Category: Food

Sun Tea And Shade Cloth

~ Carrie

Sun_TeaWe’re in the midst of a heat wave here, and that means sunny days, perfect for making sun tea. Why not harness the sun’s energy (if only a tiny bit) to make what will become refreshing iced tea? Plus, sun tea jars look cool.

Last year, our first year with chickens, the weather was so hot (with high humidity) that we had to cool them off by dipping them into a bucket of water. Not their favorite event – or ours – but it helped keep them from becoming fatally heat stressed. Continue reading “Sun Tea And Shade Cloth” →

Walk On The Gastronomic Wild Side With Kimchi

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

KimchiAre 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.

We think good things sometimes come in funky packages, like a really stinky but delicious cheese or pungent fish sauce. Kimchi, a Korean side dish, is this type of funky package: unmistakably redolent of garlic and the sharp sourness of fermentation, spicy and crunchy. It can be made from different vegetables, but is most commonly based on cabbage (baechu) or radish (kkakdugi). It’s crunchy, salty, and spicy. Continue reading “Walk On The Gastronomic Wild Side With Kimchi” →

Smoked Bologna Reuben, Oh My!

~ Carrie

Today, we took a trip out to Marksbury Farm’s Pasture Burgers and BBQ, a cafe/butcher shop/grocery store. It’s roughly an hour and a half drive from our place. Why? Because this processor has strict requirements for the meat it will process – in short, they don’t accept or serve cruelty meat.

Because we don’t eat cruelty meat, we are typically unable to eat at restaurants or at potlucks. While we try to explain the values and beliefs underpinning how we eat to others, most either look at us like we’re loony, or they seem to not hear us (not everyone, though…like our friend CH, who not only listened, but got it). People usually conclude that we’re vegetarians, which is inaccurate. As you can imagine, when we find a restaurant that sources locally, from suppliers who embrace humane animal husbandry practices, we get really excited. Add the possibility of BBQ, and we’re beside ourselves. Continue reading “Smoked Bologna Reuben, Oh My!” →

Calling All Adventurous Eaters

~ Carrie

A friend with acreage recently shared some venison he harvested on his property with us. Who doesn’t love tenderloin, burger, and jerky, right? Since we knew he harvested deer annually, we asked about the heart, one of our favorite parts. He seemed a bit surprised, as he didn’t eat it himself, but agreed to save it for us from the next deer he got. Once deer season opened up again, it wasn’t long before he was bringing us a heart.

Why the heart? As a large muscle, it has a uniquely dense texture, and is steak-like. Our favorite way to cook it is in a slow cooker, bathed in cream of mushroom soup.  After 8+ hours, it’s like firm pot roast – meaty and delicious. Serve over a baked potato, and you have an easy, very satisfying meal. Continue reading “Calling All Adventurous Eaters” →

Cooking With Lard – Yeah, Lard

~ Carrie

There’s no other cooking fat that makes delicious home fries like lard does. Back in the day, lard was a household staple, but with the (unjustified) vilification of saturated animal fats, lard fell out of favor. Now we know eating lard won’t cause you to immediately drop dead of a heart attack; in fact, it’s healthier than eating trans fats, like margarine.

Lard makes the home fries perfectly crispy on the outside and soft inside. A dollop of lard in slow cooker beans imparts a bit of flavor – assuming you don’t have a ham hock handy to toss in – and slight creaminess. Lard also makes lovely, fluffy biscuits or dumplings for chicken and dumplings. Some people even eat it on toast! Continue reading “Cooking With Lard – Yeah, Lard” →

Baking Bread And Making Ice Cream

~ Carrie

150313_BreadWhen you buy bread at the grocery store, you probably think it contains flour, water, salt, sugar, butter, and yeast, right? That’s really all that’s needed to create a nice loaf of bread, but there are actually a lot of additives in store-bought bread. Check the label.

Similarly, after the recent discovery that a brand of ice cream that we used to enjoy now contains carrageenan, we decided to finally use the ice cream maker that’s been sitting on the shelf.  We made vanilla ice cream, which contained heavy cream, half and half, sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Homemade Ice CreamBasically, the ingredients are mixed (sugar dissolved) and then chilled. Once it’s chilled from a couple of hours to overnight, it’s poured into the ice cream maker’s special bowl, which has been pre-chilled in the freezer. Turn it on, let it mix for 20 minutes, and viola! Soft serve ice cream…sans carrageenan. If you prefer hard ice cream, it firms up with time in the freezer. With summer coming, the possibilities are endless: peach, strawberry, blackberry…all sound delicious. Continue reading “Baking Bread And Making Ice Cream” →