Preserving the Harvest - Fermenting Whole Cabbage Heads

Remember my blog post about fermenting whole cabbage heads? Fermenting Whole Cabbage Heads - Sauerkraut Well, it was time to make a decision about what to do with them.  

I wanted to keep the probiotic rich sauerkraut and use it just as it was, but I was concerned that it would become to sour and salty the longer that they fermented. I really like sauerkraut, but this was as strong as I wanted it to get. 

It's common in other parts of the world to leave the whole heads of fermented cabbage in giant barrels that they were fermented in down in the root cellar and pull out a head as needed. We do not eat a barrel of kraut every year, so we are not used to really strong kraut.   

I just had to process most of the heads. I saved some of the juice to add
to water for hydration and nutrition. Wow, it is powerfully strong but
very flavorful. 

I saved some raw kraut too. I will store it in the
refrigerator to slow down the fermenting process.

Am I the only one who thinks canning jars filled with the harvest
is a beautiful sight?

The cranberry juice that I canned turned out great. Homemade Cranberry Juice  I highly recommend trying out this recipe. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

 

Designer Window Film and Preserving the Harvest

I just love this pattern and at different
 times of the day the colors change.

The pebbles have different textures. 

We have two metal doors that have half circle windows in them. I have always wanted them covered, but there was no way for them to have blinds or curtains. I enjoy the light that they give until the moon is full or the sun is shining directly through them. 

I finally found what I needed to maintain some indirect lighting and give us the privacy that we wanted. The product is called Designer Window Films. I have known about this product for a long time, but the patterns were usually made for large windows, and it just wouldn't look good. The window areas on my doors are very small so I needed a very small pattern.

I came across a pattern called Pebble. Not only was the pattern small enough it wasn't some crazy bold color that clashed with my decor. I showed Number One Husband my idea for the windows, and he liked it. He also really liked how easy the installation was. The film clings to the window with a little water. The window film is removable and reusable. 

Early afternoon. The blue sky, gray and browns from the beams outside are just beautiful.

The pebbles take on the natural colors from outside.

This is the view from outside. Boy, I need to wash my door.

Early evening

Sunset

Dark

It has a cool almost frosted look to it at night.

The other window will have the sky, trees and mountain colors coming through. We ran out of time and couldn't finish the job. The drill also needed to be recharged. We are very pleased with the results. I'm thinking about using some window film in our bedroom. They make some beautiful patterns; however, our mountain views are hard to beat, and we just put up new insulating blinds.

I was finishing up canning some cranberry jam at the same time the window film was being installed. Number One Husband had to run to the post office before it closed and the Sabbath was starting soon. We had a little chaos going on, but we prevailed. 

I started a batch of homemade 2024 Red Red Wine. I have it fermenting
in a cool dark spot.

When we picked up some more cranberries from Walmart, I noticed that the packages on the bottom were half the size and the same price. I don't know when this Super Inflation and Shrinkflation will ever end. 

I did find about 15 rotisserie chickens marked down to $2.02 a piece. I bought five or 16 pounds of whole cooked chickens for $10.10. What a deal. They had apparently put them in the wrong bags and couldn't change them out. Lemon Pepper was regular and regular was lemon pepper. I wish I had purchased a few more. I picked out the heaviest birds. It was well worth it. They are so moist and tender. I froze the excess. So far, we have had chicken salad sandwiches and chicken, fries and salads twice. Yum!

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Homemade Cranberry Juice - Fermented Cranberries and More

This is quite a list for one day...

What, I need to make meals too?

The first thing that I needed to do was make the bread dough. Next, I made fried pickled chicken biscuits for breakfast that wasn't on my list, but I promised Number One Husband to make them.

Wow, these are so good!

I made the bread dough first so it would rise and be ready to bake as soon as the biscuits finished baking. This way I could take advantage of the hot oven.

Wheat Bread is done, check!

It started snowing in the morning.

We got a lot more than we were supposed to get plus drifts
from the wind.

Cranberries are such a pretty berry. Rinse and sort cranberries.

Make sure all jars, rings, lids and equipment are sterilized properly.

1 1/2 cup of cranberries per jar. My canner holds 7 quarts, 
so that's what I canned.

It looks like a lot of sugar, but it is really only 1/3 of a cup per jar.

Top with almost boiling hot water leaving about an inch of head space.
Stir to remove any bubbles and dissolve sugar. Place lids and bands
on the jars. 

Place jars in a hot water canner filled with hot water.

Make sure water is an inch above the jars and process for 25 minutes. I 
had to process my jars for 45 minutes due to our altitude.

Now for the Fermented cranberries, I used a cinnamon stick, ginger and a slice of
orange peel for my spices.

Now the jar is ready for the cranberries and honey.

Make sure cranberries and spices are well coated with the honey. Place a 
lid loosely on the jar and store in a cool dark place.

These cranberries need to sit for a couple of weeks before
they are fermented.  

I made a syrup/ jam with the remaining cranberries. 

I added a little sugar and water to the cranberries and
cooked them until it was the consistency I wanted. 
They will continue to thicken as they cool.

This wasn't on my list, but I needed to use up the excess cranberries.

Cranberry jam for pancakes, toast or smoothies.

The color will permeate the whole jar as it sits for six weeks.

Boiling hot out of the canner.

Number One Husband made himself dinner. I had Super Ramen.

These are my Plague candles.

I was able to check everything off my list and then some. 

The cranberry jam was delicious on pancakes and 
added great flavor to our smoothies. I will be making
more as soon as I can pick some up from the store. 

Enjoy,

Mrs. Smith

Preserving Horseradish

Horseradish is simple to grow. I planted a single start years ago. It produces a large, leafed plant and tubers. The leaves are also edible although not as strong flavored as the root and are a great addition to any salad in moderation.  

I harvested a little late this year. I left some in the ground and planted some
in a large pot for next year. I can't seem to find my picture of my plant. 

I scrubbed the roots and cut off the unusable pieces.

I peeled the roots that I was going to 
process in vinegar.

I filled up a pint jar with horseradish shreds. This can be done 
with a food processor. I prefer using my Healthy Gourmet
Kitchen Cutter.

I filled the jar with vinegar until it covered the 
horseradish shreds.

I removed the air bubbles with a chopstick.

I put a lid on the jar and put it into the refrigerator.

I cut the remaining unpeeled roots into smaller pieces.

I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap making sure
all the air was removed.

I placed the roots into a freezer bag
and stored them in the freezer. It can 
be grated frozen. I also preserve
ginger in the same fashion.

I pity the bear that gets into this. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith