Your Custom Homestead, Review and Giveaway

I am thoroughly enjoying this book.  So much so, I plan on reading it twice.  The first time to get the gist of it and the second time to implement a plan.  The great part is, it’s only 79 pages long but packed with so much usable information.  You’ll be on your way to your custom homestead in just 21 days (if you follow the plan).

Do you need some inspiration or encouragement to get started on your homesteading dream?  What stands between you and your dreams of homesteading?

Do you live in an apartment?
Do you live in a house in the suburbs?
Do you have a few acres in the country?
Do you dream of having 100 acres and being ‘off the grid’ and self-sufficient?

It’ll be a different kind of homesteading than if you owned 40 acres with multiple outbuildings and a tractor but it can still be possible.  It’s all about doing what you can in the situation you are in.  Jill gives many idea for implementing homesteading principles in most any situation.

Now for the giveaway!  

We are giving away a free copy of Your Custom Homestead.  Leave a comment below telling me about your homesteading situation.  Winner will be announced this Friday at 12pm.

Me?  I have 15 acres, lucky me!  32 chickens and 2 kitties.  I also have a hereford cow and a pregant dairy goat spending the winter at my friend’s farm.  They’ll come live with me once the snow melts.  I’m hoping to get a garden going this year.  4 years in a row my garden has bombed but I’m stubborn.  Maybe this year will be the one!  I do have 4 apple trees and various berry bushes.  I haven’t killed those yet.

We have been contemplating trading in our little hobby farm for life in town.  I’ve been nervous about the idea of giving up my homesteading dream but Jill is showing me it’s still possible, I’ll just have to adjust my expectations.  I might not be able to have chickens, goats and a cow where we plan to move but I can still have a garden and an extensive pantry. Hmm, I wonder if they have rules against clothes lines…

Cinnamon Milk Kefir

I can’t thank Donna at Cultured Food Life enough for reintroducing me to a second fermentation for milk kefir.  I went from not caring for milk kefir to loving it.  I’ve been experimenting with different flavorings for the second ferment and all have been winners but this one is my favorite and worthy of it’s own blog post.  Cinnamon, that’s it.

To do a second ferment, first make your milk kefir as you normally would (instructions here).  Strain out the kefir grains.  Pour the kefir into a wide mouth jar (you’ll see why in a bit), just add a cinnamon stick and set on the counter for another 12 hrs or so.  At this point, my kefir is usually separated and doesn’t look too appetizing.  To fix that, remove the cinnamon stick and set aside.  Now using a stick blender, blend the kefir.  You can do this in a blender as well.  Put cinnamon stick back in and refrigerate.  The flavors will continue to infuse while in the fridge.  I usually sweeten mine with a bit of stevia but use whatever sweetener you prefer.

Don’t forget to check out my giveaway from yesterday.  Winner will be announce next Tuesday.
Lacto-Fermentation E-Course Giveaway.

Lacto-Fermentation E-Course Review and Giveaway!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  I’m a newbie at fermenting. I didn’t know Iwas a newbie until recently.  Don’t getme wrong, I’ve been fermenting for years starting with yogurt 9 years ago whenI put my son on the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet).  As the years have gone by, I’ve added moreand more to my repertoire but the more I learn, the more I find out how much Idon’t know.  Even since I started blogginglast October, you can see my method for fermenting has changed as I’ve learned newtechniques.

Recently I befriended Wardeh of GNOWFGLINS ( I love sayingthat, g-NOWF-glins).  It stands for “God’s natural,Organic, Whole Foods, Grown, Locally, In Season”.  She is amazing.  Simply amazing.  There is so much I am learning since Istarted taking her e-course on lacto-fermentation.  I didn’t even know I had this much to learn.  Her e-courses are excellent.  She includes videos that demonstrate thetopic of the day and includes PDF files with recipes to try out your new foundknowledge.  You can work at your ownpace, as fast or as slow as you want, when you want.  I don’t know about you but with 4 kids andhomeschooling, I need classes that are flexible.  I think it’s good for the kids to see Mommydoing school as well.

