yesterday

a sweet routine

It's that time of year.  The time of year when the blueberry bushes out back are coming into their own, and they need attention.

Not a lot, mind you.  But some regular attention.  And so, on most evenings I slip outside after dinner.  The air is cooler then, calm.  For a few minutes I quietly pick blueberries.  It's taking me little longer these days, as there are more berries ready every single time.

I've come to love these quiet moments: harvesting goodness, tending my sweet bushes.  They're a chance to catch my breath, breathe the fresh air, and have a moment of quiet.

Of course, there are times when the family ends up following me outdoors as well.  Those evenings are delightful too, but in a different way.  The kids frolic together, the happiest I've seen them all day - while my husband and I sit on the patio, hold hands, and talk.

Either way, I'm relishing these times of delicious summer evenings and blueberries.

blue-ing

our first basket! (this year)

Last week our family received the first CSA basket of the year!  (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, find out more by clicking HERE.) This is our fifth year of participating in such a program.  We love it so much; it's wonderful to get a chance to have all of this fresh, local, seasonal produce.  I love that we're helping to support a local farmer.  And it's great to be encouraged to try new things - I am very much a one of getting stuck in a rut as far as which foods I buy.

We will receive a weekly basket of goodies throughout the growing season - roughly from June through September/October.  The amount of produce in each week's basket varies according to the season (for example, although this week's basket was plentiful, the fullest basket is yet to come).

Our first basket included:  two heads of lettuce, broccoli, pod peas, a ton of Walla Walla onions, a green pepper radishes, beet greens, kale, and Swiss chard.  Bounty!  We're so thankful to be able to do this again. 

To nourishment,

interpretation

The whisk I'd been using to mix ice cream fell on the floor.

Me:  "Poop!"

Elise, age 3, peering closely: "Is that poop?"

Me:  "No, it's not poop.  I was just unhappy about the mess I made on the floor.

Elise:  "That chocolate, not poop."

Me:  "Yes, you're right.  It's chocolate."

Elise, supremely confident:  "That not poop on the floor, Mama..."

kombucha finger gelatin

A wonderful thing has happened: I have discovered a beautiful marriage between the super-beverage, kombucha, and the super-food gelatin.

Did you know that gelatin is a super-food?  It is - real gelatin, that is.  (HERE is an article about it, but there is a lot of information out there if you decide to go looking.)  I'm not talking about the technicolor stuff shelved in your grocery store's pudding aisle.  Stay away from that artificial junk.  Made from the connective tissues of healthy animals, the best gelatin is from grass-fed cows.   Great Lakes Gelatin and Bernard Jensen are good places to buy real, healthy gelatin.

I've read a few different recipes for kombucha gelatin, and I didn't like the idea of heating the kombucha.  After all, heating fermented foods damages the microorganisms which provide those healthful benefits.  But then  Kimi from The Nourishing Gourmet posted her recipe for Kombucha "Jello" which didn't place the kombucha into the heat at all - bingo!

This finger gelatin recipe is based off of The Nourishing Gourmet's wonderful idea.  You can use kombucha purchased at a store or home-brewed stuff.  I used blackberry and chose to strain the fermented berries out.  The kids really enjoyed this; even my sole son who doesn't care for kombucha said "This is good!"  I'm so pleased to have a fun way to serve such nourishing stuff to my family.


Kombucha Finger Gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
6 teaspoons gelatin
2-4 Tablespoons honey (depending on how sweet/tart your kombucha is)
2 cups flavored kombucha

In a medium saucepan, add water then sprinkle gelatin over it.  Let this rest 5 minutes.   After 5 minutes, stir in your honey and turn the heat to medium.  Stir and heat for several minutes, allowing the gelatin to dissolve completely.  Make certain it is dissolved - trust me, you do not want a gritty result.

Remove from heat.  At this point you can stir the kombucha into the mixture, or transfer everything to a glass bowl to combine.  Stir well, then pour into an 8x8 or 9x9 glass pan.  Refrigerate, then cut and serve.

