We have way more raw milk than we are using, so I'm looking for other interesting things to do with it.
Yesterday I tried curdling it with vinegar. Warm it up, pour in vinegar, wait a few minutes for it to curdle, strain. The result was like ricotta, but really, really yummy. The whole process took about 20 minutes. I can tell I'm going to do this again.
The only raw milk cheese you can buy in the US is aged 60 days. No soft, raw cheese for you! Unless you make it yourself...
If I'm careful not to overheat the milk, the active cultures remain, so it's even better for you.
I call it "rawcotta".
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
raw milk in Seattle
What is Real Milk?: "The source of most commercial milk is the modern Holstein, bred to produce huge quantities of milk three times as much as the old-fashioned cow. She needs special feed and antibiotics to keep her well. Her milk contains high levels of growth hormone from her pituitary gland, even when she is spared the indignities of genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone to push her to the udder limits of milk production."
Real milk:
- is from cows that eat grass, not grain
- is processed cleanly, instead of using pasteurization to make up for the filth
- in not homogonized
- is high in butterfat (yum)
Rules vary by state, but it's hard to get raw milk in most places.
One way to get it is to own your own cow. Most people don't want to be farmers, so you can hire someone else to care for your cow. As the cow owner, you are entitled to the milk from the cow.
We own 2/1000ths of a herd ("2 herd shares"), which entitles us to 2 gallons of raw milk / week.
If we don't drink it all, I make yogurt, which keeps a long time.
It's a bit more expensive than organic milk, but that makes sense. I'm paying a farmer to work even harder to keep my milk clean. Also, it's a small operation, and the farmer is local, so the economy of scale doesn't factor in.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Want to try some?
I want my reader(s) to know that I'd like to share what I make.
If you are in my area (Bellevue, WA), and see anything mentioned here that you're curious about, let me know & I'll set aside a pint jar for you.
My stock changes quickly, but right now I have plenty of:
If you are in my area (Bellevue, WA), and see anything mentioned here that you're curious about, let me know & I'll set aside a pint jar for you.
My stock changes quickly, but right now I have plenty of:
All that I ask is that you bring the jar + lid back.
hard cider (I hope)
Wild Fermentation has a simple recipie for hard cider.
I got a fresh jug, opened it, and added 1Tbs of live whey as an innoculant. Just a little something to give it a better chance of turning out well.
I have seen a few bubbles appear on the top, but I'm not sure if much is happening. I'll try it soon.
- Get a 1gal jug of organic apple cider.
- Take off the lid.
- Let it sit at room temperature for 2 weeks.
I got a fresh jug, opened it, and added 1Tbs of live whey as an innoculant. Just a little something to give it a better chance of turning out well.
I have seen a few bubbles appear on the top, but I'm not sure if much is happening. I'll try it soon.
the ginger beer experiement
I've been trying to get a ginger bug going for a while. I finally got one going & made a batch of natural, fermented ginger soda. I had a 1gal glass apple juice jug to use as a fermentation vessel. I went to mix up ingredients, and on a whim decided to double it.
Yes, I made 2 gallons of ginger soda.
It scaled well. The only part that was really a lot of work was juice lemons. I did it by hand, with only a fork to help me. 5 is my limit. I'll try to find a basic juicer, so that lemons scale, too.
Ingredients: ginger bug (ginger, water, sugar, 1Tbs whey), ginger, lemon, sugar, water.
After putting the mix into the vessels, I put the lids on, but left them loose. As it ferments it generates carbon dioxide. Loose lids lets excess CO2 escape, and also lets it displace the O2 at the top. After a few days I tightend the lids. As the pressure builds, this disolves CO2 in the liquid, making it fizzy.
Tonight I decided to try some. It was fizzy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, and very gingery. (Note to self: use less ginger for wider appeal). I like it, and I bet ginger lovers will like it, too.
What I've made here is basically soda, but it's good for you (organic ingredients, ginger, lactobaccilus) unlike commercial soda (corn syrup, high glycemic index, carmel color, processed flavors, caffine, and no nutrients of any kind).
Yes, I made 2 gallons of ginger soda.
It scaled well. The only part that was really a lot of work was juice lemons. I did it by hand, with only a fork to help me. 5 is my limit. I'll try to find a basic juicer, so that lemons scale, too.
Ingredients: ginger bug (ginger, water, sugar, 1Tbs whey), ginger, lemon, sugar, water.