I’ve wanted to start teaching classes on fermentation and real food cooking for a while now but my and my husband’s schedule just hasn’t allowed me the time to do so.  This is a great option for all my local friends who I keep putting off.

Topics that are covered are the history oflacto-fermentation, why you should do it and how to do it.  No special equipment needed.  You most likely already have everything youneed to get started in your kitchen. You’ll learn how to preserve fruits and vegetables, make delicious fermented beverages,culturing dairy into yogurts and cheese, sourdough (yes, that’s fermentedgrains), beans, condiments and even meats.

Going through these lessons has given me so many new ideasfor ferments that I can’t wait to share with you!

And the best part about the e-courses is how affordable they are. For as little as $8 a month, you can have access to all of GNOWFGLINS e-courses where you can learn at your own pace.

Now for the giveaway!  Who doesn’t love a giveaway!  How about a free month membership to GNOWFGLINS e-courses?  This includes not only the lacto-fermentation course but all of her e-courses (fundamentals, cheese making, sourdough).  To enter, simply comment below.
We’ll make things fun by giving you a few different ways to enter.  One entry per comment.  I’ll pick an entry at random next Tuesday.

1. Like Pickle Me Too on Facebook.  I love getting to know people through Facebook. If you already like me, that counts too!
2. Like GNOWFGLINS on Facebook.  If you already do, that counts.
3. Make one of my ferments and tell me about it (you can tell me about one you’ve already done).

Next I’ll be starting her Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese E-course.  She also has a book on lacto-fermentation coming out very very soon.  I’m so excited!

**ETA:  Don’t forget to post a separate comment for each entry!**

Kombucha Continuous Brewing System

Used with permission from The Liberated Kitchen’s Real Food Ryan Gosling page.

Does brewing kombucha seem overwhelming to you?  Do you envision mason jars scattered all over your kitchen?  Do you not have time to deal with it all?  But do you still want to drink kombucha regularly without having to shell out $3-4 a bottle?  I know I say things are simple a lot but this actually really truly is simple. Once you find the pieces, it takes a short time to get set up and running with very little maintenance.  Can you boil water?  You can make kombucha.

This is how I set up my Continuous Brewing System.

Equipment needed:

• Glass beverage dispenser, the kind with a plastic spigot at the bottom.  You don’t want any metal in contact with the tea as it can damage the SCOBY.  It should hold 1-5 gallons.  Mine holds 1.5 gallons.
• Tea ball (if using loose leaf tea).
• 1 gallon jug to store sweetened tea.

**Or if you don’t want to locate all this on your own, Kombucha Kamp has it all put together for you!**

Ingredients for 1 gallon of tea:

• 1 cup of sugar (1/4 cup per quart of water)
• 8 tea bags* (2 bags per quart of water)
• 4 quarts filtered water divided (or amount needed)
• 2 cups Kombucha starter tea (1/2 cup per quart of water)
• Kombucha mother

This makes enough tea for a 1 gallon container.  Adjust the amount as needed to fill your container.

Add water, sugar and tea to a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.  Remove from heat and let steep for about 15 min.  Remove tea bags. Add remaining 3 quarts of cold filtered water

Once tea is cool, pour into your system and add starter tea and kombucha mother.  Let set in a warm place for about a week.  Taste test at this time. If it’s too sweet, let set a little longer.  You might need to find a warmer place.  I keep mine near my crock pot which is always running making bone broth.  Kombucha can culture for up to 6 weeks.

*Black tea is best for the health of the SCOBY.  Green tea works well too.  If you want to use white tea, red tea or an herbal tea, use it in combination with black tea.  My favorite is a 50/50 blend of English Breakfast tea with green tea.  Avoid flavored teas (like Earl Grey) since they can damage the SCOBY.  Add flavor during the second ferment.

Harvesting Kombucha

Once Kombucha is to your liking, drain off as much as you would like to drink for a few days and replace with more sweetened tea, prepared with the above ratios.  When adding new tea, you don’t need to add more kombucha starter since it’s already in the container. Just make sure to always leave about 20% of the tea in the container.

