How-To Tuesday Wild Sourdough

 

 

 

This is Mary Jane. She looks pretty in the jar, but I now keep her in a crockery bowl.

  

 

How to start your own sourdough:

flour, water, jar, cheesecloth, screw top, time, done.
 
Now wasn't that easy!!!!!  Really, it's that easy.

(You can purchase sourdough starter, but what's the fun in that?)

There's a gazillion "how-to's" out there, but the simplest is the best.   Get a canning jar. (Clean, of course.)  Add approximately 1/2 cup water (don't you dare use tap water!) and approx 1/2 cup of flour.  These DO NOT HAVE TO BE EXACT.  It's going to depend on how much moisture content is already in your flour.  You need  SOUPY sauce-like consistency. So, if it's too runny, add flour; too thick add water.  A 1/2 cup each is a good size to begin.  You can use more or less depending on your baking needs.  Just keep the flour:water ratio equal.

Stir it up and put it in a glass jar, top with cheesecloth or other suitable breathable fabric.  Just remember, the WILD YEAST NEED TO GET IN so you cannot put a lid on it.

Now, the fun part. Wait at least 12 hrs...usually it takes 24 hrs.  The ambient temperature will be a factor.  Cooler temps=longer time    Warmer temps=shorter time

12 hours old-just a few bubbles

If the wild yeast have arrived, it will have little bubbles in the flour mix.  If it doesn't, they haven't!  I get so excited when I see those bubbles!!!  Welcome little wild ones!!!

Sometimes I get a LOT of bubbles, sometimes I get NONE.  Don't give up!!  If you get a brown liquid on top, that's OK, just stir it in.
 
GOLDEN RULE:  Each day  feed your starter an equal  amount of flour/water, let it sit 12/24 hrs and repeat! 

 If you have a lot of bubbles you can feed every 12 hours, otherwise wait the 24.  It may take SEVERAL days before you get bubbles or it may only take 12 hrs.  Keep feeding.  If you are not getting bubbles after several days, you may consider composting it and starting over, although I think perseverance usually pays off.

Another consideration:  if you don't want or need several cups of sourdough, then use small increments of water/flour.  Say 1/8 or 1/4 cup each.  If you have a large family use 1 cup flour:water.  And, you can also take half the sourdough out (after the first day.  And it must be bubbling), compost it then add your feeding mix of flour/water.  This will help keep it to a manageable size. However, I don't like waste, so this "discard" can be used to make things that don't need a big boost to rise such as pancakes, waffles, etc.

You will outgrow your jar, so transfer to a clean bowl (or you can start out with a bowl--crocks are nice); you still need to cover it with cheesecloth.  Use a clean jar or bowl EVERY time you feed.  DO NOT USE PLASTIC.

A word about flour:  They say rye is the best for attracting wild yeast; I have not seen a difference myself. It doesn't contain as many phytates as wheat and maybe that effects it.  You can use any kind of flour white (not recommended-but if you do use white use unbleached), whole wheat, Einkorn, etc.  I LOVE EINKORN. You can START your sourdough with rye then BAKE with any kind of flour.  Be brave--make your own rules.  It's your kitchen!

 

You can also "enrich" your sourdough by adding sugar and/or using milk as the liquid.

After a couple of weeks you should have a concoction that smells a little yeasty. It should have been a bubbly mass then settled down a bit. If it doesn't have a mass of bubbles, or you don't have enough for whatever you're going to use it for, then keep feeding it twice a day until you do. When it rises up like it's going to take over the world, then settle's back down for a rest, it's ready to use!! I keep a muslin cloth over Mary Jane and frequently she touches the top. She's feisty like that.

Always save about a quart if you have a large family; at the minimum, a cup, of sourdough to start your next batch. Depending on what you are baking: LOAVES of bread or a simple batch of pancakes. You will get adept at judging how much to save back to begin your next sourdough starter.

Happy sourdoughing!     I will have recipes in a different blog post.

 

PS For more detailed sourdough information and the scoop about other cultured foods, see my new book FAVORITE FLU FIGHTERS coming out late summer 2023.     :) 

 

Mary Jane in my grandmothers crockery bowl.

How-To-Tuesday Canning Bacon

Canning Bacon
I know my eyebrows flew up the first time I heard THAT!!