After putting the mix into the vessels, I put the lids on, but left them loose. As it ferments it generates carbon dioxide. Loose lids lets excess CO2 escape, and also lets it displace the O2 at the top. After a few days I tightend the lids. As the pressure builds, this disolves CO2 in the liquid, making it fizzy.
Tonight I decided to try some. It was fizzy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, and very gingery. (Note to self: use less ginger for wider appeal). I like it, and I bet ginger lovers will like it, too.
What I've made here is basically soda, but it's good for you (organic ingredients, ginger, lactobaccilus) unlike commercial soda (corn syrup, high glycemic index, carmel color, processed flavors, caffine, and no nutrients of any kind).
kombucha after mold
After the kombucha mold issue, I did some research to see what I could do about that.
It turns out that trying to keep things really clean (or even sterile!) isn't going to help much. There's a lot of mold spores everywhere, all the time. Not much chance of keeping it away.
However, you can do a lot to make things unfriendly for molds. They don't grow on really acidic stuff. So the trick with kombucha is to drop the pH as quickly as possible.
Remember that when you make kombucha, it goes like this:
1. Brew strong, sweet tea
2. Cool to body temperature
3. Add a peice of a kombucha "mushroom" and 10-20% fresh kombucha from a previous batch.
The "mushroom" (pancake, sponge, SCOBY, whatever) has the most cultures in it. The previous kombucha is primarily to lower the pH.
I like my kombucha a little sweet. After 5 days, I find it very yummy. I am trying to limit my sugar intake, so I'm more sensitive to sugar than most people (who drink a lot of cola). That also means I want to let it go a little longer, so the culture removes more sugar. I aim for about 7 days.
(I really should taste it every day until it reaches the tartness I like.)
Anyway, one of the tricks for preventing mold is to use a very acidic starter. Let a batch brew for 15 days and it will be very acidic. Hard for most people to drink, but a good substitue for vinegar on a salad.
So I started up 2 batches:
Hopefully I'll find a replacement at the thrifts store. Even better, I'll find 2-3 good bowls, and be able to make enough kombucha to share with friends.
It turns out that trying to keep things really clean (or even sterile!) isn't going to help much. There's a lot of mold spores everywhere, all the time. Not much chance of keeping it away.
However, you can do a lot to make things unfriendly for molds. They don't grow on really acidic stuff. So the trick with kombucha is to drop the pH as quickly as possible.
Remember that when you make kombucha, it goes like this:
1. Brew strong, sweet tea
2. Cool to body temperature
3. Add a peice of a kombucha "mushroom" and 10-20% fresh kombucha from a previous batch.
The "mushroom" (pancake, sponge, SCOBY, whatever) has the most cultures in it. The previous kombucha is primarily to lower the pH.
I like my kombucha a little sweet. After 5 days, I find it very yummy. I am trying to limit my sugar intake, so I'm more sensitive to sugar than most people (who drink a lot of cola). That also means I want to let it go a little longer, so the culture removes more sugar. I aim for about 7 days.
(I really should taste it every day until it reaches the tartness I like.)
Anyway, one of the tricks for preventing mold is to use a very acidic starter. Let a batch brew for 15 days and it will be very acidic. Hard for most people to drink, but a good substitue for vinegar on a salad.
So I started up 2 batches:
- A large batch (3qts of kombucha in a 4qt bowl). Used distilled vinegar to help lower the pH. After 7 days, drank it & started a new batch.
- A small batch (1qt in a 2qt bowl). Let it go a long time to lower the pH. Will use this for starters only, not for drinking.
Hopefully I'll find a replacement at the thrifts store. Even better, I'll find 2-3 good bowls, and be able to make enough kombucha to share with friends.
lots of yogurt
Yogurt. I make it every couple days. We're not drinking all the milk, and I hate to see it sour. Yogurt keeps well (one my best batches I finished after a month, and it was still great). You can eat it plain, put it on savory foods (soup, meat, etc.), or add jam for a desert.
I have a bad habit of eating an unhealthy snack (muffin, cookie, danish, etc.) mid-afternoon. I'm too hungry to make good eating choices, and there aren't any healthy options around. So I've started taking some yogurt w/ jam to work to be that afternoon snack.
One of the neat things about these homemade ferments is that they scale so well. I typically make 1/2 gal of yogurt at a time. If you buy one of those little yogurts in the store, it's probably 1/2 cup. That means I make 16 servings at a time.
