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Category Archives: Great for Kids

Sprouted Wheat Berries: Whole Grain Goodness

03 Feb
Sprouting wheat berries provides whole grain, enhanced nutrition to your diet.

Sprouting wheat berries provides whole grain, enhanced nutrition to your diet.

Wheat berries (or wheatberries) are completely unprocessed wheat that contains all parts of the seed: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. This means the complete nutrition from all of the whole grain’s minerals, phytochemicals, and vitamins is retained. While wheat that has been highly processed into flour and used in junk food byproducts can harm your health, studies show that whole grains such as wheat berries have positive health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, and reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, among other benefits. And keep in mind that wheat seeds can remain viable for up to 30 years, if stored correctly of course. This means you can buy in bulk and have whole-grain, sprouted green goodness for many years.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Overall sprouting wheat berries increases their nutrition, and since sprouted grains are a “living food” their nutrients are more readily accessible (yes, you can sprout many kinds of seeds and beans besides wheat, but we’ll cover those in another post):

  • By sprouting the grain you enhance some benefits such as increased calcium and some vitamins, like vitamin C (though other vitamins are decreased, like some B vitamins).
  • Sprouting grains helps to decrease the amount of antinutrients (like tannins) that interfere with nutrient absorption. The result is that many nutrients in wheat that would otherwise not be available for absorption become available with sprouting.
  • Sprouting grains increases enzymatic activity, which makes them easier to digest. 
  • The glycemic index of sprouted grains is lower, which is better for heart health and helps you feel full longer. Diabetics also benefit from a lower glycemic index.
  • Sprouted whole grains are easier to use in a wider variety of dishes and increasing your intake of whole grains is a huge benefit to health.
Cover one cup of wheat berries with some warm water and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.

Cover one cup of wheat berries with some warm water and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.

BEFORE YOU START

When you sprout any grain, it will double or  triple in volume so be sure you use a container that is large enough to contain it as it expands. You can buy a designated grain-sprouter for about $5 from your local health food store or food co-op; it is simply a jar with a lid that has a screen on top. You can also make your own from a half-gallon canning jar. Use the ring of the jar lid to hold into place cheese cloth, muslin, an old nylon, or a piece of screen. You could use a piece of decorative cotton, too, if the weave is not too tight. If you’re upcycling a jar from a food you bought at the store (free!), use a rubber band or string to hold your cloth or screening onto the jar  instead of using the solid lid.

SPROUT YOUR GRAINS

One cup of wheat berries triples in volume when sprouted, so make sure your jar is large enough to accommodate.

One cup of wheat berries triples in volume when sprouted, so make sure your jar is large enough to accommodate.

Place about a cup of wheat berries in your jar and rinse with warm water. Then, add fresh warm water to the jar, making sure your seed is covered with water about an inch over the grains. Soak the seeds overnight or up to 24 hours.

The next day, rinse your seed in warm water once, and then drain well (this is where your screen or cloth come in). After the seed is drained well, tilt your jar on its side and spread the seed out a bit. All you’re doing here is making your layer of seed thinner so seeds at the bottom aren’t too crowded. Place your jar in its side on a counter and wait for the seeds to sprout (a day or two…). You want the jar in a place where it will get some light (but not direct sunlight). Some sources say to place the seed in a dark place, but I find that this slows down the germination significantly.

Make sure to rinse and drain your seed at least once a day, or twice if you live in a drier environment (here in semi-arid Colorado, I rinse in the morning and evening). Just lightly rinse the seed in room-temperature water, drain thoroughly, spread on its side again, and let sit. In two to four days your grain will begin to sprout (depending upon air temperature).

After a day or two, you'll see the grains have sprouted. I like to continue growing mine with daily rinsing until the tail is about 1/4 inch long and just starting to green up.

After a day or two, you’ll see the grains have sprouted. I like to continue growing mine with daily rinsing until the tail is about 1/4 inch long and just starting to green up, about an additional day.

How long you leave your sprouts to mature and green is a matter of choice–I like to leave them until they get about 1/4″ of growth on them, although they are “officially sprouted” with just 1/8″ of growth. After they reach the stage you like, you can feel free to add them liberally to stews and soups, spreads, salads, or serve alone as a breakfast cereal. I have also served them warm with olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, or with olive oil and herbs. I even make a kind of luscious “bread” (don’t think it’s a regular loaf, because it’s not!) with the berries, so stay tuned for a special blog post on that, coming up next week!







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12 Comments

Posted by on February 3, 2013 in Food Preservation, Great for Kids, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Slow Cooker Fruit and Oat Breakfast

27 Jan
Overnight cooking in a crock caramelize apples, honey, cinnamon, lemon juice, and coconut oil into a tasty, healthy breakfast.

Overnight cooking in a slow cooker caramelizes ingredients into a tasty, healthy breakfast.

The beauty of this recipe is that it is very adaptable; you can substitute different ingredients depending upon what you have on hand and make the most of personal taste preferences. This is also very easy and allows you to have a healthy, hot, hearty, and delicious breakfast ready for you when you wake up in the morning. Kids can even serve themselves.

I love the caramelization that occurs with this method — it creates a very deep and satisfying flavor. A slow cooker (Crock-Pot) is needed to create the depth of flavor, and of course the convenience of having a hot breakfast ready for you before your eyes have even adjusted to the morning light.

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INGREDIENTS AND HOW-TO

(This recipe makes two large servings, or four smaller servings as part of a larger breakfast menu)

Into a slow cooker unceremoniously toss and stir well:

My dog, River, supervising food photography.

My dog, River, supervising food photography.

  • 3 apples, which you have washed, cored, and chopped into bite-sized chunks (no need to skin)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 to 3 tablespoon honey (I don’t like things very sweet, so I only use 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon water (you may want to add more water depending upon how moist you want it; I like mine on the dry side so add another tablespoon of water if you want something more moist)

Set your crock pot to low, put the lid on, and let it cook overnight. In the morning, place into bowls and top with a healthy dollop of pureed sweet potatoes — I use organic canned sweet potatoes, you can use organic canned pumpkin, too, which is very tasty, or of course make your own! It is also tasty with yogurt or a bit of milk.