I steer clear of MAMMAL MEAT because of my ALPHA-GAL allergy --check out ALPHA GAL tags in this blog and also click on this article for a good explanation   TICKED OFF CARNIVORES 

But my family still loves and thrives on mammalian meat (beef, pork, lamb, goat, deer, rabbit, etc)  (PS If you don't know what a MAMMAL is...google it!!)

So, I decided to give this a try so bacon could be a staple in my food storage plan.

 IT IS SOOOOO EASY.

Begin with parchment paper: 

I don't think the brand matters. I unrolled about 2 + feet.

Add your fav bacon:  line it up like like soldiers across the paper.  

I got about a pound and a third on one sheet as this is what fits into a quart jar.

Fold the excess paper over the top and sides, then fold the bacon IN HALF.

At this point ALL OF THE BACON will be covered.

Then start rolling and tucking.

Roll as tightly as you can, tucking in excess paper.

Put the bacon roll into your WIDE MOUTH jar by gently rotating the roll "screwing" it into the jar.

Wala!!!   Two "quarts" of bacon...each holding a pound +.

Now, process in a pressure canner... 90 minutes at 10 lbs pressure.

Now, wasn't that easy!!     Upon opening, save those parchments papers for FIRE STARTERS!! :)

How-To-Tuesday Elderberry Solutions

My husband travels and in the wee hours of the morning he came home SICK.  No telling where this bug came from, but it doesn't matter.  ELDERBERRY to the rescue.

 Here's my favorite elderberry recipe for supporting the immune system; it's TIME TESTED AND NANA APPROVED:

Elderberry syrup: 3 cups filtered water,  ½ cup dried elderberries, 1 cinnamon stick, five cloves, 1 Tbl ginger.  Bring to boil then simmer covered to reduce by ½ - usually 20-30 minutes.  Add 1 cup honey.  Store in frig for up to 2 weeks.  If infected take 1 TBL per hour; for prevention take 1 TBL per day.

PS-great on pancakes!

Pumpkin Bread--From Pumpkins, Not Cans

Well, I promised this a couple days ago. You know how this time of year is: time is faster than the speed of light.

Retrieve that pumpkin from the front porch and wash it.

I like to use running water, then give it a good squirt of Basic H.

You'll need a fair sized baking dish; I use a deep stainless steel pan. Pour a little water in the bottom.

Remove the seeds; there's a couple of ways. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop them out with a large spoon. I like to cut the pumpkin into quarters then use a knife cutting between the seeds and the flesh. The seeds along with the stringy stuff will come right off.

Slice the pumpkin into smaller pieces and place face down in the pan, then cover with foil.

Bake at 325 degrees; start with one hour.

Check the pumpkin with a fork; it should be nice and tender. Careful when you pull back that foil, the steam will pour out.

Mine was a fairly good sized pumpkin so it needed more time. You will have to judge this yourself. I opted for another half hour.

That proved to be just right. Scoop out the pulp into a food processor. Or a mixer or a potato masher...whatever.

In the past I have made the mistake of immediately using the pumpkin. Well, let me tell ya, it totally messes up a recipe. IT'S TOO WET. So, I strain mine through a coffee filter. You will have to give it some time to drain the juice through.

Now, you're ready to bake, freeze or can your pumpkin. This bread is just too delicious. Of course, I can't eat it because of my alpha-gal allergies, but I got it on good authority that it was yummy.

PUMPKIN BREAD 350 degrees for 1 hr 15 min

3 1/2 c flour 2 c brown sugar 2/3 c sugar 2 c pumpkin 1 c vegetable oil

2/3 c coconut milk 2 t non-aluminum baking soda 1 t sea salt

1 t nutmeg 1 1/2 t cinnamon 1 c chopped almonds

OPTIONAL: 3/4 c coconut

Pour into 2 greased bread pans or 6 small ones. (I use coconut oil.) The small pans took a little longer to bake--10 or 15 minutes longer. Just test with a toothpick; poke it into the center, if it comes out clean it's done. If it is doughy, give it a little more oven time.

SECRET Place foil over the bread pans or in this case punkin' pans; tighten down the edges like your tucking into bed; set your timer for 10 minutes. Remove foil, remove bread from pans onto cooling rack. It will pop out like it was programed to leaving no bread behind in the pan!

Sharing

I found this wonderful idea on a friend's blog: How-To-Tuesday. At the risk of redundancy -- well, it's all about sharing ideas and other stuff! So, tune in Tuesday and learn to do something...I have no idea what yet. The originator of this sharing idea is here: http://www.stiesthoughts.blogspot.com/