The last batch was really thick. I don't know why it was thick, and the others are drinkable. I won't use pectin or powdered milk; just milk + a Tbs of yogurt as a starter.
Still learning.
I have a bad habit of eating an unhealthy snack (muffin, cookie, danish, etc.) mid-afternoon. I'm too hungry to make good eating choices, and there aren't any healthy options around. So I've started taking some yogurt w/ jam to work to be that afternoon snack.
One of the neat things about these homemade ferments is that they scale so well. I typically make 1/2 gal of yogurt at a time. If you buy one of those little yogurts in the store, it's probably 1/2 cup. That means I make 16 servings at a time.
The last batch was really thick. I don't know why it was thick, and the others are drinkable. I won't use pectin or powdered milk; just milk + a Tbs of yogurt as a starter.
Still learning.
beet kvass results
beet kvass. This was interesting. It was quite salty, a bit sour, and very beet-y. The rest of the family didn't like it, but I thought it was OK.
I have finished the first batch (2 quarts), and the second batch is sitting in the fridge. It should keep well.
I have finished the first batch (2 quarts), and the second batch is sitting in the fridge. It should keep well.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
A new ferment
Today I started a new ferment: beet kvass.
It's a simple one:
Put it in a jar. Mix. Wait 2 days.
After it's fermented, you can strain out the beets, add more water, and ferment for 2 more days.
Beet kvass is supposed to be a great detoxifier.
I started a 3rd attempt at a ginger bug. This time I added a little whey to help it get going. We'll see if it worked later this week.
Finally, some bad fermentation news. The 3qt batch of kombucha I started last week wasn't souring quickly. Today I noticed a spot of mold. Dumped the whole thing in my compost bin.
I would have liked to start a new batch, but I was out of tea. Hopefully I'll pick up more soon.
Note to self: don't skimp on the starter (a bit of fresh kombucha that lowers the pH of the batch).
It's a simple one:
3 organic beets
- washed
- peeled
- corsely chopped
1 Tbs salt
1/2c of active whey (as an innoculant)
2 qt water
Put it in a jar. Mix. Wait 2 days.
After it's fermented, you can strain out the beets, add more water, and ferment for 2 more days.
Beet kvass is supposed to be a great detoxifier.
I started a 3rd attempt at a ginger bug. This time I added a little whey to help it get going. We'll see if it worked later this week.
Finally, some bad fermentation news. The 3qt batch of kombucha I started last week wasn't souring quickly. Today I noticed a spot of mold. Dumped the whole thing in my compost bin.
I would have liked to start a new batch, but I was out of tea. Hopefully I'll pick up more soon.
Note to self: don't skimp on the starter (a bit of fresh kombucha that lowers the pH of the batch).
Saturday, May 21, 2005
continuing the CWB trip
I was going to CWB for two reasons:
1. To volunteer. I like CWB and wanted to give back. This day they were having a "work party", so I figured I could get a lot of volunteer hours in.
2. To take the Sail the Museum Pieces class.
On the 3rd & final bus, on walked Vern, the everpresent desk personality at CWB. He had his CWB hat on, and I my CWB shirt. We chatted on the way there, and he said he was short on sailing instructors for the day's lessons.
So, instead of working in the boat shop to clean it up, and then paying for sailing, I volunteered as a sailing instructor all day!
Vern had been pushing me to become an instructor for a year, but I always figured there would be some training, evaluation, advice, practice, etc. But instead I was thrown right in to it. Well, it's a good way to learn.
It was awesome. I ended up spending a lot more time on the water than I would have if just renting. I got to practice all my nautical vocabulary ("tiller to port to head up. trim the jib", etc.), and show off my docking-under-sail skills.
I figure I learned as much as my students - from refining my sailing skills to figuring out how to teach it. And I racked up a bunch of volunteer hours.
Turns out that the Museum Pieces class was canceled anyway. I'll take it next month.
I hope I didn't too much damage to my students!
1. To volunteer. I like CWB and wanted to give back. This day they were having a "work party", so I figured I could get a lot of volunteer hours in.
2. To take the Sail the Museum Pieces class.
On the 3rd & final bus, on walked Vern, the everpresent desk personality at CWB. He had his CWB hat on, and I my CWB shirt. We chatted on the way there, and he said he was short on sailing instructors for the day's lessons.
So, instead of working in the boat shop to clean it up, and then paying for sailing, I volunteered as a sailing instructor all day!
