Have you started making your holiday gifts yet? What?! It’s already that time of year again? I know, I know . . .

This is a project that i’ve been meaning to do for years – yes, literally years – but it takes a few weeks to complete, and I’d never had my act together far enough in advance. But this year . . . this year I remembered! And I took myself and my baby to the liquor store, and we got us some vodka, and we went to the herb shoppe, and we got us some vanilla beans, and we got this project started a whole whopping 6 weeks ahead of deadline. Woo-hoo!

And now you, dear friends, have 5 weeks, which is plenty of time to make your own lovely, handcrafted, better-than-anything-you-could-ever-buy, delicious vanilla extract. Such a sweet and simple gift; both practical and charming (the best kind!)

But don’t wait on this one! 4 weeks is really the minimum amount of time required. Here’s what you’ll need:



- Vodka (you can use this website to determine which brands are vegan!)
- Vanilla beans
- Lime (for the cocktail, obvi)

* Note: I used 4 vanilla beans in a standard 750 ml bottle. Adjust the amount of beans to suit the volume of vodka you use; err on the side of extra beans.


To make your extract, begin by pouring off about 2 shots worth of vodka. Maybe pour them over ice into a swanky lowball (or small mason jar if you’re a hippie like me). Maybe add some lime soda and a liberal splash of lime. Maybe . . . wait what? Oh yes, the extract.

Cut the vanilla beans into pieces. Drop them in the vodka.



Out of sight, out of mind. Put the bottle away for 4-6 weeks. When you pull it out again, it will be a dark amber color (I’ll show you mine when it’s done!)

Pour the solution through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth, then transfer to small bottles. Pretty bottles work well if you’re gifting. If you’re just making this for yourself (it’s significantly cheaper than buying real vanilla extract), you can simply use old maple syrup bottles, old salad dressing bottles, or even old mason jars. The end, so easy.

Now, about that cocktail . . .



Here’s some light reading material to keep you and your cocktail company – a little list of past “Homemade Holidays” projects:

Vegan Taxidermy
Vanilla Bean Sugar
Reusable “Java Jackets”
Crock Pot Candles
Custom Tea Bags

And eggs? What of them?

In vegan cookbooks everywhere, and all across the Internetz, you’ll find recipes referencing “flax eggs”. Sometimes they’re actually even written as components, for example “1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water”. Which seems pretty self explanatory, right? You’d think!

But nope, if you want your flax to really approximate eggs – to really achieve that gelatinous, goopy goodness that works so very well as a binder (especially important in gluten-free recipes!) – then it helps to have a few tricks hidden in your pastry case. I’ve been baking exclusively vegan for a while now, and this is how I guarantee the perfect flax egg, every time:



1.
Begin with whole flax seeds. Buying pre-ground flax is a dangerous game, as the oil is very unstable, and once released (via grinding) it will turn rancid pretty quickly. So buy your flax seeds whole and grind them yourself, to spec. It’s easy enough; you can use a coffee grinder, a hand-crank spice grinder, a mortar and pestle, or a high-speed blender. Process into a very fine powder.

Store whole flax seeds in the refrigerator or freezer.



2.
Make egg/s. One egg equals [1 tablespoon flax meal plus 3 tablespoons water], and you do not need to make each one individually. In a small bowl, add flax meal followed by water (not water followed by flax), stirring as you go. I use a miniature whisk because it’s adorable, but a fork works just as well.



3.
Refrigerate. This is key! Place the bowl of eggs in the refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes, but up to an hour is best. This will allow your egg to “set up”. Don’t skip this important step!

I always make my eggs at the start of a recipe. That way, I can get them in the fridge, and then work through the other steps while the eggs set.



4.
When the eggs come out of the fridge they’ll have formed a thick sticky goo, just the consistency of egg whites. There’s your binder! Add it to the recipe and proceed as instructed.


Note: Flax has a nutty, somewhat distinctive flavor. It’s pretty well masked in recipes such as whole wheat breads, spice loafs, and other “full-bodied” treats. But for something like white cake or sugar cookies, you may notice the flavor. If this bothers you, try using chia seeds instead! They work just the same and don’t add any flavor (though admittedly, they cost about four times as much).

Happy vegan baking!

Except here’s the thing: Waits is an incredibly active kid. He burns a bunch of fuel and he’s just not so interested in eating much, which means he’s a pretty skinny dude. And that’s okay – his parents are both slender and obviously, he’s inherited our ectomorphic body type. However as the momma, I have to figure out some creative ways of getting extra calories into him.

Which brought me right back to milk. Okay! No problem, I was already making my own plant milk all the time, and I began giving it to Waits as well.



