Cajeta-Mania!!!

I made cajeta over the weekend.
The buttery, caramal-y, awesome-y decadent goodness of cajeta must be experienced...it just can't be explained!
Wikipedia tries.

Check this out:

Oozy, gooey, yummy deliciousness in a homemade caramel sauce!
Drizzle it on cinnamon buns, over oatmeal or fruit, a little drizzled in yogurt or your morning cup of coffee...over ice cream, over a slice of cake...it is AMAZING!!!

The recipe is simple enough.
1 gallon of goats milk (unpasteurized, please!)
1 vanilla bean (broken and halved lengthwise) or 1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
4 cups white cane sugar OR brown grated sugar (the hard sugar cones you get at Mexican grocers)
1 teaspoon of baking soda (to prevent foaming)
2/3 cup water
Stir that all together and heat until simmering. DO NOT STIR IT AGAIN! (If you do, you *break* the mixture and it will not process properly)
Now walk away. Don't stir it, don't even think about it...for at least 10 hours. That's right, it has to simmer UNDISTURBED for 10 to 12 HOURS.
After around 10 hours, you can look at it. If it has cooked down well, the simmering should still be going on, but the bubbles should be breaking slower...you should see that it has turned to caramel.
My stove is kinda slow, so I simmered mine for 12 hours.
Do a spoon and saucer test.
Dip a spoon into the simmering mixture and watch how it sheets and drips off the spoon. Is it thick and drips slow?
Put a spoonful on a saucer and let it cool for 15 minutes. It should thicken even more when it is cool.
Taste it. Is the texture right? (The flavor will be awesome!)
If everything seems right, pour into canning jars and put on lids and let cool.
If you used actual vanilla bean and not extract, pour through a sieve to catch the bean pieces.

Time consuming, yes. Worth it? OH YES!
My 1 gallon of goats milk made 2 quarts of cajeta.
I gave some to my neighbor (she is Mexican) to get an unbiased opinion. Actually, I figured she would be most critical because her mother used to make cajeta for special holidays, etc.
She LOVED it! Said it was just as good as her mother's!
Now THAT'S a compliment!

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The cactus flowers are still in bloom here...finally getting the hang of the camera...

The whole cactus (and it is a large one) should be an explosion of hot pink flowers by the end of the week or so...will try to get some more pictures when it hits peak bloomage!
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STILL no rain here! (I think it's 115 days now!)
Lost a hell of a lot of my garden due to dust storms, heat and the absolute dryness, even though I am watering them nightly.
A dry warm wind blows even at night here.I am thinking I need to mulch like crazy and maybe water once after dark and then again right before sunrise. (Hey, I am already up then anyway!)

I am going to try to replant some this week...maybe if I continuously plant, some of my plants will make it through!

Every Morning

This is the sight that greets me every morning when I go out to feed.
Nice to know my arrival is so eagerly awaited!
My morning schedule doesn't vary much...for those of you considering getting livestock, think about this!
5:30 a.m.: Get up, toss on jeans and tee shirt, load feed buckets (if I forgot to do it the night before)
5:45 a.m.: Let dogs out, put dog food in their pans, go out door and feed goats and chickens
6:00 a.m.: Check chicken coop for eggs after I give goats the hay to go with their grain

