Month: May 2011 (Page 1 of 2)

Gratitude Sunday * May 29, 2011

May 29, 2011 / Lindsey / 8 Comments

Sunday’s a good day to remember what we’ve been grateful for over the past week, don’t you think? I’m joining Taryn over at Wooly Moss Roots in her Gratitude Sunday tradition, and here’s my list:

– That we live close to everything we need, don’t need to own a car, and can transport ourselves by bike, foot, and occasionally bus.

– The library!!

– The good, nourishing food in our fridge.

– The sun flooding into our apartment in the evening…and our apartment in general; it’s the top floor of a 100-year-old house and has charming vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. It’s a neat space.

– Grateful to be in my garden — instead of a cubicle — on a Friday afternoon.

– Incredible garden produce we’ve been harvesting! It makes my soul sing to be able to eat straight out of the garden.

– Wasps — they’re irritating and aggressive, but they sure do take care of the aphids!

– Lushness and greenery everywhere thanks to all the rain.

– My wonderful Hubby stopping at the store on his way home this week to bring me groceries that I didn’t feel well enough to get myself.

– Not having to report to a supervisor at work…and not feeling like someone’s slave anymore.

– Quiet, still moments.

– Sitting by candlelight, not caring how late it is, Federico Aubele in my headphones, writing in my journal, rain falling outside.

– Watching my cat have a party with the catnip I picked for her!

– This time of the year.

– Bit the bullet and got a dreaded, long-overdue doctor appointment over-with. I don’t see eye-to-eye with so much of western medicine, but I feel grateful for the doctor I have. I’ve never really needed to go see him before, but he’s good. And instead of leaving the appointment feeling scrambled, drained, and off-balance as I usually do after a doctor visit, I left there feeling calm and centered…and feeling like I’m in good hands. And I appreciated that he listened intently and took all the time that was needed for me to lay everything out.

– Testing out my new ultralight solar cooker “design” (reflective windshield sunshade & a binder clip!) by cooking black beans, brown rice, and a rhubarb crisp; a total success!

Ultralight solar oven, (c) The Herbangardener

Rhubarb crisp baking in the solar cooker

Solar-cooked, homegrown rhubarb crisp!

What about you? What have you been grateful for this week? Leave a comment!

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How to Make Sauerruben

May 26, 2011 / Lindsey / 5 Comments

Sauerruben is made just like sauerkraut, only with rutabagas (or turnips, or a combo). It’s lovely stuff, and a nice change from kraut. It has a sweet, radish-like bite — although that will mellow out after a few weeks in the fridge. I like sauerruben a lot more than I thought I would, especially after it mellowed. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

Rutabagas (or turnips, or a combo), washed/scrubbed. I don’t bother to peel mine.

Sea salt (see my salting chart below, plus you may need more to mix up extra brine. (Any non-iodized salt will do, but unrefined sea salt is better for your body.)

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Here’s my salting chart. I usually just stick to this, but you can add a little more salt in the summer and a little less in the winter if you like.

10 tsp salt per 5 lbs vegetables

5 tsp salt per 2 ½ lbs vegetables

2 tsp salt per 1 lb vegetables

1 tsp salt per ½ lb vegetables

½ tsp salt per ¼ lb vegetables

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Shred, grate, or finely chop your rutabagas. Add the salt, and mix well.

I let this sit on the counter for several hours or overnight (this step is in place of pounding) so that the salt can begin to draw water out of the rutabagas. The water contains nutrients, and these nutrients then become the substrate for the growth of the lactic acid bacteria which is what turns your rutabagas into sauerruben. (Steinkraus, Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods, p.120.)

After some water has been drawn out, pack the rutabaga WITH its water into a glass jar. You really want to pack it in there (use your fist or any kitchen tool), because this will help squeeze more water out. You can also use a specially-made ceramic sauerkraut crock, or a glass or ceramic bowl (anything except metal, since salt and acid can react with metal).

Keep the rutabaga submerged under the brine by placing a smaller plate on top and weighing it down with something heavy (a jug of water, a boiled rock, etc.). Or, nest a smaller jar of water inside your larger glass jar.

How to Make Sauerkraut, (c) The Herbangardener

This is kale, not sauerruben, but same idea. I particularly like this nesting-jars method for keeping everthing submerged under the brine.

Whatever method you devise, just be sure that all traces of rutabaga are completely submerged in the brine. Little bits sticking up above the water line will quickly lead to a moldy situation (and if you do end up with mold, scrape off the entire top layer, but the rest underneath should be fine!). So if you need to mix up some more brine (which is just a fancy name for salt water), use the ratio of 1 tsp salt to 1 cup of water.

Cover the jar with a towel to keep bugs out. Leave it to ferment at room temperature until you like the taste of your sauerruben. Let your tongue be your guide to done-ness. Taste it every few days, and transfer into the fridge when it tastes the way you like it. I like mine pretty sour, so I usually leave it out for 1-2 weeks or more, depending on how warm it is in the kitchen. If the taste is right but the ‘ruben is still too bitey, shove it to the back of the fridge for several weeks for it to mellow out.

Once in the fridge, your sauerruben will keep for many months. And when it’s all gone, don’t throw out the juice; it’s full of beneficial Lactobacillus (lactic acid bacteria) and is said to be a very good digestive tonic. And if you like, add a little of the juice to your next batch of sauerruben as a starter.