Don’t feel limited to apples; I frequently make it with mixed berries, bananas, or nuts depending upon what I have on hand. It is also very tasty with a healthy tablespoon of peanut butter added!

 

 
5 Comments

Posted by on January 27, 2013 in Great for Kids, Recipes

 

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Harvesting and Drying Mint

19 Aug

Mint is wonderful in the kitchen, medicine cabinet, and as a pest repellent.

Mint is one of those herbs that has a ton of uses and grows prolifically in the garden. Sometimes that prolific growth can be a nuisance (it has, in fact, take up residence in one of my raised beds and it’s definitely a battle between me and it). But like anything else in life, what can be seen as a hassle can also be take as a gift with just a slight shift in perspective: Instead of cursing your prolific mint, harvest it shamelessly and exploit it for one of its many uses! SHAMELESSLY!

There are many kinds of mint (spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, apple mint, pineapple mint, and others. They are all perennial, meaning they’ll come back year after year; you’ll have a never-ending supply of this tasty plant after sticking just one in your garden. But beware: if you don’t want it to spread everywhere make sure you plant your mint in an area where you won’t mind it getting a bit out of hand. However, flavored mints such as chocolate and apple are not as prolific as the straight-up peppermint and spearmint.

Mint does best in full sun to part shade with a soil that is slightly acidic, rich, and fairly moist, so if you live in a more arid environment, your mint won’t explode as it would in more ideal growing conditions. And, of course, you can grow mint in a pot for year-round fresh use provided it gets a southern exposure when indoors.

Mint not only serves as a valuable food and flavoring in the kitchen, it also has medicinal uses such as calming the stomach, assisting with gingivitis, helping relieve colds, and cooling overly warm skin, among others. It can also be used to repel pests in the home and garden, and lend a wonderful scent to washing linens when included with vinegar in the final rinse water of a wash. I’ll cover these uses in more detail in a future ‘spin.

HARVESTING

If your mint is a new planting, wait a year or two for it to establish a strong root system before you start harvesting it. You can clip fresh mint sprigs during this time for sure, but for a full-on, no-holds-barred harvest, wait until the mint is well established. With my established mint, I literally hack it back in late spring, mid summer, and again in very early fall until there is only about 6 inches of stem left; it grows back readily. Just make sure you don’t harvest too late in the fall; you want to give the plant enough time to recover before winter hits. Like any other herb, the best time to harvest mint is in the morning while the volatile oils in the plant are at their strongest.

After washing my mint, I lay it on a towel in several loose layers to dry thoroughly in the sun.

Before drying mint, rinse it clean under a spray hose in the kitchen sink, or outdoors if you have a lot of mint you’re processing in one batch. After cleaning, the mint must be thoroughly dried. I do this by shaking off the mint thoroughly, then laying it out on a few loose layers on a towel in the sun.

AIR DRYING

After my mint is washed and dried, I bundle it up for hanging and drying. I make my bundles loose to allow for the much-needed air to circulate around the herb and draw the moisture away. Air circulation is key when it comes to drying herbs; the air removes the moisture from around your plants and helps prevent mold from developing.

When making my bundles, I use rubber bands to secure the ends. Rubber bands have two main advantages over string: first, the contract as the stems dry out and shrink, thereby maintaining a tight bundle throughout the drying process and second, they can be used over and over. I save all of the rubber bands I end up with from the grocery store or anywhere else, and use them for my herb drying. I attached an unfolded large paper clip to my bundle and use the paper clip to hang the herbs from my ceiling. You can hang herbs from wall racks, or anything else you can think of as long as the location is warm and gets plenty of air circulation (i.e., basements are poor choices).

Rubber bands are the best way to hold herb bundles for drying. Here, a rubber band is first slipped over one stem, then wrapped around the bundle several times.

After wrapping the rubber band around the bundle several times, secure the end by slipping it over a few branches. This provides plenty of give for shrinkage.

You may have read that herbs should be placed in brown paper bags to dry. I believe this is nonsense. I think the only exception is when you are drying an herb such as dill and want to save the seed, then you’ll need to place a paper bag around the seed head. Otherwise,  unless you live in the driest of environments there is no way you’re going to get enough air circulation to draw the moisture away from your plants if they are suffocating in a bag. I am also lazy. Packaging herbs up for drying is just not something I am interested in spending my time doing since I see no detectable benefit from doing so, unless I am saving the seed. But I’m sure many will disagree with me, and that’s ok!

This re-purposed screen serves as a wonderful drying rack for herbs when hung from a ceiling in a warm, airy locations such as my front sun room.

Instead, I hang my herbs upside down from a drying rack I have hanging from the ceiling in my front sun room. The rack used to be a screen with rice paper lining, but the rice paper was torn at one point, so I removed all of the paper and the hinges, and hung it from the ceiling to serve as a drying rack. It also just looks kinda cool.

The ideal temperature to air dry herbs really varies; I’ve read anywhere between 70F and 120F. Frankly, whatever warm location you have available is the best location. So many guides provide supposed “rules” but ultimately the best environment is the one you have available to you. You just need to find a way to work with what you have. But with drying herbs, good air circulation is a must…without it your herbs will mold. If you don’t have good air circulation, consider placing a fan in the room in which your herbs are drying. And it’s best to keep your drying herbs out of direct sunlight; while my sun room is sunny, the herbs at ceiling level are protected from direct exposure.

How long does air drying take? It depends upon those unique conditions you are working with. In an 80F, moderately humid environment with moderate air circulation, bundles such as the ones shown above can take two to four weeks. Here in Colorado in my very warm sun room, it only took about 4 days to get crisp-dried mint.

