by Jan Robertson
War Eagle Creek Farms
I’ve been reading with increasing interest all the posts addressing Real Food resolutions for the New Year. I’ve loved the suggestions and have found several to add to my own long, Real Food list. Do you ever feel like everyone is doing more than you are?
In an effort to give my Real Food tasks a reality check, and in an effort to push aside the overwhelming sense of underachievement, I decide to open my pantry to check on the foods that are fermenting and soaking. Several glass jars and a bowl greet me as I take note of how much space they are using in my small, overworked pantry. Wow, maybe I have been doing a lot. This is the most I’ve ever had in here at one time. How did I do all that? I must document this achievement. Let’s see: I have four bottles of Kombucha in a second ferment with raspberries, a jar of buttermilk souring, a jar of navy beans soaking and some biscuit dough soaking.
I’m feeling kinda proud now. Lots of good foods are clearly on the horizon. But some of it will have to go from the pantry to the refrigerator, which is already full of other yummy fermented things. Let’s check on those too. My fridge holds jars of fermented mayo lemons and garlic, as well as sauerkraut, two jars of kefir and one jar of Piima cream. Wow again!
I then remember that in my fridge are also crispy pecans, crispy almonds, homemade almond butter and some homemade butter. When I think about it, I’ve only been on this Real Food path for a little over a year now.
Everything I have done is a direct result of the national Weston A. Price Foundation, but specifically the efforts of our local chapter of the WAPF. I attended chapter meetings and a fermentation class by Lisa Lipe, exchanged ideas with others and read our inspiring blog.
So in addition to making my own New Year’s Real Food resolutions, I’m taking a moment to look back and enjoy how far I’ve come. I wonder what my refrigerator and pantry will play host to throughout 2011.
How do you sour buttermilk? I know you can add vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk but that only takes 5 minutes. It sounds like you have a longer method.
ReplyDeleteThis is an old fashioned method resulting from the making of butter. The milk that is left after the cream is skimmed off the top of the milk is buttermilk. Many people let the milk sour first as the butter forms easier. However, I skimmed the cream while the milk was still somewhat sweet and wanted more flavor so I just let it sit out until it acquired the sour flavor I wanted. This method would not work with pasteurized/homogenized milk.
ReplyDeleteTo make cultured buttermilk from raw or pasteurized milk, you just add 1 cup of store-bought cultured buttermilk to 3 cups whole milk in a quart jar. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 12-24 hours until thickened, stirring occasionally to spread cultures and to check. Refrigerate when thickened. When buying cultured buttermilk make sure the label states that it contains live cultures and that it's within the best-used-by date. I use buttermilk for soaking grains for breads and muffins and for homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.
ReplyDelete