Vern had been pushing me to become an instructor for a year, but I always figured there would be some training, evaluation, advice, practice, etc. But instead I was thrown right in to it. Well, it's a good way to learn.
It was awesome. I ended up spending a lot more time on the water than I would have if just renting. I got to practice all my nautical vocabulary ("tiller to port to head up. trim the jib", etc.), and show off my docking-under-sail skills.
I figure I learned as much as my students - from refining my sailing skills to figuring out how to teach it. And I racked up a bunch of volunteer hours.
Turns out that the Museum Pieces class was canceled anyway. I'll take it next month.
I hope I didn't too much damage to my students!
A novice bus rider.
Woke up early, packed warm clothes & food for the day (including homemade yogurt!), and caught the bus. It takes 3 to get to CWB from my home.
At the transfer to the second bus, there was a young woman waiting, and she seemed a little apprehensive. She said it was her first time using the bus, and she wanted to make sure her route would work. I looked over her tripplanner printout and confirmed that it made sense. After chatting idly for a bit, we realized that her itinerary was from a Friday, and we were traveling on a Saturday. Saturday schedules are a little different than weekday, and her plan was to transfer at the Evergreen Point stop, which is actually on the highway (SR-520), right before the bridge. It seemed like an uncomfortable place to be waiting for an hour if her intinerary wasn't going to work out.
I offered to use my Pocket PC Phone (with web browser & GPRS) to help her figure out the right route. Unfortunately, as the bus sped along the highway I couldn't get a good signal & load the web pages.
She decided to take her chances at Evergreen Point. However, she didn't ring the bell. She walked up to the front of the bus and surprised the driver just as he was about to accelerate away from the stop.
I hadn't occured to me that anyone wouldn't know how to signal for a stop. I guess it really was her first bus trip.
If you haven't taken a bus before, here's the info: either pull the string or push the yellow strip. It will light up a sign that says "STOP" or "STOP REQUESTED". Or just talk to the driver about where you want to go.
Anyway, I hope she got where she wanted to go, and without too much hassle.
At the transfer to the second bus, there was a young woman waiting, and she seemed a little apprehensive. She said it was her first time using the bus, and she wanted to make sure her route would work. I looked over her tripplanner printout and confirmed that it made sense. After chatting idly for a bit, we realized that her itinerary was from a Friday, and we were traveling on a Saturday. Saturday schedules are a little different than weekday, and her plan was to transfer at the Evergreen Point stop, which is actually on the highway (SR-520), right before the bridge. It seemed like an uncomfortable place to be waiting for an hour if her intinerary wasn't going to work out.
I offered to use my Pocket PC Phone (with web browser & GPRS) to help her figure out the right route. Unfortunately, as the bus sped along the highway I couldn't get a good signal & load the web pages.
She decided to take her chances at Evergreen Point. However, she didn't ring the bell. She walked up to the front of the bus and surprised the driver just as he was about to accelerate away from the stop.
I hadn't occured to me that anyone wouldn't know how to signal for a stop. I guess it really was her first bus trip.
If you haven't taken a bus before, here's the info: either pull the string or push the yellow strip. It will light up a sign that says "STOP" or "STOP REQUESTED". Or just talk to the driver about where you want to go.
Anyway, I hope she got where she wanted to go, and without too much hassle.
Friday, May 20, 2005
A small trip to CWB
Center for Wooden Boats has a "3rd Friday speaker" program. Today the speaker was talking about a member of his family who was a sailor in the Age of Sail.
I took the bus to CWB from the Factoria area. There were 7 of us at the bus stop. When the bus arrived, I could see that it was packed full. After 4 of us got on, the driver said he couldn't take any more, and closed the door. The other 3 were left behind! I've never seen that happen before.
It turns out they were all going to see the Mariners play. When we got to the stop for Safeco Field, the everyone got off and suddenly the bus seemed empty. 10 passengers?
I finally got to the lecture about 10 minutes after it started. The speaker's relative was crew on the barque Queen Margret (265ft, 4 masts) a century ago. It was an interesting talk.
The talk ended a few minutes early, and I started to work on figuring out the bus ride home. I realized I wouldn't get home until at least 9:30pm (having left at 5:30pm). A 4 hour excursion for 45 minutes of speaking? It hardly seemed worth it.
After talking to my wife, decided not to catch the bus home. Instead ate dinner at a restaurant alone (with a book, imaging that I live alone with a cat).
Passed out shortly after returning home, exhausted.