OVEN DRYING

I encourage you to air-dry your herbs whenever possible; it just seems a lot easier to me if you have the space and if your environmental conditions are dry enough. However, if you live in a moist environment or don’t have the space to hang herbs, oven drying is a great option! Some people even prefer the flavor of oven-dried herbs to air-dried. Frankly, I can’t tell the difference.

To oven dry herbs, you also want to wash and either air dry or pat them dry before proceeding. Then you can either strip the leaves from the stems and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, or lay the stems on the cookie sheet themselves in a single layer. Place the herbs in a warm, 180F oven for 3 to 4 hours with the oven door cracked to allow moisture to escape. Then, crush the leaves and store.

COLLECTING AND STORING

Collect your dried mint by crushing the leaves off the stem.

The leaves are the edible portion of mint, so when it is thoroughly dry, you’ll need to remove them from the stems. I do this by taking one of my bunches, holding it over a large bowl or sheet, and simply pressing the stems. The leaves crush off cleanly from the stem, and any bit of stem that might break off and fall is easily removed after I have finished removing all of the leaves from my mint.

It is recommended that you store your mint in a cool location away from direct sunlight. I store a portion of my mint in a used tea tin and keep it in a cupboard by my tea kettle. The rest of my yearly supply is stored in a large air-tight mason jar in my pantry. Sometimes I just take the jar out and look at it…herbs that you harvested and dried yourself are not only fresher (and thereby tastier) than store bought, looking at them can also help us feel the summer sun on a cold winter day as we recall the harvest.

 
11 Comments

Posted by on August 19, 2012 in Edible Plants, Food Preservation, Fun Experiments, Gardening, Great for Kids, Hobbies and Arts, Home Remedies & Apothecary, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Homemade Cottage Cheese, 1839 Style

29 Jul

In 1839, making cottage cheese was just a matter of leaving raw milk sit out until it formed curds, then strain overnight.

First, let me say that this won’t work unless you have raw milk available to you. The reason is that raw milk never really goes “bad,” it just sours. You can use it months after it’s left the cow (properly handled, of course). Pasteurized milk, on the other hand, has had its molecular structure altered, and because of that it doesn’t ever sour, it putrefies. This means if it goes bad, it’s not edible. I know, I know, this happenstance eliminates the possibility for many to make cottage cheese using this method, but it’s still interesting to see how people made food 175 years ago.

But if you do have access to raw milk, this makes a wonderful creamy cottage cheese that I love. It’s creamier than store-bought cottage cheese, and the “lumps” are very small. The flavor is a combination of cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese. It doesn’t taste like store-bought cottage cheese because the store-bought stuff is cultured, which gives it a specific flavor. You can make cultured cottage cheese at home, too, if you purchase the culture from an outside source, but this recipe allows you to make your own like folks made it at home long ago. And, it’s easy as pie!

INGREDIENTS & HOW-TO

  • 1/2 gallon raw milk
  • salt (optional)
  • butter (optional)

Raw milk forms curds on its own after it sits in a warm location for several hours.

Take your milk out of the refrigerator and set it in a warm corner (room temperature or higher) until curds form, which will take between 12 and 24 hours, depending upon the temperature of your room. You’ll see the curd development easily as the curds will separate naturally from the whey, as seen at right.

Once the curds form, strain them overnight, making sure not to press them. This can be done in different ways. I took a colander and placed it inside a larger bowl, and then poured my curds into a jelly bag. I left the jelly bag sit in the colander in the refrigerator overnight (you don’t need to refrigerate it). If you don’t have a jelly bag, you can just line your colander with a kitchen towel. Or if you don’t want to save your whey, you can secure a jelly bag or towel (tied at the ends) to the kitchen sink spigot and just let it drip into the sink.

The next day, turn your cottage cheese into a clean bowl. At this point you can choose to add more cream if you want it super creamy (I don’t find this necessary), butter for additional richness, or salt or spices to taste. I like it plain, myself. I just dump the cheese into a bowl and call it good.

I eat my cottage cheese with fruit and nuts, and I use it in recipes for things like homemade ranch dressing, dips, or anywhere I’d use cream cheese, sour cream, or sometimes plain yogurt. It has a wonderful flavor, and is so easy to make that I use cottage cheese in many ways. It is really only limited by your imagination!

Note: The references for this came from  the 1839 publication, “The Kentucky Housewife,” by Mrs. Lettice Bryan. The original text reads: “Take a large bowl of milk* that is just beginning to turn sour, cover it and set it in the corner where it will keep lukewarm till if forms a curd. Then place a linen cloth over a sieve; put in your curd, fold over the corners of the cloth to keep out the dust, and let it drain till next morning, without pressing it in the least. Then turn it in an earthen dish, add as much rich, sweet cream as will make it a little soft; add a large spoonful of butter to each pint of the curd, mixing it in a very little salt, and work it with a spoon till th whole is very smoothly mixed. Then put it in a china bowl, and set it in a cool place till the tea-table is ready.”

 
16 Comments

Posted by on July 29, 2012 in Fun Experiments, Great for Kids, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Can’t Sleep? Try These Effective and Safe Options

17 Apr

Chamomile tea is a common relaxation and sleep aid that works.

Adults and children can both have problems sleeping, and the inability to sleep can cause havoc at home, on-the-job, and at school. But in an attempt to solve the problem, adults often turn towards sleeping pills or other over-the-counter sleep aids like Tylenol PM. But people don’t realize that sleeping pills don’t allow for the REM-based sleep that we need to feel rested. Instead, they just knock you out instead of allowing you to experience true, restful sleep.

Better alternatives are techniques and herbs that relax and allow for true sleep. And many of these remedies can be used with children, whose sleep problems are frequently overlooked.

There are three ways to put yourself to sleep without the aid of narcotics: relaxing, aromatherapy, and herbal remedies. Herbal options, which can be taken as teas, pills, and tinctures, don’t prevent REM sleep, and as a result you experience true rest. And these techniques can be used with children, too! Ideally, though, you’ll make relaxing a regular part of your family’s evening routine; some simple changes may prevent the need for any other sleep aids altogether. If you need more help sleeping, though, aromatherapy then herbal aids can help solve your problems.

