Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Real Food Breakfast

Our breakfast this morning was simple and oh so yummy. Toasted slice of multigrain bread from a local bakery, topped with our homemade labneh (yogurt cheese), drizzle of local honey and sprinkled with strawberries from our backyard.
It's the simple things that are the best. In case you're interested in labneh, a delicious way to get your good belly bugs, here's our recipe:

1 quart cream top, plain yogurt  
We make our own yogurt from raw cow milk, any milk will do, but try for the lesser, more gently pasteurized types, and opt for non-homogenized. Not only does it taste better, it is better for you!
1 tsp salt

Place yogurt in a bowl, whisk in the salt. Place muslin, or a few of layers of cheesecloth in a strainer, and place the strainer in a bowl. You want the strainer to sit towards the top of the bowl so that there's enough room for liquid to drain off. Pour in the whisked yogurt. Let it sit like this for an hour or two, until some of the liquid (whey, if using animal milk) drains off. Then gather the edges of the cloth up and tie it closed. Now you hang it for 18 - 24 hours. Some people do this in the fridge. We have a set up over one of our kitchen counters - since we're using yogurt there are plenty of good bugs in there to protect it from any bad bugs taking over. But if you're kitchen is really hot or you're concerned at all it's not hard to set up a hanging area in the fridge. We've got a simple plant hanger screwed into the ceiling and a piece of string. We hang the labneh from the string, and leave a bowl underneath to catch any more drips. After it is hung and almost all the liquid is drained out you're left with a spreadable cheese akin to cream cheese - a little tangier, and a whole lot better for you!

This post is shared on Frugally Sustainable's Sustainable Ways # 26

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Asmina triloba

Our Pawpaw trees came today from One Green World. Four varieties - Taylor, Pennsylvania Golden, Wabash, Shenandoah.