Author: Ol' Fuzz Face

Farmhouse Living, Preserved Foods, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

What are the 6 important preserving skills?

After harvesting and processing, the next step in a successful winter food prep is making use of preserving skills. This is key in ensuring that favorite summer foods will be there during the coming months. So, let’s talk a little about the preserving methods we used here at Serendipity Farmhouse during the week of September 15th.

Farmhouse Food Skills Category 3 – Preserving

preserving skills

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. In the first two posts of this winter food prep series, we talked about where we get our winter food and the farmhouse food skills we use to process it. But that’s just the beginning of our winter food prep. There’s another set of food skills we’ve learned that helps us preserve the food we’ve processed.

Food Preserving Skills

Q – Okay, now that we’ve processed our raw ingredients, what do we do to preserve different types of farmhouse food products?

A – We employ a variety of techniques to extend the shelf life of food, such as canning, dehydrating, fermenting, freezing, and vacuum sealing herbs and other food products. In the future, we hope to explore smoking and other traditional techniques.

You can find any number of lists describing skills needed for preserving food. The lists pretty much agree on primary techniques, but it’s hard to find a single standard list. In our list of six preserving techniques, we show the ones that are important for us here at SFH. For other folks, the list will be different.

6 Important Preserving Skills

TechniqueDescription
CanningPreserves fruits, vegetables, and meats by sealing them in jars and heating to kill bacteria. This technique is vital for ensuring long-term storage without refrigeration while retaining nutritional value and flavor.
DehydratingRemoves moisture to prevent spoilage. This is essential for preserving herbs, fruits, and vegetables, making them lightweight, compact, and easy to store, with a long shelf life.
FermentingUtilizes natural bacteria to convert sugars into acids or alcohol, preserving food while enhancing its nutritional value and flavor. Perfect for making pickles, sauerkraut, and other fermented goodies.
FreezingSlows down enzyme activity and bacterial growth. Freezing is indispensable for maintaining the quality and nutrition of fruits, vegetables, and meats, making them last well beyond their natural season.
Root CellaringUses the earth’s natural coolness for storage. This energy-efficient method is perfect for keeping root vegetables, apples, and other hardy produce fresh over winter. (We don’t have a root cellar or basement, so we have to use the coolest places we can find in our old farmhouse.)
Vacuum SealingRemoves air from packaging or containers to extend the shelf life of foods. This method is critical for preventing freezer burn and oxidation, keeping frozen and dried foods fresh for a longer period.

Farmhouse Preserving Skills

Here are some preserving skills we used during the week of September 15th.

Canning – Spicy Dilly Beans

preserving skills

We’ve been canning spicy dilly beans for three years now. It’s a great way to preserve those garden-fresh beans and to kick them up a notch. Sure, they can be used as a side for dinner. But with these spicy dilly beans you can also serve them as an appetizer or as a snack at lunchtime. It’s really worth the effort to can beans this way because it ensures that we will have a crunchy, tangy snack or side dish all year-round.

See our post Spicy Dilly Beans @ Serendipity Farmhouse for the recipe.

Dehydrating – Sage

Sage is an essential herb for adding flavor to dishes. Dehydrating this herb takes little time and it’s about as easy as it gets. Now that we’ve started dehydrating products from our own gardens, we can be sure that we always have a supply of aromatic, home-grown herbs to season the foods cooked in the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Test Kitchen.

For some background on our work with herbs, see SFH-TK SKills – Herbs.

Dehydrating – Tomatoes

preserving skills

This is our first year dehydrating tomatoes. We’re compiling a list of ways that we can use them in various recipes. They reconstitute easily and they’re going to be found on top of our pizzas and in clam chowder and other dishes. Looking further into the future, we expect to turn some of our dried tomatoes in tomato powder for making tomato paste, tomato sauce, and other basic tomato products.

As we see it, dehydrating tomatoes is a way to preserve summer’s sweetness for those colder months. It’s a great way get the most from our summer garden.

Fermenting – Cucumbers

Fermenting cucumbers, or making pickles, is an excellent way to add tangy, probiotic-rich foods to our diet. During the summer we get a large number of cucumbers from our CSA. In fact, we get more than we can use during a normal week. Fermenting those excess cucumbers means we can preserve them for several months and use our own homegrown dill and garlic to add flavor. So, we end up with a healthy, flavorful treat that’s perfect for snack platters and sandwiches.

Fermenting – Garlic

preserving skills

In mid-September our homegrown garlic meets a critical point in its lifecycle. Without a proper cold storage room, this is when our garlic starts to go down hill. We’ve found a few good ways to preserve garlic from two to six months beyond this point. One way we used to preserve the garlic was in red wine. Now, we prefer to ferment our garlic. That’s because, not only does it last longer, in the fermenting process it gains the healthy benefit of becoming a probiotic.

Fermenting garlic enhances the flavor and gives it a little more kick. Now our garlic is long lasting, has great flavor, and it’s healthy. Who could ask for more?