RELAXANTS

Getting the body and mind physically prepared for sleep may seem like a no-brainer, but as you probably could guess few people do it; the stresses of the day can sometimes be too demanding and relaxing seems like a luxury. In fact, though, a good night’s sleep (and the relaxing that goes with it) is paramount for remaining as productive as possible during the day, and becomes a necessity just like brushing your teeth. Here’s some ways to prepare for sleep, so you and your children can get to sleep and stay that way:

Maintain a regular sleep schedule: Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same times each day is a way to tell the body, “Hey…you’re supposed to be asleep now.” We are creatures of habit, and our bodies do take ques from patterns we set in our lives. Adults benefit from this just as much as children.

Keep your bedroom for sleep…and one other thing: What that other thing is you can guess and it’s between you and your partner. Other than that, sleep should be the only thing going on in the bedroom. No TV, no reading, nothing else. Or if you do read, don’t pick up something that’s going to get your emotions boiling or your interest peaked. For children, choose soothing stories without too much emotion.

Keep your bedroom cooler if you can: We sleep better when we’re cool. It’s as simple as that.

Don’t go to sleep angry: If you have problems with someone you care about, try to solve them. Don’t do it through text or email, either….that solves little. We spend a lot of time now avoiding problems through a computer, yet that just leaves them fester and interrupts our sleep. Don’t be afraid…approach those you’re in conflict with and either clear the air, solve the problem, or move on. Your sleep will thank you for it. Allow your children to do the same before they get their pajamas on.

Scents such as lavender, geranium, and sandalwood can be used in oils, scrubs, sprays and more to enhance restfulness.

AROMATHERAPY

Some people might scoff at the idea that a mere scent can help you sleep. But we are highly wired to scent, and once we smell something (say, a skunk), we never forget what that smell is. Just think of how the smell of a fresh pie or bread in the oven can make you feel. Scents can have the same effect on sleep, and have been used for centuries in different cultures for that very purpose. Aromatherapy will promote relaxation and help calm the mind to enhance restfulness.

Choose scents that are known to promote sleep: Scents such as lavender, clary sage, chamomile, geranium, marjoram, rose, neroli, sandalwood, jasmine, ylang ylang, and bergamot either alone or in combination are great choices for promoting restfulness.

Avoid scents that are stimulating: Invigorating scents like peppermint, grapefruit, rosemary, lemon, or pine should be avoided before you are heading to bed. They are great first thing in the morning, though!

Avoid synthetic scents: Fake scents won’t quite do it. They aren’t real, so they won’t promote real relaxation. Invest in quality essential oils; they last a long time.

Make a bed linen spray: I do this in a small spray bottle with water and several drops of lavender oil. I spritz it on my pillow and sheets before I go to bed if I know I’m in a pattern of waking in the middle of the night. It works.

Scents in the bath: While it’s not a good idea to take a warm bath right before bed (you sleep better when your body is cooler), taking one about an hour before you go to bed and including soothing scents in the bath water does promote both relaxation and provide the benefits of aromatherapy. This is a great way to help relax kids, too.

Scents in the shower: Again, you want to avoid taking a hot shower right before bed, but they’re great an hour before you retire. And a shower is a wonderful place to include scented bath salt scrubs, and scented oils on your skin (and some scents, like sandalwood, are not “girly” for the guy contingent out there).

Scents by the bed: Taking a cotton ball, adding several drops of sleep-inducing scents, and putting the cotton ball next to your pillow is one way to keep the scent close to your nose. You can also create pockets on the underside of your pillow cases and stuff them with herbs, or fill flame-free diffusers with your soothing scent of choice and have it next to the bed. There are many ways to introduce scents into your or your child’s bedroom.

HERBS

When relaxing and soothing scents don’t quite cut it, herbal remedies are there for you. I have a hard time sleeping sometimes, and I keep a bottle of herbal sleep aid by my bed. When I know I’m in a pattern of not sleeping well, I take some before I go to sleep and if I wake up in the middle of the night, I take two more. It makes a world of difference and since I’ve started using herbal remedies I don’t suffer during the day from lack of rest at night.

Valerian is one of the best herbs available to combat sleeplessness.

Herbs can be consumed about 30 minutes before bedtime either in tea form or capsules. You can make either of them yourself, but there are many teas available at even mainstream grocery stores that promote restfulness, such as Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. Stores such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or local food co-ops carry a much wider array of herbal teas and capsules that treat a variety of things, including insomnia. Here are some common herbs that will help you sleep by reducing anxiety or promoting a sedative effect, among others:

California poppy: This is frequently found in teas and other homeopathic sleep aids, and is appropriate for children and adults alike.

Chamomile: This is a common and well-known sleep aid that is appropriate for both adults and children and is used commonly for this purpose in Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere. Chamomile is great because not only can it be consumed, the oil can also provide relaxing benefits in the bath, in oils, and more.

Hops: Hops is not nearly as well-known as chamomile for it’s soporific properties, but it indeed is known to relieve stress and insomnia. It is frequently used in many tea mixes created for treating sleeplessness.

Kava-kava: This is another popular herb that is used in tea and capsule mixes to promote sleep. You’ll frequently find it along with hops, passion flower, and others on this list for that very purpose.

Passion flower: This is a wonderful treatment for insomnia and sleeplessness, and is included in many herbal teas for that purpose for adults and children alike. In Europe the use of passion flower is much more common than it is here, and there’s a reason for that: it works.

Skullcap: Skullcap is another herb that enhances sleep by reducing anxiety, one of the many reasons people have problems sleeping. It has a similar action to valerian root but, I believe, in a more mild form. Skullcap is another frequent ingredient in sleep-aid teas.

