Using Herbs - Red Clover Fritters

What is it about summer that makes me want to fry food? Maybe it's the whole "county fair" mentality with yummy corn dogs and funnel cakes. Or maybe it's the picnics with fried chicken. Whatever it is, this is my second post this month with something fried! And today, we're frying up some red clover to make...

Red Clover Fritters.

Bet'cha never heard of that, huh? Since a few people asked me for the recipe, I'm sharing it here.

But, red clover you say? Why would I want to eat that? Isn't it a weed?

Red Clover is a wonderful herb that almost everyone has growing either on their property or close by. You'll find it out in fields, down by beaches, up in the mountains, practically anywhere. It is a wonderful healing plant that has been used for treating conditions ranging from coughs to cancer. It is also a blood thinner.

Pick red clover at it's peak, when the blooms are vibrant, soft and fluffy. To harvest, simply place your finger tips around the base of the flower and pull upward, popping the top off. You can use the red clover fresh for eating, fry them into fritters, or dry them for making teas and infusions later. They are very fragrant when dried and smell wonderful!

~Red Clover Fritters~

1/3 c organic whole wheat flour

1/3 c organic cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 organic egg

1/3 c organic whole milk

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tb raw honey

dash cinnamon

dash allspice

Oil for frying (preferably organic coconut or sunflower)

Mix dry ingredients together and add in egg and milk to make batter. Dip whole clover into batter and drop into hot frying oil. Fry until golden. Drain and serve!

camping + organic homemade marshmallows

We had a great time camping this past weekend.


The solitude, the creek, the family, sleeping on the hard ground (oh wait, that wasn't one of the highlights!) and...........the marshmallows.

Now I like s'mores fairly well. I'm certainly up for making one but that's about it. Maybe I'm lazy and the actual roasting part takes too long, or maybe it's the knowing that I'm ingesting all kinds of horrible yuckiness that is a store bought marshmallow that makes 1 my limit. I'm going to say that it's a combination of both.

So I decided to try my hand at making my own. I think the first words out of my mouth around the campfire on Saturday morning were, "Is it too early to make s'mores?" Seriously people. They are THAT GOOD. Here's why:

1. The roast incredibly fast. You can nicely brown them and get them to a good smooshy consistency.

2. They don't catch on fire. Kinda makes you wonder about what's in those store bought ones that's so flammable, 'eh?

3. They taste sooooooooo much better!

4. They're super easy to make!

5. Your kids (or you) can eat 10...... I mean 2, without feeling that guilty, "I shouldn't be eating this/feeding this to my kids" feeling. Well, sort of. Granted you are feeding your kids a bunch of sugar, which really is never good but the occasional campfire treat isn't going to kill em.

The verdict?

YUM.

Here's the recipe I used,
3 TB unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces organic granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup organic light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
1/4 cup organic confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup organic cornstarch
Organic butter
(you can omit the cornstarch if your confectioners' sugar already has cornstarch in it)
Directions
Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with butter. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Enjoy!

a simple homestead breakfast

We've got quite a few eggs around here right now. Our girls are laying like crazy (I've got 3 dozen in the fridge to prove it.) So, we eat eggs quite a bit for breakfast these days. This recipe is really one of my favorites. Super easy to make and it can use leftovers so that you're using up what you have! I don't have exact measurements on everything that goes into this because I usually end up just throwing in the amount that I have on hand.

Homestead Egg Bake

*1 dozen eggs

*cooked chopped ham, bacon, sausage or the meat of your choosing

*cheese, of your choosing

*some type of bread....english muffins, leftover cornbread, leftover biscuits, peasant bread, or even just the heels leftover from that loaf you've been using for sandwiches

-First, I would recommend toasting the bread to add a nicer texture. In the case of cornbread though, its not so easy so toasting is something that is completely optional.

-Next, chop the bread up into bite sized pieces and lay it in the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 pan.

-Grate the cheese (maybe using somewhere between 1-2c of grated cheese depending on how cheesy you want it)

-Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add in the grated cheese. Then add whatever type of meat you have, again, the amount it to your discretion.

