Thursday, July 11, 2013

the "fermenator"

 I've given myself a new job description, instead of stating that I like to ferment things, I've dubbed myself the "fermenator".
You might have remembered me mentioning on other posts in times past, here and here, my experimentations in fermentation.

Years ago, while on the farm, I had my first attempt at making apple cider vinegar. I used Carla Emery's recipe found in Encyclopedia of Country Living.  My concoction sat in an antique covered crock until it began to make a slushy stuff on top, I sensed failure.

But now I know fermentation will bubble and grow stuff, it is alive and growing, not necessarily bad.

So with my organic apple scraps and cores, distilled water, a glass jar, and a piece of cheesecloth, I am on my way to making apple cider vinegar. It rests inside my cupboard, at this stage it has a most delightful smell.





Now that it is beginning to thicken and form a scum on top, I shall let it stand quiet and undisturbed for a month.

a chickadee

 I have taken to afternoon walks in the fields along the side of the woodlands. Today I carried along a small pair of binoculars hoping to c...