I remove and replace about a quart at a time.  Doing a small switch like this makes the kombucha culture faster.  Culturing a ratio of 1 part sweet tea to 4-5 parts kombucha tea, as opposed to 1 gallon to 2 cups, goes faster and is usually done in a matter of just a couple days.

**Time saving tip:  I keep a gallon jug of sweetened tea in my fridge so I don’t have to make it every time I drain of kombucha**

You can drink the tea as is or do a second fermentation with juice, fruit and/or spices to add some fizz and yumminess.  See my recipe suggestion page: http://www.picklemetoo.com/p/kombucha.html

That’s all there is to it!  Just gently add sweetened tea as you drain off your kombucha.  Your SCOBY will grow, covering the entire top of your brewing system.  If it gets too large, you can always gently remove it and with plastic utensils, cut off portions to share with friends.

Part of Friday Food Flicks, Freaky Friday, Fight Back Friday, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday

Natural Born Traditional Foodie

I was thinking this morning, as I was feeding mysourdough starter, how I was born to be a traditional foodie.  I hearpeople talk about how they needed to adjust their taste buds or how hard it wasfor them to choke down their first bite of liver. They needed to adjust tomaking all their own food instead of just buying it and they had to tame thesugar beast. None of that was ever hard for me.  Evidently I’m weird.

Hat, sweater and blanket knit by yours truly.

I’ve always loved doing things the hard way.  Why a buya sweater when I could knit one?  Heck, I bought pygora goats to harvest their coats in order to spin yarn to knit sweaters.  Why buy gluten free sourdough bread whenI can get a starter (or make my own), feed it twice a day, everyday, and makemy own?  I love making cheese, yogurt and sauerkraut.  If pressing my own olive oil were practical, I’d be all over that!  Ever since I was a kid, I liked making things.  Painting, crocheting, beading, sculpting… I think myartsy craftiness translates well in to food preparation.  I see cooking asan art.  I love the whole process.

That’s a fresh deer heat. I think it’s beautiful.

I love weird food.  Always have.  If you asked mewhen I was 4 what my favorite food was, I would have said pickles, followed bycauliflower, followed by spaghetti (I’m not that weird), followed by liver.Yes, liver.  I not only liked liver but it was high on my list of favoritefoods.  I ordered it in restaurants. In high school I organized a smallliver feast with some fellow liver lovers.  Surprisingly there weren’tmany of us. I’ve always been fascinated with offal (‘waste’ parts of a butcheredanimal).  When we went grocery shopping, I would scour the meat sectionfor cow tongue because I thought it looked so cool!  I still do that.

I have never had a sweet tooth.  I don’tmind sweets, I’ve just never craved them.  I thank my mom for that. Wedidn’t eat much sugar at all when I was little.

Our first blue egg.  There was a nice golden yolk inside.

And you know how most kids pull the yolk our to a fried or boiled egg and eat just the white (at least most kids I’ve known)?  Not me!  I pulled the yolk out and gave the white to my sister.  And a runny yolk was the best!

But have any of my 4 children followed suit? No, of course not.  But I’m still holding out hope for theyoungest…

Teriyaki Salmon

Sometimes the best dinners come from not having anything planned.  We were supposed to go out last night but our van didn’t start so we were stranded.  Luckily I did have some salmon thawed, so salmon it was!

I love teriyaki sauce but most store bought brands have wheat in them (and generally icky ingredients).  So I thought I would make my own.  For a last minute meal, this turned out spectacular!

Teriyaki Salmon

• 1 cup soy sauce (wheat free and fermented, San-J tamari is my favorite).
• 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2″ knob of ginger, grated
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup water 

Mix everything but arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan on the stove. Heat to a simmer.  Mix arrowroot powder in 1/4 cup water and whisk into soy sauce mixture.

Drizzle on top of grilled salmon or use as a marinade.

