Mexican Tepache - Liquid Gold

Fresh Pineapple seemed to be in every grocery flyer last week and incredibly they were priced anywhere from $4.99 to $1.96. My partner picked up 2 at $2.99,one stayed at our son’s house and the other went to work with him. I picked up 2 more at the lowest price and we made a delish pineapple salsa with a homemade Creole/Cajun type seasoning mix.

Since I don’t throw any food scraps away if I can help it, I proceeded to make Tepache out of the pineapple rinds and core. Tepache is a fermented pineapple drink that originated in Mexico, while researching on the Internet I came across several versions. One included adding sliced oranges and tamarind and another suggested adding a chipotle or ancho chile. Another site explained that some tepache makers add loose-leaf tobacco to increase smokiness and potency. (Hmmm….wonder what a spoonful of Lapsang Souchong tea would add to the mix)?

Mexican Tepache

1 Pineapple, rind and core removed

3/4 cup brown sugar*

1 cinnamon stick

5 cloves, crushed

4 cups water

*If you can find some, use Piloncillo. A pure, unrefined sugar that is pressed into a cone shape. It has the same flavour as brown sugar but does not contain molasses. 

To make this “Liquid Gold” you simply cut the top and bottom off the pineapple and then cut the rind off all away around. Next, cut the pineapple in four pieces from top to bottom, cutting through the center core. Remove the core from each piece and chop the rest of the pineapple flesh into small cubes and set this aside for another recipe.

Cut up the core and rind into smaller pieces and place into a large mason jar. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves and brown sugar. Fill the mason jar with distilled water and let the mixture sit on a counter for 48 hours. After that, strain and place the fermented pineapple liquid in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process.

I plan to rim a large glass with a sea salt, sugar and cayenne pepper mix, fill the glass with ice and tepache and then finish with a splash (or two) of beer. I still have another pineapple left and am seriously thinking about making a Pineapple Vinegar with that one.

How to Make T-Shirt Yarn

This past weekend hubby decided to go through his clothes and donate to charity a bunch of items he was not wearing any more. In the pile of things were several t-shirts. I had been thinking of trying to make T-shirt yarn for some time now so I took this as an opportunity to give it a try. Although there are several steps to the process, it was pretty simple. One word of caution though...don't let your mind wonder or you could end up with a bunch of fabric loops like I did at one point. Another side note is to use t-shirts that have no side seams for a smooth yarn and use the sharpest scissors you have.

Step 1: Find a pile of old T-shirts or go out and purchase some in fun colours at a thrift store.

Step 2: Fold the t-shirt in half so the sleeves are together with any design facing outward so you can see how far to cut your "yarn". Trim off the hem at the bottom and discard.

Step 3: Using a ruler, measure about half an inch down from the fold line and draw a line across the length of the t-shirt. Then mark one inch intervals along the opposite edge of the t-shirt which you will use as a cutting guide.

Step 4: Cut as many strips as you cut until you reach the underarm of the t-shirt. Be sure not to go past the line you have drawn at the top edge of the t-shirt, you do not want to cut past the fold. Discard the top part of the t-shirt including the sleeve portion.

Step 5: Flatten out the top cut section of t-shirt in a single layer so that the uncut top portion of the t-shirt is running down the center of your piece of fabric.

Step 6: This is the part that gets a little tricky so pay attention. (This is where I ended up with some loops instead of a strip). Cut diagonal across the uncut portion from strip to strip. Cut the first piece at a slant and each consecutive piece after that so you have one long strip of fabric. Don't be concerned if you have some odd looking sections, after the next step everything will look okay.

Step 7: Grab one end of your strip and start to pull the fabric, it will magically curl up on itself and look a lot more like yarn. Do this to the whole long strand. Be careful you do not go too fast....it burns your hand :(





Once I had several balls of "yarn" I found a pattern on Pinterest. There are many, just type in T-Shirt yarn basket pattern to find one you like. Now I have a great place to keep my onions!!

Sauerkraut Three Ways

Have had a craving for sauerkraut these last few days and since my previous batch of Caraway Kraut and Kimchi are almost all gone now, I decided to make another batch...or two...or three. I couldn't make up my mind on what kind I wanted.It only takes a bit of time to whip up a quart jar so I made three kinds today.Oriental with Bok Choy and Seaweed, Purple Cabbage with Apple and one using a bought Coleslaw Mix with Fire Cider Powder.