Valerian: This is becoming just as well known for treating sleeplessness as chamomile is. It can frequently be found in capsules created to assist with sleep, and is known to decrease incidents of waking up in the middle of the night. I have found this to be true myself, as I rely on valerian for this purpose when I am in a cycle of sleeplessness. This is one of the best alternatives to drugs because it has a true sedative effect without the side effects of something like Valium. This might not be an appropriate choice for children unless it’s included as a mix in a tea.

Wild lettuce: This produces effects similar to valerian with a focus on enhanced calming, but it is much more mild, making it a good choice for children.

Melatonin: Melatonin isn’t an herb, it’s a natural hormone that promotes regular sleep cycles in our bodies. It is frequently found in concert with valerian in capsule form for as a reliable sleep aid.

 
14 Comments

Posted by on April 17, 2012 in Great for Kids, Home Remedies & Apothecary

 

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Cheap and Decadent Chicken in a Pot

23 Mar

Chicken is a pot is a versatile, cheap, and tasty meal! Making soup with the bones and leftovers adds to the savings.

This meal is satisfying, tasty, and is quick to throw together . You can toss the ingredients in a pot and let them cook while you’re changing out of work clothes, cleaning kiddos, or taking the dog for a walk. Not only is it frugal by using the whole chicken, it also allows for a second meal the following night in the form of soup (stay tuned for a future ‘Spin on that). And, it is amazingly versatile, meaning you can literally use whatever food you have in your kitchen, besides the chicken of course.

But mostly this dish is simply delicious! You won’t miss the crisp chicken skin at all, trust me. The taste and juiciness of the chicken will make you forget all about crisp skin, and you’ll be turning to this chicken in a pot time and time again.

HOW-TO

To make a chicken in a pot you need only four types of ingredients. I’ve even used vegetables that were starting to turn to the low-side of fresh and saved them from the compost bin. Below I give you two versions of this dish, but here are the basic ingredients. Let your own culinary tastes be your guide:

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 3 or 4 kinds of vegetables
  • Seasonings or spices
  • 1/4 cup of liquid (your choice)

The basic process is to first grab a large dutch oven or pot that will hold a whole chicken plus vegetables. You can fill it to the brim, just as long as there’s room to put a lid on it. No stirring is necessary in this dish, so your pot doesn’t need to be ginormous; just-big-enough is fine.

The first step is to place about a tablespoon or two of oil (olive, vegetable, or any sort of fat will do) in the bottom of your pot and brown both sides of your bird. Be sure to sprinkle some salt and pepper on the chicken, to taste. You can brown the bird as deep a color as you like–once I even accidentally burnt the damn bird, and went with it anyway. It worked out fine and gave the dish a nice “smoky” flavor. Another time I was in a huge hurry and bypassed the browning altogether, simply throwing everything in a pot and calling it good; it still tasted great!

After the chicken is browned on both sides, add your chopped vegetables. I always like to include onion and garlic in mine if I have them on hand, so I tend to pop those in before the other vegetables and let them brown a bit, too. Next, add the rest of your vegetables, which have been chopped into chunks or slices. Keep in mind that root vegetables need to chopped smaller than something that will take less time to cook, like cabbage. But this dish is very forgiving and you can easily leave the pot cooking until everything is cooked through. There is zero worry that the chicken will dry out.

Lastly, toss in about 1/4 cup of liquid, cover the pot, and turn the heat to medium-low. Let the chicken cook, covered, for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reads between 165F to 180F.

GET CREATIVE

Here are some variations on this theme. Feel free to make up your own!

Cabbage, onion, and garlic chicken in a pot. I keep it simple by adding just salt and pepper, and white wine for the liquid. This simple version is a favorite.

Sweet and white potatoes and purple kale were the main vegetables for this version. Salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary added abundant flavors, as did chicken broth for the liquid. This was very tasty!

 
5 Comments

Posted by on March 23, 2012 in Great for Kids, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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No Space or Money for Starting Seeds? Think Again…

18 Feb

It doesn't take a lot of space or money to create a successful seed starting nursery. This set up cost $20, and most of that was for things that can be used season after season.

Color me optimistic, but I’m calling “spring on its way.” If someone tells me it’s still winter, I’ll call them a stinkin’ liar. It’s spring and this means it’s time to start seeds in preparation for the growing season. It comes quicker than you think!

But along with being optimistic, I am also not rich enough to buy those pre-packaged seed starting kits I’ve seen in the store. I’d rather spend my money on other things like a really nice microbrew once in awhile. I also have a small house (about 800 sf total) and not much room to construct the seed-starting nursery to rival the Colosseum that I’ve seen other people manage. So my seed starting set up has to be cheap, productive, and take up little space.

Luckily, I met all of my criteria for a total cost of about $20 (not counting the cost of seeds). And over half of that cost was for a clamp lamp and a grow bulb, which I can use again. That $20 went towards constructing a heat bed, which is a way to supply warmth to the roots of developing seeds and enhance germination, and the starter medium in which I planted my seeds. The rest of the material was either recycled or used. Here’s how I did it:

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HEAT BED HOW-TO

What you need:

  • A sturdy container for the project (I repurposed an unused plastic bin)
  • Non-clumping kitty litter or sand
  • Indoor-outdoor rope or string lights
  • Egg cartons (or your seed-starting container of choice)
  • Seed starting medium (potting soil will work)
  • Clear cover (plastic or glass) for the container

These lights, covered with a layer of kitty litter or sand, provide gentle heat for germinating seeds.

I already had an unused, under-the-bed plastic storage bin, measuring about 17″ by 36″, which was going to serve my purposes well. The plastic bin served as the base for my heat bed.

I took the bin and placed it on a bench in my closed-in porch. Then I poured half of a large bag of kitty litter into the bin and smoothed out the surface. Next, I laid one string of lights (with a 33′ string length and 100 bulbs) on top of the kitty litter, making sure the lights were mostly evenly spaced in the bin. Lastly, I covered the lights with the rest of the kitty litter and plugged the lights in to allow them to  start heating the litter (again, you can also use sand…whichever is cheaper in your area).

