Freemotion's food journal: Expanding the gardens, pics p 53

[freemotion]

I've only made it with lard and whole wheat flour...maybe this is why I get different results? I can't remember...it is tricky to work with, but we love how it comes out....tender, flaky, and so flavorful compared to what we used to have....we have pie that my dad makes on occasion, and he has been using the store-bought pre-rolled crusts. What a difference.

He came over to get some wheat flour this week.....

 

[miss_thenorth]

Gooey in the sense that I can't even roll it out--it sticks to my rolling pin. any suggestions? my son is craving pecan pie, and I would really like to make it with the fermented pie crust, as opposed to regular. could I get you to repost the recipe??? Maybe I wrote it down wrong or something.

 

[freemotion]

What type of flour are you using? If you are grinding your own, you can sprout and dry a few cups of wheat berries. When they are thoroughly...and I mean thoroughly....dry, you can grind them into a flour that you can use for rolling out the dough. You do need something to roll the dough with. This may be your problem, that you can't use unfermented flour to roll it out. You can also purchase sprouted grain flour online. I've seen it, but don't know where, but it should come up in a search, I'd think.

You might try...this is a thought and I haven't tried it, as no one here is that intolerant of gluten....making the crust as you normally would, rolling it out and transferring it to a piece of parchment paper, brushing off all traces of dry flour. Cover it with another piece of parchment, pushing it down nice and tight and air-free. Put the top crust, if using, on top of that and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Be sure to dust off all dry flour. Let it ferment at room temp overnight in this rolled out form.

I don't know how this would work, but it seems worth a try. The other thing you could do, if your pecan pie has only a bottom crust, is to do the same thing but put the crust into the pie pan and cover it tightly with plastic wrap so it can ferment overnight without drying out.

 

[freemotion]

Another thought: Maybe use your fingers to press it into the pan for a bottom crust? It won't be pretty, but who cares, it will be eaten up right quick anyways! You have to chew it, I always say, when something doesn't come out as attractive as I'd hoped!

 

[miss_thenorth]

I could possibly make my own crust (with whey instead of water?) and let it sit out over night.

 

[freemotion]

I could possibly make my own crust (with whey instead of water?) and let it sit out over night.

I missed this post....I just replace a bit of the liquid with whey to speed up the process and help the good beasties get a stronghold, but you don't really need it, so if you don't have it, proceed as you normally would. Have you made it yet?

Yesterday I had a few hours off during the day and it was nice out so I ran around like a maniac, getting things done outside...not nearly enough, but I got some things done. I ground a bunch of flour and learned a lot more about how to use my new (to me) vintage grinder. I still use it outside in the driveway only, as if it is set up incorrectly I get a pile of flour NEXT TO the grinder instead of in the bag, and the flour is sprayed out around the grinder for several feet. Not something I'd enjoy in my kitchen. I wish I could get ahold of an instruction manual, but I've called the number published on the website and no one answers or returns my messages. What if I wanted to buy a grinder? There is no email address, just a phone number and a street address. The answering machine outgoing message sounds like it is someone's home, definitely not a business. Very strange. http://www.allgrainmills.com/contactus.html

Once I got it working correctly, I ground up a full gallon ziploc each of hard red wheat, hard white, and a bag and a half of soft white. I need to try another bread recipe or two soon, and I want to make some pie crusts to put into the freezer for quick pies. Sometimes I get an urge for pie but don't have the time to get all the steps done by myself along with evening chores. When my folks were with us last winter, I'd say, "Hey, Dad, I'll trade you a pie for evening chores!" and he'd be out the door like he was shot out of a cannon!

I got two wheelbarrowfuls of pumpkins next door...wish I had time for more, but there was too much to do. This weekend I'll spend some hours on that chore. I don't think they will keep that well this year, as they matured very early so are going into winter already older than usual, and we had two good freezes and they were still on the field. I'll get as many as I can, but I may not put them in my cellar to liquify. I'll keep them as long as I can in the yard, tarping them at night, and then transfer them to the pig pasture before they become orange puddles. Meanwhile, I'll feed as many to the goats as I can and cook up as many as I can for the pigs.

I got out the leaf blower, and although I didn't have time to do the whole yard, I got the maple leaves from the back on one side and filled the goats' communal stall to about three feet with fluffy leaves. I took some cute pictures, watch for them over on my kidding or breeding thread. DH (my voice-activated computer) will get them off the camera for me, tomorrow, I hope.

Today I rattled a few pots and pans and made ten gallons of laundry soap (won't have to do that for a while!) and a gallon of my chai tea mix, and boiled up two gallons of tea and sugar to make kombucha tomorrow. I've promised a couple of scoby's to people here to ship this month, and I've neglected my kombucha. So I will get a fresh batch going so I have very lively cultures to send. Be patient with me, it is coming! It has been a busy fall.

I got the crates for the carboys washed and dried in front of the stove, and cleaned my fans for use this winter to move the woodstove heat around the house. I try to clean the fans spring and fall. They get so gross, but it is a big job to take all those tiny screws out and scrub the grills, blades, etc and put them all back together. I think all of my Maine Coon cat's loose hair ends up in those fans!

Whew! I work harder when I am "off" than when I am working!

 

[lorihadams]

break out the leaf blower.....that'll get rid of all that hair on the fans....

 

[freemotion]

Sooo.....are you saying I should leaf-blow the cats???