-Pour egg mix over bread, cover and bake for 15 minutes at 350, then uncover and bake for another 30-45 until cooked through.

If I have cream on hand I'll make gravy to pour over each serving. And when it's just the kids and I, if Gavin has already left for work, I'll scale the recipe down and bake it in an 8" round pie plate. If you're a little shy on eggs you can add some milk to the egg mix as well. Add veggies if you'd like! Really, this recipe is one of those "no fail" recipes that is easy to whip together.

I hope you enjoy it!

the proof

Made today. Inspired by my last post.

the food police

People that know me personally know that I'm pretty picky about the foods that my family eats. Some may even say worse things than that. (I'm not pointing any fingers though!) But the truth is, I AM. And unfortunately, I think the way we eat seems quite foreign to most folks.

In one of our more recent conversations, hubby and I were trying to figure out how many families in our community, that we know, eat the same way that we do. We could only name 5. No wonder our health food store is itty bitty! No wonder Safeway's organic produce section is only about 1/8 of the produce department! There's no demand for it here.

I've heard folks talk bout the 80/20 rule. It's where you eat "healthy" 80% of the time and then you allow for 20% of the time to be "not so healthy." The occasional, "We're on the run so let's hit McDonald's" or "Corndogs at the baseball game are just going to have to be our lunch." In my mind, I guess I can find that reasonable. Reasonable if you're not part of my family that is.

See what I mean about being picky?

I like to abide by the 95/5 rule. I'll skip Mc Donald's- AT ALL COSTS and really? I'll pack a lunch for the baseball game ahead of time so we're not caught hungry without healthy food to eat.

How do we abide by the 95/5 rule? Well, for starters we don't eat out. At all. I think the last time we did (actually, I know) was at a friend's son's birthday party. It was at a pizza place and the pizza was great! That was back in August of 2010. Meal planning helps tremendously with this. I'm usually never caught in the "hmmm, it's 4pm, what's for dinner tonight?" scenario. Then we pack food where ever we go. We pack a lunch for the drive home from church. We pack food to go up to the snow. We pack food for the long drive down to Grandma's. It's really not that hard. Then we buy healthy food. Grass fed meats and butter. Raw and non-homogenized organic milks. Organic produce......and so on. We don't do juice. We try our best not to do processed foods, and if we have to, we buy organic ones.

So, what's the 5% then?? DONUTS and the occasional trip to the ice cream shop.

But mostly, donuts.

I love donuts and guess what? So do my kids...and my husband. I'll happily turn my eyes away from things like brownies, even "homemade" out of a box Betty Crocker ones. I'll turn a cheek to pies made with partially hydrogenated soybean oil (yep, that's Crisco.) But some things, like a sweet, round glazed donut should never be left uneaten. Ever.

What do you give in to?

Happy New Year and a December Recap

Happy New Year to you all! I pray that God blesses you abundantly this 2011!

December has been a super busy month for us and I, obviously, only blogged twice the entire month! Here's a quick re-cap of what went on at our homestead in December.

We started the month finding our tree and getting ready for Christmas. We gave away a lot of handmade gifts this year which included canned goods, like applesauce and jams along with homemade soaps. The older boys love to help make applesauce. I think it's the peeler/corer tool. If you don't have one of these, invest in one and watch your children enjoy helping with ever last apple!

We also spent a lot of time baking. Seriously.

On our holiday baking list this year were, Gingerbread cookies, peppermint brownies, raspberry jam thumbprint cookies, peanut butter and chocolate truffles, mexican wedding cakes, cranberry snow candy, black bottom cupcakes and yes, more gingerbread cookies! We even had a day where we decorated gingerbread with some friends.

Our animal count, here on the homestead, dropped by three this month. One was unplanned and sad, the other two were planned and worked out great. The first, unplanned one was having to say goodbye to one of our dogs. He was 13 and I'd had him since he was 6wks old. We had found out in October that he had bone cancer in his left foreleg. Just before Christmas he was barely walking and we decided that it was time to put him down. My eyes still well up at the thought of that day but I am glad that he is out of pain now.

