I have been trying to compile a list of what foods are in season each month. Not only will the food taste better, but it will be a lot less expensive! I was giddy when this little gem showed up in my Google reader…
Chart by Leon
(The chart was made by the Leon restaurant chain in London, but since British weather is very similar to the climate of most of North America, it works well for most of us.)
Better Homes and Gardens
I really like having the right tool for a job…problem is sometimes that tool is no where to be seen. So, what’s a thrifty gal to do?
Improvise!
Over the years I have learned some tips and tricks that can make cooking much easier. And when it comes to cooking easier is always better!
Here are some the tips that have helped me:
(These first two are from my Mother. Thanks!)
1. Whenever you need to cut something sticky, like brownies, use a plastic knife. For some reason the goo doesn’t stick to plastic like it would to a metal knife. Go figure.
2. Need to cut a cake into layers? Use un-flavored dental floss. Use about 12″, pull tight, get behind the cake and “saw” the floss toward you. The cake will cut easily and there will be very few crumbs.
3. Do you have a pastry cutter? Think it’s a single use tool? Think again! Use it to cut up eggs for egg salad and keep avocados a little chunky for guacamole.
4. Need to cool something down in a hurry? Fill your sink with cold water and add some ice cubes. Set your pot down in the water and stir. Your food will cool down quickly.
5. Coffee maker broken? Try this rustic cup of joe. First boil some water and put a paper towel into a small strainer. Next put about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee into the paper towel. Finally, hold the strainer over your mug and pour the water over the grounds. Dump the grounds and paper towel into the trash and enjoy your coffee!
I grew up eating sauerkraut from a can. I liked it pretty well, but then I was introduced to REAL sauerkraut! I’m talking about lacto-fermented sauerkraut, alive and health-giving. There’s no way to describe the difference between canned sauerkraut and fresh, real sauerkraut!
(I haven’t taken any pictures of my sauerkraut, so I’ll give you a few links that explain the process.)
(It’s important to remember that these new ways of eating and cooking get so much easier with time. So, if things feel awkward at first, don’t be concerned. )
Crystal Miller shares: How to make sauerkraut-Step by Step.
Debbie Apple shows how she makes sauerkraut.
Have you ever made sauerkraut? Do you make other fermented veggies or have a favorite recipe to share?
Go to Food Renegade for Fight Back Friday to learn more about great food!
How many of you make sauerkraut?
I have made two batches. The first (amazingly) was really good, the second was really bad. I used whey and salt for the first batch and just salt for the second. Has that made a difference for you all?
What do you all put your cabbage in while it ferments? I just read that Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions) puts hers in closed top mason jars. Will the building gasses cause the jars to explode?
Thanks for all your help! Any advice is much appreciated by this sauerkraut making newbie!
Head on over to Food Renegade to learn more about real food on Fight Back Fridays!
A few months ago got some blackberries from a local berry farm and last week I found a great deal on blueberries at the grocery. (They were cheaper than at the farm!)
What in the world could I do with all those berries? Well, we ate a bunch, but I decided to save some for the winter. I’d like to share an easy way to freeze berries, it is so simple and gives such great results.
All you have to do is wash and clean your berries (any kind) and lay them out on a wax paper lined baking sheet (or small pan, depending on the size of your freezer).
Lay the pan flat in the freezer and let the berries freeze solid. It usually takes a few hours.
After they are frozen transfer them into zip top baggies and back into the freezer they go. Since the are individually frozen, you can take out as much or as little as you want.
Now in the grey days of winter we can enjoy a taste of sunshine.
I also wanted to let you all see the new paintings I did recently. Enjoy these juicy pears! You can get your very own in my shop.
Due to production costs going up, the price of the 5×7 will be $10 and the 8×10 will be $20. (These prices will go into effect on September 1st.) So if you want to take advantage of the lower prices, now it the time to do it!
Be sure to watch for the new fall paintings…coming soon!
Do you want to hear more great food ideas? Then go to Food Renegade for Fight Back Fridays!
I grew up eating wild mushrooms called Morels. They are some of the most delicious things you will ever put into your mouth!
They grow better in the Northern states, but we still find a few in Middle Tennessee.
This is Matthew, our son, holding a Morel mushroom we found in our yard last year. One of two…not quite enough to eat!
I had been doing some research on edible plants and mushrooms in our area, so Matthew and I went on a search in the woods around our house to see what we could find. We found a tree that had fallen, but the large stump was still standing. On that stump we found… Oyster Mushrooms! There are no look alikes in the US, so we were sure that we had the real deal.