Enjoy!

the gluten situation

I know this gluten-free thing must keep you up at night wondering, so I thought I'd follow up and put you out of your misery.

I'm great like that.

The happy news is that the issue that was plaguing me is completely unrelated to gluten.  It's almost totally resolved a week after its final diagnosis. As a result, I am now back to eating properly-prepared gluten foods - that is, soaked, sprouted, and fermented/dourdough.  A thousand yays!

The past week has been a long one, but one of the bright spots has been my happy reunion with sourdough and other gluteny items.  I've relished pancakes (pictured above), soaked biscuits made with tallow, and a buttered slice of sourdough just out of the oven.  *swoon*

This morning we had sourdough English muffins, and I am greatly looking forward to making sourdough crepes again this week.  So, so good!

I'm so pleased to be able to eat the foods I love again, and very thankful.

busy summertime

Lately I've noticed something.  As summer is ending, when I chat with  people about it has gone for them they talk about how busy it was.  Lots of activities and gatherings.  Go, go, go.  It always strikes me as slightly odd, because the main reason my summer was busy had to do with me standing in my kitchen and chopping things.

Don't misunderstand: we took outings.  We traveled the central and western United States for three weeks in our Suburban.  We've had gatherings with friends.  We went swimming.  We did stuff - although I think we probably did less of that stuff than a lot of people took on.  Because, let's face it: I am a homebody.  A homebody and an introvert, which is not really the most exciting combination.  Still, I kept my self busy...

I blanched beans and roasted tomatoes.  I froze and bagged berries.  I made jam.  And rendered tallow.  And made some more jam.   Then I prayed for more tomatoes.  

So...I think it's safe to say that I kept pretty busy - even beyond the regular stuff like school and laundry and diaper changing.

Was it worth it?  I suppose that's a matter of opinion.  I know that for me, it's important to do what I can to preserve the harvest, to use what I can now and save some for cold weather.  It's important to make use of fresh, organic goods, of healthy, clean animal fats, and of my freezer space.  It is very satisfying to pull out summer goods in the middle of winter, to taste those gorgeous summer tomatoes, the sweetness of summer berries.  It's good to know I'm providing for my family with my own two hands - even if my feet do get tired sometimes.  I want to seize the opportunities I've been given at every chance.

For me, it is worth it.  The work of my hands is rewarding in its own way, and it does my heart good to know I've done what I could.

our first rendering

You'll never, ever guess what we did this week.

Okay, you might guess if you follow me on Facebook.  But otherwise, I bet you'll never guess.  So I suppose I ought to just come out and tell you.

We rendered tallow.

You know what beef tallow is, right?  It is to cows what lard is to pigs.  It's a very stable fat, which makes it great for frying.  Tallow and lard are also traditionally used in pie crusts and other pastries (as well as butter, of course).  When sourced from healthy, pastured animals they are a great source of health benefits.  Julia Child is recalled to have said that back when McDonald's used tallow to prepare their french fries, they were surprisingly good.  But after they changed to "healthier" oils, not so much.

When it comes to rendering beef tallow at home,I got the idea HERE, and we ran with it.  When we were getting our grassfed beef for this year, we had the option of receiving fat as well.  When my husband asked, I answered with a very enthusiastic "Yes!"

It's a sure sign you're a food geek when you're super excited about two bags of beef fat in your refrigerator.

Finished tallow

The process is simple: trim the fat, cut up the fat, and then very, very slowly melt the fat. I used my slow cooker on warm and low settings.  After it's melted down, strain and cool it.  When it's hot, it will be translucent.  When cool, it will be solid.

Hot tallow

Cold tallow

I've been asked approximately 600 times (or something like that) what I'll use my tallow for.  And no, I'm not planning to make soap or candles with it, though many people do.   Most of our rendered beefy goodness will be used for food!  I'm planning to use it for french fries and making tortilla chips.  I cooked quesadillas in a little tallow last night, and I think it's safe to say I will never be the same (I'd always used olive oil before, which has a fairly low smoke point - not good for high heat! Besides, they were indefinably yummier this way).   I'd like to try making pastry with it too, and see how my particular tallow from my particular animal works in that situation.  