To learn why preserving garlic is important to us, the our posts 7 Reasons Why We Want to be Garlic Self-Reliant and Garlic & Hackers.

Freezing – Okra

We dehydrate, pickle, and freeze our okra. But, we never ever ferment it. The one time we tried that, we regretted it deeply. So for now, freezing is our go-to method for preserving okra. It’s a simple, effective way to preserve this nutritious vegetable. Freezing okra ensures that we have a supply of this versatile veggie for soups, stews, and gumbos all winter long. Of course, frying is our favorite way to use okra.

For a tip on how not to preserve okra, see our post Report to St. Isidore – 2022.

Freezing – Crookneck Squash

preserving skills

Once you learn a preserving technique, you can apply it to a host of other food products. Freezing some veggies like okra is very simple and straightforward. Other vegetables, however, require an added step of blanching to lock in color and flavor. Crookneck squash requires that little bit of extra preparation. After that, it’s just like freezing okra and tomatoes.

You’ll really want to try this. That’s because everybody knows that by mid-summer they’ve seen too much summer squash and zucchini. Freeze it now, and enjoy it in February.

Farmhouse Food Skills Series

We hope that you’re enjoying this series of post and videos about farmhouse food skills.

For great ideas and ways to build your food preserving skills visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

farmhouse food skills
Farmhouse Living, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

How to improve your life with farmhouse food skills

How have my beautiful Miss Blondie and I improved our lives by learning basic Farmhouse Food Skills? – The are two answers to that question.

The first answer is quite simple. Our lives have been improved because we’ve learned and practiced these skills and techniques together. We spend our time together in the garden and the kitchen. We love each other and we work side-by-side doing what we love to do.

The 2nd Answer to the Question

The second answer to the question is more complex. This answer also responds to questions posed by my son-in-law, Andy, during a recent conversation.

Andy watched the first video in this series about Farmhouse Food Skills and he read the accompanying blog post. He told me that he realized that now was a good time for Daughter #1 and him to learn some of these skills and techniques. Andy noted that he gets more out of our blog posts than from our videos. He added that he wants to come over and watch us do these things in person.

Based on what Andy told me, I decided to change my approach so that it might be more instructive. So, I’m providing links to videos and posts that explain the “what”, “why”, and “how to” dimensions of the skills we use here at SFH. This approach will help explain how Miss Blondie and I have improved our lives by learning these skills.

Category 2 – Food Processing

Q – As viewed by the staff of the SFH Test Kitchen, what skills or techniques fall under the category of Food Processing?

A – For us, there are four primary skill sets and one general set in this category.

  • General: cleaning, chopping, grinding of any type of food
  • Routine Dairy: separating cream, making butter, and other simple dairy tasks
  • Daring Dairy: making cheese, yogurt, creme fraiche, etc.
  • Sourdough Culturing: creating and maintaining sourdough cultures
  • Spice Blending: preparing spice blends and mixes

Following are six examples of Farmhouse Food Processing Skills we used during the week of September 15th. I think you’ll see how mastering each skill has contributed to the joy we experience in farm-to-table living.

Making Butter

farmhouse food skills

Homemade butter is rich, flavorful, and free from additives. For us, it’s a simple process that connects us to traditional methods. Churning butter from fresh cream provides a sense of accomplishment and yields a versatile ingredient for cooking and baking. And, when we serve our fresh sourdough bread to guests and tell them we also made the butter, they always acknowledge that extra farmhouse touch. – And don’t forget, when you make your own butter, you also get to drink that delightful buttermilk that’s left over.

See our post Julia, Butter & Serendipity Farmhouse to learn how we make butter.

Making Goat Milk Cheese

Goat milk cheese is nutritious, easier to digest than other cheeses, and is often preferred by those with lactose sensitivities. We use raw goat milk to create our own cheese and cheese dips. We’ve found that goat milk cheese freezes quite well. So, we can have our favorite homemade cheese even when fresh goat milk is out of season.

See How to make Chèvre goat cheese! for the post and a link to our video.

Making Goat Milk Yogurt

farmhouse food skills

Goat milk yogurt is probiotic-rich and supports gut health. We culture our own yogurt to ensure freshness and to avoid store-bought additives. It makes a perfect breakfast or snack option. We’ve also found that making our own yogurt is cost effective. Of course, we can use cow milk when goat milk is out of season. Also, we’ve seen that some folks make yogurt using milk powder. The staff members of the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen are planning to try that soon.

Making Mayonnaise

Homemade mayo is healthier than store-bought versions, as it lacks preservatives and stabilizers. For us, making mayonnaise allows for customization (e.g., using olive or avocado oil, or adding herbs). It’s a staple for sandwiches, salads, and dips. – Mr. Monte, our food quality control expert, is always there when we’re making mayo. He lets us know if we’ve chosen the best type of oil for the job.

Sourdough Culturing

farmhouse food skills

Sourdough is a time-honored bread-making technique. We’ve had a reliable, mature sourdough starter for quite some time now. The slow fermentation process enhances digestibility. Everyone refers to our starter by the name of Mrs. Patmore. Maintaining, using, and sharing Mrs. P has become a living tradition here at our farmhouse. Baking sourdough loaves brings warmth to our farmhouse kitchen.