You can use a wide variety of containers for your heat bed, including used flats from nursery centers, sturdy cardboard boxes, or even wooden boxes. The box just needs to be deep enough to hold a layer of kitty litter/sand and lights, and sturdy enough to withstand watering your seedlings for several weeks. Aim for about a 2- to 3-inch layer of litter or sand, with the lights layered in about half way. That will hold the soil temperature at about 92F, if your ambient air temperature is in the upper 60s or low 70s. For most seeds, a 92F soil temperature is about right to enhance germination. Just make sure that the lights you use (be they rope or bulb-style) are for outdoor use; you’ll be watering your plants and your lights need to withstand that.

With my heat bed warming, it was time to plant some seeds! I had saved egg cartons for several months and used them as my seed-starting pots, separating the lid with a knife. The lids are great for starting seeds that need to be thinned after germination, like lettuce, and the carton portion is great for your other seeds. When the plants in the cartons are large enough to be planted into larger containers or transplanted outdoors, I take scissors and cut the whole egg carton apart into its individual pots and just plant the thing, carton and all (it will degrade in the soil).

Yes, you can use Styrofoam egg cartons for this, and they will retain moisture better for germinating seedlings. However, if you cover your heat bed (as you should) with a layer of clear plastic or glass to retain the all-important humidity for your seeds, this won’t be as much of a problem. Also, you can’t plant the Styrofoam directly into the garden, which means disturbing the roots of your young plants when you remove them. Lastly, there is some serious question about the Styrofoam starting to degrade and leaching the chemicals into the seedling soil, which will ultimately make its way into your garden. To me, the benefits of Styrofoam cartons (better moisture retention) are alleviated by covering the heat bed, which you have to do anyway.

Lastly, your heat bed will need a supplemental light source, unless you’re lucky enough to have a true greenhouse. Seedlings started indoors without proper lighting will just end up spindly and less healthy; it’s worth the cost to buy a supplemental light set-up to give your seedlings the best start possible. And such lighting doesn’t need to be expensive. I bought a clamp lamp and a high quality grow bulb for about $14, and I can use this season after season (depending upon how long the bulb lasts, of course).

PLANTING SEEDS

I used an organic seed starter mix for my seeds, filling each egg cup to full. It’s a good idea to invest in a seed starter mix, which is formulated for the special needs of germinating seeds but I’ve known people who use regular potting soil and that works, too. I only needed 1/2 a bag of mix for six dozen egg cartons, and it cost $3.50 a bag for organic. I have plenty of mix left for other seeds I’ll start in a few weeks or so.

A basic rule of thumb is to plant seeds (like this tomato) three times as deep as the seed's thickness. But beware, this isn't always the case.

After you have your mix ready, just follow the directions on the seed packets about how deep to sow each plant, but a general rule of thumb is to plant a seed three times as deep as the thickness of the seed. However, this isn’t always true; for instance, salvia seeds need light to germinate and therefore shouldn’t be buried in the soil at all. So if you’re a seed saver (and you should be) or just don’t have the original seed instructions handy, it’s always a good idea to have in your gardening notes the correct seed planting method for all the seeds in your arsenal. You can also look this information up online.

After my seeds were planted, I simply moved the cartons to the heat bed, watered them all well, and covered them with two pieces of acrylic a neighbor had left over from a project of his own. I’ve tried saran wrap for this in the past and it just doesn’t work. I’ve also saved the clear plastic flat covers you can sometimes get from nursery centers and these work well, too (as was their intended purpose).

This is all fine and dandy, but can all seeds be planted indoors to get a head start on planting? And when, exactly, are you supposed to start the seeds indoors? These are indeed things the wise seed starter looks into before introducing their precious seeds to soil.

INDOOR SOW OR NO?

First, I recommend going through your seeds and determine which ones really need to be direct-sown into your garden after the danger of frost has passed, versus starting seed indoors and transplanting outside. Plants recommended for direct-sow usually do not transplant well, and there can be high mortality rate if you try that route. And the older these plants are, the worse the transplant shock — and subsequent plant death — can be.

But there is some disagreement about which plants are best left for a direct-sow approach, (It couldn’t be easy, right?). For instance, some sources recommend direct seeding melons, but since I live in a chillier clime I’m planting them indoors to get a head start. After the seedlings germinate I’ll transplant them into large biodegradable pots that I can simply place into the soil with minimal root disturbance. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting on your own; horticulture is part art and some people just have a knack for doing what others say isn’t possible.

Plants that are recommended for direct-sow include lettuce, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, most squashes, peas, beans, corn, and carrots. Some flowers prefer direct-sow, too, including sunflowers, nasturtium, zinnia, bachelors button, plus a few others. But again, I’m going to start the zinnias and sunflowers indoors and transplant them. If garden centers can do it, so can I, right??!!

Covering your seeds with plastic or glass allows for moisture to be retained, which is necessary for germination and good plant health.

The timing of all this depends upon where you live and what your “last frost date” is. There are different recommendations about when you should sow plants indoors, and they are all roughly related to this date. You can visit the website of your local Cooperative Extension Service for this date. Then, you’re supposed to look at the seed packet and, if you’re lucky, it will say something like, “Sow indoors two weeks before the last frost date.”

But because I am lazy, I just go to this handy dandy resource kindly supplied by the Farmers Almanac (find it here). Just type your zip code into the Location field provided and it will spit you out a nice table that includes lists of vegetables and the recommended date to either start seed indoors or direct sow outdoors in your area. It even includes a “moon favorable date,” if you prefer to use the moon as a guide for planting. It’s a great resource and takes the hassle out of figuring out when you need to time your seed planting.


 
32 Comments

Posted by on February 18, 2012 in Garden Construction, Gardening, Great for Kids, Saving Money

 

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Spinfully Easy Homemade Ricotta

14 Feb

Homemade ricotta is creamy and sublime, and it only takes about 10 minutes of your time.