So far I've used it in cooking several different was:  cooking eggs, roasting red potatoes, and frying quesadillas.  Delicious all around, I tell you.

There is one other thing I'll use my tallow.  Stay with me now; this may stun some of you.  Last night I found a recipe for tallow body balm.  Apparently it's fabulous for the skin.  And check it out: they even sell it at $13 for 2 oz. on THIS website.  The testimonials are amazing.  I used some of my homemade lavender-scented balm this morning, and my skin feels so supple and soft.  Astounding.  Who would've thought?

Tallow.  Simple and natural.  A delicious way to get the fats our bodies need!

 

it's what's for dinner

This marks the fourth year we've purchased grass-fed beef from a rancher.  

(Why grass-fed and grass-finished?  Click HERE to read more.)

We bought the most we ever have:  three-quarters of a cow.

Wow.

Our family is so excited, though.   And to tell you the truth, it was a little tricky to get it all in the freezer.

We had to utilize every square inch of freezer space we had available, which included one big chest freezer and two refrigerator freezers.  My husband did it though. Didn't I tell you he was spatially gifted?

I'm so pleased and happy to have such a supply of lovely, healthy grass-fed beef available.   I can hardly wait to make this sausage again.  We love it in omelettes, on pizza, and in many other dishes.  It's so easy!

Recently I discovered some other promising recipes: Homemade Beef Pepperoni (which the commenters say is similar to summer sausage!) and Spicy Pepperoni, as well as a new Beef Jerky recipe.  

A word of advice, though: grass-fed beef cooks differently than conventional beef.  It's quite lean, so it needs to be cooked more slowly, over lower heat.   I highly recommend Stanley Fishman's book Tender Grassfed Meat, especially if you are new to grass-fed.  Here's a link to some free recipe ideas:  American Grassfed Beef.  It took me a while to learn how to prepare grass-fed beef, but it was so worth the process!

seasonal food: beets

When I was a kid, I would not eat beets.

I know, big shocker.  There's a lot of stuff I wouldn't eat as a child.  And there's a story in family lore of how a daycare provider tried to make my brother eat beets, and how traumatic the whole thing was.  Clearly, beets were not something a sane person chose to eat.

But over the past few years, largely due to the CSA program, I have absolutely fallen in love with beets.  My favorite way to prepare them is to roast them.  I cook them til they're nice and tender, peel them (marveling at the gorgeous hue), and dice them.  Then I toss them with a little extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, adding a sprinkle or two of salt.  Perfection!  My daughter adores them this way. 

Fermented Beets

Another way we use beets around here is to pickle them.  I use the lacto-fermentation process - it's so easy! The end result is a crisp, flavorful beet: great on salads or in wraps.  I really enjoy the addition of a little garlic too, it adds such a nice zip to the pickled beets.

Pink Coleslaw

When I first learned about Pink Coleslaw, I was intrigued.  And it's the easiest thing ever to "pink" up the recipe!  Just grate a raw beet into the mix and stir it up.  The recipe called for two beets, but I only used one (I got lazy), and the result was still very pink.  It tastes like normal coleslaw to me (though I love that the dressing is sweetened with honey), but you get the health benefits of beets as well as that stunning color.

And what are the health benefits? According to Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions, beets are a wonderful source of vitamins and nutrients: "calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, as well as carotene, B complex and vitamin C."   They can be eaten cooked, raw, or fermented.  They also help to detoxify.

My next quest is trying and making beet kvass.  Talk about packing a punch!  And to think, a few years ago I never even would have considered it, not for anything.  My, how time can change things.

