!
Vivosun Seed Germinating Heated Mat
Last week, King Arthur Flour, the baker’s online store, had a sale. They were advertising a heated mat to help bread and sourdough starter rise, especially in cool kitchens during the winter. Because I’m one of those bakers who has a cold kitchen with even colder granite countertops during the winter, I took note of that mat. The regular price is over $100 for the 10″ x 20.75″ size, but with the after-holiday sale plus an extra 10% off as part of a one-day sale, the price came down to $79.
Because $79 is still rather pricey, I decided that I needed to read all of the reviews by purchasers on their website. The reviews were almost entirely 5 star reviews with new owners being delighted with the shortening of the time it took for their bread dough or sourdough starter to rise. Sounded worthwhile to buy the mat.
Before clicking Purchase for the mat in my cart, I decided to read the few 1 and 2 star negative reviews. One woman received a mat that didn’t work at all, and a few people mentioned that there was only one temperature that the matt could be set to, and that heat actually burned the bottom of some of the items rising on it. Yikes. One man who complained about not being able to adjust the temperature mentioned that he could have just used his seed germination mat that cost a fraction of the price. Wow, thank you mister!
I searched for “heated seed germinating mats” and I came up with a few choices. That guy was right, the matts cost far less than the bread mat at King Arthur Flour. The mat that appealed to me was from Vivosun.
The small size, again 10″ x 20.75″, had a heating unit that could be set from about 32° to 104°F.
The regular price was $17.99!!!! At that price, I could buy at least 4 of them, but I only needed one. With the 10% off coupon, state tax, and the shipping fee, I paid less than $22. Excellent! (It’s now on sale for $11.99, even better!)
Today, the mat arrived and I instantly plugged it in and set it up on my countertop. Instead of germinating seedlings, I fed my sourdough started and instead of placing it under the lights beneath my kitchen cabinets, I put it on the mat. It definitely started rising up the glass container much faster than it did under the lights. I just checked the starter again, and it has doubled in size in only 4 hours rather than its usual rising time that’s anywhere from overnight to 24 hours.
When we returned from Costa Rica, all of my plants survived my absence except one.
My gorgeous Tricolor Stromanthe that my close friend S who moved away to Washington DC gave me three years ago took a major hit. Now it looks like death is imminent. Stromanthe is a finicky plant, but mine actually thrived. Sadly, my Stromanthe didn’t do well in the 62° temperature that I set the thermastat to while we were away. The leaves curled up and drooped. The water I had given it before we left is still very perceptible in the soil. Although I’ve been back for over a week, the plant looks beyond recovery. I figured I have nothing to lose, so I have put the droopy Stromanthe on the heated mat, and I’ll see if anything happens by tomorrow. Over the first couple of hours, it looks like a couple of the leaves unfurled, but once the temperature on the first floor went down to 63° for the night, the unfurled leaves curled up again. Oh well, I’ll check it in the morning. But it was worth a try!
Regardless, the heated mat has done the trick for my sourdough starter. And tomorrow, I’ll see how it does with bread dough, but I’m very optimistic 😀
The shawl is perfect for you. I love how devoted you are to baking.
Thank you, Marcia! How are you feeling?