Making vinegar the old way A warm and sincere thank you to everyone who visited Sarndra yesterday. We are both delighted with your lovely and encouraging comments. I have no doubt Sarndra will have many excellent organising ideas in the future and I'm looking forward to seeing how she leads us towards better organised homes. I have been reading the wonderful Wild Fermentation book by Sandor Ellix Katz, with foreword by Sally Fallon of Nourishing Traditions fame. If you have a chance to read this from the library, or better still buy it - it will make an excellent reference and recipe book - do so. I love good vinegar. You can make excellent vinegar at home using old wine, apple cider or fruit. Air is very important to vinegar making - it is an aerobic process. If your first attempts at vinegar making fail and you've been using glass, you can give it another go using a container that doesn't let in any light. Start with a clean jar - wash it just before you use it - warm soapy water and a good rinse.
How To Make Sourdough Starter How To Make Sourdough Starter I have made sourdough starter many times. I have had varied amounts of success with it. I first made it using a little yeast to get it going because I just could not believe that you could create a starter that would raise bread without yeast. That worked fine, and I made a few different recipes with it before I forgot about it and it died. Then I read Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions and tried her recipe. Well, recently I was doing some bread baking and thought.. Here is the basic recipe: Sourdough Starter ½ cup whole wheat flour ½ cup white flour 1 cup warm water. I put this in a 2qt. canning jar and put some cheesecloth on the top secured with a rubber band... Each day you need to feed your starter. Feed your starter each day: ¼ cup whole wheat flour ¼ cup white flour ½ cup warm water Put this in a warm spot. After about 5 days you should be ready to bake with it. Time to Use the Starter Began by pouring the starter into a bowl and feeding it with:
Home-made Coffee Ice Cream: How to Make Homemade Gourmet Fat-Free, Sugar-Free Coffee Ice Cream with Ice Cream Maker Using Salt and Ice (directions, recipe, with photos, easy and free) Home-made Coffee Ice Cream: How to Make Homemade Gourmet Fat-Free, Sugar-Free Coffee Ice Cream with Ice Cream Maker Using Salt and Ice (directions, recipe, with photos, easy and free) This month's notes: April 2014: Spring is just around the corner. Strawberries are here in Florida, Texas and California, next in late March and April for much of the South, then in May for most of the country and June in cooler northern areas. See how easy it is to make strawberry jam or strawberry-rhubarb jam! Organic farms are identified in green! See our guide to local fruit and vegetable festivals!. Subscribe to our: Email alerts; Follow us on Twitter Add this page to your favorites! Click here for a PDF print version What's better than fresh coffee ice cream? If you are looking for an instruction manual for your ice cream maker, we have them, too! Directions for Making Homemade Fat-Free, Sugar-Free Coffee Ice Cream Ingredients Equipment Instructions Step 1 - Be sure you have plenty of ice and salt C.
Fake Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes Ever have one of those "Ah-ha!" moments? I happened to me yesterday when I was lamenting the price of those very convenient Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes. I remember when they used to only cost $1.00 each in Walmart and now they're $2.50 each! Who says there's no inflation? Anyway, I usually just tell myself that I can make cookies from scratch anytime with the plentiful ingredients of my pantry, but then it came to me...Why can't I make cookie pre-mixes and keep them in ziplock bags for use at my convenience? So, I've come up with recipes for four of my family's favorite Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes. Fake Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies: 1 Cup Flour 1/4 Cup White Sugar 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag. Fake Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies: 1 1/2 Cups Flour 3/4 Cup White Sugar 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt Fake Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookies:
50 Things You Should Stop Buying & Start Making Published with permission from Natural Living Ideas You might be realizing that most of the products out there that aren’t made organically or naturally contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Not only that, many of these products can be harmful to our environment in a number of ways. Making things yourself not only saves you money and helps the environment, but it lets you know where your products are coming from and exactly what’s in it. You can make anything from food items to personal care and cleaning products all in very simple ways. Remember: whenever you can, use organic foods and ingredients in recipes. 50 Things You Can Start Making Homemade Ketchup – This ketchup won’t break the bank, tastes better than the real deal and contains no added sugar – so it’s nutritionally good for the whole family. Homemade Mayonnaise – This is a great recipe for any mayonnaise lover out there wanting to make their own at home, it’s simple and easy and tastes better than the store bought versions. Google+
Homemade Sunscreen Lotion Bars Tired of Takeout? YOU can cook real food simply and easily with meal plans! Meal planning has now been revolutionized! Customizable 'real food plans' couldn't be any EASIER! Try these REAL FOOD meal plans today! 71.2K 130Google +465 110K 328 Make your own non-toxic homemade sunscreen lotion bars with this easy homemade sunscreen lotion bar recipe. Why a Non-toxic Homemade Bar? If you didn’t already know, commercial lotions can be toxic due to potential endocrine disruptors and other nasty chemicals. However, I live in Texas and the sun can get pretty brutal during the summer. I was inspired by Robin Konie of Thank Your Body to make non-toxic homemade lotion bars after reading her eBook, Toxic Free. What I love about this bar is that it is goes on easily and soaks right in without being overly greasy. Non-Toxic Homemade Lotion Bars Homemade Ingredients Homemade Lotion Bar Directions Homemade Notes These homemade sunscreen lotion bars will melt in the hot sun. Pin it here!