See Sourdough Troubleshooting for a Practical Man for the post and a link to our video.

Mixing Salsa Spices

We preserve the summer tomato harvest by canning salsa. We used to use Mrs. Wages brand salsa mix when canning our 12-18 pints of salsa every year. However, now we grow many of our own herbs and spices. So, we came up with our own salsa mix that combines homegrown tomatoes, jalapeño and other hot peppers, onions, and a variety of spices. Our canned salsa, with it’s homemade spice blend is a flavorful addition to meals. But the real pleasure in making it ourselves comes when sharing homemade salsa with family and friends.

See our post How to Make Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Mix for the recipe.

View the first video in this series of Farmhouse Food Skills here.

Be Prepared, Farmhouse Living, Preserving, SFH Skills

What Farmhouse Food Skills are important to you now?

Now is the time to sharpen your farmhouse food skills. Why? The harvest is coming in. Tomatoes, okra, green beans, jalapeno peppers, and many types of herbs. The seasonal clock is ticking. It’s time to prepare for winter.

For a practical man like me, and for a practical woman like Miss Blondie, that means it’s time to get to work. That’s just what we did, and that’s what we’re continuing to do.

Scale & Scope

As I’ve told you before, and as I often have to remind myself, Serendipity Farmhouse is just that. Even with its vast 1.203 acres, It’s still just a farmhouse. It’s in no way a farm. There might be enough land to support a small homestead, but Miss Blondie, Mr. Monte, and I don’t see that as our goal. Nope, we just want to lead a quiet, practical life, doing what we can and loving what we do.

It’s all a matter of scale and scope. In our case, we’re definitely a small-scale operation. We’re not looking to be entirely self-sustaining or self-reliant. And, when it comes to scope, we only grow the things we want to grow. We look to our local rural community for other things we need. We go to Reality Farm for beef, milk, and eggs. For the vegetables we don’t grow ourselves, we get them at our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

20 Farmhouse Food Skills & Techniques

So, considering our scale and scope, we may have more or less work to do than you do when preparing for winter. Nevertheless, over the last two weeks, we’ve had just about all the work we can handle. Consequently, there was no time to write posts or make videos. It was the Autumn crunch.

farmhouse food skills

In just one week, we could see just how many farmhouse foods kills were needed to handle our small-scale operation. We have a personal list of 20 essential farmhouse food skills and techniques. Miss Blondie and I used 14 of them to complete one week’s worth winter food preparation tasks.

We’ve broken that group of 20 skills and techniques down into five basic groups or categories. Let’s take a look at them now and see which skills came into play during the week of 15 September.

farmhouse food skills

Food Acquisition

Here at Serendipity Farmhouse, we have a general food acquisition plan. Because SFH is not a farm or homestead, we acquire the majority of our standard provisions from commercial outlets including Sam’s Club, Aldi, and Walmart.

We have the great blessing to live in an Oasis of Fresh Food. So, we obtain a large portion of our fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy locally. Our main sources are: our local Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA), Reality Farm, and other local sources.

Of course our own vegetable gardens provide an abundance of our favorite vegetables and herbs. And we’re also learning how to forage for berries and other things. So you see, our food acquisition plan ensures a sustainable and diverse food supply. Of course, if the need arose, we would also include hunting and fishing in our plan.

During the week of 15 September, we focused on harvesting food from our gardens, obtaining vegetables from our CSA, and using goat milk from Reality Farm.

Food Processing

These are the techniques involved in transforming raw ingredients into usable food products, which may include cleaning, chopping, grinding, cooking, and combining ingredients. This category includes more advanced techniques like making cheese and yogurt.

Preserving Techniques

Methods employed to extend the shelf life of food, such as canning, pickling, fermenting, drying, and smoking, to prevent spoilage and maintain nutritional value are preserving techniques.

Food Storage

Food storage includes Strategies for storing food safely and effectively to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage, including refrigeration, freezing, root cellaring, and using airtight or vacuum sealed containers.

Cooking

Cooking is the art and science of preparing food through various methods such as baking, boiling, frying, grilling, and steaming, focusing on flavor development and nutritional preservation. Cooking from scratch and using seasonal ingredients make this a creative art.

Don’t Forget Your Wood Stove

As I said earlier, the seasonal clock is ticking. It’s time to prepare for winter. So, don’t forget to make sure your wood stove and chimney are cleaned and ready for use. Also make sure you have an adequate supply of firewood stored away where it is dry and accessible.

If there’s an ice storm or other winter weather problem, you might lose your power. But don’t worry. If your wood stove is working it will provide the heat you need and can provide an emergency cook stove to use until the power comes back. – It’s happened to us, and the wood stove was there to keep us warm.

Following is the first in a series videos that will examine four farmhouse food skill categories in detail.

