D.I.Y.

HD 301 – Camping with Kefir

Buy Premium Dried Kefir Grains

Kefir makes a great easy breakfast when on a camping trip. Simply strain and add milk! This summer we took our kefir with us to Chaco Canyon and we were glad we did. As it turns out the beneficial yeasts and bacteria in kefir help to protect us from radiation as outlined in this peer-reviewed study from Japan.

Practical Tree Sculpting — Living Bridges by the War-Khasis of India

Practical Tree Sculpting — Living Bridges by the War-Khasis of India

The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India are made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree. The root bridges, some of which are over a hundred feet long, take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional, but they're extraordinarily strong - strong enough that some of them can support the we ...

The Death of my Soya Sauce

The Death of my Soya Sauce

The death of my soya sauce provides a wonderful opportunity to both grieve and celebrate experimenting with food.  Yes, you read that correctly, my soya sauce is dead.  There will be no beautifully aged, complex tasting, umami-full soya sauce in my pantry, or in the pantry of any of my family memb ...

A Meditation on Mold

A Meditation on Mold

Stage one of mission soy sauce is complete and stage two is well underway. Stage two is the development of mold on the soya bean and wheat cakes. The original recipe called for wrapping the cakes tightly with damp paper towel and saran wrap. This didn't work for me. After about a week, I checked ...

Homemade Soy Sauce: Part 1

Homemade Soy Sauce: Part 1

As I started to write this post, I kept wanting to write: "Fermentation is not commonly used in the West." After I wrote it though I kept coming up with examples of fermented products - beer, wine, cheese, 'kraut, pickles, vinegar... etc. etc. We clearly ferment a lot of things. I suppose that in t ...

Making Fish Sauce

Making Fish Sauce

"An Englishman teaching an American about food is the blind leading the one-eyed." -A. J. Liebling I have often heard it said that the Vancouver restaurant scene owes its bounty to our large Asian population, that the expansive palate of Asian diners mirrors that of the French. Obviously Asia ...

Fermented Hot Sauce: 2-1

Fermented Hot Sauce: 2-1

My first batch of fermented hot sauce was so successful that I have two orders for more! Never one to rest on my laurels I've decided to experiment with the second batch. I'm starting off with thai chili peppers again. I've been reading up on hot sauces and for fermentation you want to use ...

Rendering Suet aka Makin’ Lard

Rendering Suet aka Makin’ Lard

Suffice to say that I have a greater understanding of the scent of a medieval household after my first experience rendering suet. I've been reading The Great Mortality by John Kelly, a riveting account of the black plague and how it wound its way through Europe in the 14th century. Needless to sa ...

Sate Chili Sauce

Sate Chili Sauce

As I wandered my way through fermented hot sauce links and recipes online, I found a recipe for sate chili sauce. This is one of my favorite sauces in the world, but I've never known how to make it. Now that I know what is in it (garlic, lemongrass, chili, fish sauce, need I say more???  delici ...

Fermented Hot Sauce: Part 2

Fermented Hot Sauce: Part 2

My fermented hot sauce was bubbling and brewing away in the corner for several days. It developed a little bit of white mold, which I promptly scraped off. I did notice mentions of mold in various blog posts so I didn't worry overly much, it seems to relate to the fermentation process. Once I fel ...