This usually takes me a few minutes as Red, the rooster, may decide he doesn't want me in the coop! I usually have to take the broom in there with me as a pre-emptive move...Red sees the broom and backs off as he knows that broom can whack him!
6:30: Fix breakfast for the fella, cup of tea for myself.
7:00 a.m.: Fella leaves for work, I wake up kids for school. Fix kids breakfast. Try to eat some breakfast myself.
The kids don't get on the bus until 7:55 a.m., so the time from 7:00 a.m. until then is spent making sure they eat their breakfast, have all their books, "YES, you must wear a jacket--it is 34 degrees this morning!", etc.
8:00 a.m. General pick up around house, wash breakfast dishes, wipe table, start laundry, etc.
9:00a.m.: Milk Gabby the goat, put Gabby and other goats out in pasture (that's what we call our huge outer yard), clean goat pens, make sure both pens have fresh water. Shoo chickens out of chicken coop into yard, clean coop and put in fresh water.During this time, I also strain the goats milk and get it in the fridge.
10:00a.m.: Back in house and working on other projects I may have going on...sewing, quilting, etc. I also start bread dough. I peek in the freezer and try to pre-plan dinner as well. May start a pot roast or thaw out some chicken.Hang up laundry, start more laundry (laundry never ends with two teenagers and the fella!)
This all takes me to:
12 Noon: Check on goats. Check coop for eggs again. Fix my second cup of tea and have some lunch (usually some leftovers from dinner the night before, or just  bread, cheese and fruit)
1:00p.m.: Punch down bread dough. Vacuum carpets, sweep and mop kitchen floor. Get back to sewing/quilting while I watch a documentary or news.This is my *relaxing* time. Hang up more laundry.Do my computer work...answering emails, checking various accounts, etc.
3:00p.m.: Form bread into loaves.(I usually let my bread rise 3 times). Take shower.(Best time for this! No kids around, the dogs are finally worn out and taking a nap and my hair will dry before the fella gets home!)
Put away sewing/quilting. Bring in dry laundry and fold and put away.
4:00p.m.: Start dinner. Put evening feed in goat pens and let goats back in pens. Feed chickens and check coop again for eggs. The kids get off the bus at 4:30p.m., so they are sometimes there to help out! Turn compost heap on even days, water it a bit on odd days.Water fruit trees in yard (yes, even in winter, in this dry, parched land)
5:00p.m.: Put bread in oven, help kids with homework (if they have any! Seriously, the homework these kids have isn't even half what I had in the same grades!) Work on dinner.
6:00p.m.: The fella gets home between 6 and 7 (usually) and after he is home, there is dinner, a discussion about the children, goats and chickens and their well-being, etc.
After that, there is the usual after dinner clean up, maybe a little t.v. (we watch a lot of Animal Planet and History channel!), maybe a movie for the whole family to watch (Despicable Me being our most recent)...very funny!)
Depending on what's going on, I usually make it to bed around 10pm, but there have been plenty of Midnights that found me still up!
So, there's an average day (weekday) in my life. Weekends are a different story altogether!

Left-Over Mania!!!

I only go to the grocery store twice a month. One biggish trip and one smallish trip to restock those things we use a lot of or that don't last too long.
The week before the grocery trip, I rummage through the fridge and cabinets, trying to use up every odd and end, every smidge of whatever that isn't big enough for a meal, but far too much to be tossed in the compost heap.

As I have posted before, my home-made hummus is a staple here. While rummaging in the fridge, I found about a half a cup in one of my little covered bowls in the fridge. Not enough for a meal, really (I was feeding myself, my son and out room mate). Further investigation turned up a half cup of leftover cooked rice, a bit of mozzarella cheese and in the cabinets, a can of artichoke hearts. Seriously, I didn't buy them, have no clue how they ended up in my pantry. One of those odd cans that somehow migrated into the relative safety of my pantry...like those cans of jellied cranberry sauce that always show up.
Anyway...I ended up draining and dicing very fine the artichoke hearts, adding the rice, leftover hummus...and as a bonus, the black beans ---about a cup, that I found hiding behind the milk carton. I mashed up the black beans before adding, though. A smidge of olive oil for flavor and smoothness as I mixed it altogether, along with a dash of lemon juice and some fresh minced cilantro. Sprinkled the cheese on top and heated through. Served with tortillas cut in wedges for *dippers*. With a salad on the side, a lovely meal for a hot day! And--enough for three, as well.


I actually enjoy the week before grocery shopping. It's fun trying to figure out how to mix and match left overs and odds and ends to make meals. I watch the Food Network, and they have this show called "Chopped". If you have not seen it, it goes like this ; four chefs are each given a basket of ingredients to make a dish from. After their dishes are judged, the least successful dish is chopped and that chef is booted out and then it is on to the next course with another basket of mystery ingredients and so on.
I LOVE that show!
The ingredients in the basket can vary wildly. They may face an appetizer round with catfish, cherries, mustard greens and oatmeal. An entree round with maple syrup, mussels, bacon and sharp cheddar cheese.
And they HAVE to use every ingredient in the dish or be disqualified.