Jacques Pepin, Main Dishes, Recipe, RV Living, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

How to Prepare an Elegant RV Meal

Join Chef Blondie as she shows you how to prepare an elegant yet easy RV meal by Jacques Pépin. In her latest YouTube video, “Dining by Candlelight,” she takes you on a culinary adventure inside the cramped kitchen of our cozy 24-foot motorhome. You will be amazed by the simplicity and style of this most appetizing dish!

When we arrived at our campsite, the outside temperature was 101°F. Nevertheless, my dear, fearless Chef Blondie demonstrated that she can handle the heat in the kitchen. She also made it clear that anyone can make a tasty dish, even on a getaway trip in a small, hot RV.

Reprise of an Easy RV Meal

On this RV trip, Chef Blondie decided to prepare a delightfully easy RV meal inspired by the legendary Jacques Pépin: Rice with Mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus. This is not the first time the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Mobile Test Kitchen staff has made this dish. No, almost exactly one year ago, our intrepid crew made their very first YouTube video featuring this same recipe. (See Simple Rice with Mushrooms & Asparagus – Jacques’s Way for the original story and the printable recipe.)

Now one year and over 500 new subscribers later, Chef Blondie confidently steps out in front of the camera, without a script. She’s justly proud of her media ventures highlighting her culinary achievements and her useful cooking tips.

Easy RV Meals Come with Challenges & Rewards

To many, cooking in a motorhome might seem challenging, and it definitely is. Yet, with the right recipe and preparation RV Cooking brings great rewards. In this video, Chef Blondie demonstrates how simplicity and creativity can lead to gourmet meals, no matter where you are. This Jacques Pépin recipe showcases the fresh flavors of mushrooms and asparagus, making it a perfect choice for a romantic candlelight dinner in the camp setting of your choice.

In the video, Chef Blondie provides step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the rice and sauté the mushrooms to perfection. She also shares her tips for proper cooking of the asparagus and ensures that every bite is bursting with flavor. The warm, earthy tones of the mushrooms combined with the vibrant green asparagus create a visually stunning dish that’s sure to impress.

Set the Scene for Elegant Dining

easy RV meals

As we set the scene for our candlelight dinner, Chef Blondie emphasizes the importance of ambiance in dining. With soft lighting and a beautifully set table, she transforms our motorhome into a charming dining space, proving that you don’t need a fancy restaurant to enjoy a special meal.

Whether you’re an experienced cook or just starting out, this recipe is accessible and delicious. Perfect for camping trips or a cozy night at home, it’s a meal that brings comfort and satisfaction. So, grab your ingredients and join us on this culinary journey!

easy RV meals

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more delicious recipes and cooking tips from Chef Blondie. Let’s make dining memorable, no matter where the road takes us!

grain mills
Breads, Pray, Prepare, Preserve

Grain Mills for a Practical Man

Today, we’re going to talk about grain mills, why to get one and why to use one.

grain mills

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here.

Here I am hand cranking my first grain mill. I bought it in Idaho over 13 years ago. It’s hard to use, the flour is somewhat course, and it’s really slow. Despite all that, it’s never failed me yet. Even though I have two much better grain mills, I’m never going to let this one go.

Grain Mills & Honesty

But let’s start with a little honesty.

  • I’m not a professional baker. In fact, I’m not even much of an amateur baker. But I sure do like a good loaf of crusty bread, and I’ve finally learned how to make one.
  • I don’t have all that much experience milling my own grain, not like those good folks you see on some of the other blogs and YouTube channels.
  • I’m not trying to sell you something. I just want to let you know where I’ve been with grain mills and what lessons I’ve learned.

Why should you mill your own wheat?

Okay, I’ve told you the truth about me and grain mills. Now, I’m going to tell you the best reason I know for getting one.

I’m a practical man and I’ve learned that when I mill my own wheat, I can make a good loaf of crusty bread. It’s tastier than store-bought and it’s more nutritious – Now, I ask you, is there any better reason than that?

My Three Grain Mills

So, let’s look at my three grain mills (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). Then we can talk about what lessons I’ve learned since I bought my first grain mill.

grain mills

Well, you just met the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In my video below, I will show you how well these grain mills do their job. When you see them in action, you’ll understand why I call them the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Classification of Grain Mills

Now it’s time to give just a bit of technical detail. For my purpose here, there are three types of grain mills made for home use:

  1. Steel Burr Grain Mills: They use steel burrs to grind grains, allowing for adjustable coarseness. Steel burr milling is efficient and these mills can handle various types of grains. Sometimes, they can generate heat and that can detract from the quality of the milled wheat.
  2. Stone Burr Grain Mills: They use two stones to grind grains, resulting in a fine flour with a traditional texture. These machines usually produce flour superior in quality to flour milled with steel burrs.
  3. Impact Grain Mills: They use high-speed blades to grind grains into flour quickly. Typically, they are lightweight and compact. They’re ideal for quick use.

Another huge consideration when researching grain mills is how the mill is powered. The most reliable grain mill I own is my manual grain mill. It doesn’t matter if the electricity is out or you’re boondocking in your RV and you want to make pancakes with fresh flour. That manual grain mill will always give you the flour you need.