Our two other planned losses were a rooster (we had two and only have 8 hens!) and one of our hogs.
After butchering the turkeys last month, I have to say this chicken was CAKE! It went super fast and easy. Maybe starting off with a big bird is the way to go- it makes everything else seem like child's play. We ate him (our first home raised chicken) 2 nights later. While he was young, (only about 7months old) his thighs were a little tough but everything else on him was great. Since he was a Buff Orphington, his breasts weren't as large as you'd find on a meat chicken but still turned out all right.
Our hog experience was slightly.... a mess. I'll spare you the details and any photos. This was our first home raised, home butchered hog. Gavin did it on one of the worst days of our most recent storm. We'll be butchering our other hog at the end of January. Hopefully the weather will be better and the process will go more smoothly. I'll share shots of that one later. But for now, there's one hog in the freezer!

A special little someone turned 4 this month and we also celebrated both my Dad's and my MIL's birthday.

Layton is a big boy now so he gets to cut his own cake!

He was thrilled to get his very fist gun this year. A Daisy pellet gun. He's been out back shooting a couple times a week trying to improve his aim. For just turning 4, I'd say he does pretty well.

Mason has taken to reading all the books he can get his hands on. Well, maybe not really reading, but at least pretending to. We read through "The Courage of Sarah Noble" as a family in the evenings. While it is a book geared towards 3rd or 4th graders, even my 8th grader was eagerly waiting to hear "what happens next" each night.

Christmas was a blessing. We enjoyed the time together as a family and of course, attempted to snap another family picture. Ya know, one where everyone is smiling at the same time and all looking at the camera? This one didn't turn out too bad I suppose.

One great thing about winter? Being forced to be indoors. Not that I enjoy having to be inside all the time. Actually, I'd much rather spend my time outside but with all the rain and hail and storms we've been having, inside time allows for more inside tasks....including quilting! I've been trying to work on a few quilts here and there and I'm proud to say that I'm actually making progress. Being cooped up also allows more time for reading. Another favorite past time of mine. Do you enjoy reading? Would you like to have another book added to your collection to read through this winter? Well, if you've actually stayed with me though this entire post then you're more than entitled to entering the giveaway for "Country Wisdom and Know How." Really, if you've made it through all of this I wish I could just give each of you a copy for being so faithful! But I only have one to give away so here we go:

Here's a brief description: "Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from "Building Chicken Coops" to "Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt" to "Improving Your Soil" to "Restoring Hardwood Floors." Nearly 1,000 black-and-white illustrations and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page."

Rules:
This giveaway is open to everyone!
Giveaway ends January 15th at 8pm PST
For 1 entry, please leave a comment below; any kind of comment is fine.
For a 2nd entry, please Facebook or Tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment telling me that you did
For a 3rd entry, please blog about it and leave another comment telling me that you did
Winner will be drawn randomly by Random.org on or around the 16th.
Enjoy!

Raising and Butchering the Thanksgiving Turkey

This was our first year raising turkeys and let me tell you, it was an experience! I guess raising a new animal always is but I found with turkeys that there was a lot I didn't know. I was not aware of how much they ate. Granted, they can be 4x the size of a chicken but I guess when I purchased them as little baby chicks, that reality hadn't set in. These gals were hungry 24/7. Even watching them eat grass was amazing. I think if you had a small lawn then you could just own a turkey instead of a lawn mower. They work fast.One of our turkeys back in June.

We raised Bronze turkeys and they were about 1 month apart in age. Even though they were the same breed of turkey they both grew very differently and had very different personalities. Our larger turkey was much like a chicken while our smaller one was more like a overweight pig. She'd just lay around, eat and when she felt like it, she'd roam the grass. She also laid eggs for us while the larger one did not.
We raised them for about 7 months and butchered them yesterday. Before I go any further, let me warn the squeamish that there are some graphic turkey photos below. If you're a homesteader and butcher your own animals then it'll be nothing. If you don't even like to look at live animals and blood makes you faint then just go ahead and skip to another post. I've spared you the beheading shots!