The basic instructions are the same for all 3 kinds of Kraut. Combine everything together in a large bowl and pound the crap out of it with a kraut pounder or just massage it with your hands. Set aside for two hours so the mixture can release any juices which will be used for the brine. Pound the crap out of it again and let sit another hour. Once the mixture has wilted and released any juices, pack into clean quart sized jars. Add 1/4 cup liquid whey (from making Greek Yogurt or cream cheese) and enough filtered water to cover the vegetables. If you do not have any whey, then use a salt brine mixture of 1/4 cup Sea Salt to one quart filtered water. Run a clean knife around the inside of the jar, reaching down all the way to the bottom, to release any air bubbles. Submerge the vegetables under the brine using any number of methods, I used flat clear glass pieces I bought at the $ Store. You can also fill a zip-lock sandwich bag with salt brine and cover the top of the Kraut mixture. I then topped the Kraut with a smaller glass jar to keep any air out while fermenting. Leave this mixture on the counter for 3-7 days. You can eat the Kraut at this point or remove the smaller glass jars from the opening and secure a lid on to the jar and place in a cool, dark place for up to 6 weeks.

Oriental Kraut with Bok Choy and Seaweed

        1/2 head of Bok Choy Oriental Cabbage, sliced 1/2 inch thick

        5 leaves of Kale, peeled off the stem and sliced into thin strips

        1 carrot, washed, dried and grated

        5 green onions, sliced thinly, green parts only

        2 Nori sheets, torn along perforations and then thinly snipped with scissors

        1/2 tsp Galangal Powder

        1 tbsp Chili Powder

        1 Dried Thai Chili Pepper

        1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Purple Cabbage Kraut with Apple and Fennel

          1/2 head of Purple Cabbage, sliced thinly (I used my mandoline).

          1/2 medium white onion, diced

          1 apple, grated

          1/2 tsp fennel seed

          1/2 tsp pickling spices

          8 whole cloves

          1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Coleslaw Mix Kraut with Fire Cider Powder

         1 Bag Coleslaw Mix

         1/2 medium onion, diced

         1 Tbsp Fire Cider Powder (I dehydrated the pulp from my batch of Fire Cider). 

         Here is a recipe for Fire Cider from Cari-Lee at Recipe for Anarchy.

         1/2 tsp Caraway seeds

         1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Citrus Peels

If you eat seasonally, which gives you the best “bang” for your buck, you will notice that citrus fruit abounds this time of year.Whether your preference is a variety of oranges, red or white grapefruit, limes, lemons or plumellos they all offer the Vitamin C your body needs at this time of year.If you are cheap aka frugal, like me, then you will wonder about finding something to do with all those citrus peels destined for your compost bin.Well….here are two of the things I do with them.

Kitchen Degreaser/Cleaner

So, we all know about the nasty chemicals found in most kitchen cleaners and want to stay clear but, we also want a clean kitchen that smells great and don’t want to spend a lot of money finding the right product.Well, you can make your own lemony scented degreaser/cleaner for next to nothing.

Place any citrus peels you remove from your fruit into a glass jar and cover them with plain white vinegar.Every time you have a piece of citrus fruit, add the peels to the jar and add more vinegar until your jar if full.At this point, place a lid on the jar and let it sit on the counter for two weeks. Give it a shake every once in a while when you remember.This will help to draw out the citrus oils that contain d-limonene which is the component that has the degreasing/cleaning power.After the two weeks is up, strain the mixture (be sure to squeeze out every last drop from the peels) and mix it 1:1 with water into a spray bottle.To give this cleaner even more “oomph” add a couple of drops of Rosemary essential oil which is known for its anti-bacterial properties. 

Citrus Zest

If possible, choose organic fruit if you are planning on making this as you will be ingesting it or just
wash, dry and peel the fruit.Using a
citrus zester or the small holes on a box grater, grate off only the top layer of the citrus peel.You do not want to go so far down that you put any of the white membrane, pith, into your zest.Transfer the grated zest on to a piece of parchment paper and spread out in an even layer.You can let this dry on the counter for a couple of days or to speed things up, place in a 200 degree oven for an hour or so.You can also place in a dehydrator on the lowest setting for a couple of hours.When the grated zest is dry, you can make into a powder by whirling around in a coffee grinder or leave it at the coarse stage.Place in a clean, dry glass jar away from direct
sunlight for storing.To use, slightly crush the zest between your fingers to release
the volatile oils before adding to your dish.I love adding this zest to baked goods or chicken
and fish dishes.