There’s a lot to be said for convenience. That’s why I own two electric powered grain mills. Both can produce a cup of flour in just a fraction of the time it takes for my manual grain mill.

Pros & Cons?

I’m not going to give you a long list of pros and cons on each of the three types of grain mills. I’m sure that you’re just as practical as I am and you’re going to do your own research. I recommend that you do just that. Because practical folks learn how to watch out for themselves.

If you watch the video, you will see a live comparison of my three grain mills side-by-side. You’ll see why I have named them as I have. My demo milling 1 cup (125g) of hard white wheat berries with each of the three mills, shows why:

  • The Good grain mill produced a cup of flour in just 43 seconds.
  • The Bad grain mill produced a cup of flour in 1 minute and 36 seconds.
  • The Ugly grain took 3 minutes and 51 seconds to produce a cup of flour.

Now it’s time for you to make up your mind if you want to mill your own grain. If you do, hit the Internet and start your own research. Be honest with yourself on what you really need versus what you would like to have. If you decide to mill your own grain and make your own bread, remember there are three more important points to remember.

Keep it simple, keep it practical, and Happy Baking!

Farmhouse History, Farmhouse Living, Mr. Monte

Can We Unriddle the Amazing Mystery of Our Brick Bar-B-Que?

A beautiful, handmade brick barbeque resides next to our deck on the vast 1.203-acre estate known as Serendipity Farmhouse. That brick barbeque has a mysterious secret. Perhaps you would like to learn what it is.

Hello! – Mister Monte here. Poor Old Fuzz Face had two big problems to solve. In our video, he will tell you about the first one, and I will tell you about the second. It’s an incredible historical mystery

Video Spoiler Alert

I urge you to watch the video I made. You might be surprised to learn that, for the first time in many years, Fuzzy didn’t mess up.

Proper Spelling of Brick Barbeque

Now, you may be wondering about the word “Bar-B-Que” in the title for this post. Here is what I found with regard to the proper spelling of the term for a brick structure used for grilling foods outside. Although some people use the spelling “bar-b-que”, the standard spelling in most contexts is “barbecue”. As you can see, the firm that surveyed our property chose to use “BAR B QUE”.

brick barbeque
brick barbeque

Fuzzy and Miss Blondie have compiled over 200 pages of historical records concerning the history of Serendipity Farmhouse. And only one of those pages ever mentions the brick barbeque.

The question of how that brick barbeque got here was a riddle without an answer. My two big cats were puzzled and perplexed by the mystery.

In 2020, however, the answer to the barbeque mystery began to emerge.

So, there it is for all of my 23,417 feline followers and for you few brave humans who have come to me seeking the truth, the whole truth. Historical research and a serendipitous communication solved the problem of how Serendipity Farmhouse has such a wonderful brick barbeque. – Watch my video, and learn more about just one of the mysteries from the past of our dear Serendipity Farmhouse.

Farmhouse Living, Garden Talk, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

7 Reasons Why We Want to be Garlic Self-Reliant

You might well ask, why would you want to be garlic self-reliant? You can pick it up in any grocery store. Why make a big deal out of growing your own garlic? Let me give you 7 good reasons why.

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. Living in our nearly century-old Serendipity Farmhouse, with its expansive 1.203 acres of land, the pursuit of garlic self-reliance has become a tremendously rewarding and practical endeavor.

Before I give you our 7 reasons to become garlic self-reliant, let me make a confession. I don’t just love garlic (Allium sativum), I’ve spent my life in pursuit of international garlic adventures. Midway through my list of reasons, I will take a break to tell you about two of those adventures.

Our 7 Reasons Why We Want to be Garlic Self-Reliant

In theory, our 1.203-acre estate could support a great deal of agriculture. We could grow rows of corn, beets, leafy vegetables, etc. Unfortunately, we’re a bit past the age to keep up with such large gardens. Besides that, our soil is very poor in nutrients and very high in rocks. That’s why we have to be selective about what we grow. You can be sure there was never any question that Allium sativum would hold the top spot on our garden list. Here are just seven of the many reasons why.

Reason 1 – Freshness

Growing our own heads ensures we always have access to the freshest possible produce. Store-bought garlic, even from specialty markets, can lose its flavor and aroma over time as it sits on shelves.

We harvest our homegrown Allium sativum at the peak of ripeness and we can use it within two weeks of harvesting. We know it will retain all of its bold and pungent qualities. This freshness translates to a more flavorful culinary experience. Executive Chef Blondie will settle for no less.

garlic

Additionally, we’ve learned several different methods of preserving fresh garlic. We can preserve it in wine or we can ferment it. We even dehydrate it and make our own garlic powder.

Reason 2 – Cost Savings

Purchasing garlic from the grocery store can add up quickly, especially if used frequently in cooking as we do. This vegetable is a relatively inexpensive crop to grow, and the yield from even a small plot such as ours can provide ample supplies for a household. Over time, the cost per pound of homegrown garlic will be a fraction of what one would pay at the store.

