Hmm, could've sworn I posted this....maybe somewhere else? Was I dreaming about it?
My class is asking me how I manage to get everything done, so I thought I'd talk a bit more with some details about how I manage my time in the kitchen.
Sunday (yesterday) is food-shopping day, and I haven't gone in a couple of weeks. DH picked up a few things here and there to get us by, but we ate from the fridge, freezer, canning jars, cupboards, etc. It was nice to have a whole bunch of fresh veggies again, and some interesting meats to cook with.
It was too nice out to spend much time in the kitchen, so I just spent about an hour and a half, working at a furious pace, so I could get some stuff started and get outside to play. I also had a class to teach, and I like to be in two hours ahead of time to go over my notes and have a bite to eat and make a double cup of chai tea. So here is what I did for advance prep in anticipation of a busy week coming up:
I put 3 pounds of black beans to soak with a glug of raw apple cider vinegar.
I started another two gallons of kombucha tea. With the hot weather coming, we drink a lot more, and I want to supply my parents with all they want. So I have four gallons in the fermenting closet right now, due to be finished a few days apart.
I put my big cast iron skillet in the oven to heat up at 375 degrees, then started grinding wheat....kamut and hard red wheat, for bread dough. I made a batch of basic French bread by putting in the bowl of my KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook: 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons of yeast, a small glug of molasses, a tablespoon of sea salt, and about 6 cups of flour....half red wheat and half kamut. Hard red wheat is a standard bread flour wheat, having a high gluten content. Gluten is needed to support the bubbles and the weight of the dough so you will get a lofty, lighter bread. Kamut is a heritage wheat, and ancient variety that is very high in nutrients, and it is a much smaller grain. It tends to grind up a little coarser, too, but has great flavor.
Soft white wheat is the other type I buy, for making pastry flour. It is lower in gluten so the bonds are not as strong. This is needed for a flaky, tender texture that is more desirable for pastry, biscuits, pancakes, pie dough, cookies, cakes, and the like. I often mix it with kamut, too.
I use kamut by itself for pasta.
The French bread dough was set aside to rise, the I started a double batch of no-knead bread. I used the recipe for "Artisan bread in five minutes a day" from Mother Earth News. I make the dough using the basic recipe, substituting whole wheat flour. I let it sit on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours, then put it into the fridge for up to two weeks. This is to prepare the grains in a traditional way, in a modern kitchen, to maximize the nutrient profile and digestibility of the final product. I plan on making and freezing pizzas with this, for quick suppers when we are too busy to cook, or just don't feel like it during the busy days of spring and summer.
I pulled the hot skillet out of the oven and greased it generously with lard, and put in 3-4 lbs of pork neck bones I'd picked up at the grocery store. I returned them to the oven to brown for an hour. Later, I transfered them to a stock pot with lots of water and a glug of apple cider vinegar, then deglazed the skillet and added all the good browned bits to the pot. I put it on to simmer for 24 hours.
I ran outside to enjoy the day for a couple of hours. I got my animals all cared for, walked the dogs for a good, long walk, and finished cleaning out the box that housed the buck, then the two barn cats, and soon to house the meat chicks once it is rodent-proofed. I raised it up on cinder blocks (all by myself! With a metal pole and some spare bricks, I raised one corner at a time until it was sitting on four concrete blocks, to dry out thoroughly for a few days. Whew!)
Then back in to make pizza for supper. I used half the French bread recipe on a large baking sheet. I thought I still had some frozen pizza sauce, but nope, it was all gone. In a hurry, I threw a can of stewed tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, a heaping teaspoon or so each of basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and a dash of red pepper into the blender. It went onto the dough without the benefit of cooking it first....it can separate if you do it this way....it was fine, though. Maybe the blending and the high proportion of tomato paste saved it.
I topped it with a generous amount of Romano and mozzarella cheeses, pepperoni and home-made sausage. DH made a salad with romaine lettuce, baby spinach, pickling cukes with the skins, tomatoes, red peppers, carrot shreds made with the carrot peeler, and snow peas. I whipped up a quick batch of Parmesan Peppercorn dressing.....half mayo, half sour cream, a bit of milk to get the texture right, and some garlic and onion powders, sea salt and lots of coarsely-ground black pepper.
Today I had to continue what I'd started yesterday. I cooked the beans, and put up 7 baggies (inside a gallon ziploc freezer bag) of 1.5 cup portions and froze them. I put about a quart and a half into a large bowl in the fridge for soup to be made tomorrow.
I scooped the neck bones out of the stock pot and set them aside to cool on a dinner plate, then I strained the pork broth into a smaller pot that would fit into the fridge for the night. Then I picked the meat off the bones to be used in the soup that I will make tomorrow.
DH cooked tonight, as he was home and I was working. He made bison burgers and a veggie smoothie for each of us.
Tomorrow I will make a big pot of soup, and we will have some for supper and I will freeze some for future quick meals. Maybe I'll make two types, while I am peeling and chopping...depends on how nice it is outside! I am off tomorrow....at least from paying work!
Meanwhile, egg production is up again. I think it has more to do with the cats and less to do with the chickens. I think they are making a dent in the local rat population. I keep them locked up in the hay storage area, but I could swear that I saw the black one, the mama kitty, shoot strait up the wall and disappear through an opening near the top that was left for ventilation in the coop. From there, she can scoot right out the pop door that the hens use. She must be coming and going at will. I see her daughter on occasion, as she is far less shy. I cannot approach her, but she looks at me for a second or two before silently disappearing behind the hay bales.
Speaking of hay bales, the goats are really getting a lot from the pasture suddenly. Their hay consumption has dropped dramatically. I use about a quarter of a bale a day for them now, a bit more if it rains. It looks like my few bales just might get me through.
The tom turkey has been very interested in the hen turkey lately, strutting his stuff outside her stall throughout the day. For the past three mornings, I have found him inside the stall. He roosts on the wall of that stall, and she has been trying to join him, finally listening to her chicks frantic calls and going back to keep them warm.
Someone.and Im not pointing fingers here, Tom.someone smooshed a chick. One is suddenly wobbly and cant get around quite as efficiently as its siblings. It seemed to be doing ok for a couple of days, eating and drinking and wobbling around. Tonight, it did not respond when I tossed a big handful of freshly picked grass and dandelion blossoms into the stall. It sat, crouched, at one end of the stall. Sometimes these chicks rally, but my hopes are not high for this one. Morning will tell.
) and cut two scallions to add to the gravy, along with some homemade sea salt and some black pepper. I let it simmer while the veggies were cooking.