P.S. I have also been known to add some to a hot Epsom salt bath with lavender essential oil and powdered milk. Heavenly!

Egg Shell Bathtub Cleaning Powder

All winter long we save our egg shells to use in our garden. We sprinkle them around the base of plants that tend to get nibbled on by slugs. Apparently, it feels like crawling across glass shards to them. Sounds about right...not sure though, I'm not a slug.
Well at about this time of year I am getting tired of having those jars of shells taking up space on my kitchen counter so I decided to try my hand at making a homemade bathtub scrub. It was VERY easy to do and worked like a charm.

Homemade Bathtub Scrub

1 mason jar full of crushed up egg shells

1/2 cup baking soda

Essential oil of your choice, citrus is nice

First take your egg shells and place them in a glass or metal casserole dish and place them in a 150 degree oven for about 2 hours to be sure they are completely dried out. 

Before doing this you can boil them for about 10 minutes to remove any dried egg "guck" and let them dry for about 8 hours. I didn't do this because I am just using it to clean the tub and sink. If you also make your own mineralizing tooth powder you may want to do a bunch of shells at the same time for both uses.

Once the egg shells are completely dry, pulverize them to a powder, in a coffee grinder you do not use for coffee. Pour the powder into a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup baking soda. 

Pour mixture into a jar and add 20 drops of your favourite essential oil. Citrus-y scents are great for this. I placed two empty essential oil bottles from lemongrass and tea tree (cause I'm cheap aka frugal like that) and the droppers into a jar and sealed it. I let any oils and scent permeate the egg shells overnight and it smells heavenly! 

I put about a tablespoon of the egg shell mixture on a damp sponge and scrubbed away. 

Nappa Cabbage Kimchi

So, I have been creating some amazing fermented foods lately and wanted to share one of my favourites. Kimchi....
There are many, many recipes out there on the net and this recipe is sort of a "mash up" of some of the ingredients I have seen being used by others. This jar has been going since some time in November. My intention was to have it ready for the holidays, but I have been patiently letting it sit in a cool cupboard. It has been opened a couple of times, especially the first week or so to release any build up of CO2 and it smelled amazing even then.
Here are the ingredients I put into this jar. I think it will be a keeper.

                                                                             

                                            Nappa Cabbage Kimchi

                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                           

1 head nappa cabbage
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 daikon radish, grated
1/4 cup sea salt

4 scallions, thinly sliced (green part only)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp cayenne powder
1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice powder

                                                                                                 Thinly slice the napa cabbage cross-wise into thin strips. Place in a large bowl.
Thinly slice the carrots and add to your bowl. Grate the daikon radish and add to the bowl as well. Lastly, add the 1/4 cup sea salt. Mix these four ingredients thoroughly and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let this mixture sit on the counter for 1-1/2 hours to release any juices. Get your hands in that bowl about every half hour to mix this up a bit. Place this mixture in a colander and rinse a bit so the salt flavour will not be so intense. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, cayenne powder and the 5-Spice powder. Pack the vegetables tightly into a quart size mason jar, being sure to only fill up to the shoulder of the jar (the point where the jar curves toward the mouth of the jar). If the mixture seems too dry, then add some of the liquid from the bowl and use a chopstick or skewer poked into the kimchi to release any bubbles that may have formed throughout the mixture. These bubbles are where any mold may start to grow. Be sure to immerse any vegetable mixture under the brine. I use clear flat oval discs I found at the dollar store to cover my ferments. Leave this jar out on the counter for a minimum of 10 days. During the first week, unscrew the lid and allow any air to escape once a day or so. Taste your kimchi occasionally and when it is flavoured to your liking, place it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process.
Ideally, a spice mixture called Gochujang is used, but I have always substituted cayenne powder and it seems to work just fine. I also do not use fish sauce in my recipe. Play around and see what you like best. I hope you make your own soon.

Rhubarb Rising!

Rhubarb is in abundance right now and so I have been chopping, freezing, stewing and making a simple syrup to use in club soda and in my homemade kombucha. This stewed rhubarb is so tasty and easy to make. I put the mixture in my slow cooker and let it "stew" all day, then poured it into containers. I kept one in the fridge and froze the other two. I put these ingredients in the slow cooker: 6 cups chopped rhubarb, 1.5 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water, a cinnamon stick and a little muslin bag containing 3 star anise, 5 cardamom pods and 5 allspice berries. To make the breakfast jars I layered Vanilla flavored Greek yogurt, the stewed rhubarb and then topped it with granola.