Peripatetic philomaths…focusing on what's really important, eating ethically and cleanly, fermenting, foraging/wildcrafting, practicing herbalism, and being responsible stewards of our land. Sharing our photos, musings, and learnings. Still seeking our tribe.
Each year, it seems like a different plant goes gangbusters in the pastures. Two years ago, it was red clover: so plentiful, it seemed like it was everywhere. Sadly, despite my plans to make something delightful with it, last year was a red clover bust. This year, the standout plant is the delicately white-flowered chickweed.
I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring and summer, when foraging finds will become unique and memorable wines. As I’ve waited, I’ve had to entertain myself by finding other kinds of wine to make…and you know I have!
A couple of months ago, I made a batch of pineapple peel wine and added a yeast slurry that just didn’t seem to take off. It had been refrigerated, slowing the activity. Sometimes, sluggish yeast never really takes off, so I grabbed a fresh container of slurry from the shelf and pitched it in. Then I realized that it wasn’t actually wine yeast…it was bread kvas yeast!
It may be freezing outside, but I’m bottling the essence of summer: the lemon balm wines are ready!
I hate food waste. It’s a big problem in many places, with far-reaching impacts. It’s also deeply troubling that as much as an estimated 40% of food here is wasted when, at the same time, so many people are food insecure. Let’s see what we can do to minimize and/or avoid wasting these precious resources…and make some tasty meals!
Continue reading “No Food Waste: (Meatless) Italian Sausage And Cauliflower Leaf Pasta”
It’s ‘booch harvest day, and three gorgeous bottles of the good stuff are sitting quietly on a shelf on the fermentation station, working their second ferment magic. Sometimes I have to take a step back and marvel at the various ferments in different stages – I am, after all, a microbe farmer (mad scientist?), too.