Planting
Harvesting
garlic
Drying

Reason 3 – Garlic Variety

Commercial markets typically offer a limited selection of garlic types. They often stock only the most common varieties. By growing our own garlic, we’ve opened up a world of diverse flavors and characteristics. From the robust, pungent hardneck garlics to the milder, sweeter softneck varieties, we can experiment with different types to find the ones best suited to our culinary preferences.

Reason 4 – Organic Control

One of the primary advantages of growing our own garlic is the ability to control the quality and cultivation methods. Some store-bought garlic comes from producers who have treated it with chemicals. Sometimes, it may come from distant regions. This results in a loss of freshness and nutritional value. By growing our own heads, we can ensure that it is free from harmful pesticides. At the same time, we know our Allium sativum will be packed with the essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that make garlic a true superfood.

Time Out For 2 International Garlic Adventures

South Korea 1969 – Kimchi and Much More

My very first international garlic adventure was in the late 1960s when I spent several months in South Korea. That was where I had my first encounter with kimchi.

garlic

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of garlic. Some sources say Korea is number two. I was young and not prepared for the large quantity of this vegetable found in Korean cuisine. But I soon learned that garlic is a defining feature of most traditional kimchi recipes and many other dishes.

This experience was truly a delight to my youthful palate. Soon I became a denizen of the Korean and Chinese restaurants in that South Korean town. The pungent aroma and flavor of the garlic in the many dishes I sampled led me to seek out garlic-enhanced cuisine throughout the world.

Moldova 1994 – If you can’t beat them, join them.

I had a far more extreme international garlic adventure during a business trip to Chisinau, Moldova in the 1990s.

Picture me having lunch with a group of Moldovan business associates in a fairly high-class establishment. Imagine my surprise when we were served fresh, raw garlic and green onions as an appetizer.

garlic

That moment became a high challenge and test of machismo. Was I man enough to match them one-for-one on the number cloves I ate? I was! – All of us consumed liberal amounts. Needless to say, the subsequent meetings on that warm summer afternoon, in that very small, poorly ventilated room, left a strong impression on my memory.

Reason 5 – Health Benefits of Garlic

Allium sativum is renowned for its impressive array of health-promoting properties. It can boost the immune system and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Because we grow our own, we can be confident that it’s packed with beneficial compounds, such as allicin and antioxidants. Also, this vegetable has long been revered for its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immune-boosting properties. This makes our homegrown bulbs an invaluable addition to our diet.

Reason 6 – Convenience

Having a ready supply of fresh garlic right at our fingertips has been a game-changer for the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. No more last-minute trips to the grocery store for us. With our own garlic patch, we can simply step into the pantry and find what we need, whenever we need it. This convenience allows us to incorporate this superfood into our cooking more freely, elevating the flavor and nutritional value of our meals.

Reason 7 – Sense of Accomplishment

Growing our own food, like garlic, has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Yearly, we witness the transformation from a humble clove to a thriving plant, and then harvesting first the garlic scapes and then the flavorful bulbs. This leads to a profound sense of accomplishment and pride. This connection to our land and the food we produce is deeply satisfying.

Imagine our joy when we harvest our own fragrant bulbs, curing them to perfection. And the satisfaction increases when we incorporate our garlic in a wide array of culinary creations, from savory stews to zesty pestos.

Summary

After hearing our reasons for wanting to be garlic self-reliant, you might consider doing the same yourself. Miss Blondie and I hope you do.

Regarding my two international adventures, you might want to accuse me of being obsessed with Allium sativum and recipes using it. But I want to reassure you, I am not obsessed. It’s just that, for me, having just the right amount of garlic in my favorite dishes is a Way of Life, and I intend to be garlic self-reliant.

Until next time, Keep it Simple, Keep it Practical, and Happy Cooking!

sourdough troubleshooting
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Sourdough Troubleshooting for a Practical Man

Maybe some of you will understand when I say: “Sourdough bread making can be fun, even when you mess up.” Yep, that’s what I did. I messed up and it ended up in my producing a not so good-looking loaf of bread. But, if it weren’t for that mess up, I wouldn’t have learned how to develop a skill I call Sourdough Troubleshooting. And, let me tell you, Sourdough Troubleshooting is just what every practical man or woman needs to learn to make a good loaf of crusty bread.

sourdough troubleshooting

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here! – Today, I’m going to give you two examples of how I solved sourdough problems using practical “Sourdough Troubleshooting.” But first, I must let you know that it was actually Mr. Monte, our SFH Test Kitchen Quality Control Expert, who taught me how to employ these troubleshooting techniques.
So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Problem #1 – Sticky Dough & A Flat Loaf.

Problem #1 – Sticky Dough & A Flat Loaf

Sticky Dough
sourdough troubleshooting
Flat Loaf

The problem with Sticky Dough and A Flat Loaf first appeared when I attempted to make a loaf that was half all-purpose flour and half home-milled hard white wheat. I followed my basic recipe to the “T”. I used 1½ cups of King Arthur All-Purpose flour.