Blessings,


p.s.  I should probably tell you that beets can influence the color of your urine, especially if you eat more than one serving.  So if you g out and enjoy them, don't be alarmed!  You are not dying.  It's simply part of the "beet experience."

pickle me too

fermenting dilly beans

Coming soon: how fermenting foods at home is easy, traditional, and a hugely beneficial to one's health!

quinoa chicken salad

One of my favorite summer dishes is Quinoa Chicken Salad.  It is probably the most versatile thing I serve to my family: it can be hot or cold, and one can easily change up the meat, vegetables, even the dressing.  It all depends how you like it and what you have on hand.  I doubt I've ever made it precisely the same way twice.  All the same, here is a rough blueprint of what I do when I prepare this "recipe."

The idea of this dish was inspired primarily by The Nourishing Gourmet's Everyday Italian Rice Salad.  I use the dressing from that recipe, although I'm halving it here in this context.

Ingredients
1 c. quinoa, uncooked
2 c. Water
2 T. raw vinegar or lemon juice
---------------------------
2 c. water or bone broth
1 c. cooked chicken, shredded
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. raw cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 c. Peas
1/2 c. Carrots, shredded
1/2 c. Green onions, sliced

Dressing: 1/3 c. Extra virgin olive oil
2 T. Raw apple cider vinegar
3/4 t. dried basil
1/2 T. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. sea salt
dash of black pepper


Make the salad
The night before, combine the first three ingredients and let rest overnight.  (This helps neutralize the anti-nutrients found in quinoa and other seeds, as well as nuts and whole grains.  For a superb chart on soaking and cooking grains properly, click HERE.)

The following day, rinse quinoa well and place in a medium pot.  Add 2 c. bone broth or water.  I also add a dash of salt and a dash of extra virgin olive oil at this point.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook 25-30 minutes.  When the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat but leave covered for 15 additional minutes.  At this time, uncover & fluff with a fork.

Add mix-ins to the quinoa.  Prepare dressing and pour over the other ingredients, combining well.   Enjoy!

We love this salad hot, but it really shines as a cold main dish on hot summer nights.  As I said, feel free to play with the meats, vegetables, cheese, etc.  You could even go with an entirely different dressing: the possibilities are endless!

travel: real food at a continental breakfast?

It's a curious thing, being a real foodie at a continental breakfast.  In spite of my preparation for us to eat many breakfasts out of our cooler, we have found ourselves with the option of a complimentary meal at the start of our first three mornings of different hotel stays.   We opted not to "look a gift horse in a mouth" and took advantage of the free food at the start of each day. 

I'm thankful, truly. But to be honest, the foods offered at these meals sometimes makes me a little 

uncomfortable. 

Bagels. Muffins. Biscuits.  Pastries... white flour galore.  Lowfat, flavored yogurt: laden with  all kinds of fillers and added sweeteners.  Dry, dead cereals and pasteurized milk.  And "maple-flavored" syrup, which simply makes me shudder.  I saw one label which read "2% maple syrup."  You know what the rest of it is, right?  Artificial flavorings and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

This is not real food.

What's a mama to do? Is it possible to find a nourishment at a continental breakfast?  If so, how?

Look for Protein-Rich Options
These have been incredibly scarce at such meals, I am sad to say.  In my opinion, commercially flavored yogurt and regular milk are poor choices.   If possible, choose eggs.  Twice now, I've been happy to them hard-boiled, pre-peeled. These are probably the best way to assure you're eating the real thing, as opposed to powdered eggs!  I've seen scrambled eggs and pre-made omelettes as option, as well.  Eggs seem to go like hot cakes at buffet lines, so be be aware and act fast.

Fresh Fruit
Each of these spreads has included fresh fruit.  Bananas, oranges, apples.  Even a mixed fruit offering with melon, grapes, and strawberries.  Fresh fruit is far better for you than canned, and it's a safer bet than dried fruits (which often contain sulphur) as well.