I just rolled out a pie crust and it was the easiest I've ever dealt with...it rolled out just like a white flour crust would. I don't know why, but I liked it! I suspect it had to do with the flour itself, although I did just break in a brand-new rolling pin. I've been wanting one that is simply a thick, hardwood dowel and they finally had what I wanted at the restaurant supply warehouse, and reasonably priced, too!

This batch of flour is the first flour that I've made with my new antique/vintage grinder. It makes a very fine flour, and it takes it's sweet old time and makes it without heating the grain at all, unlike the VitaMix.

I have a turkey pot pie in the oven, made with last year's canned turkey breast and a jar of chicken broth, fresh veggies, sea salt that I made, herbs from the garden, and oh, my, I have to go milk Mya and come in and stuff myself into a stupor with that pie!

I hope dh gets home while it is still hot. Won't he be pleased! I can't wait!

 

[freemotion]

(Couldn't post this yesterday as the dogs got in a scuffle and disconnected my internet and dh was sleeping.... )

That pie was delicious! Today I made up four more pie crust mixes, to make the next pies easier. One step done and one mess cleaned up. I'll give a couple of them to my folks if they want them.

Last minute, my dad says he'll come process those roosters tomorrow. So I was out there with a flashlight tonight after 10 PM, finding the folding dog crate, setting it up in the hay storage area, and finding the roosters in the coop one by one. It meant going through the coop door and the gate, and Plummy followed me each time, so that added to the challenge. I brought three of the six roos into the goat's stall, under the bright light, to make sure they were cockerels and not pullets. They are just starting to crow and not all are fully developed yet, so I didn't want to make a mistake and send any of my young pullets to the pot! Those mutt roosters are all beautiful, healthy, glossy, and almost completely free.

I am so amazed at how different the broody-raised chickens behave. I am going to work even harder next year to get more broodies on the job. These guys ate so little purchased food, preferring to find their own as their mother taught them. Talk about food independence. Broody-raised chickens are about as independent as one can get, the top being hunting, probably.

I promised my dad that if he did all six in one day, I'd pluck. What was I thinking???

 

[freemotion]

Well, five of the roosters are cooling in the fridge. I plucked about three of them...or was it four? I was finishing up chores when my dad arrived this morning and he got one done and started on the second one before I was ready to help. Then I had to run into the house a few times to switch laundry and heat water and such, and rinse and cool and bag the chickens. But I am proud to say that I managed all that plucking without so much as one flip-flop of my stomach. I learned an important lesson last year when doing my very first plucking (two turkeys....didn't finish the second one as I would've lost my breakfast) and that was to hold my breath! At least mouth breath. Don't take a whiff of wet bird while plucking.

I'd meant to get some citrus-scented dish soap for the scalding water and some Vick's Vaporub for under my nose, but of course I forgot. Hence the nasal tones in my speech this morning.

When I got the roosters out of the coop last night and put them into the dog cage, I comforted each one, told him how beautiful he was, and thanked him. I took each into the well-lit goat's stall to inspect him and make sure he was a he and not a precious future-egg-laying pullet. There was one that I was not quite sure of.

When dad showed up, I was milking, and I called out to him to check each chicken before killing it to make sure it wasn't a pullet. It was dark last night, after all! When I was in the house, filtering the milk, I saw him approaching with a brown chicken in his hands. He came into the kitchen and called from the doorway...is this a pullet? I called back....is it dead? Because if it is, it doesn't matter! It was so still, I thought it was dead already. It wasn't. We went out into the sunlight and inspected all the rooster points: hackle feathers....pointy or roundish? Hmmm....could be either. Saddle feathers? Those look kinda like saddle feathers to me. Sickle feathers on the tail? Well, these look straight, but those two are starting to curve....Big comb? Nope. Definitely barely a comb.

We decided to give him/her a reprieve. If it crows in the next few weeks, it will be processed with the meaties. Meanwhile, enjoy life, buddy, and for goodness sakes, try to squeeze out an egg or two. If you know what is good for you.

I put all the backs and necks right into the stock pot and the rest is parted up and aging in the downstairs fridge. I'll be filling up the Dutch oven on Sunday for a big Sunday dinner! Maybe a couple of pot pies will be made this week, too. Five pastured chickens. Yum.

Oh.....something very interesting! Our land was owned some years ago by someone who owned some kind of machine shop in the next town over. We were told that he illegally dumped the metal waste in the back of this property, and when it was sold (before us) many, many dump trucks were seen coming out of the back loaded with metal shavings and scraps. We still find a lot of bits of stainless steel....curly shavings and bits of what looks like little tubes and pipes all over the pasture. Now and then, not all the time. And there are piles of rusted metal in the swamp. It looks like barrels of rusted metal bits were dumped and maybe the barrel rusted away over the years...it was hard to identify at first, not knowing what it was.

Well, today, I tried not to look into the offal bucket but, well, you know how it is....a quick glance. I spotted what I thought was a small shiny socket from a set. I pointed it out to my dad. He picked it out from among...oh, nevermind, it is too gross....it was just a small bit of metal tube/pipe, but it was filled with gizzard contents. Closer inspection of the gizzard contents revealed many bits of stainless steel in amongst the pebbles and grass and other stuff normally found in a gizzard. The chickens are cleaning up my pasture soil! And using it as grinding grit in their gizzards! How strange.