Troubleshooting:

If you see a white film (“kahm yeast”) develop on the surface of the brine, scrape off what you can each day until the ‘ruben is done fermenting. Sometimes I don’t get any film. Sometimes I get a fair amount. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. The kahm yeast won’t harm anything, but if you keep getting a lot of it day after day, it can sometimes (not always) impart an off taste to the brine. Just try to scrape it off on a regular basis (daily is nice).

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Our City Dawn Chorus

May 24, 2011 / Lindsey / 4 Comments

I love when I happen to wake up early enough to hear the early-morning birds, before the noise of the city starts up. Last Sunday morning I awoke and decided to record our dawn chorus because it’s so beautiful!

I really love birdsong. I come from a long line of bird watchers and nature lovers…my dad would take me on nature walks as a little kid, pointing out whose nest was whose (my favorite was the oriole’s sweat-sock nest!), and whose song we were hearing around us (my favorite was the red-winged blackbird). Hearing birdsong is one of my true, deep pleasures in life!

Here’s the sound of our city dawn chorus, with the hollow — almost haunting — song of robins.

Does it sound like yours? Is it different? Who sings at dawn in your neighborhood?

Gratitude Sunday * May 22, 2011

May 22, 2011 / Lindsey / 6 Comments

– All the incredible rain we’ve been getting, and then a gorgeous weekend!

– Rainy days & getting to stay cozy inside.

– Steaming mug of maté with milk. I love love love it!

– Being able to work from home, on my own schedule.

– Tax refund check in the mail — I’d completely forgotten it was coming! Nice surprise.

– Sprouted lentils & soaked brown rice cooked with chicken bone broth & a bay leaf. So delicious, and gentle on my still-feeling-delicate-from-the-flu tummy.

– Buying some beautiful flowers to plant outside in the pot next to our door. (photo below)

What about you? What have you been grateful for this week? Leave a comment!

How to Make Beet Kvass

May 21, 2011 / Lindsey / 62 Comments

Beet kvass is a favorite at our house! It’s so easy to make and so good for your body, and we love the taste — salty, sour, very refreshing.

Beets are extremely nutrient rich and have long been valued as a blood tonic (and their doctrine of signatures would suggest this — they make everything look bloody after you’ve cut into them!). They are rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, carotene, B complex, copper, and vitamin C. Beets and their greens contain special substances that protect the liver and stimulate the flow of bile (Nourishing Traditions, p. 373). And drinking beet kvass is especially beneficial to digestion because it’s lacto-fermented and therefore contains beneficial enzymes and bacteria for your digestive tract. It’s an all-around health tonic, and according to p. 610 of Nourishing Traditions, beet kvass promotes regular elimination, aids digestion, alkalinizes the blood, cleanses the liver, and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments.

Well, all I know is that it tastes good!

The recipe in Nourishing Traditions describes letting your beet kvass ferment for 2 days on the counter and then refrigerating it. However, I find it usually needs to ferment a lot longer than that. I let mine go a week or two on the counter, until the kvass is completely opaque — a deep, thick red that you can’t see through. I give it a taste, and if it’s sour with no hint of sweetness left, I know it’s done (though some may like to have that hint of sweetness). As with all fermentations, let it go until it tastes good to you, regardless of what the directions say.

Here’s my recipe:

Beet Kvass

8 – 10 ounces organic beets, scrubbed & coarsely chopped (I don’t bother to peel them)

1/4 cup whey* (optional)

1 Tbsp sea salt (I like unrefined sea salt because the minerals haven’t been taken out)

water

Place the salt into a 2-quart glass jar. Pour in a little warm water to dissolve the salt, and then add the beets and whey (if using). Fill the jar to the top with water. Stir and cover. Let sit at room temperature until the kvass tastes good to you — several days to a couple weeks, depending on your kitchen temperature and your tastes. Transfer to the fridge. If the kvass isn’t delicious, it may need a few weeks to “do its thing” in the fridge. I always find that my ferments taste even better when they’ve been shoved to the back of the fridge for a few weeks (or…er…months!).

And I have found that the whey is an optional ingredient, even though it isn’t listed as such in Nourishing Traditions. Feel free to leave it out; your kvass will take a little longer to ferment, but will be just as delicious!

When the liquid is nearly gone from your jar, you can fill it halfway again with water (no extra salt) and let it re-ferment if you want. Or you can save some kvass to add to your new batch as an innoculant, or you can juice your spent beet chunks! Or all of the above.

Starting a new batch of beet kvass

Beet kvass, finished and ready to drink

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*Whey: a clear yellowish liquid that can be drained off a fermented milk product like yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir. Whey will actually last for a couple months in your fridge. There are several ways to collect it:

– Easiest way: make kefir and let it over-ferment until curds and whey have separated. Spoon off the curds, and strain the whey through a fine mesh seive.

– Another way: Place a colander or seive over a bowl. Line the colander with a clean, damp tea towel, and pour yogurt into that. Leave for a day or two in your fridge to drain. You’ll then be left with whey in the bowl and “Greek yogurt” (or “yogurt cheese” if it’s really thick) in the colander. Both are great for making dips.

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Troubleshooting:

My ferments, including my kvass, sometimes get a white film (kahm yeast) on top during fermentation. It looks like this:

Kahm yeast is harmless, but you’ll want to try to keep it scraped off so it doesn’t affect the flavor of the kvass too much. I do find that my kvass gains a depth of flavor when it’s had this film on it, but if you let it go uncontrolled, it can make your kvass taste weird. Try to scrape as much of it off each day as you can.

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