The place where the magic happens. This is our friends home. He and his wife own the local feed store in town and are turkey butchering experts! They raise goats, sheep, pigs and have chickens, a horse and a huge green house. Normally, they raise turkeys as well but this year their turkey dinner became raccoon dinner.

The killing tree. Hanging the turkey up.

Time to take a dip in the 160 degree water (turkey has been beheaded already.) Gary had a nice large barrel that he had cut in half to use- certainly big enough for a turkey. Out of the pot and onto the table.

Plucking feathers. It was actually very easy to remove the feathers once the bird had been dipped. Gavin and Gary did the big turkey and Wyatt and I did the smaller one.

Gavin doing the dirty work.....cleaning up the smaller turkey.

Cleaning the gizzard to be fried in coconut oil and added into the stuffing.

One finished bird.

Our larger turkey ended up being fairly lean. She weighed 25lbs finished and had very little fat on her. Our smaller one had quite a bit of fat (remember I said she was like an overweight pig?) and weighed out at 17lbs.

Cost wise these turkeys were expensive. The chicks were about $8.50 each and then feeding them organic, soy free food for the last 7 months has been pricy as well. While they were free range and did get to eat grass and bugs and other squirmy things, they still ate a lot of purchased food. My guess is that each turkey ended up costing about $60 when all was said and done. Pricey? Yep. But in reality I'd much rather spend the time and the money and know what my food has been eating and the conditions it's been in rather than getting a free turkey from the store if I spend over X amount of dollars. There is something very satisfying about raising and eating your own meat.

Soaked Oatmeal

We eat soaked oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast. It's fantastic! We change what we top it with and that keeps it interesting each morning.
Soaked oatmeal is super easy to make plus by soaking it, you are releasing the vitamins and minerals to be absorbed by your body rather than blocked!
Sally Fallon, the author of Nourishing Traditions, said in her book, "Phosphorus in the bran of whole grains is tied up in a substance called phytic acid. Phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract, clocking their absorption. Whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion. Traditional societies usually soak or ferment their grains before eating them, processes that neutralize phytates and enzyme inhibitors and in effect, predigest grains so that all their nutrients are more available. Sprouting, overnight soaking, and old-fashioned sour leavening can accomplish this important predigestive process in our own kitchens. Many people who are allergic to grains will tolerate them well when they are prepared according to these procedures."

Soaking grains isn't difficult either. All you need is some water and a neutralizer. In the case of Soaked Oatmeal I use our well water and yogurt. The recipe below feeds both my husband and I, and all of our children each morning (a 13yr old, 3yr old, 2yr old and 1 yr old) If you have more or less people in your family then you can adjust the quantity as needed.

Soaked Oatmeal

2 c water

2 c organic oats

4 Tb whole milk yogurt

1 1/2c water (for cooking the next day)

The night before, place oats in a glass or ceramic bowl and pour in water and yogurt. Stir until well combined.

Grains should be soaked for at least 12 hours so I usually make mine up while I'm preparing dinner.

Cover your bowl with a cotton dishcloth and allow it to remain on your counter until the next morning.

When you're ready to cook it, place the oats into a saucepan with the 1 1/2c water and cook on medium heat until water is absorbed (about 8 minutes.) I stir mine often because otherwise it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.

I then portion out our oatmeal into bowls, add organic butter, maple syrup and cinnamon. We then top it with what we have on hand. This morning it was canned peaches and sliced banana. Add some organic whole milk (raw preferably) and enjoy!

Blueberries

We went to the local blueberry farm today and I actually remembered my camera! The only problem was that as soon as I got my camera out to snap the shots I realized that my memory card was missing!!! Doh!! That was disappointing. Oh well. We got the blueberries and that's what counts. We picked 4 gallons in just over an hour. Timber ate most of the ones she picked but both Wyatt and Layton picked 1 gal each. The whole time Layton kept saying things like, "We're working!" and "This is fun!" and "I'm only picking the blue ones mommy!" I was amazed at how well he did (as good as my 12 year old!) I was so proud of his dedication and hard work.