So, when that week before grocery shopping rolls around...I imagine myself on "Chopped". I work with whatever ingredients I find and see what I can make!
Fun challenge!

Good Morning!

It's a Happy Thursday here.
The sky is gray and overcast, the temperatures are dropping and we have a slight drizzle.
But, still, a good day!
Why?
Although I like doing yard work and being outside, I have been doing so much yard work and upkeep around this place that a day doing inside work is a GOOD thing!
I have some sewing to do, the ever-present cleaning and I am going to try to reorganize my library AND my *survival* notebooks.
I have loads of books.
Some I read purely for entertainment and some for education. Some just make me *think*.
Here's some of the books I recommend:
Cookbooks:
More Than Moonshine
Home Made in the Kitchen
Quick and Easy Korean Cooking
Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning

Current book thats making me think:
To Shake Their Guns in the Tyrants Face

Novels I have been reading:
Deep Winter
Survivors
Tomorrow (Beyond Armageddon)

I read a lot. A LOT.
It is absolutely my favorite non-physical thing to do!
I get a lot of information from books. Although I love going online, there is nothing like having a solid book in my greedy paws! If and when TSHTF, having solid books will be priceless! You don't have to bankrupt yourself to buy them, either. Many books can be found online...all they cost is paper and ink!
Massive pdf files you can print down here that are useful:
Survival Books to Download
Foxfire Books 1-6 to download (if you just want those...they are also on the first survival books link)
Military Manuals
Gardening and Self-Sufficiency Books
Just About Everything You'd Ever Need!

Pick and choose carefully to conserve that expensive ink!
Happy Reading and Happy Learning!

Pucker Up!

Yes, that's right, pucker up! Today's blog is about one item I ALWAYS make sure I have in my pantry.
Lemon Juice!
Taaa-Daaa!
I know, lemon juice doesn't seem that exciting, but I LOVE it! It is one of the most versatile items you can have on hand,
I get 32 oz bottles of lemon juice at my local Family Dollar store for $1.50, although sometimes they have it on sale for just $1.00. That's a great bargain (at either price).

Lemon juice can be used for cleaning:

Air freshener

An equal amount of lemon juice and water added to a spray bottle that sprays a fine mist will create a wonderful chemical-free air freshener for your home.

All purpose cleaner

Again, an equal amount of lemon juice and water added to a spray bottle is an effective kitchen and bathroom cleaner and can also be used on walls (spot test first).

A small amount of lemon juice can also be added to vinegar based cleaning solutions to help neutralize the smell of the vinegar.

Microwave

Heat a bowl of water and lemon juice (about 1 cup of water and 3 tablespoons lemon juice) in your microwave for 30 seconds to a minute; then wipe out the oven. Stains will be easier to remove and old food odors neutralized. I have found that a shallow bowl is best---more surface area has something to do with it, I think.

Fridge

Like baking soda, lemon juice stored in your fridge will help control and eliminate unpleasant smells. Put a small bowl or tupperware container with a small sponge in the bowl. Moisten the sponge with water and lemon juice (50/50 mix), then set the open bowl in your fridge. Change every one to two weeks.

Chrome/copper/brass

Rub a lemon juice and baking soda paste onto chrome or copper, rinse and then wipe/buff with a soft cloth or paper towel.

Toilet

Mix 1/2 cup borax and a cup of lemon juice for a powerful toilet cleaner that will leave it smelling extra clean!

Lime scale

Use lemon juice--full strength-- to clean the lime scale off a sink or taps/faucets; just dampen a sponge with lemon juice, apply, let set for a few minutes and then wipe off and rinse well.

Clogged up shower head? Soak overnight in a bowl of lemon juice.

Laundry

For bleaching purposes, add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle and hang clothes outside to dry.

A teaspoon of lemon juice thrown into your wash can also help your clothes to smell fresher.

For Blood stains particularly on white fabrics, rub lemon juice and salt and hang in sun for about 4 hours.

