A few months ago something amazing happened!

My children and I cooked together! (My son is the oldest at 10 and my daughter is 4.)

They’ve helped a little by stirring or being taste testers, but never really stuck it out till we were finished.

We made Kim Chi (from Nourishing Traditions) and had so much fun.

My daughter tore the cabbages leaves….

…and my son cut the carrots up.

The food processor did most of the work, for which I am grateful.

Here is the recipe we used:

Easy Kimchi
(makes 2 quarts)

1 head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup Daikon radish, grated
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey* (or use additional 1 T salt instead)

Place vegetables, ginger, red chili flakes, salt and whey in a bowl and pound it with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place them in two quart sized glass jars and press down firmly until all the juices come up to the top and cover the vegetables. The top of the vegetables should be at least an inch from the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days at which time you can put it in the fridge or cold storage.

*You can get whey by straining plain yogurt through a large napkin or cheesecloth.  The solids will stay in the cloth and the liquid that drips down is the whey.

(Note: I didn’t use any Daikon radish and went really light on the chili flakes. )

The first time I made this, I used a quart jar. The next time I made a whole gallon!

Can you tell I REALLY like this?  It’s so fresh tasting…crunchy, sweet, sour…..simply addictive!

This was really easy, please try it for yourself….you’ll be glad you did.

Find more wonderful recipes and projects at Fight Back Friday.

Here’s another great giveaway! This time it’s being hosted by Amy of Homestead Revival.

I’m going to start canning this year and the idea of not having to buy new canning jar lids every year really appeals to me.

And they are BPA free, can it get any better?

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I have been so busy getting my garden going, cleaning out clutter and taking care of my family, that my sweet blog has been suffering severe neglect.  (This reminds me, I need to show you all my garden’s progress!)

I’ll try to post more often.

And I’ve got some great things in the works for you….

A new store

Great Ebooks

And more!

So stay tuned!

You may want to sign up for the emails or RSS feed so you won’t miss any exciting announcements!

Katie, from Kitchen Stewardship, has done a great post about the new Dirty Dozen food list. This is a printable list naming the top 12 foods you should try to buy organic.  These fruits and veggies are the ones with the highest pesticide residues at the grocery.

Make your organic purchases really count by using this list.  You can download it at Katie’s.

Further Reading:

The Daily Green: Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

Go to Fight Back Friday for more great info!

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.)

You can get your own chart here…for free!

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!

Do you have any tips that help you in the kitchen?  Please share!

For more great tips, go to Works For Me Wednesday!

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:

General Mushroom Info

Edible Wild Mushrooms

(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.)

For more real food fun visit REAL FOOD WEDNESDAY!

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!