Healthy Spreads
Sometimes, but not always, continental breakfasts will offer real butter alongside the margarine.  Butter is a healthy part of a real food diet, and people often don't eat enough healthy fats.  Also, I was pleased to find little packages of honey.   Real cream cheese might also make a good option.  In the area of spreads, there is so much that we avoid: nut butters and jams laden with HFCS, margarine.  It's such a pleasure to find a few options I can feel better about serving my family.

Focus on the Positive
One of the best steps we can take in our approach toward continental breakfasts is to ask for real food.  Write a note to tell the service manager that you'd love to see more eggs, cheese, and real juice (instead of something which is clearly an orange-flavored beverage!). I imagine that the positive reinforcement of hearing how happy you were to find butter, honey, etc. can only have favorable results.   And l tried to let the women in charge of these meals know that I appreciated their efforts.


Facing situations such as this can seem discouraging, no doubt about it.  But seeking out the gems, searching for the best possible choices, as well as focusing on the positive can really help.  There's always a chance that we might make a difference this way!

Choose real food, ask for real food, and above all enjoy real food.  Happy trails!

my new favorite sandwich

(from a lunch at home a few days ago)

Warm sourdough flatbread.  Black beans fermented with red onion and garlic.  Shredded cheddar.  Sour cream.

Mmm-mmm good.

travel: taking real food on the road

While contemplating our trek to the Midwest this summer, we decided to bring our own breakfasts, lunches, snacks.  Through planning, preparation, and a cooler full of ice, we hoped to save money as well as insure some solid nourishment during our journey.  We knew we would be eating pretty differently a lot of the time, but we wanted to keep it balanced a fair amount of the time as well.


And so, the days before our departure saw me not only packing, but cooking too.  Here's a run-down of what we brought with us to satisfy our appetites.




Breakfast~
hard-boiled eggs (shells on until we're ready to eat them)
Cinnamon Bun Muffins (using coconut flour)
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Muffins (coconut flour)
Sourdough Pancakes
almond butter (also for sandwiches at lunch)
real salt
orange juice (a rare, rare treat)


Lunch~
sliced turkey lunchmeat
sprouted whole wheat sandwich bread
cheddar cheese sticks (cut at home)
bananas
sugar snap peas
2 bottles grape kombucha

Snacks~
stove-popped popcorn (from home)
salty sourdough crackers
organic raisins
yogurt raisins (not technically a whole food, but another very rare treat)
Barbara's Bakery cereal bars (another treat)
Barbara's Bakery fig bars (you guessed it, a rarity for us!)
homemade trail mix (peanuts, raisins, Enjoy Life chocolate chips)
carob peanut clusters

Bag o' snacks

As for dinnertime, we've been finding a restaurant before we head to the hotel.  After a long day of traveling it's nice to sit in a cool room and have food brought out to you!   We're being conscious of the expenses, and last night we were happy to discover that the restaurant we decided on was offering "Kids Eat Free" that night!  Two adult entrees earned four free children's meals.  


The math doesn't get much more perfect than that.


Happy Trails!

the thing about organic

There are times when I pass over an item in favor of one with the word "organic" on its label, and I feel a little self-conscious.

Organic seems a little precious.  Pompous, conceited.   If produce could possibly come across as stuck-up, organic stuff does.

Honestly, I don't buy exclusively organic.  Like many others, I can't really afford to buy organic all the time.  I'm not sure anyone can.  Still I try to be selective.  I take to heart lists like "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Clean Fifteen."   For example, I purchase only organic strawberries but buy conventional bananas.  Our kitchen contains organic butter and sour cream (an animal's fat cells are where the pesticides it consumes are stored!).  I focus on whole foods and buy organic as much as I can, especially where it's most needed.  Educated choices are important in any format, and the food we eat is no exception.

I would love to be able to buy only organic groceries, though.  It simply doesn't work for our household right now.

But here's the thing about organic food:

"Organic" doesn't mean fancy.  It doesn't mean grown in the crystal clean air of mountain passes which are perfumed by calming lavender, and meticulously spooned specialized fertilizer onto dainty roots just finished with a massage and a pedicure.