Please remember to NEVER use lemon juice on SILK fabric! It will eat a hole in them!

Dishes

A teaspoon of lemon juice added to your dishwashing detergent can help boost grease cutting power

Ever get a residue on the inside of a crock pot that won't come off no matter how much you scrub or soak? Fill 3/4 full with water, then add 1 cup of lemon juice. Turn the crock pot on high and leave it for 2-3 hours. Allow to cool before rinsing; all the stains will be gone. It's like having a brand new crock pot!

Drains

Hot lemon juice and baking soda is a good drain cleaner that is safe to use in septic systems.

Chopping boards

Rub lemon juice into your wooden chopping board, leave overnight and then rinse. Wood chopping boards appear to have anti-bacterial properties anyway, but the lemon will help kill off any remaining nasties and neutralize odors.

Glass and mirrors

4 tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with half a gallon of water makes an effective window cleaner

Degreaser

Straight lemon juice can be used as a general degreaser

Furniture

2 parts olive oil or cooking oil mixed with 1 part lemon juice makes for an excellent furniture polish!

Personal Hygiene and Medicinal Uses for Lemon Juice:

Hair

To lighten hair, dampen it with lemon juice and sit out in the sun for an hour. This does work, I tried it myself. Hey, it was the 70's!

I've read that the juice of a lemon mixed with one cup warm water makes for a great hair conditioner. It should be allowed to stay in your hair for a few minutes then washed off. Exercise caution if you have a sensitive scalp.

Hands

The smell of fish or onions or garlic can linger on your hands, even after scrubbing with soap - rubbing your hands with lemon juice will neutralize the smell and leave your hands smelling wonderful.

Itchies, Stings and Bites

Dab lemon juice on mosquito or chigger bites. Dabbing lemon juice on itchy rashes can also help. If straight lemon juice proves to be too harsh for your skin, use a 50/50 mix of lemon juice and warm water.

Acne:

Dabbing lemon juice on pimples, blackheads and whiteheads before bed helps dry them up before morning! Wash face with a mild soap to wash off in the morning.

Foot/Body Scrub:

Mix regular table sugar or brown sugar with lemon juice to make a foot scrub. If you have problem perspiration, use the scrub all over! It exfoliates skin and will leave you sweet smelling all day! This is really good for scaly dry elbows!

Lemon Juice for Deodorant:

Use lemon juice as an alternative to high-priced chemically nasty deodorants.

Just wipe lemon juice on a washcloth or cotton balls under your arm pits. Lasts for hours! If you can't use straight juice, try the 50/50 mix with warm water.

Lemon Juice for Weight Loss:

Two tablespoons lemon juice in a glass (8 ounces) of water every morning helps *kick up* your metabolism and can help with weight loss.

Lemon Juice Mouth Wash and Denture Soak:

Lemon juice, 3 tablespoons in a cup of warm water makes a great mouth wash. If you have thin enamel on your teeth, check with your dentist first!

If you wear dentures and are out of your usual denture cleanser, put dentures in hot or very warm water and add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Soak for 2 to 8 hours for fresh, sparkling dentures.

Lemon Juice for Sore Throats and Coughs:

Mix 1/4 cup honey with 3 tablespoons lemon juice for a great throat soother. Make it better by adding a half teaspoon ground ginger.

Lemon Juice for cooking:

Now on to the yummy stuff! Lemons are high in Vitamin C, so adding them to your diet just makes sense, especially in the winter!

If you dry or can apples, you know they turn brown after being cut and exposed to air. Toss apple slices with a 50/50 lemon juice-water mix and they won't turn brown!

The acidic character of lemon juice also makes it a great meat tenderizer. Add a couple of tablespoons to your favorite marinade.

Lemon juice *brightens* the flavor of salad dressings, especially ones used on fruit salads. Just a teaspoon is usually enough in 1 cup of dressing.

Lemon juice + water + sugar = Lemonade! But lemon juice can be added to a lot of other beverages to enhance flavor or add a *sparkle* to the taste. Add a teaspoon of lemon to a glass of ginger ale--or any other carbonated beverage. Add it to fruit punch, tea (hot or cold), herbal teas, juices...just about any beverage--as long as it doesn't contain milk!

