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Cultured Butter

2 August 2010 by local kitchen

In the midst of all the peak-of-season preserving, I haven’t forgotten my mission to review The Lost Art of Real Cooking, by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger (A Perigee Book, published by the Penguin Group). You may remember my experiment with Swazi Sauce; I was more than a little frustrated with the lack of detail in the recipe, but since then, author Ken Albala not only stopped by to offer a comment on the post, but made the original recipe again and discussed […]

Categories: 100% local, condiments, fermenting, milk, preserving, techniques, year round • Tags: cooking, food, homesteading, local, preserving, recipes

Apple Pectin Stock

8 December 2009 by local kitchen

When you are busy making all of those holiday apple pies, butters and desserts, don’t throw out the apple peels! Make apple pectin stock instead, and next summer you’ll be able to make 100% local jam with your homemade pectin. Sweet. Adapted (barely) from Homemade Pectin at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial ————————————————————- Apple Pectin Stock INGREDIENTS apple “leavings” (peels, cores and leftover bits from pie, jam or apple butter making, frozen is fine) filtered water METHODS Put apple leavings […]

Categories: 100% local, apples, canning, jams, preserving, stock • Tags: canning, cooking, food, homesteading, local, preserving, recipes

Apple Cider Vinegar

13 October 2009 by local kitchen

If you’re not on your honeymoon in the wilds of Canada, Fall is a great time to begin brewing up a batch of apple cider vinegar. Take advantage of inexpensive, freshly pressed apple cider available at orchards and farmer’s markets all through the Fall, and ferment it to make a delicious cider vinegar to use all year long. Adapted from instructions on the Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits website. Apple Cider Vinegar INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT a 1 […]

Categories: 100% local, apples, vinegar • Tags: cooking, food, homesteading, local, preserving, recipes

Preserving Herbs

30 August 2009 by local kitchen

Don’t let those overflowing garden herbs go to waste – with some easy preserving ideas, you can enjoy flavorful herbs all winter long. ————————————————————- Preserving Herbs FREEZE Basics: Follow the instructions for freezing vegetables, namely a quick blanche in boiling water followed by a ice-water bath. Dry thoroughly, then freeze, either on the stem, loose leaves, or chopped, spooned into ice cube trays, and covered with filtered water or olive oil. Also see a recipe for Chile Verde Base, which […]

Categories: 100% local, canning, drying, fall, freezing, herbs, preserving, summer • Tags: cooking, food, homesteading, local, preserving, recipes

Canning Carrots

22 August 2009 by local kitchen

For the past week or two, I’ve noticed in the “search engine terms” section, where I get to see the sometimes wacky ways that people surf their way to my blog, multiple searches for “canning carrots hot water bath.” This concerns me, because, if people wanted to pickle carrots, I would think they would search for “pickled carrots” and other than pickling (and other high-acid jams/chutneys/preserves), there is no safe way to can carrots in a boiling water bath. Carrots, […]

Categories: 100% local, canning, carrot, dill, fall, preserving, summer • Tags: canning, cooking, food, homesteading, local, preserving, recipes

Neighborly Advice: Friday Blog Carnival

3 April 2009 by local kitchen

Ever wanted to learn how to make jam? Get over you pressure-cooker fear? Knit a hat or make your own pizza dough? Fellow blogger Neighbor Nancy has started a Friday blog carnival over at Recession Depression Therapy called Neighborly Advice. Featured are two pizza dough recipes from yours truly, but don’t hold that against it – there is lots of good advice for anyone looking to expand their cooking or crafting horizons. Surf on over and check it out!

Categories: community • Tags: cooking, food, homesteading, local, recipes