Fermentation :: Kombucha

Sitting between our jars of home-made vinegars & crock filled with kimchi or sauerkraut is a new little spot reserved for a relatively new fermenting endeavor - that of making our own kombucha. A wonder-tonic, probably not.  But a tasty drink to treat yourself?  Why, yes, it is exactly that.

After ordering a mother with which to begin several months ago, we have had a constant supply. We start by brewing a mix of black and green teas (4 bags total) in 4 quarts of water on the stove.  Once boiling we add the teas bags, let brew for 20 minutes then remove bags, add 1 cup of sugar and then leave to cool (for what seems like forever) to under 90 degrees (anything hotter will kill cultures). Add your mother, cover jar with a clean cloth, and set in a warm-ish, dark place for 14-20 days.  This amount of time will depend on your environment - in a warmer climate things will grow more quickly.

Once a new mother has grown on the surface (it will be very evident) remove with clean hands & 1 cup of your fermented batch to reserve for the next round.  At this point you can choose to leave as is, or add additional flavorings. We love a strawberry & ginger combo or guava, blueberry or raspberry.  Really, we haven't made one we did not like. We also sprinkle a touch (1/4 tsp) of sugar into each jar to enhance the natural carbonation.  It's a delicious & refreshing fermented jar of goodness. Once you've flavored your jar, place back in the pantry for about 7 days. We accidently left our last flavored batch resting a bit too long, and it's walking a fine line between beverage and vinegar.

Though, it really is a simple process, if this all seems like a bit much, you can order yourself an entire DIY kit here, or simply the 'mother' here.  Either way you'll be off and running to the making of some drinkable goodness.  

The Tweedy Stuff

This yarn you see here gave me one of the worst allergy attacks on record - on 4 hour flight, nonetheless - and, I am not new to the world of allergies. My dear husband hand-picked this Brooklyn Tweed yarn for a hat he wanted me to make several months ago. It has been sitting on my shelves for awhile, and I figured it was just the project to start, and finish, while I was in the air. Oh, how terribly wrong my plan went. You can see the two or three rows I started with above, and in that short amount of time my allergies were so terrible all passengers in the vicinity were looking at me as if they were stuck next to that dreaded sick person. Apparently, there is something about American Wool my nose just doesn't like.

So, today, if you do not have allergies to this type of yarn, I am offering it up. It can be yours. I most certainly can not let it sit as a ball forever, so if you have a project in mind in which you could use some yarn, leave a comment below with your name and address and I will send you these three skeins! Each skein of this worsted-weight, Shelter yarn is 140 yards (420 in total), and you will find many patterns listed here if you need any additional inspiration. It is tweedy, rugged, but yet still soft. It will knit up beautifully, I am sure, but not by these hands.

Harvest Monday 8.27.2012

Having been out of town for the majority of the week, our harvest this week is most certainly on the smaller side. It always feels a bit funny leaving a summer-garden behind with all the growing goodness that is happening, doesn't it?

San Marzano tomatoes that are headed to the stove for pizza sauce making and canning. Green beans & lingering oranges that are on the verge of being too sweet - but just right for the morning smoothie.

A couple more tomatoes and figs. Loving all of figs we see ripening on the branches. Stay-away, birds!

And, well, since our harvest is a bit light this week, I thought we would share a few quick pictures that were taken of a public garden we happened-upon in Chicago. We are unsure if this garden is located at the South end of Millennium park or the North side of Grant Park, but it's somewhere right down there. We've walked through these parks numerous times during our visit to this city (5 times in the last 12 months), and never before have we seen this bit of garden space.

Since, we were following a little man that was on-foot toward the gigantic water-wall in Millennium Park, we did not have a chance to read or discover just what this garden was all about. Next time.

Their fennel is absolutely gorgeous. They also have numerous greens growing about; cabbages, corn, herbs and beans, too. This city garden was in full-effect, and now that we know it is there we will definitely always try and walk by to see what each season beholds.

We hope these last weeks of summer are proving to be bountiful and fun, and if you have a moment check here to see what others are harvesting.

In This Home...

In this home we are...

absolutely loving this dress, but contemplating whether sewing skills are up to par.

learning how to Elevate the Everyday

trying to get my hands on a copy of The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food for reading on an upcoming flight.

wanting to try out a vegetable dyed table cloth.

hoping this heat subsides. Whew, its hot.

excited to attend a Cubs game at Wrigly field during our upcoming visit to Chicago.

thinking I just may squeeze in a visit to Green Heart while in that Windy City. One of my favorite stores in all the land, and holders of Ezra's favorite steel cups (and a few goodies here and there for mama, too)

realizing that summer is coming to an end. It's been fun, but busy.

looking forward to the slower pace of Fall. I hope.

enjoying the album by the Bahamas. Oh, it's good. Really, good.

thinking change is good for Lake Tahoe.

absolutely amazed (still!) by this program about colors on Radio Lab. A must listen! It is fabulous.

On the Needles and In-Hand

Well, hot damn! I think I'm on my way, to spinning that is. I scooped up this Polwarth roving wool at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, and in one afternoon was able to come up with what you see here. It is most definitely bumpy and wonky, but I'd say it is a fine start and oh, so much fun.