Active Water Kefir

A while ago after I had purchased my water kefir and had it going for a few weeks, I decided to divide my grains and try to get 2 batches going at once.  I still don’t know why that made the grains unhappy but I was pretty sure I had killed them.  There seemed to be little if any change to the sugar water when before the split, I was enjoy the best super fizzy kefir.  I scoured Cultures For Health’s water kefir FAQ http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir-frequently-asked-questions-faq and implemented a rescue mission they call “Rinse, Rest, Recover”. 

I first gently rinsed the grains with filtered water and then put them in a solution of 1/4 cup sugar plus 1/2 tsp molasses in 1 quart of filtered water (boiled and cooled).  Next I let them rest in the refrigerator for about a week.  I then began brewing like normal (according to Cultures for Health directions).  

I noticed a slight difference but not much.  For about a week, I changed the sugar solution everyday just throwing out the old solution because it tasted like it had a high sugar content.  After a week, I could taste more of a difference but it took almost a month to get them back to good health.

One of the ways you can tell your water kefir is alive and active is by the color of the water.  The lighter cloudy jar on the left is water kefir done fermenting.  The one on the right is one I just started (that’s a muslin bag holding my kefir grains floating around). You’ll notice a color change, taste change and you may or may not have fizziness but you should see some bubbles rising. 

This is what healthy water kefir looks like.  I’m so happy I was able to save them. 

A Day in the Life of a Fermenting Freak

Pea pods, cauliflower and green beans fermenting away!

I have people ask a lot how I find time to do everything I do.  In actuality, fermenting is the easiest thing I do.  It just takes a little prep time and a lot of wait time.  I’ll break what I do down into daily and weekly.  On a regular day, I spend about half an hour tinkering with my ferments.

Daily

• Feed my sourdough

Sourdough does better when it’s kept on the counter and fed regularly.  If I’m not planning on making anything that requires an active sourdough starter (like bread), I just fed it first thing in the morning and before going to bed, trying to keep no more than 12 hours between feeds.  1/4 cup starter, 1/4 cup water, scant 1/4 cup brown rice flour.  The discarded starter goes in the fridge to use later (for crepes, pancakes, cheese pie).  GNOWFGLINS.com has an excellent e-book on sourdough that has many uses for this sourdough starter. 

• Water kefir

Depending on how warm it is, my water kefir usually takes 2 days to ferment a quart of sugar water during the winter.  I taste it daily to make sure it’s still a bit sweet.  If it sits in spent water for too long water kefir can starve.  I also move any second ferment water kefir to the fridge that needs it.  This only takes a few minutes as well.  If I’m using apple cider, it’s just a matter of filling a jar and plopping the grains in.  If I’m using sugar water, it’s as simple as boiling water and mixing in the sugar and molasses.  Just remember to let it cool before adding the kefir grains.

Weekly

• Milk kefir

Milk kefir only ferments for 24 hours but I don’t make it every day.  Usually I make it 2-3 times a week.  It goes in the fridge between ferments just stored in water.  For just a day or 2 water is fine.  If it’s longer than that, I’ll store it in milk.  When I make milk kefir, I remove the kefir from the fridge and discard the water and give the grains a quick gentle rinse.  They go into a quart of milk and are then left on the counter.  

• Vegetable ferments

I usually start this on the weekend.  Most ferments really only take a few minutes to prepare.  I either chop by hand or shred using my food processor, pack things into jars and stick them on the counter.  I usually only takes 5-20 mins from start to finish.  The veggies then do their thing without any tinkering from me.  I prefer using a vegetable culture like Caldwell’s to whey.

• Kombucha

I have an continuous kombucha pot and it works great for me to remove 1 or 2 quarts at a time a couple times a week.  I might need to expand my systems since we’re going through more kombucha than that.  I remove the kombucha and replace it with sweetened tea that I make by the gallon once a week or as needed.  

• Yogurt

I make a gallon of yogurt weekly.  I usually heat the milk up to 165F instead of using raw milk so that I don’t mix them up and accidentally eat the pure culture.  My oldest once ate all of my villi mother.  The mother is what I need to culture future batches.  Raw milk contains other friendly bacteria that makes the culture impure.  It also contains enzymes making the yogurt more runny.  The kids like a firmer yogurt and it’s easier for me to keep track of what is what if I just make all the yogurt from heated milk.  Right now my yogurt of choice is filmjolk, a room temp yogurt that doesn’t need anything special to keep it warm.