Dandelion Jelly - A Unique Honey Flavored Treat Dandelion jelly is spring in a jar. If you haven't tried making it, you should add it to your list of fun spring projects. Before I developed an interest in canning, I explored a few recipes and refrigerated them instead. You'll see this sometimes, a smaller recipe that calls for refrigerating or freezing the finished product. It's like canning without the worry or production line volume.My first foray was a very nice strawberry and rhubarb jam. I followed that success by making dandelion jelly the following spring. Why This One's a Keeper Since it's that time of year, I thought I'd share my take on basic dandelion jelly using this recipe. Another nice thing is that you can easily gather the main ingredient (dandelions) on a mild spring morning, which always feels like harvesting strewn sunshine in a basket -- a nice way to start the day whether you're making jam or not. Dandelion Jelly Recipe Directions Tips and Notes on Making Dandelion Jelly
Homemade Creamcheese (without a starter culture) My last challange was to homemake cream cheese, and I did it! This recipe requires no special equipment, starter cultures or complicated ingredients. In fact, the only difficult thing is trying to plan it around your schedule because it takes about 5 days! I did not take step-by-step pictures as I was not sure I was going to succed with this, but I will try to be as precise as possible in my instructions. Ingredients (makes 250 g): 2 cups (475 ml) non-ultra pasteurized half and half 1/2 cup (117.5 ml) non-ultra pasteurized whipping cream 1 tablespoon (14 ml) buttermilk Salt to taste Day 1: In a saucepan, heat creams to 32° C (90 F). Day 3: Remove the curd from the refrigerator and pour it into a mixing bowl. Day 5: Place the finished cream cheese in a plastic or glass container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Dandelions: Hear Them Roar Dandelion Burgers from Forage Ahead 1 cup packed dandelion petals (no greens) 1 cup flour 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp each basil and oregano 1/8 tsp pepper Mix all ingredients together. Dandelion Blossom Bread 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 Teaspoon salt 1 cup dandelion blossoms, all green sepals and leaves removed 1/4 cup oil 4 Tablespoons honey 1 1/2 cups milk Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, including petals making sure to separate clumps of petals. MORE DANDELION RECIPES, by Rose Barlow Cream of Dandelion Soup 4 cups chopped dandelion leaves 2 cups dandelion flower petals 2 cups dandelion buds 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil 1 cup chopped wild leeks (or onions) 6 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups water 2 cups half-n-half or heavy cream 2 tsp salt 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Garnish with flower petals. Pumpkin-Dandelion Soup Prepare in advance: 1 large handful Dandelion greens: Chop leaves into bite-sized pieces. 1 small pumpkin: 1 medium to large onion, chopped 1. 2.
