t-shirts for literacy

We're deep into the fundraising part of our project and selling t-shirts.  Check them out!  Show your love of reading while helping us raise money for literacy at the same time!

http://teespring.com/stores/balloon-hats-for-literacy

Balloon Hats for Literacey

I have an amazing new project.  We will be attempting to set a world record next year!

Check it out at www.balloonhatsforliteracy.com 

fermented eggplant

• 2 medium eggplants sliced into strips
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons pickling salt for brine, plus 2tbs more for salting eggplant
• large cabbage leaf or weights
• 1 quart water

peel and slice the eggplant into strips.  Cover it with salt and let it sit for half an hour or so.  Then rinse the extra salt off.  Helps get rid of some of the bitterness.  

Pack the strips into a container using your favorite method of fermenting.  I use a home made airlock system.  

add the spices.

Mix 2 tbs spoon salt into 1 quart of water to make a brine.  Pour over the eggplant in the jar(s)  Add weights or use a large cabbage leaf to keep the  eggplant under the brine while fermenting.  

Seal the jar and wait about 1 week - 10 days.  

This eggplant has a nice Italian flavor and I like using it in place of pasta with a red sauce.  

spicy kombucha dill refrigerator pickles

I make a lot of random pickles.  I toss whatever spices sound good into the jar - so far these have been my favorite, hands down.

1 quart jar
enough small cucumbers to fit.  I used 1 bag of mini cucumbers I got at aldi's
1 large jalapeno
1 tablespoon pickling salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup kombucha

put the cucumbers in the jar

mix the other ingredients and then pour over the cucumbers.  Add a bit of water if it doesn't cover them.  Seal and pop in the fridge for a week or so.

Marinated Spiral Cucumber with beets and walnuts

Found this great slicer at a thrift shop.  Didn't appear to have ever been used and since it was only $3.98 - I figured it was worth the buy.

Gave it a try on a cucumber.  No instructions so I just went with the first blade.  It cuts spirals.  You don't have to make spirals for this - as a matter of fact I found it easier to cut the spirals down a bit, not leave them long.  Long spirals are a pin to serve!

Thought about changing blades for the next cucumber.  Didn't get too far because it was SHARP and my hand slipped.

Of course my husband is the only one who knows where he put the bandages and I can't reach him.  Wrapped it in a clean cloth and worked left handed from there on.

Last week I scored some wonderful baby beets.  I plan on pickling them, but this one is going in with the cucumbers.  

I washed it and diced it as well as you can expect a one handed person to dice something.

In the bowl I also added

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon course ground black pepper

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons finely diced (came that way in the bag) walnut pieces

1 cup white vinegar

shoved all of that into a pint sized jar, covered and put in the fridge for 48 hours.  That's the point where the beets are a little more tender and so are the nuts, but both retain some crunch - while the cucumbers have not turned to much.

This dish has a strong flavor, but I'm a fan of strong flavors and I love it with a basic salad that has a bit of blue cheese on it. 

Fermented Beet Greens

Had some beet greens that I had to use.  4 bundles.  Cooked 1 for dinner - that left me with 3 to preserve.

So I decided to ferment them.

I cook the stems, so I decided to experiment with fermenting them as well.  It's the bright, happy jar to the left.

2 large bundles of beet greens, cut into large pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

more salt if needed to make brine

I was able to shove all the beets into one wide mouth quart size jar.

Waited 2 hours to see what the natural brine would do, then because it wasn't enough I made more brine with 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 quart of water.  Didn't use all of it, just covered them, leaving 1 inch of head space.  Folded a cabbage leaf and to use as a weight.  I found that I need something to hold things under the brine and the cabbage leaf works well.

Waited 10 more long days.  Could have started checking at 7, but I figure the stems might needed a bit longer.

Growing Scoby from Raw Kombucha - Day 10

Day 10.  It formed a pretty nice scoby, then the jar got bumped so it sank.  Then it formed a second one a day ago, but as I was moving it take a photo I jostled it too much.  Still, this seems to be working.  If anything I think the scoby is much stronger than the one I did from raw with sweet tea.  It took longer to get the scoby but it seems to be a nice healthy one.