My friend Ida asked me, "What are you going to do with all of those blueberries?"

Hum, good question. That thought hadn't crossed my mind. I guess I could make a cobbler, or I could can a bunch of them, or freeze them. What do you do with blueberries? Any super good recipes you'd like to share? What about blueberry syrup? Now that sounds yummy!

Making Hommade Baby Food

Making your own homemade baby food takes a little bit of time but it is well worth the effort- not to mention less expensive! By making your baby's food you are not only saving money by preparing it yourself but there are less trips to town and less wasted food. Once you open a jar of baby food it is only good for a few days. I'll be the first to admit that I would open a jar, feed part of it, put it into the fridge and then forget about it. Or if my baby was especially hungry he or she may eat a jar and a half and then the second jar would get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten. What a waste of money! All babies are not the same and so while 6 or 8oz. may work for some, it doesn't work for all.Making my baby's food has allowed me to create wholesome meals by using fresh, organic ingredients. My baby is benefiting from the nutrients he is getting rather than missing out on them from processed baby foods. Who knows how long that jar has been sitting on the shelf...or where the food even came from. Even organic baby foods have been over processed and a lot of them are difficult to digest because they haven't been prepared properly.
Here are my tips in making your own baby food.

Foods to feed:
6-8 months: organic liver, pureed meats, soup stocks, raw mashed fruits (banana, melon, avocado, mango,) cooked pureed fruits (apple, pear, peach, apricot,) cooked pureed vegetables (squash, sweet potato, carrots, beet, all cooked with butter or coconut oil,) small amounts of fermented foods (kefir, yogurt.)
8-10 months: Everything above, creamed vegetable soups, homemade stews (ingredients cut small or mashed,) cottage cheese, custard, and if your baby can finger foods then lightly steamed veggie sticks, bits of cheese, avocado or banana chunks.
10-12 months: Everything above, grains that are soaked (grains should not be fed before 1 year,) raw salad veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.) citrus fruits, whole eggs.

You can steam veggies like zucchini in a steamer basket on your stove or cook fruits like pears directly in a saucepan.Add the steamed vegetable/cooked fruit to a baby food maker, food processor or blender (don't forget to add the butter with the veggies!) and blend.While taste does play a part in whether a baby likes his or her food, the biggest factor is the smoothness or thickness. For first foods, babies like smooth pureed foods. Make sure that you blend your foods well so that the consistency is just right. If the baby food needs thickening you can add yogurt, bananas or peas. To thin out foods use breastmilk or formula.Once the food is ready, let it cool to room temperature before pouring it into an ice cube tray. Fill each cube to the top and place into the freezer for 4-6 hours.
Remove cubes from tray and store in an airtight container in the freezer. If you'd rather avoid the ice cube tray then you can place the food in clumps (if it's thick enough) onto a baking sheet and freeze it that way.When you need food simply pull out a cube and set it on a bowl on the counter. It will thaw and come to room temperature in 1-2 hours. If you need it sooner than that you can place it in a glass jar or small bowl and then place that jar into warm water.

One of the best things about making your own food is that you can determine how much food you feed at a meal. If your baby is a light eater then 1 cube works great. You can add another cube, or even a third to increase the amount of food you feed.

Enjoy your baby and feel good about the foods you are nourishing him with!

Bread Making 101: Whole Wheat Loaf

We love fresh made sandwich bread. Making your own at home provides a much healthier loaf than anything you can buy at the store, organic or not, and usually costs much less (especially if you're paying over $3 for an organic loaf.)
This recipe is super easy, it only has 6 ingredients, and turns out well. The combination of wheat and honey gives it a hearty, sweet taste.

Today we're going to cover Phase 1; Gathering and mixing your ingredients.















