I don’t like kombucha. There, I said it, and it feels good to get it off my chest. You see, I’ve been dabbling in fermentation for quite some time. I have brought milk and water kefir grains to food swaps and discussed probiotics with the best of them. I think a glass of water…
Category: Food Preservation
{making it last} Dehydrating Celery
Editors Note: I’m pleased as punch to welcome our newest Community Voice! Ida Walker is a freelance editor and author. She’s also behind Ida’s Artisan Kitchen and the blog The Enabling Cook. She loves to make cheese, bread, sausage, bread, beer, hot sauce, jelly, and jam, among other things. She also dehydrates, ferments, cans, and…
{events} KATE PAYNE IS COMING TO TOWN
I am pumped with excitement to announce that Austin-based author, Kate Payne, is coming back to the Capital Region for a THREE-DAY Extravaganza!!!!! I love Kate, you love Kate, we all love Kate! Kate is coming to town June 6, 7 & 8th to celebrate her newest book in the “Hip Girls” series: Hip Girls Guide to…
{Feel the Love} Pork Rillettes
I don’t think I’ve been shy about my love of the pig. I honestly think the best thing you can give a gal involves some kind of pork fat and since February is the month of the Valentine, I think it’s also the time for indulging a little. Forget the chocolate covered strawberries. I…
{diy project} Fermented Hot Sauce – Airlock Method
Last year I experimented with various veggie lacto-fermentation projects, like kimchi and pickles. I also ran a test to see if I could come up with a decent sriracha, and found the results exceeded my expectations. This year, I decided to try out using an air lock, instead of worrying about ziploc baggies filled with…
{FSC Book Club} Put ‘Em Up! FRUIT Final Recap
We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. What a summer! If you’ve been following along with the FSC Book Club, you’ve been savoring every bit of the summer fruit bounty by freezing, canning or preserving with us using Put ‘Em Up Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook. Creative Ways to Put…
{diy project} Wine Grape Jelly
A few years ago my husband planted four wine grape vines to trellis up around our deck and onto the side of our house. He bought St. Croix, the most cold-hardy red wine grape he could find. The vines have been vigorous and have created a beautiful bower of greenery, filled this time of year…
{FSC Book Club} Assignment 1 & 2 Recap
We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. Can you believe it? We’ve already finished our first two assignments for Round 4 of the FSC Book Club. We are reading and and cooking our way through Put ‘Em Up Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook. Creative Ways to Put ‘em Up and Use ‘em…
{drink it up} Lemon Syrup, Lemonade & Lemon Vinegar
Editor’s Note: Jennifer Wilkerson has given us homemade bread & dinner rolls and farmer’s cheese… now she brings us a triple doozy: Lemon Syrup, Lemonade & for your cleaning needs lemon vinegar. Man, she’s good isn’t she? -Christina When farmers markets and fruit stands are bursting with seasonal goodness meals are easy. Any combination of…
{diy project} Pickled Red Onions
Often times my favorite part of a meal are the condiments. Condiments take everything to the next level whether it is your favorite barbeque sauce, mustard, hot sauce, pickle or even ketchup. I often find food to simply be the vessel that delivers the delicious flavors of all the extras. One of my go to…
{FSC Book Club} …Round 4 BEGINS!
We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. Round 4 of the FSC Book Club has begun! We are reading and and cooking our way through Put ‘Em Up Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook. Creative Ways to Put ‘em Up and Use ‘em Up by the incredible Sherri Brooks Vinton. It’s a gorgeous…
{FSC Book Club} Round 4 Selection & Giveaway!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER AND THE WINNERS ARE: Kate “This summer I want to make cucumber pickles. I can never seem to grow enough cukes for a batch.” and Stephanie: “Moving into a house with cherry trees, and could use some preservation ideas!” We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club….
{giveaway winner} Put em UP! Fruit
We had 96 amazing answers to our request to tell us about your love for fruit: in jam, as soda syrup base, poached in wine, used on meat, in a salad, etc… A comment won someone a copy of Sherri Brooks Vinton’s newest book, Put ’em Up! Fruit. First up, some amazingly personal & thoughtful comments: Terry: Since I…
{giveaway} Put ‘Em Up! Fruit.
Its Earth Day and I get to gush about a book (and host a giveaway) that inspires and educates folks on the ins & outs of putting fruit up, whether that’s in jam-form, syrup-form, frozen-form or or or…the sky is the limit! Growing your own fruit or buying fruit from your local farmers market or…
{diy project} Homemade Gravlax
I know.. I know.. I said I didn’t like fish. What I wasn’t really clear on is that I didn’t like cooked fish. I actually learned to enjoy lox while I worked at (the now closed) Bagel Bite. And I do still enjoy lox once in a while but have never made it at home….
