Water Kefir- aka healthy, homemade soda

Water kefir much like Kombucha and milk Kefir is another form of friendly bacterial and yeast in a symbiotic relationship.  This matrix feeds on sugar and produces lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and alcohol.  These three things form a fermented beverage with carbonation, much like we notice when we are drinking a soda....or pop...or coke.  Depends on what part of the country your from what you call it ;-) You also get probiotics that are good for gut health.  Did you notice that alcohol is also a by-product?  Not to worry, it is usually less than 1% of the total.
 
To learn more about the origins of water kefir you can go to Cultures for Health, they also sell cultures. However, if you know someone that makes water kefir, they may have some grains to share.  Mine re-produces like crazy so I always have extra.

I have switched from kombucha to water kefir because the kombucha was taking longer to "brew" and we would run out before the next batch was ready. Kombucha took 5-14 days, water kefir takes 2 days if you add fruit juice, one if you are of the stout variety of "crunchy person" and can consume it straight up.

If you want to make kefir the way we do here you will need:

(2) 1/2 gallon glass jars
sucanat (1/3-1/2 cup)
water kefir grains (I started with 1 tbsp)
well/spring water
fruit juice (concentrated is nice) 

A note about water and liquid minerals.  You will have to experiment with your water to see if you get good re-production of the grains.  Generally a water that has a lot of naturally occurring minerals makes lots of grains and fermentation is faster.  If you aren't getting good fermentation you may need to find another water source or add some liquid minerals to your batches.  

**never use chlorinated or floridated water in your batch and never rinse your grains with it since you may kill them.**

Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup sucanat in bottom of half gallon jar, fill with spring water and add kefir grains.  I use a coffee filter and rubber band to cover. 

I know many recipes tell you to heat the sugar and some water and add to cool water and etc.  I'm all about saving time and since I get good kefir water and don't do this, why bother.  Don't tell anyone but sometimes when I am in a hurry I don't even stir the sugar in...

The next day, strain the grains out and place grains back in jar with a cup of leftover kefir water, add 1/3 cup sucanat, and fill with spring water to start the new batch. 

 Shh! Don't tell anyone, I'm using a metal strainer. Some sites claim that metal kills the grains......I've been using this because that's what we have and have not killed them yet.

Here are the water kefir grains before I add them back to a half gallon jar.











Next, add the strained kefir water to the other 1/2 gallon jar and put 1-2 cups of fruit juice in.  Cover and let sit on counter until the next day.  I place this in a picture and put in the fridge for consumption at this point.  It should be fizzy.

I cheated here and added the water kefir to my picture......I let it sit out in that and place in fridge the next day. This works if you don't have fruit flies.

We like concord grape juice.










You can play around with the time and amount and type of fruit juice your family likes.  Generally the longer it ferments the less sweet it gets since the grains consume the sugars.

If you need it to be a little sweeter, you can add the fruit juice and refrigerate the same day but you won't have as much carbonation.  In my experience, the second day with the fruit juice really bumps up the carbonation and makes it most like a soda.

Do you have a recipe or special juice that you like?  Let me know so I can give it a try.

What is Hibiscus tea and is it good for you?

Hibiscus tea is made with Hibiscus sabdariffa "petals"..... not really the petals of flowers but the sepals of the calyx that is formed around the seed pod.  These dried petals make a colorful tea that is tangy, lemony in flavor.  I like it best sweetened with stevia or a little honey. It is great in the summer with ice and lemon.

Hibiscus is excellent for flavoring herbal teas but has also been used for medicinal purposes. 

A study by the USDA which showed hibiscus decreasing high blood pressure in the test subjects. (Bliss, 2008)

Another Study from 2011 showed that hibiscus has anthocyanin a strong antioxidant that is also found in blueberries.  This particular study also discussed the drug-detox potential of hibiscus due to the constituents found in it. (Publication: Drug and chemical toxicologyPublication Date: 2011)

Anthocyanins help with memory, aging, oxidative stress, protect your heart, and have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer properties.

Side effects/warnings at http://www.hibiscusteabenefits.org/Side-Effects-of-Hibiscus-Tea.html 

I like to use it as part of a blend when I want a tart flavor profile, such at the Sereni-Tea we make.  