Really…this is so easy I’m almost embarrassed to write a Spin about it. The main reason I am writing a Spin is to extol the awesomeness that is homemade ricotta and convince you to elevate ricotta in your kitchen. Why? Because store-bought ricotta tastes like crap and it’s no wonder few people use it beyond lasagna (where it is well hidden, I might add). Yes, I’m sure there are those out there who worship the stuff, and I applaud your loyalty and iron-clad taste buds. In a survival situation, no doubt I’d want to hunker down with folk like you because you are ever optimistic, I can tell.

For everyone else, homemade ricotta will be a whole new ingredient in your kitchen. As I said, it’s ridiculously easy to make (about 10 minutes hands-on) and it’s sublime in its tastiness. You can make it creamy and moist, or crumbly and dry. You can use it in savory or sweet dishes. It can be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You could probably even throw it in the bathtub for an awesome skin moisturizer (I just made that up, but it sounds about right….).

First, the recipe (to see the video on this process, check out Rural Spin Makes Ricotta):

INGREDIENTS (Revised from The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrel-Kinglsey)

  • 1/2 gallon whole milk (pasteurized is fine, but avoid ultra-homogenized milk)
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cream (this is optional, depending upon if you want it really creamy, like for a dessert)

Heat your milk in a heavy-bottomed pot until it reaches 185F. Turn off the heat and stir in your vinegar and salt; you’ll immediately see the curds starting to separate from the whey. But after an initial stir, don’t stir again. Here’s what it looks like within a minute of adding the vinegar and salt:

Immediately after stirring vinegar and salt into your warmed milk, the curds separate from the whey.

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Put the lid on it and leave it sit for two hours……….THAT’S IT! Two hours later you have ricotta:

After two hours of sitting, your ricotta has totally separated from the whey.

To separate the curds from the whey, place a colander into a large bowl and line it with butter muslin, cheese muslin, paper towels, or a dish towel — just something that will allow the whey to pass through. Using a spoon, ladle, or skimmer, remove the ricotta from the pot and place in the colander. You may end up with a little or a lot of whey in your catch-bowl, depending upon what you used to remove the cheese. You could also just place the colander in the sink if you don’t want to save the whey. But try the whey for cooking (it’s great used in breads or biscuits, stirred into soups, or used to cook beans).

Now you just need to decide what character you want your ricotta to have. If you want it for a dessert, maybe you want it to be creamier. In that case, place your drained ricotta in a bowl and add a tablespoon or two of cream. If you are going to use it in something like lasagna, or as a topping for a stew (yum), you might want it really dry; in this case you can easily take the edges of your towel or muslin and gather them up to form a pouch around the ricotta. Then, gently squeeze the pouch until the excess liquid is removed.

Here are some suggested uses for ricotta, which I have served in my kitchen:

The uses for homemade ricotta are only limited by your imagination.

  • Mix 1/2 cup ricotta with plenty of nuts, fresh fruit, and rolled oats for a great breakfast. A drizzle of maple syrup doesn’t hurt.
  • Drizzle with chocolate and top with chocolate chips for a dessert.
  • Use in the place of cottage cheese in any recipe or use.
  • Use in cheesecakes instead of cream cheese, for a less rich cheesecake with a deeper flavor.
  • Mix with a tablespoon of sour cream as a more substantial side to Mexican dishes.
  • Add to soups and stews for a rich consistency.
  • Use as a filling for ravioli (and of course lasagna).
  • Spread on toast along with honey.
  • Serve on toasted bread along with sun dried tomatoes and lettuce for a tasty lunch.
  • Mix well with peanut butter and chocolate syrup and freeze for an amazing dessert.
  • Mix with fresh herbs and garlic for tasty party spreads.
  • I could go on forever…but you get the idea.

That’s really all there is to it. I encourage you to try homemade ricotta. It’s decadent and rich, and cheaper than store-bought. And if you think you hate ricotta, please try this. You will be pleasantly surprised!

 
15 Comments

Posted by on February 14, 2012 in Great for Kids, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Decadent Cereal, Cheaper than Store-Bought

24 Jan

You can make this luscious, high-quality cereal for cheaper than store-bought.

As we all know, store-bought cereal costs an arm and a leg. A standard box of cereal containing basic ingredients like oat or wheat flakes and maybe some dried fruit can cost close to $5.00. And that cost isn’t even for fancy cereal with organic ingredients, luscious nut chunks, or plump pieces of dried fruit. Let’s face it, the dried fruit they put in those boxes is almost mummified. And the taste? Well, it tastes like mummified cranberry or raisin. Yum.

I refuse to pay so much for substandard cereal when I can make my own cereal for less money, and with far superior ingredients. Below is my staple recipe for cereal that I make on a regular basis. And the cost? I make about two pounds of this stuff at a time, and it costs me $4.00 a pound, a clear savings over the $5.00 for a 15 ounce box of comparable Kashi cereal (not even a full pound). And, I use expensive ingredients (and lots of ‘em) like all organic products; large coconut chips; fresh, aromatic walnuts; and high quality, plump dried cranberries that you just can’t find in a boxed cereal. If you want to economize you can stick with the basics like dried raisins or apples, or non organic ingredients. And if you really want to save money, dry your own fruit and use it in your cereal! And best of all, you family isn’t eating preservatives or fillers: just healthy, tasty food.

I love making my own because I can customize it to whatever I feel like eating. Heck, I’d put bacon crumbles in it if I wanted! And this is good hot or cold. To eat it hot, I just warm some milk until it’s almost boiling, and pour it over my mix. A few minutes of sitting on the table produces a wonderful breakfast for cold winter mornings. Add a drizzle of maple syrup and I’m in heaven.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Grain Flakes (I like oats, but you can use wheat, rye, barley, or a collection of the four)
  • Nuts (I like pecan or walnut halves, but have also used almond chips, peanuts, or whatever I have on hand)
  • Dried fruit (raisins, currants, apples, cranberries, coconut, or whatever dried fruit suits your fancy)
  • Your Imagination (flax seed, ground cinnamon, wheat germ, chocolate chips…if you think it would be good, add it)

You'll never find high-quality ingredients like these laden generously in store-bought cereal. And this costs less!

