Not by Hand

.
:

A new reader recently asked me how I knead my bread NOT by hand. I use a Pro 600 series Kitchen Aid stand mixer that works wonderfully well. I had gotten it after reading a review that explained how it had a newer (and better designed) dough hook that actually kneaded the dough, rather than taking it for a ride. I bought it at http://www.kitchenaid.com/ - through the refurbished link. (You didn't think I'd pay full price, did you?)

I had had a 4 quart KA stand mixer that burnt out, and I had gotten the grain grinding attachment for that one years ago. The Pro 600 series mixer works so much better for grinding. It works more quickly, and without overheating. With my old (smaller) mixer, I could only grind a cup of grain at a time - and it took about 10 minutes to get flour, and to avoid over heating, I had to medium-grind it first, then let the mixer rest and then fine grind it. With this mixer, I can put a full 3 cups of grain into the hopper, set it to fine grind the first go through, and get fresh flour in about 12 minutes (depending on the grain, I get anywhere from 3 to 4 cups of flour from 3 cups of grain). I can also make more than one loaf of bread at a time (the old mixer could only handle kneading bread that contained no more than 4 cups of flour - a small loaf's worth)

I purchase my grains from Purcell Mountain Farms. They also sell bulk dried fruits, and bulk herbs, natural sweeteners and baking supplies. I only ordered from them once so far, but the order was processed and shipped very quickly, and was at my home within a week. They ship via USPS, and so the shipping is very reasonable (and capped once your order reaches $60 worth - which is much better than other sources where the shipping amount almost doubled my order!!)

While I know you don't *have* to freeze grains long term in order to store the, that's where I've been storing them. In Ziploc bags. I'd like to invest in some Rubbermaid type containers to hold the grains, and will be looking for sales. A 2 gallon container will hold about 10 lbs of grain. I currently keep Organic Oat Groats (whole - I crack them in my grinder for "steel cut" style oatmeal), Organic Rye Berries, Organic Hard White Wheat Berries (for breads), and Organic Spelt on hand in 10 lb increments. With my next order, I will be adding Organic Soft White Wheat Berries - which is better for use in baked goods other than bread (like muffins, cakes and cookies), and may try some Bulgur Wheat (rather than trying to soak my own wheat and drying it out), for those times when I want to bake muffins, cookies and the like but do not have the time / forthought for soaking overnight.

Well, this post got rather rambling, and it's time to take the baby Bees to finish purchasing their school supplies. School starts next week, as will (hopefully) my treatment for my hypothyroidism. I'm hoping that will increase my energy levels, and enable me to better maintain this blog (and my home!)


Blessings to you,

Dietary Changes

.
:


Since starting to follow the NT type diet (whole, unprocessed foods, fresh full-fat milk, butter instead of margarine) rather than the US standard of using vegetable oils sparingly, devitalized salt, sugar and dairy, grain-fed conventionally raised meats, I've discovered that I'm not only feeling better (in general, my energy level is much higher than it was before), but I've also lost about 5 pounds this month ONLY by making that change. I think I may be eating a little less, but that's simply because in eating this way, I don't get as hungry, nor do I really get cravings for lots of junk.

I haven't ventured too far into the fermented foods arena as yet. I have made a punch using the NT recipe that Ben likes. I started it about a month ago, and King B has done most of the drinking of it. The other night he had some with dinner, and it has turned from a lemonade punch to lemon wine. It tastes different, but not bad! I also just recently made some cucumber pickles that Buddy likes, Pigeon said weren't crunchy enough (King B concurred). I haven't been brave enough to try them yet, after Pigeon complained that they were soft. I really should.

I've also been making Sourdough Drop Biscuits that are so yummy! They go so well with Chili and Spaghetti. Here is my recipe: (they are not totally NT, as the entire amount of flour is not soaked, although I suppose if I mixed it up early enough in the day and let it sit before baking, that would work... hmmm...)

1 cup sourdough starter
1/3 cup oil (I use coconut oil)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour (I've been using freshly ground wheat... I LOVE my heavy duty Kitchen Aid!!)

Mix all together. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 - 15 minutes at 350 degrees F

Enjoy!


Blessings to you,

Busy, busy, busy

.
Says:


Sourdough results: King B and I loved it. The kids - not so much. So I tried a recipe that has some honey in it, which King B and I loved... but the kids weren't here to try it, so you'll have to wait to see what they thought.

It's been a very hectic couple of weeks. Busker was out of his normal routine, and fussier than usual - making for a mommy with full arms, as he was NOT happy unless someone was holding him. And lacking my usual baby holder helpers, very little got accomplished. He seems to be back in a routine now, so I will also get myself back on track.

Right now it's time to get ready for Mass. After Mass, I will be tackling the kitchen and getting it all spiffy in preparation for the arrival of our new freezer. I will also be putting the freecycling items just outside the doorway with the names of the recipients. Oops, better run... tell you more about Freecycle later....

Blessings to you,
Queen Bee

It's been a loooong time...

.
:

Wow, I've realllly neglected this blog. Getting ready to return to teaching, and then working full-time threw me for a loop. This summer I'm going to work on developing a posting routine that will allow me to update this blog at least semi-regularly... maybe once or twice a week.

Maybe I'll even work on extra postings to save for the school year so I can just c&p them.

That said, I will be working on developing a more healthful lifestyle. I just got a copy of the book Nourishing Traditions. What a lot of information!! I've skimmed through it (got it two days ago, and skimmed through most of it). I gleaned a basic understanding of a lot of it, but definitely need to go back to it and go over and over it. One thing I definitely want to try to incorporate is some of the lacto-fermented foods, as well as soaking grains / flour prior to cooking them. They taste better, are easier to digest, and are better for us when we do that.

I'll be documenting my progress. I also want to switch to raw dairy (although at this point we'll have to travel to the next state in order to do that - it's illegal to sell raw milk in our state, although there is legislation pending that will finally allow it - not that the government has any business regulating agriculture, but they don't seem to get that), and pasture fed meats / eggs. There is a farm in the next state that is about an hour from here. If we can swing purchasing an extra freezer, it may work out to be worth a trip out there once a month... or better yet, every other month. The prices for their raw dairy and meat products are not that much higher than for conventionally produced (and nutritionaly more bankrupt) products from the grocery store. The improvement in our health may offset the additional cost.



Blessings to you,