The possibilities are endless:

Cinnamon/Hibiscus
Lemon/Hibiscus
Orange/Clove/Hibiscus
Hibiscus/mint

To make a basic tea, use 1-2 tsp of dried hibiscus to 8 ounces of boiling water.  

• Place dried "petals" in bottom of cup
• Heat water to boiling a pour over petals
• cover cup and let steep 10 minutes or more..the longer it steeps the more healthy properties infused into the cup

If you have a recipe or idea to share please feel free to comment.

Sourdough recipe

I will share the recipe I have been using to make sourdough this summer.  I have to warn you that it has honey and coconut oil in it so if you are a purist and want 100% REAL sourdough then you will have to look elsewhere.

My goal was to get the family to like it and eat it.....in the end this was what I came up with.

I will take you through building the starter (by the way, some people actually name their sourdough starter..for example: "I fed Mildred this morning, I put Mildred in the fridge, etc") but you need to realize that I am kind of lax on the measurements with the  starter.

Since I am a slacker in this area, I will give you the EXACT instructions from the Sourdough Companion Blog.....  You can also purchase starters off the internet, do a search.

Once you have caught the yeast (got a starter going) you are ready to prep it for making bread.  At this point I take out 2 tbsp starter and put "Mildred" in the fridge to keep her safe AND so that I don't have to keep feeding her. This ensures that if I kill the wild yeast, I have a back up in the fridge to start over again.

Feeding schedule-Feed about 12 hours apart
Start in the am
1.  2 tbsp starter~2tbsp water (filtered,spring, well water)

Before bed
2.  2 tbsp flour~2 tbsp water

AM second day
3. 6tbsp flour~4 tbsp water

Before bed second day
4. 1/2 cup flour~6 tbsp water

AM third day
5. 1/2 cup flour~4tbsp water
Noon or after on third day I make the bread let it sit out a few hours and tuck it in the fridge for the night.

I weigh my ingredients for this but I will give you both weight and measure for the recipe.

Sourdough Bread Recipe

Water 3/4 cup (180grams)
Sourdough starter 3/4 cup (210 grams)
coconut oil  2  1/3 tbsp (30grams)
Honey 1 1/2 tbsp (30 grams)
Salt 1 1/4 tsp (8.2 grams)
Flour 2 2/3 cup (320 grams)

I mix the first five ingredients and add the flour.  I use a mix of fresh ground Organic red fife, Organic Spelt, and Organic kamut.  Maybe a 1/3 of each.

Mix the flour in and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.  Come back and add more if needed to form a soft (wet) dough.  I mix and knead a little in the bowl.

20-30 minutes later, take dough out and pull it in to a rectangle and fold it in on itself.

Repeat this step 2-3 times.  Dough should be getting more flexible with each "folding". You can see "folding techniques on the Artisan Bread baking website.  I use the Hamelman’s Technique shown on the site.  So easy, I love it!!

By the time all this is done, it is dinner time or after.  I place the dough (covered) in the fridge and pull it out in the am.

The next day, pull the dough out and let it warm up.   I sometimes turn the oven on for a few, turn it off and stick the dough (in a bowl) in the oven. Let it rise to double and punch back.

Here is where you need to make decisions..............If you rise it a couple of times and punch it down, the bread chemistry changes more (to make it better for you) but the longer you wait, the more sour the finished bread will be.  I rise twice, place in loaf pans, let rise and bake at 375 degrees until done. About 40 minutes.

Your turn.  Let me know if you have any ideas, thoughts, successes. 

Sourdough Saga

Just what is "real" sourdough anyways?  It's definitely not the sourdough you find at the local grocery store.

Merriam Webster's defines it as:

 a type of dough that is allowed to ferment before it is baked and that has a slightly sour taste.

It is so much more than that folks. It is life giving, nutrient rich, and so so yummy.  Sourdough has to be made with a "mother".  You actually catch yeast from your environment (or order a starter over the internet) and use it as the leavening agent in your bread.  "Real" sourdough only has four ingredients. Starter, water, flour,  and salt. If you add yeast, you cheated and it doesn't count :-) Sourdough is slow food.  It takes a few days to make.  Don't be scared, the total amount of time you spend on it is small; the return is huge.

