Pickled carrots ? sure why not!

I seem to have an abundance of carrots, so why not pickle them?
I decided to go with a simple Lacto-fermented method using dill , garlic, white pepper, carrots, and a salt water brine.
I made 1 quart jar and 1 pint jar with the simple recipe and stored them on the shelf in my pantry with a dish clothe under them. I burped them every other day so they wouldn't make a mess.
After 2 weeks of moderate temperatures the pint jar had grown a mold, but the quart jar turn out perfect.

I have used the pickled carrots in potato salad and sliced on a grilled burger (I am out of regular dill pickles)

The flavor is really good and since I used whole carrots in the quart jar the seem to have kept their crunch. I moved the jar into the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation.

Next round I am going to use a bail style glass jar (I have domed lids for them bail jars) hoping I won't have to burp them as often that way.

Next round of carrots will also include shredded carrots and ginger in hopes of a kraut flavor and texture.

Upcylcing and reusing for healthy seasoning

I love making my own seasoning and mixes , sometimes I make too much of a good thing.
Thankfully though, containers are reusable!

The larger size Parmesan cheese shaker holds my shredded dehydrated garlic (I also have one full of shredded dry coconut). The smaller jar is a Ball quilted jelly jar with a smaller Parmesan cheese shaker lid. I have been saving the Parmesan cheese lids from the smaller size containers for about 6 months (begging friends to save them too). I have 6 on hand now and hope to have 3 or 4 more by the end of the summer. I love that I can use the container as a shaker or spoon larger amounts out! 

I can combine a variety of dried herbs to create my own mixes, dry rubs, seasoning, etc... and not use as much salt in our diets. Bring on the dry herb mixes of late summer.

Traditional pickling or Lacto fermentation?

I was blessed to attend a local day of talks about Fermenting.  Since this is new to me, I decided to share my experiences with you. I am by no means an expert, I’m just learning and experimenting to see what will work for my family.
So far I have a jar of saurkraut, a jar of kimchi, and a jar of leeks fermenting in the pantry.

The leeks have a weight holding them down so I wrapped a towel and rubber band around them. The saurkraut is almost done maybe another 2 or 3 days before I move it into the refrigerator.  The kimchi is new today so I am guessing a couple of weeks.  I am very interested in the natural advantages to lacto fermenting as well as the cost savings in that I don’t have to process it, just store it.
I also started a small batch of milk kefir that I am excited to try for breakfast smoothie on Monday.  The next on my fermentation bucket list is kombucha and I will hopefully have a batch going tomorrow night.
I still have traditional pickles in the pantry and will continue to process some of our food stores in the traditional manner like the Dilly Beans and Salsa.


So while I explore lacto fermentation, I’m not totally abandoning my traditional methods.

This was originally posted over on Unionvale Mom Spot, and since the original posting I have made several batches of sauer kraut , lacto fermented pickles, 2 successful batches of kimchi, and a batch of lacto-fermented asparagus. I am looking forward to the 2013 growing season and creating more healthy options for my family.

Natural Toothpaste? sure why not!

I usually buy Crest toothpaste for my husband , but this last batch was weak and  wasn't really working for me. Knowing that baking soda can be used (I've purchased toothpaste with baking soda before), I decided to research making my own. I couldn't find a formal recipe just people mentioning they had done it or someone in their family had. I decided to go ahead and put something together. 

I used coconut oil as my liquid, baking soda as a polish, and peppermint essential oil for flavor and scent. 
I mixed it together in a 4 oz Kerr canning jar with a popsicle stick. I adjusted as I went along to get a good consistency so I can't really share a recipe, but am guesstimating 1 Tbsp Coconut oil, 2-3 Tbsp Baking Soda and 8-10 drops of essential oil blended well.
I have been using it for just over a week and it doesn't take a lot, so far I really like it. Next time I may add more peppermint oil. 
I am rinsing with an antiseptic mouth wash (I might try creating my own mouth wash later on.)
My husband thinks I'm a little crazy, but I was using things we already had so we didn't have to try something new only to find out we didn't like it. He hasn't tried the homemade stuff yet, but is considering it.
I am enjoying trying new creations and thankfully my husband is seeing the benefits in our budget and how everyone feels. 
After using the homemade toothpaste for a while, I have decided that I need to find coconut oil that doesn't have the flavor and possibly some cinnamon oil instead of peppermint.