And, well, remember that sweater on the needles? It's still on the needles. I am well past my birthday, gifting date and keep telling myself it is really no big deal as it's August, right? Thanks, friend for your patience! I had some trouble getting one of the sleeves off the double-pointed needles and onto the circular (and a bit of a roving distraction), but last week I sat down with needles in hand, pattern at my side, and a bit of quiet-time to focus and get this sweater on its way. I think I am back on track, and hopefully will have it finished well in time for some wintry weather.

Harvest Monday 8.20.2012

There are few things more satisfying than rinsing down your harvest only to see the full beauty and goodness of your recently plucked crop.  It revels a freshness only seen with the eyes of those that grow their own.  And, in a world where our food is passed through numerous hands of those we've never met, there is a sense of peace and satisfaction knowing that is has been only our fingers that have touched what sits before us on the table.  

Though we ditched the garden for the beach both days this weekend (whew, it's hot here in San Diego), this garden of ours has been keeping us busy both in-and-out-of-doors. At a time of year when we try at all costs to not turn on the stove or oven, our garden demands otherwise.  Oh, but the taste of these Janice, Seedless, White-Kadota Figs makes it all worth it I do believe.  A relatively new variety for coastal growing, this fig is pure deliciousness.  

  

The basket runneth-over.  Peaches, pumpkin, zucchini (for bread), padrons, eggplant, cucumber, tomatillos, banana peppers, and both red and green tomatoes.  Who doesn't love themselves a fried-green tomato?  My first and only taste of green tomatoes was a few years ago with some great friends at the Dixie Cafe in Chicago.  These are on the menu for tomorrow night's dinner.Yum.

  

 Ah, the first of our bush beans are in and they are delicious.  And, well, flowers are a must. In another time I would love to mirror this fabulous farm. - Gorgeous, farm-fresh flowers that aren't too fussy.  And, a flower CSA? Well, that's just about the best thing ever.  Ah, to dream.

  

    

     Peaches and San Marzano tomatoes. 

Our cucumbers were very slow to come in this year, but they now seem to be steadily making their way into the kitchen. We have more tomatillos than we know what to do with, which is quite ironic as these plants were all volunteers.  We've cooked them fresh for dinner, made hot sauce, and today we made a great enchilada sauce for the pantry shelves.

  

We always seem to have a carrot or two at all times ready for harvesting.  No matter the season, you can pretty much be assured there's a carrot out there.  And, below you see our first ever cantaloupe. Love garden-firsts! We are definitely not in prime melon-growing territory, and I am unsure as to where the seeds for this plant even came from; but, it grew and it was fragrant and so tasty.

Plumeria.  One of the lovely, tropical plants we are able to grow.  So delicate in its fragrance, and one of our favorites.  

To take a peek at the harvests of others, head on over here, and have yourself a wonderful Monday. 

Words to Live By

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." - Charles Mingus

The Perfect Family Accessory

I do believe this blanket is one of my favorite sewing projects to date.  For our recent camping excursion I wanted to have a new, fresh & portable blanket for which to enjoy our days. - Just this weekend alone all sorts of goodness occurred, and a whole lot of sandy toes graced this textile. 

I pounced on a recent sale and scooped up this Liberty of London fabric. (also found here)  Cotton duck fabric was used for the back, which gave the blanket a nice weight, and was recommended in this pattern that I followed.

Our new blanket most certainly received a proper breaking-in this past week, and I am looking forward to all of the family living that will be done atop - feasting, reading, sleeping, gazing, beaching, outdoor concerts, backyard lounging. (whew, this blanket has got some plans!) All good things, and all things that make this family most happy.  

Out-and-About :: Community Garden

Originally inspired by this video, Ezra and I recently took a trip up the coast about 15 minutes to check-out the Harold E. Smerdu Community Garden in Carlsbad. You may think it was an unusual veggie that caught my eye, or a particular growing method that we wanted to learn more about that sent me on this field trip, but rather, it was a fluffy, white crop seen in the video that sent me driving North.  Cotton.  

You see, I have been trying and trying to grow cotton in this garden of ours for what seems like forever. Seeding and re-seeding, to no avail.  But when I spotted this man, with a field of gorgeous cotton at his back I knew I needed to seek him out.  I am usually a read-it-in-a-book type of person, but at this point I need some help. And, really, most every book will tell you that you're pretty much crazy if you think you can grow cotton in San Diego. So, you must see my delight when I first watched this video, and realized that this man is not only growing said crop, but it's flourishing.   There comes a time, I suppose, when knowledge is best transferred directly from one to another. When the little nuances of a particular crop need to be spoken from the farmer.  Indeed, this is probably true throughout the world, with many different crops.  

We did have a wonderful little walk throughout this garden.  The folks we were able to meet on that day were welcoming and so very proud of their land.  It was such fun to meander about and see the differences among each gardener - some growing strictly veggies and fruit, others only flowers, and then those with a bit of it all.  Yet, there was. no. cotton.  I asked every person there if they new 'of the man with the cotton' but no one seemed to know where he went, if they remembered him at all. This crop is one that can't possibly look like anything else growing in this community garden, yet surprisingly it seemed to pass by eyes of everyone going unnoticed.

  

I haven't given up on my quest in tracking this man down; to pluck from him the knowledge of growing cotton by the sea. In time this will happen, I am sure. Some day soon I will be able to take this fiber from seed to needles.  Planting, growing, harvesting, washing, carding, spinning and finally knitting.  (I'm sure there's a step or two in there that I am missing)  So, until then, will you please enjoy this walk around their gardens.