We had been grinding our own flour and making bread to avoid the " extras" in store bought bread. I know it has been better for us, but recently though my studies at Vintage Remedies I was introduced to the history of bread and some new and interesting ideas.  

One thing Jessie Hawkins says in her book, The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread, is that 53% to 75% of our ancestors daily caloric intake was bread.  It provided them with many vital minerals and nutrients that their bodies needed to function.  What?  Really?  She goes on the discuss why our breads are so different today and why our breads today are causing Celiac and Gluten intolerance as well as a myriad of other health issues.

After reading her book I realized that the best bread for our family was sourdough.  Up until this point I could only get a couple of brave souls to eat my sourdough bread.  Something about it being "heavy" and "too sour" etc.  The challenge was on.  I was going to make sourdough that the family would eat (and that looked good) by the end of summer or die trying. I have literally made 25 plus loaves of bread this summer.   I have by no means arrived, but the family eats it and likes it.  I still can't make a boule without it flattening out on the pan so I rise and bake it in loaf pans. This works better for sandwiches anyways.

I will share a few things I have learned along the way.  Feel free to contact me and add anything you know that may be helpful for future loaves......I'm still perfecting it.

This my friends is Raisin' Acres Farm sourdough starter.  Did you know that different regions have different flavors of sourdough depending on the strain of yeast that is caught? Ever heard of San Francisco sourdough bread? Since this strain was caught here on the farm, it has been named for the place. If you start one, you get to name it yourself. You can look up how to start a starter for more specifics.  I'm not always picky on measurements so I did not follow instructions to get this.

I started with 2 tablespoons organic whole wheat pastry flour and 3 tablespoon filtered water.  Every day I added more flour and water, never adding more flour than the "base amount". The water and flour was 50-50 the first few days and 50-40 later. To get your starter going more quickly you can add ingredients 12 hours apart to feed the yeasts.  It took a good week to get the yeast colony built up to where I was getting good bubbling.  The other way you can tell it is ready is it has a fresh smell to it.


I have learned a few things about starters along the way.  It is better to have a "more liquid" starter in the beginning of the process, as you build it up you back off on the water to a thicker consistency.  This has seemed to help build the yeast for a better rise in my bread.

To get a couple of tablespoons of starter ready for bread, it takes a couple of days of feeding the starter twice a day.  My recipe calls for roughly 3/4 cup of starter and I make a double batch so I need to go from 2 tbsp to 1 1/2 cups.

• I started weighing all my ingredients after I read that there is a big difference in measurements. 

• I switched from trying to make a 100% ground ww bread to mixing in ww pastry flour, kamut, and spelt. From what I have read in my studies, it's not so much the flour as it is the chemical process that happens from the slow rise time that creates the nutrition.

• I found out that whole wheat takes longer to absorb the water added.  What's the big deal?  I incorporate all the ingredients and let the dough sit for 15minutes or so before mixing and kneading.  That way I don't add too much flour and have a dryer dough.~Sourdough does better if it is wetter than traditional yeast breads.
  
  
  

• I found a better way to "knead" the bread.....I don't like kneading....If you have made sourdough you know what I mean when I say it is sticky and hard to knead. The process is called "folding".  You basically do initial mix, let sit, mix thoroughly then let sit for an hour.  After the hour (I do 30 minute intervals) dump dough out and stretch it out in a square and fold it in on itself.  Repeat 3-4 times. Every  time you do that it should be more stretchy and pliable.

So far that is all I have learned but it has helped.  I mix my bread up in the afternoon, work it though the folding process and refrigerate overnight.  I get it out the next day and let it rise, punch down, rise, and bake.  The more time it rises the more sour it gets but the more time it rises the better the chemical changes occur that make it good for you.  Trial and error will help you find the best balance for you and your family.  I cannot let it rise as long as I would like or I would have rebellion on my hands.  I will just have to be happy that they are eating it now.

Do you have any suggestions or comments?  Do you have a sourdough saga to share?