The King Arthur website gives the weight of its all-purpose flour as 120 grams per cup. So, 1½ cups of all-purpose flour would be 180 grams. Using that statement, I milled 180 grams of hard white wheat to give me the second 1½ cups of flour to make a total of 3 cups.

That’s when Mr. Monte started voicing his disapproval in his straightforward unmerciful way. – He knew things were going wrong. In fact, he even published a highly critical YouTube short showing how wrong it was for me not to listen to him. (See: Fuzzy! You messed up again!)

In essence, he was correct. There was too much water for the amount of flour I used.

Sourdough Troubleshooting by Guesstimate

I weighed a cup of my all-purpose flour. It was 145 grams, that is 25 grams more than the expected 120 grams. That means thall all my loaves before this were roughly 436 grams, 76 grams more than the 360 grams I thought I had been using.

– Simply put, when I used only 360 grams for this loaf, I had too much water. Of course, my dough would be wet and sticky, and my loaf would spread out and be flat.

When I made my next loaf. I compensated by adding equal amounts of flour by weight. That is 218 grams of all-purpose flour and 218 grams of hard white wheat. For the remainder of the ingredients, I used the same amount in the second loaf as I did in the first.

This time, the dough was not sticky, and it rose much better. – Take a look at the two loaves side-by-side.

sourdough troubleshooting

The problem with this method of troubleshooting is, I was merely experimenting based on guesstimates. There was no supporting math or science for my conclusions.

Problem #2 – Recipe Fails to Fit the Standard Percentage

Problem #1 naturally led me to question why all my loaves using 100% all-purpose flour came out perfectly. If I had been using roughly 436 grams of flour, instead of the 360 grams that King Arthur cup to grams conversion would indicate. To troubleshoot this problem, I had to hit the books.

Baker’s Math for Sourdough Troubleshooting

It took a while, but I discovered a whole new world (at least for me) of baking wisdom.

sourdough troubleshooting

That new world was Baker’s Math. – This is where I learned how to troubleshoot using supporting math, science, and centuries of bakers’ observations and experiences.

Rather than bore you with details, let me get to the point. Bakers can work out formulas for baking any quantity of bread by using a common measure of weight. The amount of water, salt, and yeast or sourdough starter is a standard percentage of the weight of the flour. No matter what the weight of flour, it is always considered to be 100%.

In the case of sourdough bread the standard percentages look like this:

sourdough troubleshooting

Of course, the percentages are approximations. With the exception of the flour which is always 100%, the weight of the remaining ingredients can be varied by several percentage points higher or lower. Nevertheless, the percentages shown will normally give you a very good loaf of sourdough bread.

Sourdough Troubleshooting Finds the Problem

After learning about the standard percentage, I then examined my basic sourdough bread recipe and realized there was a problem. – In this graph the gold bars represent the standard percentage. The orange bars represent the percentage of ingredients in my recipe. – As you can see, the water, starter, and salt percentages were all higher than the standard, especially the water.

sourdough troubleshooting

The fact my regular loaves were turning out looking good was because of a fluke. I was unknowingly using more flour by weight than the recipe specified. That fact, unknown to me, compensated for the excess water in the recipe.

Lesson Learned & an Experiment to Prove It

So, as an experiment, I used 432 grams (that is 3 cups using my measuring cup) of King Arthur flour to make a loaf of bread. Instead of using my regular recipe, I computed and used the standard percentages for the remaining ingredients. – The results were amazing. – Look at this loaf of bread.

Now, there’s much more to this story. If you’d like to find out the rest of the story, check out our YouTube video. And, if you’ve learned a little something new and you like what you see, please subscribe to our blog and to our YouTube channel.

Until next time, keep it simple, keep it practical, and happy baking!!

Breads, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

Sourdough Starter for a Practical Man

In this post and the accompanying video, I’m going to walk you through what I’ve learned are the essentials of creating and maintaining a healthy sourdough starter. By the time you finish, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to get your sourdough starter up and running.

Hi, Old Fuzz Face here. Let’s pick up where I left off in my post Sourdough Bread for a Practical Man. – There I made two simple statements: “Give me a good loaf of crusty bread.” – “Okay, if you can’t give me what I want, then I’ll make it myself.”

That’s just what I’ve been doing since April 12th, 2023. – But I couldn’t have made that first loaf of bread without Mrs. Patmore, my sourdough starter.

Sourdough baking has become popular, but people find the whole starter process mysterious and intimidating. Since I’m a practical man I had to break through the mystery, find the simple truth, and build my confidence. – A year ago, I did just that. – I did it by reading, viewing YouTube videos, and lot’s of practical practice.

What’s a Sourdough Starter?

“So, what’s a sourdough starter? – Answering this question is as simple or complex as you want to make it. – But I’m a practical man. I just want to make a good loaf of bread. So, all you really need to know is:

A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that has been fermented by naturally occurring wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. It serves as a natural leavening agent in bread baking, providing flavor, texture, and rise to the dough.