You'll need:
Whole Wheat Flour; I use Hard White Wheat since it still offers enough gluten to allow the bread to rise/bake well along with a lighter color and texture thanks to the white wheat as opposed to the red wheat.
Sea Salt; this is real salt, not fake salt like the table salts you'll usually find in your grocery store for about .65 cents a container.
Honey; I like locally harvested, raw honey.
Oil; I use organic sunflower oil for this bread, found at my local health food store at a very reasonable price. Stay away from conventional vegetable oils.
Yeast; I use Saf yeast and have found it to be the best.
Warm Water; We're on a well so our water is free of chemicals and additives. I've never baked with treated water so I don't know if it would make any difference.

This is going to make 1 large loaf plus a smaller loaf. We use the large one for sandwiches and the smaller one that night at dinner.

In a large bowl and in this order, pour in 1 1/4c warm water (water that's about 110 degrees,) add 1 1/4 c flour, add 1/2tsp salt, add 1/4 c oil, add 1/4 c honey, and sprinkle 1/2 TB yeast over top. Mix with wooden spoon until well mixed.
Gradually add (1 cup at a time) enough flour to bring your dough to a good consistency for kneading. I usually end up adding an additional 3-4 c of flour. It is going to still be sticky but not loose like batter.

Tomorrow we'll move to Phase 2: Kneading.

Bread Making 101: A Closer Look at Sourdough Starter

I originally started making sourdough starter here. I had found that recipe and tried to follow it. Through the process I've learned a thing or two and I'd like to share my experience and encourage you to start your own.
When I first thought of making sourdough starter (which will just be called SDS from here on out,) I thought of making sourdough bread. We love sourdough bread and since the starter used to make the bread is fermented, I loved the idea of making it even more. Since then though I have found quite a few uses for my SDS. I use it in my tortillas, in my pizza crust, in my pancakes, in my hamburger buns, in my english muffins, etc. You can honestly use it in any type of bread product! Some recipes actually call for the SDS and some (like my pancakes) I just add it into. Pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast foods and while most wouldn't consider pancake making, bread making, I'm going to share my home concocted recipe for soaked pancakes later this month!
SDS is super easy and fairly forgiving to make and keep alive. You can use my recipe that I linked to above if you'd like to. If you don't have all the ingredients on hand then you can also start a SDS with just flour and water. Simply mix equal parts flour and water together in a glass or crockery type container (you can use plastic, although I'd rather you steer clear of that, and can not use any type of metal.) You can feed your starter with flour and water on a daily basis, determining how much you add based on how much you're using.
When I don't use my SDS often then I usually feed it with about 2TB flour: 1 1/2TB water on a daily basis. If it gets used then I may feed it with 1/4c to 1c flour: 1/4c to 3/4c water, depending on how much I just used. I like to keep my SDS on the thicker side, it seems to do better that way. I'd say a good thick pancake batter consistency.
Using organic flour is a must for making and maintaining SDS the thing is, all flours do not work the same. I buy all our flour from our co-op, Azure Standard. Last month though I forgot (*doh!*) to order flour and I had to get by with buying organic flour from the health food store. It killed my SDS! I don't know why it happened but for some reason, the brand that I purchased was not SDS friendly. So keep in mind that if you do try making SDS and it doesn't seem to be working, before giving up, try a different brand of flour. And always make sure that your wheat flour is barely free. I know it sounds strange to thinking that when you buy wheat flour (whole wheat or white) that you would also be getting barley in it but read your label carefully, it does exist in some brands.
If you have any questions about the SDS please feel free to email me directly or leave a comment here and I'll respond in the comment section so that all can see.

Bread Making 101: Cornbread

I wasn't going to start off our recipes this month with cornbread, of all breads, but we ate it last night so here we go!
We love cornbread. And sweet cornbread at that. You'd think we're southern! But conventional cornbread recipes call for refined sugars, vegetable oils and cornmeal. Unless you have organic cornmeal then you're consuming GMO (genetically modified) corn. So I took a recipe, modified it to fit our diet and here's what I came up with.

1 c organic unbleached flour
1/2 c organic whole wheat flour
1/2 c raw honey or organic pure can sugar
1/2 c organic corn meal
1 Tb Aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 c organic whole milk
2 large organic (preferably pastured) eggs
about 1/2 c organic butter

Everyone always raves about this cornbread and I honestly feel as though the fresh, organic ingredients make a huge difference in the flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir well. Set aside.