In baking, a teaspoon or two of lemon can *brighten* up the flavor of breads, cakes and pies without adding a *lemony* flavor. Mix the lemon juice with the sugar required for the recipe BEFORE adding to other ingredients!

When you are making sauces , adding a teaspoon of lemon certainly enhances the flavor! I especially love to make lemon butter to serve over vegetables--especially broccoli. Make a sauce of lemon, butter and herbs--I suggest rosemary and thyme with a touch of onion or garlic to serve over broiled chicken breasts. (Okay, I am getting hungry now!)

As you can see, lemon juice is a wonderful thing to have in your pantry! The bottles of lemon juice I buy have to be refrigerated after opening. Check expiration dates and buy bottles that have the further-est out *use by* date.

Big Holiday Meal Ahead!

Okay...I know everyone is prepared for the huge holiday meal (be it Yule, Christmas, etc...do not have time to name them all!).
Are you using any food storage items in your holiday meal?
If not...What is wrong with you?

Huge feasts were, in bygone times, not just a way to celebrate a festive occasion, but a way to show friends and family that you had provided well for your family, your harvest had been abundant and your livestock had produced. It was a gathering of the fruits of your labors for the benefit of your household and the meal was a gentle *boast* as well as a meal.

I have flour that will be turned into bread, cookies and cakes. My honeyed ginger slices that I will finely julienne and add to my home made cranberry sauce...quick recipe--2 cups fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup honey, 2 teaspoons julienned ginger, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 cup orange juice and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Sometimes I add a drop of vanilla to the mix. I bring it to a boil, then put it on simmer and cover. Cook it down until nice and thick. Great served with turkey or ham...or over ice cream or a smidge on vanilla pudding.

I have some white beans...I am thinking of cooking up some of them as a side dish.
I am making cornbread today...going to let it dry up a bit to turn it into cornbread stuffing.
I have some dried elderberry that I may turn into elderberry jelly today to serve on the bread I plan to make.

Food storage does NOT have to be boring or bland when included in your meals.
It can be quite festive! Use imagination, find great recipes and experiment!

Mother...MOTHER?

Today a little blog about :
Vinegar Mother


We all use vinegar. In salad dressings, as a seasoning, in cooking, etc.
Most of us use white vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
Some of us get a little fancy and use wine vinegar or rice vinegar.(I personally adore rice vinegar!)Balsamic vinegar, too, is becoming de riguer in the home gourmets battery of necessary condiments to have on hand.

How many make their own vinegars? Show of hands, please? Anyone? Anyone....?

Well, we are going to learn how to make flavored vinegars and our own vinegar today!
Tasty, healthy and with many more uses than most imagine!
First, the flavored vinegars...
Flavored vinegars are easily made using store bought white, apple cider, rice or wine vinegars.
It is good to have a supply of quart canning jars on hand to make these. If you want to *gift* someone with your creation later, get a fancy bottle.

VINEGAR BASE
1 small bunch of parsley
1 teaspoon of peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 quart of your choice of vinegar: cider, white distilled, rice
wine, white wine, or red wine

Place the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a 2 quart ceramic or glass bowl.

Bring the vinegar to a boil. Pour the vinegar over the herbal mixture in the bowl.

Cover and let the mixture stand for two days. Strain the mixture and decant into a sterilized bottle. Add one to three sprigs of the herbs of your choice. Seal the bottle with a cork or lid. Let stand for two more weeks before using.

FLAVOR COMBINATIONS
Tarragon and lemon in white wine vinegar
Chives, basil, and parsley in white wine vinegar
Oregano, rosemary and thyme in red wine vinegar
Lemon and dill in cider vinegar
Garlic, chives blossoms and chervil in red wine vinegar
Cilantro, jalapeño pepper and lime in white distilled vinegar
(this one is hot)
Lavender blossoms in cider vinegar
Ginger root and cilantro in rice wine vinegar.

Use herb vinegar in salad dressings, marinades, or to deglaze pans.