All about Elderberry

Elderberry is good to have on the homestead and it is easy to grow, so it you have a spot and use elderberries or would like to, don't worry.  You can do it!

In my opinion elderberries and the flowers are good to have for flu season.  I try to have dried or frozen elderberries on hand at all times to make elderberry syrup with.  I prefer to use frozen elderberries, it seems like the syrup made from it has more elderberry flavor.  In my mind more flavor means more of the good stuff.

I have an older post on making Elderberry and Astragalus syrup here http://raf6.blogspot.com/2012/11/flu-season-and-elderberry-astragalus.html if you would like to make some for your family.  Elderberries are also used to make pie, jelly, and wine.

There are many types of Elderberries, some of them are for ornamental purposes.  If your goal is to produce berries you should stick with Adams, John's, Nova, or York.  Even though some shrubs are self-fruitful they do produce better when planted with another variety so always plant two different kinds.

This website "Edible Landscaping by Charlie Nardozzi" has good information on elderberries and their planting and care.  You can find the website here http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=july_elderberry.  The following is taken from that site.

 Types of Elderberries

• 'Adams' - This American variety grows 8 to 10 feet tall. The large, juicy, dark purple fruits ripen in August and are great for making pies. The strong branches hold the berries upright. Plant a pollinator variety such as 'Johns' for maximum fruiting. This variety is often sold as 'Adams No. 1' or 'Adams No. 2'. There is little difference between these two selections.
• 'Black Beauty' - This striking European variety features purple foliage and lemon-scented pink flowers. It grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide and can be grown in perennial borders or as a foundation plant.
• 'Black Lace' - This eye-catching European selection looks like a Japanese maple with its dark purple, deeply cut foliage. Like 'Black Beauty', this variety also grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, producing pink flowers and dark purple fruits.
• Johns' - This early-producing American variety produces an abundance of berries that are especially good for making jelly. Growing 12 feet tall and wide, this variety is a good pollinator for 'Adams'.
• 'Nova' - This American variety can be self-fruitful, but does best with another American elderberry growing nearby. Large, sweet fruit are produced on compact, 6-foot shrub.
• Variegated' - This European variety has attractive green and white leaves and grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. The plant is less vigorous and productive than other elderberry varieties, but the foliage is attractive all season long.
• 'York' - This American variety produces the largest berries of all the elderberry selections. It matures in late August and only grows 6 feet tall and wide. It pollinates 'Nova' well.

 Our Adam's and York bushes will be three years old this fall and are producing more berries than our family will use this winter.  I have frozen over 2 gallons of berries so far and there are more to pick.  The York bush produces huge umbrells of big, juicy berries. The Adams produces smaller umbrells but is very prolific and is about 7 ft by 9 ft. (That is with me cutting it back this spring.) We let the shrub produce suckers but you can cut them back and shape the bush if you want.

If you plant bushes this fall you should be able to harvest a few come next summer.  Birds like them so you will have to beat the birds to them. One more thing about Elderberries, they are kind of brittle so if you are picking berries don't try to bend a limb down to get the berries or you will end up breaking it off.  We learned that the hard way. Happy planting, happy picking, happy syrup making.

Homemade Tomato Paste~Estratta

This is the yummiest paste, way better than store bought. Not to mention it is hard to find paste in a glass jar if you are concerned about BPA. Even if you do find paste in a glass jar, once you try this you won't want any other kind. Really, I'm not kidding. This stuff is great to add to soups and stews or spread lightly on toast or crackers.  We use this instead of tomato sauce when we make pizza.  It is so rich and flavorful that I can thin a little with water and place on our pizza crust. That way we don't have soupy pizza......nobody here likes that kind of pizza.  Crisp and crunchy please!

In Italy they make "Estratta, or Strattu which is the American version of tomato paste. Now don't get this confused with conserva which is paste however it's not made the authentic Sicilian way. Unfortunately if you live somewhere that the temperatures don't get above 90 degrees for a few days, you will have to resort to conserva.  I have read that conserva is good but Estratta is better because only the sun and the ultraviolet light can break down the lycopene to bring out the best tomato flavor in the finished product. Conserva is made by evaporating the juices in the oven at low temperatures instead of using the sun.