I took the bus to CWB from the Factoria area. There were 7 of us at the bus stop. When the bus arrived, I could see that it was packed full. After 4 of us got on, the driver said he couldn't take any more, and closed the door. The other 3 were left behind! I've never seen that happen before.
It turns out they were all going to see the Mariners play. When we got to the stop for Safeco Field, the everyone got off and suddenly the bus seemed empty. 10 passengers?
I finally got to the lecture about 10 minutes after it started. The speaker's relative was crew on the barque Queen Margret (265ft, 4 masts) a century ago. It was an interesting talk.
The talk ended a few minutes early, and I started to work on figuring out the bus ride home. I realized I wouldn't get home until at least 9:30pm (having left at 5:30pm). A 4 hour excursion for 45 minutes of speaking? It hardly seemed worth it.
After talking to my wife, decided not to catch the bus home. Instead ate dinner at a restaurant alone (with a book, imaging that I live alone with a cat).
Passed out shortly after returning home, exhausted.
online registry - for all occasions!
Just saw this headline: U.S. to launch sex offender registry Web site. This is the opportunity to buy the perfect gift for the sex offender in your life. No more guessing wrong & buying junk they don't need.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Chickens?
As you know, I'm trying to do more of my own food preparation. I hope to make food that is better for us. That has spread to gardening. We now have strawberries & carrots growning, and just bought two tomato plants. This morning I got a mail from my wife that a friend of hers has two egg-laying chickens that she wants to give away. Should we take them? I don't know anything about chickens, and I don't know if I balance the responsibility of caring for chickens, caring for my family, caring for myself, and work. But it means very fresh, known-good eggs for the family. And it would probably be a good experience for my son.
Hmm...
Hmm...
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
thrift store / kombucha
Sunday I picked up some stuff at the thrift store. A pair of blue jeans. Some odd T-shirts (the one I'm wearing now says "GO VIKINGS - inglemoor high school fight song - Pep Club"). A few small mason jars ($.29 / ea). And a 4 quart glass bowl.
Last night I tried to boil 3 quarts of water in the microwave. This is going to take getting used to. I figured that 1 cup of water for tea takes 3 minutes to boil. 3 quarts = 6 pints = 12 cups * 3 minutes = 36 minutes. We didn't feel right about leaving the microwave on for a 1/2 hour, so we started with 15 minutes. When I came to look at it, the water was steaming & I thought the bottom of the microwave was wet from boiling over. So I took it out & put in the 5 tea bags. Then I added 1 cup of sugar. The tea brewed pretty slowly. (The water had not boiled at all; the sugar cooled it down more.)
Finally I decided it was ready and added the mushroom + started from the last batch. Then I remembered to actually check the water temprature and it seemed a little too warm. I was able to hold my finger in for 10 seconds, but moving it around was a little uncomfortable.
Anyway, now it's sitting on the dining room table, and we'll see what happens.
The last batch was good. The mushroom was thick & white. I cut it in 3 peices which I will share with friends if the new batch goes OK (if I didn't totally screw it up).
This morning I enjoyed a large glass of kombucha before coming to work.
Last night I tried to boil 3 quarts of water in the microwave. This is going to take getting used to. I figured that 1 cup of water for tea takes 3 minutes to boil. 3 quarts = 6 pints = 12 cups * 3 minutes = 36 minutes. We didn't feel right about leaving the microwave on for a 1/2 hour, so we started with 15 minutes. When I came to look at it, the water was steaming & I thought the bottom of the microwave was wet from boiling over. So I took it out & put in the 5 tea bags. Then I added 1 cup of sugar. The tea brewed pretty slowly. (The water had not boiled at all; the sugar cooled it down more.)
Finally I decided it was ready and added the mushroom + started from the last batch. Then I remembered to actually check the water temprature and it seemed a little too warm. I was able to hold my finger in for 10 seconds, but moving it around was a little uncomfortable.
Anyway, now it's sitting on the dining room table, and we'll see what happens.
The last batch was good. The mushroom was thick & white. I cut it in 3 peices which I will share with friends if the new batch goes OK (if I didn't totally screw it up).
This morning I enjoyed a large glass of kombucha before coming to work.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Quiet here?
Something has happened in my life that is too personal, and too tragic for me to share to the anonymous blog-reading public.
I'm feeling so sad about it that it's hard to think about blogging.
Then I think about the other people in the world who have been through something similar, or something worse, and I think that they may find comfort in this story.