But then, my overactive brain got to thinking. “WELL“, I thought, “If I’m already giving him the milk, am I wasting an opportunity to slip him some extra nutrients? Should I start buying the packaged stuff, since it’s all enriched and full of extra vitamins and minerals?”

I wasn’t sure, and for a while I would go back and forth; one week I’d buy some boxed coconut milk, and the next week I’d make my own almond-walnut-hemp blend. And on. But . . . every time I made my own, I wondered if he was missing out. Conversely, every time I bought the pre-made products, I couldn’t help but grimace at the ingredients list: sweeteners, stabilizers, additives and more. Either way seemed like a compromise, until I realized . . .

HEY WAIT A MINUTE!

And now I just make my own fortified milks. Really, what the hell took me so long, right?!




These days I make my plant milks exactly as instructed here. I usually add a few Brazil nuts for extra selenium, one medjool date to sweeten it up a bit, and a splash of vanilla for flavor. Waits loves it like this.

HOWEVER. Before I blend, I also add a number of supplements. If you’re using a high-speed blender, you can toss pressed pills right into the mix. If you’ve got an older blender or a food processor, then I suggest emptying the powder out of capsules. Make sure you get vegan ones! Most gel-caps are made from gelatin. You can also buy vitamins/minerals in powdered form, such as dolomite.


We all know that calcium is key for bone health, but calcium works in a synergistic relationship with magnesium and vitamin D. Vitamin K2 and zinc are also important for proper development, but can be a bit tricky for vegans to obtain . . . especially for picky toddlers!

So these are the micronutrients that I focus on. I use various products to meet my needs, but I’ve found Deva’s Cal-Mag Plus and NOW Vitamin K2 Vcaps to be especially helpful. Vegan versions of zinc and vitamin D are not as hard to come by. (try: zinc and D)


Here are the stats for a 1-cup serving (these Daily Values percentages are for adults, and I should note that Waits would never drink even close to a full cup in a day):

Calcium: 333 mg / 33% DV
Magnesium: 133 mg / 33% DV
Vitamin D2: 633 IU / 105% recommended
Vitamin K2: 50 mcg / 62% DV
Zinc: 17.5 mg / 116% DV

You could also add B12, or anything else you feel is important.



Also, I feel the need to remind you that I am neither a nutritionist nor a food manufacturer, and this method has not been laboratory-tested, and this recipe certainly should not take the place of proper diet OR professional advisement. Okay?


So there ya go – I hope you like it as much as we have!

~~~

Herbs are one of the most popular edibles to grow at home, and for good reason. Herbs are easy to grow indoors and out, and even if you only have room on a tiny window sill you can still have freshly grown, tasty seasonings to add to your meals.

If you like to cook with herbs on a regular basis you’ll know you can go through them quite quickly. You can use up almost a whole little plant of basil just to make some pesto! Instead of buying several plants there is an easier way to get more herbs for your buck. Herb propagation! There are several methods of using your existing herbs and either dividing them or taking cuttings to grow a whole new plant.

As the weather cools down and fall is upon us it’s the perfect time of year to separate your herbs. I’m going to share three methods of herb propagation. Cutting, division, and layering. Each of these methods can be easier and faster than growing herbs from seed. Read on to learn some simple herb propagation techniques.


Cutting

Cut the stem off an herb at least 2-6 inches long right underneath the node (where the leaf grows out of the stem). Cut at a 45 degree angle. Take your stems and place them in bud vases or bottles full of water on a sunny window sill. Change the water in the vases each day. In a short time the cuttings will begin to grow roots. After a few weeks, once the roots have grown a few inches long, you can transfer your cuttings to a new pot with soil. Propagating herb cuttings in bottles is not only an effective way to grow herbs but it’s a great way to recycle bottles or display a vintage bottle collection on your window sill.

Alternative Method:
Instead of placing the cuttings in water you can also dip the stems in rooting hormone and place directly into a small pot with soil.




Division

This method may be the easiest. Simply take a plant that is flourishing and remove it from the container. Then, using a large knife slice through the middle of the plant all the way through the root system so that it is cut into two pieces. Take each section of the plant and put it in it’s own container. One plant becomes two! You may want to plant each of the divided plants into a container that is quite a bit larger than the plant itself. Herbs such as mint grow fast and you will find the herbs will fill out the pot quite quickly.





Layering

This method takes a little longer but can be quite effective. Take the stem of a herb that is growing on the edge of the plant and stretch it out as far as you can without ripping it off. Press the middle of the stem into the dirt and cover it with more soil. Soon the section that is buried will begin to sprout roots. It will grow into it’s own plant. Once the plant it established you can dig it up away from the mother plant and bury it somewhere else. This method works best in the spring. At the beginning of the season begin to establish a new plant using the layering technique and by fall you should have a new plant that is ready to dig up and move to a different spot in the garden.





Herb cuttings and potted plants make wonderful housewarming gifts. Sharing plant cuttings or divided herbs among friends is a great way to add more variety to your herb garden and build your plant collection. It’s also economical and fun! Before you head to the nursery to stock up more herb plants why not give some gardener friends a call and see what you can share and trade with each other!