Creating Your Own Starter

Folks, the bottom line is: There are many ways to get your own sourdough starter. If you’re a practical person like me and you don’t have time to waste, call up one of your friends or go to a health food store to get what you need.

sourdough starter

That’s why, after two miserable failures, Chef Blondie and I bought a San Francisco Sourdough Style Starter Culture made by Cultures for Health.

We began making the starter on March 28th. We followed the instructions precisely. By April 11th we had sourdough starter mature enough to make this loaf of bread. 

It wasn’t very pretty, to be sure. But that loaf was tasty. – Since that day, Mrs. Patmore has served us faithfully. We have shared her with several friends. She’s a great companion in the kitchen.

Sourdough Starter – Feeding & Maintenance

sourdough starter

There are many different regimens that can be used to feed and maintain your sourdough starter. Your requirements concerning the number of loaves per week, additional sourdough recipes, such as muffins, crackers, etc. will determine how much starter you need. For example, I’m a more casual baker and I only need one or two cups of starter per week. So, much of the time I can store my starter (Mrs. Patmore) in the refrigerator.

Here’s the basic five-step feeding and maintenance cycle I use with Mrs. Patmore and my master sourdough bread recipe when I’m baking only one loaf per week:

Step 1: Remove from Refrigerator

On the day when the dough is to be prepared, remove the starter from the refrigerator. (There is usually less than a cup of starter in the container.)

When we get to step 5, you will find out that this starter was fed just before it was stored in the refrigerator. So, once the starter gets to room temperature, it will reactivate and begin to grow in volume.

Step 2: Feed & Allow to Develop

Two or three hours prior to preparing the dough, feed the starter with a quarter cup of flour and about the same amount of filtered water. Now that Mrs. Patmore is warm and fed, she’s really ready to get to work.

Step 3: Use in Bread or Other Recipe

By the time you’re ready to prepare your bread dough, your starter should be full of big bubbles. It should smell milky sweet and slightly sour. Now you have a vibrant starter.

Step 4: Refresh Your Sourdough Starter

Soon after using your starter, refresh the starter. That is feed it as you did earlier in step 3.

Step 5: Store in Refrigerator

Return the starter to the refrigerator and store until your next baking day.

As I said earlier, if you are a more casual sourdough baker like me, you can keep your starter in the fridge. If you do, you should feed it once a week. Then, on the day before you want to bake, give it one or two feedings at room temperature before using it to bake.

Now, watch the video and learn just how easy creating and maintaining a good sourdough starter can be.

Resources

For a really in-depth understanding of sourdough starter read:

Calvert MD, Madden AA, Nichols LM, Haddad NM, Lahne J, Dunn RR, McKenney EA. 2021. A review of sourdough starters: ecology, practices, and sensory quality with applications for baking and recommendations for future research. PeerJ 9:e11389 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11389

sourdough bread
Breads, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

Sourdough Bread for a Practical Man

Give me a good loaf of crusty sourdough bread. Give me good bread I can afford. While you’re at it, give me bread made by someone I know. Give me the whole loaf, not just half.

sourdough bread
sourdough bread
sourdough bread
sourdough bread

Okay, if you can’t give me what I want, then I’ll make it myself. And it will be far better and cheaper than what you tried to sell to me. I’ll even mill my own wheat, to make it more nutritious.

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. – Let’s get right to it.

I’m a practical man. When I encounter problems, I try to find solutions. – As you just saw, finding good crusty bread at an affordable price is a problem. My solution was to make my own.

Thanks to Farmhouse on Boone, The Rose Homestead, and especially Jill Winger at The Prairie Homestead, I now have the know-how to make a good loaf of sourdough bread, – every time. – So, using Jill Winger’s recipe, with my modifications, in my YouTube video I’ll show you how to make Sourdough Bread for a practical man.

Sourdough Bread – Just the Beginning

There are a lot of guys out there like me. They want a good loaf of crusty sourdough bread. You can bet those guys are all practical men. I like to think of them as my ‘companions’ – the ones with whom I share my bread.

That’s why I’ve decided to put together a short series of posts and videos to encourage them to make the bread they’ve always wanted, but could never find in local grocery stores. The series will talk about sourdough starter and how to maintain it. I also intend to provide some background on ancient and modern grains.

Since I will be talking to practical men, I’ll also get into the various types of equipment one can use when making good sourdough bread. – But this discussion won’t be for men only. After all, what I know about making sourdough bread was taught to me by some very capable and enterprising ladies.

Now, read the basic basic recipe and print it out. Then go watch the video and learn just how easy making a good loaf of crusty sourdough bread can be.

This is a simple sourdough bread for the practical man (or woman). It's a basic recipe that can be modified in many ways, allowing for the use of different types of grain. Based on a recipe by Jill Winger at The Prairie Homestead, we at the SFH Test Kitchen have come up with a version that suits the needs and tastes of any practical person who wants a great tasting sourdough bread - every time.