If you read my blog at all, you may be thinking one of the following: 1. Fermentation sounds revolting. Why does she keep going on about it? 2. OMG. I love fermentation. I named my sourdough starter [insert name]. 3. I have never tried fermentation and would like to but it scares me. I don’t want to […]
probiotics
How to Make 5 Dairy Staples Each with 2 Ingredients
I like to keep my grocery shopping simple and buy as few items as possible. And because I don’t buy food packaged in plastic, I can’t buy many items. (Today’s news on the health risks of plastic food packaging comes to you from the New York Times…) However, where I live, I can buy organic, pastured […]
Fermented Hot Peppers
Updated 01/18/18 Click here to go straight to the recipe I grabbed a handful of hot peppers at the farmer’s market a couple of months ago to ferment. It was so easy! Every time I try a new ferment, I find myself saying that. I’m convinced that anyone attempting to simplify their life will eventually […]
5 Reasons to Ferment Food
I find fermentation fascinating. I’m pretty much obsessed with it and wish I had discovered it earlier in my adult life (better late than never). I can’t really be too hard on myself though. In just a few generations, we’ve lost (most of) our food-growing and food-preparing skills. Fortunately slow, local, organic, real food has gained […]
My First Attempt at Homemade Hooch: Mead
Click here to go to the recipe “It looks terrifying.” That’s what my friend Amy said when I opened my jar of homemade mead and poured her a cup to try. Mead is honey wine. Aristotle speaks of it. Beowulf drank it. Shakespeare mentions it. The simple recipe likely explains mead’s persistence throughout the ages. In a nutshell, […]
Crispy On the Outside, Fluffy on the Inside Sourdough Waffles
Click here to go straight to the recipe. Or use the batter to make pancakes! I love baking with sourdough starter. Actually, I’m obsessed with my starter. When my boyfriend asks how my day went, I often include an update on my starter: “Eleanor smells fruity” or “Eleanor didn’t rise as much as I had hoped” […]
Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles
Updated 07/14/18 Click here to go straight to the recipe. Why have I never made these until now? Crunchy, sour, fermented watermelon rind pickles: Are easy to make Taste delicious Contain good microbes, which improve your health Cost basically nothing (you bought the melon for the fruit after all) Reduce waste I feel like a […]
Beet Kvass
Updated 10/02/17 I can’t remember which company, touting its latest chemical- and sugar-laden beverage, described water as a “yawn in a glass,” but that irresponsible yet effective marketing message stuck with me. You have to admire Big Food’s audacity and creativity. Well, maybe not admire. Acknowledge? (I just watched Fed Up last night, so I may sound […]
How to Make Yogurt
Click here to go straight to the recipe. Making yogurt takes a bit more work than making buttermilk, but it’s still very simple. You need yogurt with live cultures to get started, but once you have yogurt, set some aside to make the next batch and continue the cycle perpetually (or at least for many months, even years). […]