~~~

Adrienne lives in Northern Washington on a farm with her husband and a menagerie of loveable animals. When she’s not blogging at Crafty Little Gnome, Adrienne can be found out playing in the garden, experimenting in the kitchen or working on a new craft project. Adrienne also sells handmade jewelry and accessories in her Etsy shop Adrienne Audrey Jewelry.

This project appealed to me on many levels. Of course, I just love to garden, period. But I also work with a pretty small space, so I get excited by new ways of maximizing surface area. Up not out! Most of all, I really appreciated being able to up-cycle old “trash” into a new, useful purpose.

But there was just this one thing. See, tires are made with funky metals. And creepy chemicals. And even though I scoured the internet and couldn’t find anything that would definitively deem this idea as unsafe, well . . . I couldn’t help but be at least a bit concerned.

Still, I went for it. And those were seriously, SERIOUSLY, the most delicious potatoes I ever ate. And I was pregnant, and Waits is perfect, so, you know, tires are probably fine.


This year I was ready to get my tater on once again. And I wanted to try something different this time. So . . .



We used old some scrap wood instead. Damian built all of the necessary frames in under an hour. Really, it was that easy. He had this plan involving drill holes and dowels and interlocking boxes, but see, we have this toddler. And so we went with expediency. Expediency works good, apparently.


Back in early spring we found these taters at the FarMar that Damian was really lovin’ on – some sort of heirloom German variety. So I cut them in half and planted them. Again, so easy! I started with two frames (pictured above) and this time, I was careful to add the dirt very gently, not packing it down at all. I wanted a lot of air in there (you can read the “what worked and what didn’t” from the first potato tire project in this recap). I interspersed layers of compost for maximum plant (and people!) health.

As a control, I also planted a bunch of taters in another raised bed, one that wouldn’t have stacks added to it. This is the bed I asked Damian to build me when I got obsessed with azaleas back around May. It was supposed to feature artichokes and azaleas, but it’s been completely overrun by potatoes!



It will be interesting to see how the yields differ, come harvest. I’ve continued to add frames onto the tower, and now I’m at four which is where I’ll stop.

Theoretically, there should be taters developing all the way up the tower, and the tower plants should produce three times as many taters as the single-level plants. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!




Anyone want to make any bets? Do you think the tower taters will make more, or do you think they’ll be about the same?

Now, if only I could get Petunia to quit taking dirt baths and laying eggs in my tower!

But what about people like me? What about people who are, shall we say, somewhat addicted to enamored of their greens? People who can’t go a few hours without wolfing down some kale or rolling up some collards or blending a bunch of spinach ? For us, summer means the end of greens season (they thrive in the cool climate of late spring and early fall), and 3(ish) months of life without local organic green goodness. Summer is a sad time for my blender . . .

Ginormous organic chard for $1/bunch (!!!). I couldn’t turn it down, but how could I use it all up before it went bad? And so began my scheming.

This concept is so simple that I simply can’t believe it hasn’t occurred to me sooner. And I really can’t believe I haven’t seen it elsewhere in the blogosphere! But there you go.

It goes like this:




Procure a large quantity of fresh, local, organic greens (like spinach, collards, chard, dandelion, etc). And I do mean large. In the picture above, I’m holding the entire yield of kale from this year’s garden. That’s about 1/5 of the total greens I used.

Wash and de-rib the leaves. Lay them out flat on dehydrator trays (for a raw powder) or baking sheets (for oven, non raw). Set your dehydrator at 115º and allow to run overnight, or until leaves are completely dried (up to 12 hours). Alternately, you can set your oven at the lowest temperature and use that, but I haven’t tested this method so you’ll have to keep an eye on the timing. Just remember, you’re aiming to pull the moisture out – not to actually cook them. So keep the setting low!

Collards, the morning after.

Next, you’ll need to grind your greens into powder. I like to use an electric coffee grinder which I reserve for things like flax, dried coconut, and other caffeine-free culinary specimens.





