Hearing fermentation bubbles makes something fizz inside me too! So I decided to dig out the mic and give you the full #rootbeer effect. . This is a carrot root beer, based on a #nourishingtraditions recipe. I used the frozen whey cubes I posted a pic of a while back – hear how active they are!

Hearing fermentation bubbles makes something fizz inside me too! So I decided to dig out the mic and give you the full #rootbeer effect.
.
This is a carrot root beer, based on a #nourishingtraditions recipe. I used the frozen whey cubes I posted a pic of a while back – hear how active they are!

Read More

I wanted a supper that felt luxurious, so I fried up two slices of sourdough millet/sorghum polenta in butter. Whilst it was crisping, I sliced a super-ripe Sardinian variety of tomato, bought from Irene at our local market. I popped it in the cast iron pan alongside the polenta and then took an egg (also from Irene) and barely scrambled it in butter. . Sliding it all onto the plate, I wanted every last drop, so I drizzled the butter remaining in the pan over the top. . Super-satisfying.

I wanted a supper that felt luxurious, so I fried up two slices of sourdough millet/sorghum polenta in butter. Whilst it was crisping, I sliced a super-ripe Sardinian variety of tomato, bought from Irene at our local market. I popped it in the cast iron pan alongside the polenta and then took an egg (also from Irene) and barely scrambled it in butter.
.
Sliding it all onto the plate, I wanted every last drop, so I drizzled the butter remaining in the pan over the top.
.
Super-satisfying.

Read More

I’m not the only one who likes nosing in fridges, right?!! . In the latest episode of the podcast, I got to dive into every nook and cranny of @farmandhearth’s fridge and she, in turn, quizzed me about the contents of mine. . The lists were long (no wonder the door of mine often refuses to shut) and included lots of staples, some wondrous ferments, home-made bits for our skin and a lot of creative leftovers. . Have a listen by finding @ancestralkitchenpodcast in your podcast app or by using the link in my profile. . *And*, to feed my nosiness, let me know one thing that’s in your fridge right now!!

I’m not the only one who likes nosing in fridges, right?!!
.
In the latest episode of the podcast, I got to dive into every nook and cranny of @farmandhearth’s fridge and she, in turn, quizzed me about the contents of mine.
.
The lists were long (no wonder the door of mine often refuses to shut) and included lots of staples, some wondrous ferments, home-made bits for our skin and a lot of creative leftovers.
.
Have a listen by finding @ancestralkitchenpodcast in your podcast app or by using the link in my profile.
.
*And*, to feed my nosiness, let me know one thing that’s in your fridge right now!!

Read More

You know that *amazing* smell when you open a jar of pesto? I always thought it was dependent on the cheese or the pine nuts. Turns out it’s not! . This is lacto-fermenting basil. A nudge from @savage.craic gave me the impetus to use our crazily-growing back yard basil this way. I added 3% salt and pounded (actually, I should say my son Gabriel did the pounding – check out my story today if you want a smile :-)). . The brown liquid on the top doesn’t look particularly nice, but when I open the jar (which I topped with a small layer of olive oil) it smells like the most heavenly pesto your nose has ever sniffed. No cheese, no nuts…it’s just basil, salt and oil. . Now I want to grow even more basil next year just to get to sniff this (and I haven’t even tasted it yet!)

You know that *amazing* smell when you open a jar of pesto? I always thought it was dependent on the cheese or the pine nuts. Turns out it’s not!
.
This is lacto-fermenting basil. A nudge from @savage.craic gave me the impetus to use our crazily-growing back yard basil this way. I added 3% salt and pounded (actually, I should say my son Gabriel did the pounding – check out my story today if you want a smile :-)).
.
The brown liquid on the top doesn’t look particularly nice, but when I open the jar (which I topped with a small layer of olive oil) it smells like the most heavenly pesto your nose has ever sniffed. No cheese, no nuts…it’s just basil, salt and oil.
.
Now I want to grow even more basil next year just to get to sniff this (and I haven’t even tasted it yet!)

Read More

I scribbled this down when listening to @sandorkraut being interviewed by @flora_brewing back in June and I’ve been wanting to get it up on my feed since then! . Because how true is this?! It’s what most of my kitchen is based on. . Grains, water, time – oh my gosh, sourdough bread! . Veg, salt, water, time – fiery, exciting ferments. . Sugar, bacteria, time – fizzy, delicate, delicious drinks. . Fermentation is a joy and it is simple. It creates connection and it sparks meals with such flavour. I use bowls and jars I got for pennies and ingredients that are local and simple. And by the magic of microbes I get deliciousness! . Love to hear what your all-time-favourite-ferment is.