I put all my ingredients in a large bowl, mix it well, then pour it all into a restaurant-sized storage jar that I bought in a Goodwill store for $1.00 (I scored three of these jars, the other two hold my white and wheat flour). The amount of cereal you make is only limited by where you’ll store your cereal–my cereal jar could hold 4 pounds of cereal. You can make yours on a weekly basis, or enough to last you a month.

There are no drawbacks to making your own cereal: it’s cheaper, healthier, tastier, and takes only moments of your time. Let the kids mix up a batch; they’ll have fun choosing the ingredients, too! Try it, and if you have an ingredient mix you particularly like, feel free to share it in the comments!

 
8 Comments

Posted by on January 24, 2012 in Great for Kids, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Collecting and Maintaining Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter

22 Jan

My sourdough starter is six years old and lives in this jar in my refrigerator. The liquid on top is called "hooch" and is perfectly normal.

No, you do not have to buy yeast to make really great bread. In fact, you never have to purchase yeast from the store again if you collect your own wild, local yeast and make your own sourdough starter. After you collect your wild yeast, the sourdough starter lives in a jar in your refrigerator. In fact, it can live there for hundreds of years if you take care of it properly. Here are the basics of collecting and maintaining your own wild yeast sourdough starter.

It’s important to note that not all wild yeasts are created equal. The iconic San Francisco sourdough is a wonderful wild yeast, but it is exceptional. In my last home in eastern Kansas the wild yeast was on the weak side, so while it was great for things like bagels and soft pretzels, it wasn’t the best for a light bread. However, now that I’ve moved to the Colorado Front Range I’m pleased with how wonderful the wild yeasts are and the wonderful light bread they make.

The ultimate goal with this is to have fun and to have another way to cut your tie to the commercial food chain. This is not always easy, and with wild yeast it means that you need to experiment with your starter often to learn the nature of your local yeast. But that’s where the fun is! Through time your wild yeast starter will be like an old friend; one that you can literally pass on to your children and grandchildren. For a video introduction on sourdough check out our video, “Intro to Sourdough.”

COLLECTION

Collecting wild yeast is pretty easy. All you need is a bowl, flour, warm water (about 85F) and a jar in which to store your starter. When you’re first collecting your yeast, white flour seems to work a bit better than wheat flour, but after you have a nice starter going you can add wheat flour as you maintain your starter, and you are free to use just about any kind of flour when baking.

First, take a bowl and mix together 2 cups of flour and 2 cups warm water (about 85F). It’s ok if there are lumps–it doesn’t need to be perfectly mixed. But do not mix in anything else besides flour and water! This is very important. Incorporate air into the mix with some vigorous strokes, however; yeast floats around in the air, so the more air contact your mix has the better.

Next, cover your bowl lightly with cheesecloth or a kitchen towel; never use anything like a plate or saran wrap, as this will prevent air (and therefore yeast) from making contact with your mix. If it’s summer time you can let the bowl sit outside so your mix has access to as much wild yeast floating around as possible. If it’s winter, put the bowl in a warmish, protected spot like in a cold oven. Over the next 24 hours, stir your mix about once every three to six hours just to get more air incorporated.

For a review of the process up to this point watch “Step 1: Collecting Wild Yeast for Sourdough.”

After 24 hours, check your starter and see how bubbly it is. You may not have many bubbles at all–it just depends upon a variety of factors like season and the nature of your local yeast, so don’t feel discouraged if the process takes two or three days. If you don’t see a lot of bubbles, whip the starter with a fork or something to incorporate more air, then let it sit, covered, in a warmish spot for another 24 hours. For more info on this step watch “Step 2: Growing your Wild Yeast.”

After two days, we have foaming and bubbles, proving that we've caught the wild yeast!

It can take two to three days for the yeasts to start growing in your starter. You’ll be able to tell if the bubbles you’re seeing are “active” bubbles or just air bubbles that you’ve mixed in coming to the surface. Check out this video to see what you can expect: “Step 3 Final Step Sourdough.”

Now that your starter is done, you can put it in a quart-sized jar and add another cup of flour and another cup of 85F water. Leave it sit for another day or so, then put it in your fridge where the yeasts will go dormant, ready for you to activate when you bake.

SWEETENING THE POT

The only thing that can really kill your sourdough starter is too much heat or starving it to death, and to prevent the later your starter does require some maintenance to remain happy and productive. Luckily, keeping it happy is easy, and it gives you the chance to share your starter with friends and family. You need to feed your starter once every five or six months, so this is not a time-consuming endeavor. Gold miners of old, who coveted their starters, called this maintenance process “sweetening the pot.” For a video of this process, see “Maintaining Your Sourdough Starter.”

The first step is to remove the jar of starter from your refrigerator. If you haven’t used your starter in several months, you’ll notice there is a layer of liquid at the top. This is called the “hooch” and can simply be mixed back in with your starter.

Grab another jar, which has been cleaned and sterilized, and place half of your starter in the new jar. Add a cup of new flour to this, and a cup of warm, 85F water. Mix until incorporated (lumps are fine) and let it sit overnight so the yeasts have a chance to start eating the new flour. Put your new jar back in the refrigerator until your next baking (or next pot sweetening). That’s all there is to it!

What do you do with the other half of your starter that’s in the original jar? This is your chance to earn some good karma and give it away to friends or family. It will be a great chance to bond with people you care about, and spread some fun and food independence along the way.

Check out our recent post on baking bread using your new sourdough starter: Using Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter: Basic Bread.

 
52 Comments

Posted by on January 22, 2012 in Fun Experiments, Great for Kids, Recipes, Wild Yeast Sourdough

 

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