In a small bowl, or large measuring cup, beat eggs slightly. Add in milk. Slowly melt down butter in saucepan. I heat mine on the stove on low and watch it until it is just melted.

Pour butter into egg/milk combo and then pour into dry mix.

Pour into buttered pie dish (I used a 9.5" on the one below) and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Slice and serve!

If you're new to baking breads then cornbread is a great one to start out with. It's easy to make and turns out well. You can make it without any sweetener if you'd prefer. You can also bake it in cast iron muffin tins if you'd prefer individual servings. If you're baking cornbread muffins remember to reduce the cook time to about 18-20 minutes. You can always test your cornbread with a wooden toothpick inserted in the center to see if it's cooked enough. When inserted, it should come out clean.

Enjoy cornbread with meatloaf, stews, soups, steaks, or any other dish you'd like!

kraut and co-ops

I just purchased these 1 gallon jars from our co-op, Azure Standard, last month. They are perfect for making sauerkraut. 2 large heads of cabbage fit inside perfectly.Cindy gave me a great tip on fermenting your kraut; to help hold the chopped cabbage down, use an entire leaf to cover the top! It works fabulously. This morning I chopped all my cabbage up, squished it into my new jar and placed a leaf over the top. Then I used a 1/2 pint, wide mouth mason jar to put pressure on the cabbage, making sure it all stays below the salt water. Screw on the lid and in about 2 weeks this kraut is going to be delicious!
Do you have a co-op where you live? If you're west of the Mississippi (for the most part) Azure probably delivers to your state! Most of the food that we consume (other than our garden and farmers market) comes from our co-op. I do go to the grocery store, but only once in a while and usually for just a couple things. Shopping with the co-op allows me to save money and time. Getting all the things I need once a month is a blessing! Especially when you live in an area where it rains 3/4 of the year and you have 3 kids, ages 3 and under to take to the store!

gardening tips

I've had a few followers of this blog ask me some questions about gardening so I though I'd just share a couple quick tips here in case the information could be valuable to you as well!

1. Know your zone! Your local garden center or nursery will be able to tell you what zone you live in, or you can use this to find out. Different plants grow better in different zones.

2. Know what you can and can't plant. This goes along with #1 but I guess I want to stress it because not everyone can grow, for example, corn. Trust me, I know. This is the first year I did not plant corn. While I may be able to find a breed of corn that grows better in cooler climates, the fact is that corn likes lots of sun and warmth, neither of which we have here. Why am I forcing something that is just not natural? I would especially recommend planting for your area if you're a first time gardener. There's nothing worse than crop failure your first year. It'll make you feel as if your green thumb has turned brown!

3. After careful consideration of sunlight and where it rises and sets, map out your garden on a piece of paper. This will allow you to better plan the placement of your plants or vegetables. Don't go in without a plan or you'll get your pole beans growing so tall they shade your tomatoes for half the day!

4. Seeds should be planted twice as deep as they are large. Example: pole beans are about 1/2" long, they get planted 1" deep.

5. Space your plants out (if you're doing veggies.) A great reference for this is the book Gardening When it Counts. It is better to have a few vegetables with optimal nutrition than 20 of them with little nutrition.

6. If you don't live in an area with a lot of rain and have to water often, mulch your garden. Chips from trees or straw works well. This will help retain moisture in the ground and as a bonus, keep your weeds down!

7. Weed often. Not only is it easier to pull up little weeds rather than big ones but weeds compete with your plants for nutrients.

8. Water deep. When you thoroughly soak your ground at a watering, it benefits you in two ways. First, you don't have to water as often and second, your plants roots will grow down deep into the soil and result in healthier, bigger plants. Shallow watering encourages shallow plant roots and small, weak plants. Watering first thing in the morning is the best time to water. It helps your plants manage the rays of the hot sun during the day and allows for drying time so that nothing is sitting wet overnight.