Canning season ready or not; Strawberry jelly with honey

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a gallon of raw local honey with the intention of making some jam and jelly. Well I finally got around to cleaning out the canning jars and the pantry so I felt like I could make a batch. 

I searched online for a simple recipe and found one at Grouprecipes.com for Honey- Grape Jelly. I decided it was simple enough (only 3 ingredients) that I would try it. 

I used strawberry juice I canned last season 2 1/2 cups of unsweetened juice,  1/3 cup pectin (I purchase it in bulk from our local Gleaners group), and 2 3/4 cups honey. 

Only 3 ingredients!

 I set to cooking it on my stove and decided I would even use jelly jars this time (I usually make all my jams and jellies in pints). It didn't take very long since you don't boil it. I poured the jelly into 6 half pint jars and covered them with a towel until the cooled off. I decided not to process this batch since I am sure my boys will have it eaten in a week or less. I think the next batch I will process for 5 minutes to seal the jars. (Found 5 minutes listed on another blog).  I was really nervous about it setting up , but this morning when I checked it, all 6 jars had set! (insert happy dance here!!!)

The color is beautiful!! If I had the supplies I would do a traditional wax seal on them, but this round like I said is going straight into the fridge and my crazy boys will eat it in a week!

Now , I guess it is time to start filling all these jars with wonderful goodies! Guess I should finish planting my garden so I have something to process!

Steakhouse dinner at home

Lately if and when we have gone out to dinner, I have been less then impressed.
So I decided to do a steakhouse dinner at home.

Broccoli with cheese sauce, brown rice cooked in beef broth, and a Top Sirloin steak medium grilled on a hot BBQ topped with shitaki mushrooms and red onions in a balsamic reduction. It was pure heaven and since the broccoli and onions came from a gleaning project, the rice was given to us, etc.... the total meal for all 4 of use was less than $20. (steaks priced out at around $8.00) (beef broth was made from neck bone this past fall and stored in the pantry and the cheese sauce was a simple sauce of milk, butter and a small bit of cheese, not super heavy).

It had all the flavor of a steakhouse meal with out the huge price tag.

Farm to Fork is so amazing

Another reason I love living in a rural farm community.

I dried 6 trays of sweet local corn

Ground it in the blender (I don't have a grain mill, someday Lord willing)

Homemade polenta

Polenta Caprease with fresh garden tomatoes and fresh garden basil

Wine or Not?

I recently atended a series of talks on fermentation in McMinnville.
Friday afternoon I  received a small package of water kefir grains from one of the speakers. I was grateful for the gift and to meet another homeschooler in the community.

I made my first batch of juice as soon as I got home.
I used organic sugar, fresh ginger, lemons, and homemade raisins. I was surprised how easy it was to put together and how quickly it brewed.  It took 18 hours to brew on the counter  for the first batch. The second batch pictured here is brewing faster, partially I think because I added an extra lemon slice and there was more kefir grains. I didn't realize they would multiply so quickly. I think my third batch will end up being in a half gallon instead of the quart.




I decided to do a secondary ferment on part of the batch with some of my grape juice from last season. I let it brew for another 12 hours and then poured a glass before dinner while I was writing a couple of posts. There is very little alcohol content (I suppose I should test it to find out the exact percentage, but not tonight). Tonight I am going to just enjoy the drink and enjoy my homemade sauerkraut with campfire hot dogs.

I am enjoying this new adventure and will continue to share as I find new goodies to create.