I scribbled this down when listening to @sandorkraut being interviewed by @flora_brewing back in June and I’ve been wanting to get it up on my feed since then!
.
Because how true is this?! It’s what most of my kitchen is based on.
.
Grains, water, time – oh my gosh, sourdough bread!
.
Veg, salt, water, time – fiery, exciting ferments.
.
Sugar, bacteria, time – fizzy, delicate, delicious drinks.
.
Fermentation is a joy and it is simple. It creates connection and it sparks meals with such flavour. I use bowls and jars I got for pennies and ingredients that are local and simple. And by the magic of microbes I get deliciousness!
.
Love to hear what your all-time-favourite-ferment is.

Read More

My “Sourdough Porridge, Polenta and Polenta Bread” video series is ready to go! I’ll be sharing it first with my newsletter community. Just got to rope Rob, my hubby, into showing me how to use the newsletter-creator he made for me. Hopefully it’ll go out next week. . If you want the videos in your inbox, or if you want to be on my newsletter and aren’t, use the link in my profile to pass me your details. . In the meantime, I’ll be off to eat all the the fermented porridge I made in order to shoot the videos :-)

My “Sourdough Porridge, Polenta and Polenta Bread” video series is ready to go! I’ll be sharing it first with my newsletter community. Just got to rope Rob, my hubby, into showing me how to use the newsletter-creator he made for me. Hopefully it’ll go out next week.
.
If you want the videos in your inbox, or if you want to be on my newsletter and aren’t, use the link in my profile to pass me your details.
.
In the meantime, I’ll be off to eat all the the fermented porridge I made in order to shoot the videos 🙂

Read More

Sandor’s #wildfermentation recipe for 5,000-year old beer uses sourdough starter. Now I’m used to brewing it (I’ve been doing it 6 months), I’m keen to start making it mine. . Instead of creating a new starter each time, here I’m ‘backslopping’ my yeasts from a previous batch into the new brew. Looks active, doesn’t it? . And I also want to try creating a starter that cultivates yeasts alone, not lactic acid bacteria too. That’ll make my brew less sour. . Feeling like I’m starting to spread my ‘brewster’ wings!

Sandor’s #wildfermentation recipe for 5,000-year old beer uses sourdough starter. Now I’m used to brewing it (I’ve been doing it 6 months), I’m keen to start making it mine.
.
Instead of creating a new starter each time, here I’m ‘backslopping’ my yeasts from a previous batch into the new brew. Looks active, doesn’t it?
.
And I also want to try creating a starter that cultivates yeasts alone, not lactic acid bacteria too. That’ll make my brew less sour.
.
Feeling like I’m starting to spread my ‘brewster’ wings!

Read More

I love opening the tin and seeing how my un-scored loaves want to express themselves with their bursts. . This loaf is spelt, made with a technique new to me – I heated 2/3rds of the water to 80C and mixed it into the flour. After letting the mix return to room temperature, I added a tiny amount of starter along with the rest of the water and then let the bread rise overnight at room temperature. . I cooked it in a lidded ceramic tin and, when it was almost done, I took it out of the tin completely and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes. . The crust is very thick and crunchy. The inside is spongy and has bigger holes that I usually see. I’ll be playing around with this technique a bit more over the coming weeks. Thank you @ellys.everyday for passing it to me :-) . Will pop some more pictures in my story today.

I love opening the tin and seeing how my un-scored loaves want to express themselves with their bursts.
.
This loaf is spelt, made with a technique new to me – I heated 2/3rds of the water to 80C and mixed it into the flour. After letting the mix return to room temperature, I added a tiny amount of starter along with the rest of the water and then let the bread rise overnight at room temperature.
.
I cooked it in a lidded ceramic tin and, when it was almost done, I took it out of the tin completely and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
.
The crust is very thick and crunchy. The inside is spongy and has bigger holes that I usually see. I’ll be playing around with this technique a bit more over the coming weeks. Thank you @ellys.everyday for passing it to me 🙂
.
Will pop some more pictures in my story today.

Read More

Underneath this home-made cheese is half a savoury spelt muffin. . The cheese was made by leaving raw goat’s milk out on the counter until it soured and then straining the mixture through a muslin. . The muffin was leavened with my pineapple sage yeast water and is streaked with beetroot from our garden (you can see the purple dough in my yeast water story). . Delicious for supper after a podcast-recording afternoon :-)

Underneath this home-made cheese is half a savoury spelt muffin.
.
The cheese was made by leaving raw goat’s milk out on the counter until it soured and then straining the mixture through a muslin.
.
The muffin was leavened with my pineapple sage yeast water and is streaked with beetroot from our garden (you can see the purple dough in my yeast water story).
.
Delicious for supper after a podcast-recording afternoon 🙂

Read More