I'll think about it...
gift economies
I found an interesting blog post:
I've been thinking about how ... much more valuable is the relationship between me and my neighbor than between me and my
grocer.
Right on! I think when I make my next kitchen creation, I will deliberately make too much, and share the extra.
For most ferments (beer, sauerkraut, kombucha), the cost of ingredients is low, but the work is significant. However, you can do anywhere between 1 quart and 30 gallons for about the same amount of work. So I can just double the recipie and make the rest a gift.
If you see any foods mentioned here that you'd like to try, and you are willing to come get it, let me know ahead of time & I'll set some aside for you.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
kombucha!
Kombucha is a sour, fizzy drink. Imagine a cranberry soda.
Here's how you make it:
- Beg, nag, and spam for a starter. They're a bit hard to come by.
- boil water (1qt)
- steep a few tea bags to make very strong tea (2 bags)
- add sugar (1/4c)
- cool to body temperature
- add kombucha "mushroom"
- add kombucha from a previous batch (1/2c)
- wait a week
The "mushroom" is an odd structure that kombucha creates. It's also called a "sponge" or "pancake", but it's none of these things. Some call it a "S.C.O.B.Y." (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts), which really just means that we don't know what it is.
From what I've read, kombucha is a bit delicate. Weed organisms may take hold, making it go "off". The 1/2c of kombucha from the previous batch helps set the pH so that kombucha will dominate.
I put it in a wide bowl, put a few long strips of tape over the top, and draped a cheesecloth over it. The cloth allows air to flow in, but keeps out bugs which like the sugar.
Instructions say to keep it somewhere it won't get disturbed, so I used the guest bedroom. They say to start tasting it at 5 days, but I figured the guest room was cooler than the rest of my already cool house, so I let it go a full 10 days.
Today I tasted it (slipped a straw under the edge) and it was really, really sour. 10 days was perhaps a bit much. It was also very tasty.
So I decanted it & started up a new batch.
At first, my 3.5 year old refused to try it based on smell, but eventually decided to take a taste. My wife liked it from the beginning. I think it's delicious.
I'm making the above recipie at 1.5x the stated measurements. Making 1.5qt of kombucha / week just isn't going to cut it for a family of 3, I suspect. I will try to find a bigger bowl, and maybe get two batches going at once (1/2 week apart from each other, perhaps).
You can also put the kombucha in bottles & let them continue to ferment, which becomes more bubbly. I picked up some Grolsch bottles on ebay which I intend to do this in.
I used some good quality green tea, since I don't want caffeine. You can also use black tea & oolong tea. You can't use herbal tea, as kombucha wants to grow on real tea.
The starter you get comes in two parts: a mushroom and a small amount of fresh kombucha. It's possible to get started with just one if you don't have the other, but it's a bit risky. I'd be happy to share my kombucha with anyone who wants to come pick it up. I live near Microsoft in Bellevue, WA. You can also look for sources of Kombucha online
See also the Original Kombucha Yahoo! Group.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Sharing nourishment
Since being introduced to Nourishing Traditions in December, I've been doing a lot of experimetation.
My fridge now has a gallon of chicken stock, 1/2 gallon of kimchi, 1/2 gallon of sauerkraut, and a quart of fermented marmalade. I make a quart of kefir / day.
I am just getting in to Kombucha, sourdough, and ginger beer. Miso, beer, wine, and vinegar are on the todo list.
I'm always on the lookout for sales on organic vegetables at the natural grocery store.
The fridge is looking pretty full.
It would only take a little bit of effort to double all my recipies. It takes lot more effort to add a new food to the menu than to make more of something that's already on the list. I really enjoy providing these foods to my family, but I have to balance the time with my job.
I found a kindred spirit in this article: http://www.wildfermentation.com/econferm.htm. I'm starting to think about how to engage other families to share our resources.
- I could try to find a neighbor that something to share. Even if we only trade one food weekly, it could be a big win.
- I could move out of the suburbs to somewhere I can farm. I'd have to quit my job to make this work. Would be good to share this with some other families so that we can specialize & share.
- I could make everything 2x and try to sell the extra. However, I'm not really looking for a second job. Money isn't a problem; time is.
- Suppose I put a fridge in my carport and put extra food in there. Well-labeled. At your convenience, probably weekly, you drop by with a couple gallons of whatever you have just made, and help yourself to whatever is in there.
Anyone in the Bellevue/Redmond, WA, USA area want to share? Drop me a line.
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