In-kitchen worm farm design Ok perhaps I’m having a rabidly bright-green moment, but i rekon this artwork is pretty cool. An in-kitchen wormfarm, with built in chopping board! Nutrient cycling beneath the bench… Yes, it’s conceptual, but still… if I was an apartment dweller, I’d be considering building a DIY version based this concept (the worm farm part, anyway)! The project is Parasite Farm by Charlotte Dieckmann.
Build a Food Storage Shelf Preparation Instructions: Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Apply additional coats of wood filler as needed. Pressure Canning 101 – Canning Across America Just the thought of firing up this potentially explosive stove-top appliance sends many of us running for cover! Whistling petcocks, clouds of scalding steam, and slippery jars all compound to create nightmarish visions of 3rd degree burns and spaghetti sauce dripping from the ceiling. It’s true, pressure canners are potentially dangerous, but they are perfectly safe when the manufacturer’s directions are carefully followed. Never use a pressure canner that does not have an accompanying instruction manual. Heat is the weapon the home canner wields in the battle against decay and toxins. High acid foods like most fruits and pickles can be safely processed at 212 F–the boiling point of water. Read through and follow these simple steps for pressure-free pressure canning: [Editor's note: read through the entire manual before using the pressure canner. • Place the pressure canner, containing its wire basket, on a cold stovetop element. • Place filled jars, tops screwed on, in the wire basket.
10 New Ways to Cook Quinoa A few years ago I made my first dish with Quinoa. I made a rookie mistake and did not rinse the dry Quinoa thoroughly first so it had a bitter taste that no one in my family liked. Lately though I gave it another try and now it has become a weekly part of our menu. I rinse well, pop it in my VitaClay, and then add it to a variety of yummy dishes. My husband loves it with Ahi Tuna and green curry sauce. Looking for some new recipes I asked on the NatureMoms Facebook page what the community’s favorite way to cook Quinoa was. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. See anything you might like to try? For more ideas checkout: Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood Sourdough Bread: How To Begin (easy sourdough for the beginner or novice) The Basics By S. John Ross Sourdough bread is bread made without added yeast. By making a "starter" in which wild yeast can grow, the sourdough baker can raise bread naturally, as mankind did for thousands and thousands of years before a packet of yeast was an available convenience at the local market. To become a sourdough baker, all you need are some basic ingredients (flour, water, salt, and sugar), some basic tools (a mixing bowl, an oven, and a baking sheet), and a basic interest. There are only a few simple steps to becoming a sourdough baker. Creating Your Starter The novel thing about sourdough baking is that it requires that you keep something alive in your fridge. Select a container that your "pet" will live in. Care and Feeding: Hooch Aside from weekly feeding, the only other thing you need to worry about is hooch. Sourdough Baking Step One: Proofing the Sponge Several hours before you plan to make your dough (recipe below), you need to make a sponge. The proofing-time varies.
Canning Meats at Home Canning Meats at Home A Pressure Canner is required for canning meats and fresh vegetables without vinegar added. Although tomatoes are thought of as a vegetable, they are technically a fruit and the older varieties contain enough acid for water bath canning. Many many other Homesteading activities can be dangerous too. You really need the directions the manufacturer wrote for your model of pressure canner, and you need to take the pressure setting and processing times from a recent reliable source to be as safe as you can be. Meat Pressure Canner processing times are generally longer than Water Bath canning times for fruits. Many years ago we used to raise a couple of steers every year. The best cuts should be served or frozen after aging. Today I are simply canning Angus London Broil cuts from the Grocery store to show how it is done. The meat, juice, jars, lids, and rings are all packed hot and go into the hot pressure canner with the correct amount of water in the bottom.
What We Learned From A Year Without Food From A Grocery Store By Rachel – dogislandfarm.com I can’t believe it’s been a year now since we started our year without groceries. We learned a lot in that year. We are definitely healthier, but also we’re happier. When we first decided to do a year without buying food from the grocery store, convenience stores, box stores or restaurants we thought the challenge was going to be really difficult. But as time continued onward we started to get into the groove of things. We met a lot of great small family farmers and built relationships with them. About 6 months into our year we realized that it was pretty easy and that we wanted to have more of a challenge. We were so far behind on planting due to Mother Nature refusing to cooperate that I was worried we wouldn’t have anything to eat fresh. On the plus side though we learned first hand what we should have in storage in case of emergencies. Join Wake Up World's Ever Evolving Social Communities
Sun-Drying Zucchini the Sicilian Way Photo by Holly A. Heyser Well, if it’s summer, it is zucchini time. Backyard gardeners everywhere are sneaking around, laying baseball-bat-sized zukes on people’s doorsteps, ringing the doorbell and dashing off into the night. OK, maybe not. It’s zucchini time in California. I pickled some zucchini last year and they were good, but not as good as cucumber pickles. I’d read somewhere that the Southern Italians sun-dried their zucchini to keep them through the year. But, try as I might, I could find no recipe or method for sun-drying zucchini anywhere on the web, or in my not insubstantial cookbook library. I began by slicing the squash into disks. I let this sit an hour. How to dry them? A perfect place to do the drying is a hot, dry garage. Could I have dried them all the way? If you want to preserve them, do this: Salt the whole hour, press the zucchini gently with a cloth towel. I prefer to just cook my dried zucchini as the Sicilians do: In olive oil, with mint and chiles.
Home Canning Recipes And More The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz "The Art of Fermentation appeals to our personal and fundamental well being, with a thoroughly engaging account of wild, tamed, and unaccounted-for microorganisms. Based on theory, science, and practical observations, Sandor Katz casts thousands of dots onto the pages for us to connect with our own experiences and interests. There are things he writes in this book that are relevant to everyone. Whether we are at war or peace with the tiny creatures we call microorganisms, we can't help but conclude that they are the building blocks of the communities we observe as organisms. His obsession with ferment is contagious. With the flip of a page it's easy to find oneself discovering our own personal journey embedded in this thoroughly engaging book." James Beard Foundation Book Award Winner: Best Reference and Scholarship! A New York Times Bestseller! Book Industry Guild of New York's 2013 New York Book Show Awards: Second Place, Reference Category Sandor Ellix Katz Featured in the New Yorker