Homemade Liquid Dish Soap – That really works! Hi. I have a couple of questions and a few suggestions regarding this recipe. I just made this recipe, and thought a few comments might help others: first, I added the shaved bar soap, as suggested, as well as the addition of a few drops of essential orange oil. First: the ingredients list begins with 1 1/2 C. hot water. In the directions, you say to put ALL ingredients in a large bowl, then add 1 1/2 C. hot water. Is this an ADDITIONAL 1 1/2 cup hot water, or the original from the ingredients? My discovery: don’t just dump ingredients in the bowl, especially in the order given: you will have a great concoction of soapy stuff with globs of washing soda at the bottom. Be careful! I also noticed that it was sudsy in the bottle, but once in the water with dirty dishes, became a greasy feeling murky substance. Ladies, please use caution when using bar soap for this. Castile soap, in bar form is ivory. Washing soda is perfectly safe.
Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe – In Just 5 Minutes…No Simmering Required | "The Farm" Old World Garden Farms Quick and easy homemade barbecue sauce – ready in 5 minutes. I have to admit that I became quite panicked this past weekend when we had planned a family get together and discovered that the canning pantry was empty of the homemade barbecue sauce that we canned last fall. I had no idea that we had gone through all of the jars between using it in recipes around the house and of course, giving them away to family and friends. So instead of fighting the crowds at the store on a holiday weekend just to purchase barbecue sauce, I scavenged through our cabinets to see what I could throw together. Adding the quick and easy barbecue sauce to the chicken made for no leftovers. Normally, when we can our own barbecue sauce, we will use fresh ingredients from the garden. We were lucky enough to have a jar of our homemade hot and spicy ketchup on hand that I could use instead of store-bought ketchup – but either would work fine. 3/4 cup Honey 3/4 cup Molasses 1-1/4 cups Ketchup 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
Old School – Self Reliance 101 » Blog Archive » make your own pectin Get ready for a SERIOUSLY old-school skill. When you make jam or jelly, you need something to make it jell. Most folks use commercial pectin–a product extracted from fruit–usually powdered (although liquid pectin is available). But. BUT. What if it was doomsday and there was no pectin in the stores? The trick of making your own pectin was common knowledge in the olden days. If you have an apple tree you need to thin, (like described in this thinning apples post) the sacrificial baby apples can be used to make pectin. You can also use crab apples…apparently they make excellent pectin, and no one feels too sad about not getting to eat them. Take your little apples, wash them, cut them in half if they are on the big side, and throw them whole into a pot. Add water to the pot until the apples are nearly covered. Stretch some cheesecloth (or a mesh strainer) over a container and let the cooked apples drip a couple of hours, or overnight. And for heaven’s sake, don’t taste the “test.”
Blog - Rhubarb Harvest: Dehydrate It! –Dehydrating Your Surplus Rhubarb is a natural spring-time treat. Its beautiful greenery brightens up the yard and it gives you an excuse to share something with your neighbors. Dehydrate Your Extra Rhubarb It’s a matter of slicing it and arranging it onto the Excalibur dehydrator tray. Although you really need to start with the freshest rhubarb possible, dehydrating it is a great way to preserve stalks picked earlier that are starting to bend (like celery). Turn the temperature on your Excalibur to 125º. Ways to Use Dehydrated Rhubarb You can really use it in all of the same summertime rhubarb recipes you love. Meat Sauce: Put approximately ½ cup dehydrated rhubarb in a saucepan with 1 cup water and 1 cup apple juice. It is so delicious with pork, that I rarely serve porkchops without this sauce served on the side. Meat glaze: Pulse dehydrated rhubarb in a coffee/herb grinder, and mix it in just like that into some homemade strawberry preserves. Kombucha & herbal tea flavoring: Sour Candy:
How to Make Strawberry Pie Filling - Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs#.UbCY9mAN0H4.facebook#.UbCY9mAN0H4.facebook How to Make Strawberry Pie Filling - Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs This month's notes: December 2015: Strawberries and blueberries each have a very brief season; don't miss them: See your state's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops. And see our guide to local fruit and vegetable festivals, such as strawberry festivals and blueberry festivals. Organic farms are identified in green! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Organic farms are identified in green! Subscribe to our: Email alerts; Follow us on Twitter Add this page to your favorites! You can make and can your own strawberry pie filling! Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention. Now here's how you can, too! Directions for Making Strawberry Pie Filling Recipe and Directions Step 1 - Selecting the strawberries Photo is coming!!!