Estratta is finished off out in the hot sun on shallow trays. This evaporates the fluid and condenses all the tomato flavor into a small but mighty package that tastes like sunshine and smells like the best Italian restaurant you have ever eaten in.

The down side to all this, yes there is a down side.  You need A LOT of tomatoes to make a small amount of estratta. The first time I made this I started with around 50 lbs of tomatoes and had 6 pint jars when I was done.  A little does go a long way so those jars will last a while but once you get a taste of this you will not want to run out. You also need to have some time to baby-sit it.  The estratta needs to be kept in the sun to do it's thing so you may be moving it as the day progresses unless you have the perfect location that is in the hot sun all day long. We have animals wandering about so I have to baby-sit mine.

Paste tomatoes work the best for estratta since they have less juice and condense down more quickly.  So start out with tomatoes. Skin  and take the seeds out with the equipment you have on hand.  I happen to have a tomato strainer/skinner that basically juices the tomatoes and spits the skin and seeds out.  It has a hand crank and looks a bit like a meat grinder.  You can scald, skin, and remove the seeds by hand if that is all you have.  Fill a heavy pot with the tomatoes and juice, place on the stove and cook down to 1/3 of original amount.  Add salt to taste.  Some people add other seasoning such as basil, oregano, thyme.  Season to your taste but remember that this is going to evaporate more so the taste will be even more condensed.



I place my tomatoes in a shallow roasting pan, cover with cheese cloth to prevent bug contamination and place on the rail of our back deck in the am and move to the hood of my car in the pm.  I bring it back to our screened in porch for the night. During the day I turn it a few times to expose more moisture to the air and sun.  If you have good hot days and sun it should be ready in 2-3 days.





When it is so thick that you can pick it up in chunks and kind of roll it into a ball you are ready to place it in jars.  Sterilize your jars and rub olive oil in them.  Pack the Estratta into the jars, making sure you get the air bubbles out. Leave 1/4 inch head space and top with olive oil to ensure not air can get to the paste.  You can store this on your shelves or in the refrigerator.  If you store on a shelf, once you open and start using a jar, place it in the refrigerator and try to keep the paste covered by the olive oil, this is what prevents it from spoiling.

Let me know if you try this and what you think.  It is worth the work that goes into making it, I promise!

Fermented Pesto

It has been a beautiful year for the garden.  Sun, warm days, rain, what more could we ask for.  I was a tiny bit "plant happy " this spring.  Not only did I plant lots of vegetables close together but I also planted maybe a few too many of one thing.  One of those would be basil.  We have basil coming out our ears.  In my opinion it is a good thing, my family is not so sure.  One of the ways we used it this year was to make fermented pesto.  In my opinion anything fermented has to be good for you.....right?  This was very good but did have a fermented flavor to it.  You will have to try it and let me know what you think.

You will need fresh basil, salt, garlic, whey, and spring water for this recipe.  I picked, washed, and drained the basil  leaves. Don't know if you all have this problem at your house but, it seems that every time our lawn gets mowed I have extra grass on my herbs and vegetables.


Place leaves without stems in quart jar, filling 3/4 full.  Add 1/4 cup whey (you can make this recipe without whey, you just ferment longer) place 3 cloves in jar (I used 6 in the second jar) add 1 tbsp sea salt, and fill jar with spring water  until just over the leaves.

 

Cover with a non-airtight lid.  I use a coffee filter and a rubber band. If you are using whey let sit out 2 days (if not using whey let sit out 12-14 days) then drain half the juice and place in blender. Blend with 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup Parmesan (we use goat cheese). Once blended slowly add 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil.  This pesto is a little more juicy than regular pesto, you can drain more juice off if you like a thicker consistency. We like it thinner when putting it in pasta and other recipes.....thicker for spreading on crackers.


Fermented Pesto
Fresh basil leaves~Approx 3 cups
1/4 cup whey
1 tbsp sea salt
3 cloves garlic (we like 6 cloves better)
1/2 cut walnuts (pine nuts)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (soft goat cheese)
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Here is the the link to an old post about regular pesto if you want to try it.  http://raf6.blogspot.com/2012/08/pesto.html