Basil, Lemon, Chive Vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
3 large strips of lemon zest
3-4 whole leaves fresh basil
10 stalks fresh chives

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Basil Peppercorn Vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
4-5 leaves fresh basil
1/2 to 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
3-4 whole peeled garlic cloves
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Dill Peppercorn Vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
4 sprigs fresh dill
1/2 to 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
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Garlic Green Onion Vinegar
1 cup red or white wine vinegar
4-5 peeled whole garlic cloves
2-3 stalks green onions
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Rosemary Garlic Vinegar
1 cup red or white wine vinegar
4-5 peeled whole garlic cloves
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
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Spicy Chile Pepper Vinegar
1 cup red or white wine vinegar
1 or 2 whole jalapeño peppers
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Use the following ingredients in any combination you see fit.

garlic
green onions
chives
basil
rosemary
fresh mint
fresh oregano
fresh cilantro
whole peppercorns
lemon zest
lime zest
orange zest
chile peppers
fresh tarragon
bay leaves

The process is simple. Cut your ingredients to a size that will be completely submerged in the liquid. Put ingredients into clean quart jars and pour red or white wine vinegar over them. Cap the jars and store in a cool, dark place for at least three weeks. If you don't have that much time, you can speed the process up somewhat by heating the vinegar till it's lukewarm and pouring it over ingredients that have been chopped or crushed. Store this in a cool dry place for at least ten days, then strain and discard the chopped or crushed ingredients from the vinegar. Return the vinegar to a cleaned jar and add new "whole" ingredients.



BLUEBERRY VINEGAR
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1/2 cup canned blueberries plus
1/4 cup blueberry syrup from can
OR
1 and 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1 cup FRESH blueberries, slightly crushed.
1/4 cup honey

Pour into a quart jar with an airtight seal. Seal and store in a cool dark place at room temperature at least 1 week. I would go for two weeks on this (but that's just me)Strain at the end of 2 weeks into a clean quart jar.

A serving suggestion is to add some extra virgin olive oil and dress a salad of pears, Gorgonzola, walnuts and mixed greens.

Makes 20 ounces.

DILL VINEGAR
Fill jar with dill blossoms. Cover with cider vinegar. Let stand 3 weeks in sun; strain.

MINT VINEGAR
Fill jar with sprigs of mint. Cover with cider vinegar. Let stand 3 weeks in sun; strain.

CELERY VINEGAR
Fill jar with fresh celery leaves and tips. Cover with cider vinegar. Let stand 3 weeks in sun; strain.

Fruit Vinegar
1 cup red raspberries or other fruit (Any berry is good, also Peaches are yummy for this!)
1 quart red wine vinegar

Place clean fruit in a sterilized jar. Warm the vinegar in a non-reactive pan, then pour it over the fruit. Seal the jar. Let it stand for 1 month, then strain out the fruit and bottle the resulting vinegar in sterilized jars. For a refreshing summer drink, put a couple of teaspoons of Raspberry vinegar in a glass of club soda!
Makes 1 quart.

GARLIC VINEGAR
4 to 6 minced garlic cloves
1 quart cider vinegar
Put minced garlic cloves in cider vinegar. Let stand 20 days.
Strain and bottle.


HOT HOT VINEGAR
9 chilies de árbol
7 cascabel chilies
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
2 fresh scallions
3 garlic cloves, halves
3 3/4 cups cider vinegar

In a dry cast iron skillet, toast chiles briefly over medium heat, just until fragrance begins to be released. Place the chiles in a quart bottle or jar. Add cilantro, scallions and garlic, using a wooden spoon handle to help position the ingredients.

In a saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil, and pour as much of it over the chilies, vegetables and herbs as will fit in the bottle or jar. Cool to room temperature, cover, and store in a dark place for at least 5 days before using.

CITRUS VINEGAR
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 small orange or tangerine, peeled and segments pulled apart.
1 and 1/2 cups rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon honey

Put segments, honey and zest in quart jar. Heat vinegar in non-reactive pan until very warm but not hot. Pour vinegar over fruit/zest/honey and tightly cap jar. Store in dark place for 1 week. Strain and store in clean jar.
This is wonderful on summer fruit salads!