You could also use a spice grinder, a mortar and pestle, or a food processor. But this is a LOT of product to work through, and you want to get as fine a powder as possible, so a coffee grinder really fits the bill.


Grind grind grind in batches, until voila! You’ve saved a few months worth of greens.

I had to repeat this entire process four times, and it still barely yielded a couple cups of powder (and I have a 9-tray dehydrator!). But that means this is incredibly concentrated green nutrition. Use it as you’d use any other green powder – for me that means a lot of smoothies. A little bit goes a long way!

This will make a great project for late autumn, when the second crop begins to die back, and once again we need to preserve a stock of fresh local organic greens to make it through the off season.


Enjoy!

I do most of my produce shopping at the Farmer’s Market, and secondarily at the local market or co-op. But the truth is, I live 5 blocks from a Trader Joe’s, and sometimes it’s just super convenient to pop over there for an emergency onion or whatever.

In this way, over time I’ve amassed a collection of those coarse plastic produce bags, the ones that usually house garlic and such. You know the type? These ones:



And I have been saving them, oh yes, because I saw in my little mind’s eye the perfect way to put that plastic back into action. So easy. So simple. So effective! The wiry plastic and diamond pattern lends itself so well to the project, it’s almost like it was meant to be. Meant to be: a Scrubbie.




1) Collect a number of plastic produce bags.

2) Stuff all of them into one of them. The Trader Joe’s organic garlic comes in a little yellow bag that’s just about the size of a sponge, and I had a whole bunch of those. So I stuffed one of them full, and then used the others to make a couple of “layers” of exterior. Not necessary, but I think it helps keep everything together.

3) Sew up the seem. I used dental floss! I didn’t even use a needle, though it would have been a lot faster if I had.

4) Fin.

See how easy??!



Enjoy!

This is reprinted with permission. You can read the original blog post here.

~~~

Since we started working as Innkeepers at Foothills Lodge and Cabins last October, we purchased our initial investment of supplies and haven’t had to buy any additional ingredients since. Running to the store because we’ve run out of laundry soap is a thing of the past around here. And we live 47 miles away from the nearest big box store or large grocery store so if we can find all the ingredients, I know you can too. Okay, let’s get started!





You’ll Need:
A Stove
One Large Stock Pot
A Long Spoon
A 5 Gallon Bucket

Ingredients:
2 Cups of Washing Soda (Soda Ash)
2 Cups of Borax
1/4 Cup Dr Bronners Liquid Castille Soap
15-20 drops Essential Oil
Hot Water

A Note:
Some recipes call for vinegar to be added into the detergent, but Ken found it works better when he adds it to our fabric softener slot in the washer. When we do this it rinses through after the soap has, and for whatever reason when we do this we don’t need to use dryer sheets. Even living at 8200 feet where it is VERY dry, we don’t get shocked anymore.





Fill the stock pot about 2/3 full of hot water and put it over medium heat. Pour the Borax and Washing Soda in – give it a stir. It’s not boiling but it’s getting pretty hot so be careful! Add the 1/4 cup of Dr Bronners and the 15-20 drops of oil. Give it another quick stir.

Right before your lovely smelling concoction comes to a boil, remove it from the burner and pour the contents into an empty 5 gallon bucket. Then fill up the stock pot again with HOT water and pour that into the bucket. It will just about fill the bucket, and that’s what you want.





See how it’s almost full? The size of your stock pot might make this a little different, so just remember that the recipe makes 5 gallons, so if you have to add a little more or a little less, that’s okay, just as long as you end up with 5 gallons.





We put our finished product in recycled bleach bottles.

And that’s it! Wasn’t that simple?? Cover the bucket and let it stand over night. In the morning when you take the lid off it will be ready to use. Don’t worry if there are little clumps of stuff in it. That is perfectly normal and those dissolve easily when you start the load. It might look kinda funky compared to that thick, pretty stuff you’re probably used to, but it’s not about how it looks, it’s about how your clothes look, and they will look (and smell) FANTASTIC!

~~~

Thanks so much again to Jen and Ken for cracking this code for all the BA readers out there!

If you want to catch up with Jen and Ken you can find them blogging at Rocky Mountain High. You can also follow their amazing journey across America, and you can read their original story here.

Making juice sans juicer is procedurally identical to making nut milk. This is best done in a blender, but I photographed this series in a food processor to demonstrate that it can be done this way as well. Hell, you could probably even use an immersion blender if that’s all you’ve got. Do what you gotta do!

