Today I went to a food swap. It was so cool!!!! I made sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, granola, wheat berry sprouts, chicken broth, and diaper cream/hand salve/lip balm (not a food, I know, but it was a hot commodity nonetheless). Everyone brought homemade or home-grown food, and it was used as currency. I came away with bread, jam, buttermilk, ricotta cheese, frozen cabbage, frozen corn, canned green beans, a knitted wash cloth, amaretto, pea soup, pepper relish, and...I think that's all. Not too shabby, huh?
From the list of foods above, you may be able to deduce that I have been really into my fermenting lately. I have made a lot of sauerkraut lately because we have gotten so much cabbage from the CSA. I will probably attempt miso next. From the book Wild Fermentation, it does not look very difficult; it just takes patience for the fermentation to occur. I was thinking about starting a blog about food, particularly fermenting. I'm not sure what else I could do, but if I have a goal to blog about it regularly, I can expand my horizons a little. Maybe I will try again with sourdough bread. I think I need to get a bread stone for that to turn out correctly. I have had trouble with bread--Abacus, do you have any tips?
Penny's sleep has not improved too much, but it has a little bit. Bill has gotten up with her a few nights so I can get some sleep. Last night and the night before, I fed her around 1:30 and again at 5:00. It's not ideal, but it's definitely an improvement over the every-hour wakings/feedings she was doing for a while.
(This is my 100th blog post, by the way!)
2 comments:
Ha, we must be on the same wave length. I have been thinking about starting a separate food blog, as much for personal use as anything else, just to keep track of stuff I like to make.
I made my Mom's ridiculously complicated Rustic bread for pre-Valentine's dinner tonight (the process began yesterday afternoon). Luckily, it made ten small loaves, most of which I stuck in the freezer. I think this was the first time I was successful at making it. The recipe is two pages long of really small font. At one point it says, "resist the temptation to add extra flour- the dough should be sticky." Well, I resisted this temptation every time I had made it previously, and I ended up with super flat bread. So, I ignored this comment, added extra flour, and things worked out really well. If you find yourself in Kansas, I'm sure my Mom would be willing to give you some lessons.
I usually use a recipe from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day where you store a week's worth of dough in the fridge. It's really good and has a large amount of whole wheat flour in it.
Have you tried Dutch Oven Bread? Gives a crunchy crust (think 'Artisan' at Blue Dog) and a unique texture to the 'crumb'. I love it because it reminds me of the bread I bought in every little village in Europe.
I have your sauerkraut from the food swap in for tonight's dinner. Didn't use it last night because I got a better offer!
Judi
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