ROSE PETAL ALMOND VINEGAR
Around 2 to cups loose fresh rose petals.
1/2 cup crushed raw almonds (Just get some raw almonds and crunch them up good by beating them with a rolling pin or a pan while you have the almonds in a ziplock bag or something)
1 quart white wine or rice vinegar

Fill a quart jar with loose rose petals.Add crushed almonds.
Add vinegar, tightly seal and store in dark place for 2 to 3 weeks.
Strain into clean quart jar.
This stuff is heavenly! Mixed in ginger ale, it makes a lovely summer drink.
Deglaze a chicken pan with it and add it to the sauce...drooooool. Mixed with a oil to make a salad dressing, it is wonderful on chicken salads, fruit salads, etc.

Now that you have seen all the variations of vinegar...okay, SOME of the variations, use your imaginations, there are many more...lets make our own vinegar.

The yeast spores that make vinegar are all around us. They float through the air, just looking for a friendly place to land and begin reproducing.
Your job is to *corral* those spores and give them a happy place to reproduce and start up their own little living community.
They like sugars, they like wine. (Little boozers!)They even like honey!
And honey vinegar is a *soft* vinegar. Tart, but not to the point of *ewwwwww...puckerface!*
So, here is how to make your own Honey Vinegar. This is a recipe altered from one in a 1905 cookbook. I have altered it so you can make your vinegar faster. (Otherwise it is a good 3 month process!)

HONEY VINEGAR

You will need a ONE GALLON container. A glass canning jar or a crock is best.NO METAL AT ALL! Also, if you use a crock, make sure it does not have a glaze that will interact with the vinegar.
You will also need some cheesecloth to cover the top of the jar/crock. You can tie it on with string or fasten it with a rubber band.


Now, for the ingredients:
1 cup RAW Honey. No pasteurized or blended honey.
7 cups distilled water or bottle spring water. You do NOT want to use chlorinated, fluoridated treated water from a municipal system.
1/2 cup natural apple cider vinegar. They carry this at most Whole Foods or other organic grocers. Some main-stream grocers carry it as well.

Pour the honey into your gallon jar. Heat the water to very warm and pour it in the jar slowly, mixing it with the honey (use a wooden spoon!). Let cool 20 minutes or so, them mix in the vinegar.
Now comes the fun part!
Cover the top of the jar with the cheesecloth tightly enough to keep out bugs, but not, repeat, NOT *airtight*. Air HAS to be able to reach the mixture!
Now, set it outside. Picnic table, back porch, in a window-box, where-ever. Just make sure it will get plenty of fresh air and some sunshine!
Don't do anything except perhaps add a bit of water (if it seems to be evaporating) for two weeks.
By the end of two weeks, the mixture should have a slimy, soupy mixture in the bottom and the contents should smell *vinegar-y*.
The slimy soupy thing is your *mother*. You can use portions of that to make more vinegar whenever you wish!
Now, get a clean gallon jar or 3 or 4 clean quart jars with tightly sealing lids.
Remove the *mother* and put it in one jar. Cover it with wine, a honey/water mixture or apple cider. Put the lid on this one LOOSELY and store in dark place.
Strain the vinegar in your gallon container through fine cheesecloth into the quart jars. These you can cap tightly and store in the fridge, OR you can pour in a pan, bring to a quick boil for a minute or two and then pour into jars that you tightly seal and put in the back of your pantry.

Your *mother*, as long as it is fed, will continue to grow and produce vinegar.

Here's a couple videos I found on youtube about making vinegar....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEwOzhyVYyc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZMNaT_J8o

Kitchen Scraps and Food Storage...

Here is a wonderful way to save money, have gourmet items in your pantry and enjoy great tastes!

Dehydrate!
You will need a food dehydrator or an oven and a way to grind the dried material into a powder. Spice grinders, coffee grinders, food processors are all good. Work with what you have or are comfortable with. Once ground into powder, store the powders in baby food jars, spice jars or whatever tightly lidded jars you have handy. Sterilize and COMPLETELY DRY jars before putting powder in. Also, put an O2 absorber in each jar.