This is what we harvested…about four pounds of free, tasty, gourmet mushrooms!
The best way that we have found to eat Morel and Oyster mushrooms is to gently pan fry them in butter.
After we harvested them, I put them in salt water to get rid of any bugs. I rinsed them off gently and carefully. Next I put them into a zip-top bag and coated them in flour. Then I fried them in butter and salted them to taste. They were so good!
The next time you go to the grocery, look at the gourmet mushroom mixes. I bet you’ll see small oyster mushrooms in there!
For more information check out these sites:
(Time for the disclaimer: Do your own research. Make sure you are harvesting in a clean area, not by a road, because mushrooms absorb heavy metals and toxins. Don’t eat any mushrooms that you aren’t ABSOLUTELY SURE are safe.)
Wool Dryer Balls From Good Mama
My Mother in law just gave me some wool dryer balls that my aunt made. I’ve been wanting to make these for a while, but have never taken the time to do it!
I used them on the mountain of laundry that I washed yesterday and they worked really well. My aunt said that when she uses 8-10 of them she is able to cut her drying time in half!
Saving money and having no static cling… naturally, that Works For Me!
If you want to make your own dryer balls, GoodMama has the instructions!
Be sure to check back on Friday for the latest L. Herbert Design prints that will be featured at Nesting Place!
Want to win a free print from my store? A High And Noble Calling is hosting a giveaway!
I can’t tell you how excited I was to find a recipe for soaked banana bread!
My children really like to eat bananas for snack time, but sometimes we have a few left over.
Banana bread is great for using up really ripe bananas, so it’s very frugal.
The only problem is that banana bread usually has a lot of sugar and white flour.
It was a happy day when I found this recipe that has no refined sugar, whole grain flour and is also soaked to neutralize the phytic acid in the flour. Whoo Hoo!
Here is the link for the recipe so you can make your very own tasty banana bread!
For more healthy living info, go to Food Renegade for Fight Back Fridays.
Are you looking for a healthy, quick snack for your kids? I have a great suggestion…Dino Eggs! They are easy to make, look really cool and taste great. These eggs use natural food coloring…purple cabbage juice! (The juice will only add color, not flavor.)
Here’s how to make them:
1. Boil a purple cabbage in a few inches of water. Drain off the juice and cool. Be sure to eat the cabbage, it’s very tasty!
2. Make hard boiled eggs by putting eggs into cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and then remove the pan from the heat. Let the eggs sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain and then add cold water and ice to cool the eggs. (This will prevent them from continuing to cook.)
3. Crack the eggs, by tapping them on the counter. Put the eggs into the cabbage juice and leave them overnight in the fridge.
4. Peel your eggs and they will have a cracked surface like dino eggs! Enjoy!
For more ideas from awesome women, visit We Are That Family for Works For Me Wednesday.
I’m so excited about the Nourishing Frugal Recipes Carnival hosted by Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet!
As I’m learning to feed my family healthy food, I’m always looking for ways to do it for less.
I thought I’d share two recipes that I’ve made in the last few weeks. These recipes passed the kid and husband test, so they must be good!
All I do is sprout some brown rice and cook it normally. Then to 4 cups of rice I’ll add in about 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes, about 2 Tablespoons of cumin and salt to taste.
I cook my roast in the crock-pot on low all day. When it’s done I shred it and add in salsa, cumin and salt to taste.
I serve the meat over the rice with natural sour cream and salsa. I serve a salad on the side.
The second recipe is for raw hummus. I found this on All Recipes.com. You can see the recipe here.
This hummus isn’t as creamy as it would be with cooked chickpeas, but I found it to be easier to digest than regular hummus.
I also take the time to sprout my chickpeas. It makes them more nutritious and easier to digest. It’s very easy to do. Sprouting seems like a lot of extra work, but when I do it while I’m cooking our regular meals it’s really easy.
1. Sort, rinse and soak dried chickpeas overnight or for 8 hours. Be sure to cover the chickpeas with at least 3″ of water; they will absorb lots of water while they are soaking.
2. Drain and rinse. Rinse the chickpeas three times a day. I do it at breakfast, lunch and dinner to make it easy to remember.
3. They are ready to use when the spouts are 3/4″ long. If you can’t use them right away put them in the fridge for a few days.
Simple, fugal and nourishing!