9. Plant only what you need and in phases. Example; Unless you're feeding a family of 20, two 10' rows of lettuce planted all at the same time is not only going to be way too much but is all going to come ripe at the same time. Plant what your family can eat fresh (can the leftovers) and stage planting things like lettuce or broccoli so that you can eat it as it comes ripe. Planting this way will also save space in your garden, if your space is limited.

10. Grow as much as you can vertically if your garden is space challenged. Choose pole beans over bush beans, trellis anything else you grow that can climb (i.e. cucumbers.)

11. Compost! What a fantastic way to turn your kitchen scraps into nutritious dirt for feeding your plants! Remember to only put raw things into your compost and avoid all meats. You want to add things that rot, not that go rancid. Grass clippings and raked leaves make for excellent additions to your compost bin. Try to have your bin in a somewhat sunny location (heat is what makes the contents turn to dirt.) Turn your compost regularly with a pitchfork and if it looks as if it's drying out too much you can add water. We don't have that problem here in the pacific northwest. Things actually take longer to break down because of the cooler temps and lots of rain!

12. Go organic! If you're starting seeds (which I would recommend, they're less expensive and easier than you think to start) or purchasing starts, try and buy organic ones. Research the types of plants and bugs that you can add to your garden (yep, you can even buy beneficial bugs) to eliminate the need for chemical bad bug control. You can also create a space near your garden to act as a buffet to draw in birds that like to eat all those pesky little bugs. Use things like natural fertilizers and compost to feed your plants on a regular basis.

13. Finally, know that gardening is learned through trial and error and that even after years of gardening you'll still be learning and trying new things. Enjoy your garden and the bountiful harvest you'll be able to reap throughout the growing season!

Rendering Lard

Lard is a great source of fat to use in all kinds of cooking, baking and even soap making! If you raise your own pigs or even buy pigs to slaughter, you can ask the butcher to make sure that he saves you all the pig fat off your pig. There will be a lot. Depending on the size of your pig, probably about 6-8 quart jars full of lard when you're done rendering all of it.

To make lard, you'll need a couple supplies:

Pig fat (that's a given I think)
Some source for heating it slowly. I use a crock pot but others have used their oven or stove top.
A couple bowls and jars
A strainer and some cheesecloth

Step 1: Cut up the fat.You want to clean the fat of any leftover meat or skin and cut it into apx. 1" pieces. Your pieces should be white. Depending on how good your butcher is, or isn't, you may need to trim a lot off.
Pieces, like this one above, need to be cleaned up quite a bit. You don't want to be cooking meat along with your fat.
Step 2: Cook the fat.I like to do mine in the crock pot on low or warm. You're going to cook it for about 12 hours, stirring occasionally. As it cooks the chunks will melt down into a liquid.
Not everything will melt down though, in my experience. You will still be left with a little at the end that looks like this:Step 3: Strain the fat.
You'll want to strain all the liquid off of the remaining mush through a strainer and into a bowl. Don't worry about any little bits that get into the liquid at this point, we're going to do a second straining later. If a lot of fat chunks are left you can continue to melt those down in your crock pot for another few hours.
I would recommend using, if you have one, a large glass bowl to place your strained liquid fat into.
Then, add 1-2c of water to your liquid fat.
Refrigerate over night.
Step 4: Skim off the lard.
Letting the liquid cool over night will allow it to separate into lard, on the top, and the water and bits of fat (that went through the strainer) on the bottom.

Now it's time to scrape off the lard.I made the mistake of using a large stainless steel pot this time. Since the bottom is so wide on the pot, it makes it difficult to skim off the lard once it's cool. As you can see from the picture below, some of the leftover chunkiness had to be scraped from the lard.Step 5: Melt down the lard in a pot.You're going to melt down all the cooled, hardened lard in another pot till it reaches a liquid form. Then place a cheese cloth (or thin cotton dish cloth) over a strainer and pour your lard through the cloth. This will catch any of the last tiny little bits of fat and give you a nice clean lard.Step 6: Pour your lard into jars.Place a lid on the jars and store in your fridge. You can store it in your fridge for up to a year. If left out on a shelf, maybe for 4-6 months. You can also freeze your lard.