TOMATO PEELS
Those tomato peels that are usually flung in the trash when you can tomatoes? Dry them out, nice and VERY dry, grind them into powder. Tomato powder sells for big bucks in gourmet shops, but essentially, it is made from peels that would otherwise be discarded.

Use the powder to boost the flavor in soups, stews and sauces, add some to your tortilla recipe to make those gourmet *tomato wraps* most people pay a premium price for. Make your own pasta? Add tomato powder! Add to softened butter for tomato butter (great on steaks and fish!) Combined with dry milk and a few spices, you can have a quick and easy instant tomato soup! Toss tomato powder into your favorite breading recipe to add a little sparkle to the flavor of fried chicken or fried fish. Add a teaspoon to your salad dressing and shake!

ORANGE PEELS
Grate orange peels or toss in a blender or chopper to have your own orange zest without paying those high supermarket prices. Orange zest can also be used in home made soap recipes. I have even dried out orange peels, ground them up and added a teaspoon or two to a regular bottle of shampoo for a citrus-wake-me-up scent. Orange powder can also be used in sachets and pomanders to repel insects and freshen closets.
Orange peels (powdered) can have a *bitter* taste to them if you get too much of the inner white peel in the powder, so be careful of that! You can also add orange powder to salad dressings, breading, butter, ginger ale (orange ginger ale is pretty good). Use your imagination!

APPLE PEELS
Dry those apple peels out nice and very dry and grind into powder as with tomato peels.
Apple peel powder is great to add to oatmeal and other cooked cereals. A teaspoon in a glass of ginger ale is lovely on a hot day, or add a teaspoon to a hot mug of tea on a cold winter night. Toss some apple powder into your body wash for a wonderful scent, or add to unscented talcum powder and dust some on! Apple powder can also be used as a sachet scent or in a pomander.

BROCCOLI STEMS
Slice up your leftover raw broccoli very thin and dry it completely. Grind into powder. Mix with cream cheese and sour cream and a smidge of tomato powder for a great dip. Broccoli powder + dried milk + water = cream of broccoli soup. (I always scatter some grated cheese on top) Again, use your imagination!

SPINACH STEMS AND PIECES
Dry out completely. Grind into powder. Spinach powder + sour cream + cream cheese + spices = terrific dip or spread for crackers! Cream of spinach soup when mixed with dry milk and water.
Add to pasta dough when making pasta. Add to flour tortilla recipe. Good to add to salad dressings or mayonnaise.

CUCUMBER PEELS
You have to be careful with this. If you grow your own or buy locally, you should be okay. You cannot dry out most store bought cuke skins as they are wax coated! That being said--dry out totally and grind into powder. Add to cream cheese or sour cream (or both-mixed) for a nice dip or flavorful spread. Cucumber is a pretty popular additive to bath salts, soaps, shampoos, etc. Add to alcohol and water (half and half) in the summer and put in a spritz bottle. Spray yourself to stay *cool as a...* you know the rest! A teaspoon added to a bottle of salad dressing is great for cool summer salads. Add to mayonnaise.

CELERY BITS AND PIECES
Slice thin and dry completely before grinding into powder. Use in place of celery seed in soups and stews. Add to salad dressings, dips, spreads or mayonnaise. I like to sprinkle it on deviled eggs (VERY lightly!).

CANTELOUPE RINDS (ALSO WATERMELON OR ANY MELON)
This one always gets me weird looks, lol! Okay, there is ALWAYS some leftover *meat* in that rind. Dig it out, slice it into thin slices and dry it out. (NOW you can toss those rinds in the compost heap!) Once dry, grind into powder.
A teaspoon in a glass of ginger ale is absolute heaven on a hot day in July! Adding watermelon powder to hot tea sounds weird, but is actually pretty good! Add some to unscented bath salts.
I have used watermelon powder in a white cake batter to make a watermelon cake. (It was terrific! Just add 3 to 5 teaspoons (depends on your tastes) to batter and mix in well. Add to softened cream cheese, sour cream and add a bit of honey and mix well to make a dip for fruits.

So, there you go...eat your garbage!