We enjoy spicy food – the real spicy stuff that leaves a pleasant tingle in your mouth. We also like fermented food, full of probiotics and tangy goodness. What’s better than combining the two?
Pickled jalapeños are a favorite of ours. They’re great on nachos, quesadillas (hmm…pretty much anything with cheese!), add a nice hint of heat to a pot of beans or a punch of flavor to spaghetti. We go through them quickly. In order to get pickled jalapeños without a bunch of additives like food coloring, we buy them in the can from the local mercado. Many cans contain BPA, though, so this is not ideal. Our solution: make some lacto-fermented jalapeños*. Continue reading “Jars Of Green Jewels”
We strive to use as much of the natural bounty on the farm as possible. So far, we’ve made water kefir with the mulberries and blackberries that grew untended. We’ve also been keeping an eye on several black walnut trees that will drop nuts in the fall, with the idea that we’d like to have our pigs (yet to be acquired) take advantage of those.
The brambles on our property are wicked. They reach out when you walk past, grab an arm or leg, and take a bite. The thorns are sharp and strong, and they’re difficult to disentangle from your clothing. Nonetheless, it’s worth risking scratches (and ants running up your arms and legs) to harvest blackberries growing wild along the fencelines.
We’ve been watching our chickens jump up and pull berries off a tree near the coop. The berries look like blackberries, but, again, are growing from a tree. Some berries even grow right off branches. What could this mystery berry be?
Are you afraid to try pungent food? Do you avoid garlic, afraid that its fragrance will cling to you like an unwelcome perfume? If so, stop reading this post. If you say “bring it on!” to smelly food and you embrace tastebud adventure, stay with us.
Like many things, making Jun tea improves with practice. In an earlier post, our first attempts, with malodorous results, were described. We’re now on batch #6, and the output of the hard-working scobies has been gratifyingly good.