Organic, as it relates to food, means this:

produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.

It means no added junk, at least as far as the growing process goes.  It means the plants are not treated with man-made chemicals.  It means without the scary stuff.

I realize that last paragraph contains a lot of negatives.  These days that's pretty much how it has to be.  Yet let me turn it around; I'll word it more positively this time.

Organic means just food. Pure.  Unadulterated.  Simply the good stuff.

Think about that for a moment.  The words "organic food" are often seen as highfalutin, prissy, the choice of super selective buyers.  And I am aware of why...  But what organic actually means is this: the food as it was meant to be.


Red, juicy strawberries.  Sweet corn with no hint of GMOs.  Tender peaches with the purest fuzzy skin.  The true foods... originals.

peanut butter "syrup"

This isn't a true syrup, but it doubles nicely as one.   I developed this idea a few months ago, and it has been a tremendous hit around here.  Use this sweet topping on pancakes, waffles, or even ice cream.  The possibilities are endless!  It is especially spectacular with chocolate chip pancakes - trust me on this one.  

Now...I don't have exact amounts for this recipe.  Instead, I just mix, stir, add, etc. until it looks about right.  So I do apologize: those kinds of recipes drive me batty!  But so much about this mixture depends on temperature (both of the room and of the materials) and consistency that it's really best to see what works in your own kitchen on a particular day. 

Peanut Butter "Syrup"

coconut oil (very soft) - about 1/4 cup

creamy organic peanut butter - about 2-3 Tablespoons

sea salt (if your PB doesn't already contain salt) - a dash

raw honey - about 1 Tablespoon

vanilla - a dash

Combine all the ingredients and stir until smooth.  If your coconut oil was on the firm side, you may wish to warm the mixture until it reaches a pourable consistency.  If the mixture is too runny, add more peanut butter and stir again.

I store this in the refrigerator, but do keep in mind that coconut oil becomes very hard when cold.  If you want to use it at breakfast, pull it out the night before and leave at room temperature.   Or reheat gently in a toaster oven.  You get the idea: give it some love.  It needs to be fairly warm (room temperature in the summer) in order to be spreadable.

Although it could be yummy by the spoonful as well.  I wouldn't know a thing about that. Not. A. Thing.

Enjoy!

using summer strawberries

Here in the Pacific northwest, it is strawberry time!  Oregonians are proud of their berries, particularly the petite, oh-so-sweet Hood variety.  In this town and in my home there is much rejoicing when the strawberries "come in."  We've been enjoying our first flat of strawberries very much, and in light of that I thought I'd share my favorite ways to use these stunning little gems - aside from simply eating them, that is!

Popsicles
1 cup berries
1 banana
1 cup whole plain yogurt OR kefir
1/2 cup raw honey

Blend well to combine, pour into molds and freeze.  Enjoy on a warm summer afternoon!

Smoothies
Here's my little secret: to make smoothies, I simply mix up the popsicle recipe above.  Pour into cups and serve.  Easy and convenient if you don't have time to wait.

Shh...don't tell my kids.

Jam
One of the most versatile ways to use summer strawberries is in freezer jam.  For several years now, I've been using this recipe from Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet.  Using a product called Pomona's Pectin, it's happily possible to use only honey to sweeten your jam!  Long time readers of this blog will know that I really dig honey-sweetened stuff.  My family loves having a stash of freezer jam in supply; it's so refreshing to have that taste of summer all year long.

Kombucha
I mentioned in my post on How To Make Kombucha, I mentioned that I often flavor our kombucha (during a second ferment) with fruit.  During the summer -and while our supply of frozen fruit holds out- I use berries.  My very favorite berry for kombucha?  Strawberry.  So sweet, yet tangy and fizzy...and bright red. It doesn't get much more festive than that, if you ask me.



There you have it, my favorite ways to use summer strawberries.  Of course, the possibilities are pretty much endless, but that's how we do it at my house.  Happy end of June to you!