You’ll need:
fresh organic produce of choice (I go light on fruit to avoid an insulin spike/crash)
food processor or blender
sprouting bag/cheesecloth/mesh strainer (I use a sprouting bag, but many raw foodists just buy a paint straining bag from a hardware store)
various containers, and a funnel helps




Step 1: Rough chop all produce and place it into the food processor/blender. Add 1 cup water to start – you may need to add more.




Step 2: Blend!




Step 3: Line a large bowl with your sprouting bag or cheesecloth. Pour the entire contents of the blender into the bowl. If using a mesh strainer, pour the blender contents through the strainer, over a large bowl.




Step 4: Use your hands to squeeeeze all the liquid out of the produce pulp. You’ll end up with a big bowl of veggie juice! Transfer it to a tall glass (here’s where that funnel will help) and drink immediately.




Don’t forget to save your pulp! There’s still lots of fiber and micronutrients in there. Throw it into soups, casseroles, breads (a la zucchini or banana, not so much french or sandwich), sauces, and raw crackers. I always add mine to my homemade dog food, but that’s a whole other post . . .


So now you have no excuses! Fresh veggie juice, vibrant and alive with vitamins and minerals, is yours for the taking. Drink up!

Ensconced in my current obsession with all things cultured, I’ve spent the last few months struggling to crack the water kefir code. Water kefir should be light and refreshing, mildly sweet and fantastically fizzy. So fun! It’s basically homemade fruit soda – but with a probiotic twist. And finally, finally I’ve got a technique down pat and I can share it with you guys. But first . . .

What the hell is this stuff?? Called water kefir – Tibicos – Japanese Water Crystals – Bébées – African Bees . . . mmm, sounds pretty mysterious, right? And it is! It’s magical stuff, man.

Similar to our old friend kombucha, water kefir ‘grains’ are a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts (a SCOBY). But unlike the gelatinous alien blob SCOBYs associated with kombucha, kefir grains are held in a molecular matrix that gives them their delightful crystalline aesthetic. Well, at least I think it’s delightful!



Like all properly fermented foods, water kefir contains probiotics. These essential, amazing microbugs colonize our guts and confer to us all sorts of incredible benefits. It is my emphatic opinion that a healthy diet must include fermented foods. Lucky for us, they’re heaps of fun and they taste good, too! So, here’s how to go about making your water kefir:


Step One – Procure Grains
I got mine at my local co-op, and those of you in bigger cities may be able to do the same. I’d also check Craigslist and Freecycle and your health food store bulletin board – and post a want ad! Finally, you can always order online. I hear good things about the kefir lady.

Once you have your grains, reconstitute them as directed.


Step Two – The First Brew

The measurements here are imprecise, and depend more on the size of your brewing vessel. Always brew in glass! You’ll need enough water to fill it up, so either purchase some filtered water or ‘clean’ some tap water by boiling it for 10 minutes. Then add to the water:

- about 1/4 cup sugar (no subs! must be real sugar/organic evaporated cane juice)
- half an organic lemon or a splash of 100% lemon juice
- about a tablespoon of dried fruit, unsulphured (I use raisins)

Once the sugar is completely dissolved and the water has cooled to room temperature, add the kefir grains. Cover with a breathable barrier like a coffee filter or a rag and secure with a rubber band. Allow to ferment on the counter top for 24-48 hours.



You’ll know it’s working because bubbles will form and the fruit will float to the top. It’s carbonated!!! Mmm, fizzy fruit.


Step Three – The Second Brew

Carefully fish out the floating fruit (never let metal touch the grains). Eat that fruit! Pour off the water kefir into a second glass container. You can drink it as is but it’s not so tasty. The next round will add flavor while increasing the probiotic load.

So now you have your grains, separated, and your water kefir liquid on it’s own. Set the grains aside. To the liquid, add about 1/2 – 1 cup fresh organic fruit (chopped). I like juicy fruits like pineapple, raspberries, etc, as opposed to things like apples or bananas. Add the fruit, re-cover with your breathable barrier, and allow to ferment on the counter top another 24-48 hours.

Meanwhile, take your kefir grains back to step one, rinse them off, and start over.




In this way, you’ve got a continuous stream of water kefir coming in. After the second ferment you can ‘bottle’ it (I use glass mason jars) and store it in the fridge.

I like to drink my water kefir in my morning green smoothies, but it’s great on its own – a homemade healthy soda! Enjoy it with dinner. Having something fermented with every meal is a great habit, as it greatly aids in digestion.

If ever you need a break, go on vacation, or just get tired of water kefir for a while (say it ain’t so!), you can always store your grains in the fridge. They’ll happily hibernate in a sugar/lemon water solution.