Just a note, links you see in my post many times are affiliate links meaning I might make a small commission from any purchases resulting from your visit to any site.  Links like this help me maintain this site. I only link to products I have either tried or are on my wishlist.

Sprouted Navy Bean Hummus, GAPS legal

Woohoo, GAPS legal hummus!  What is GAPS?  It stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and it’s the diet that has helped so many.  It is based on the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) which is the diet that turned our family’s life around.  You can see our story here:  http://www.picklemetoo.com/2011/11/our-journey-with-autism.html

What makes something GAPS legal?  It contains only monosaccharide carbohydrates (the simplest of sugars that can’t be broken down any further, no starches or complex carbs that are difficult for GAPS people to digest).  The basic idea behind the GAPS diet is to give the digestive track a break and allow it to heal.  My oldest son ate this way for a full 2 years.  It was hard but it was worth it.

Usually making a substitute food ends up being sub par.  This is not the case here.  This is good hummus!  my kids are eating it by the bowlful.

Sprouting the Beans

To sprout the beans, place in a bowl with a lid.  Fill with water. Let soak overnight.  The next day, drain the water and rinse but don’t fill with water again.  Just cover the bowl.  Drain and rinse 3 times a day until you see sprouts emerging.  It should only take 2-3 days.  Discard if it starts to smell bad.  Great information on why to sprout your beans can be found here:  http://www.cookingtf.com/2011/04/19/why-i-no-longer-soak-my-beans/

If you don’t sprout the beans, you should at least soak them for 12-24 hrs.

To cook, place beans in a large pot and cover with water to about an inch over the top of the beans.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 4 hrs.  Skim the bubbles off the top and add more water if needed.  Crock pots are great for cooking beans.

Navy Bean Hummus 

• 3 cups soaked or sprouted navy beans, cooked
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup whey
• 1/2 preserved lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice with zest
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin

In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until a smooth paste.  Place in a quart sized mason jar filling only to about 2″ below the lid (you might have some left over to enjoy now).  Cover loosely and let set at room temp for 3 days.  Move to cold storage.

Part of Freaky Friday, Make Your Own Monday

Orange Spice Dutch Baby Sourdough Pancake

With a box full of oranges, lemons and mandarins, I’m trying to come up with creative ways to use them up (besides just eating them).  Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen clued me in to this tasty variation of pancakes.  My version is flavored with oranges and spices and used a gluten free sourdough starter.  My family LOVES pancakes but I don’t like making them. At all.  They eat them faster than I can make them and by the time the batter is all used up, I didn’t get any.

I also love how these use 6 eggs. I’m always on the look out for ways to use more eggs.  Our hens are producing at least a dozen a day!  And now that I have a sourdough starter going, I need was to use up the discarded batter. I hate throwing away good food!  The best part about using sourdough is that you can skip the soaking period since the sourdough is already soaked.  And it doesn’t have to be in active stage.  You can use refrigerated sourdough starter.

Orange Spice Dutch Baby Sourdough Pancake

• 2 tbsp butter (for the skillet)
• 6 eggs from pasture raised hens
• 1 cup sourdough starter (I use gluten free in a brown rice base)
• 3 tbsp honey (or 1/4 cup rapadura sugar)
• Juice and zest from 1 orange (use organic especially since we are using the skins)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange extract (optional, just adds another boost of taste)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of clove
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425F.  Heat cast iron skillet with butter over medium heat.  Beat eggs, add sourdough starter, sweetener, orange zest and juice and remaining ingredients (except butter).  Batter should be quite liquid.  Add a little milk if it is too thick.

Pour batter into skillet.  Cook until the edges begin to pull away from the side, only 5 mins.  Place in the oven and cook until eggs are set, about 30-40 mins.  

Part of Traditional Tuesday , Fat Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesday