Saturday, January 5, 2013

A good week

Our home, like all homes have good weeks and bad weeks. I have been determined to work through our to do lists this week after all the social stuff we have done for the first 3 weeks of holidays. So while I was a bit of a tyrant this week we have also come to the end of it with to do lists done for the most part and a feeling of satisfaction.

Here are some of the things we got up too...

Starting with a not so good experience - my daughter breaking her toe on New Years Eve! X-rays showed a spiral break on her toe next to baby toe on her left foot.

The brave kid saw the evening through and the next day until we could go for the X-ray. The swelling and bruising was quite bad and she was obviously in pain.

I made up some comfrey ointment for her as comfrey helps with bone knitting. Arnica is being used for the bruising and her toes strapped for the next 3-4 weeks.

We have comfrey in the garden which I infused in olive oil. I grated in 1/2 cup of beeswax and then let it set.

She applies this twice a day then restraps her toes together.



We have also been digging up potatoes to make space for our short season summer crops and some autumn harvest crops.

This has traditionally been youngest one and Lucky's job so in the cool evenings BEFORE bath time they get stuck in and dig.

Over three days they cleared one bed and this was the product............................................. :

He then had to search through the pile to find the perfect one and this was his choice:
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 Of course this huge harvest has one small problem...we have not been eating potatoes like this for many months - gosh...I really don't know why I planted so many!!

But for now we will eat and enjoy them and live with the consequences.

The first meal was simple baked potatoes and salads for lunch yesterday and they were delicious hot with butter...so yummy!



















I have been experimenting with making nut butters in my Green Star Juicer and made a lovely almond butter and a very creamy macadamia butter. I have also made almond flour which we used to make the most delicious breakfast pancakes with the flour.

{For those in Cape Town - I am now buying nuts in bulk at the Yellow Submarine in Ottery. I had a long chat with the owner about the age of the nuts (rancidity is a concern for me) and about which season they grow in. They have a limited but sufficient range of the most popular nuts in the organic section.}

My sons helped me make up some sauerkraut. It's the first time I am making it but have been wanting to learn the skill of lactofermenting vegetables for a while now and cabbage seemed to be the easiest one to try.

We used one whole BIG cabbage. You shred it in your food processor then bash it down into a jar in layers. You have to sprinkle a little salt between each layer and bash the shredded cabbage really well between each addition.

The juices of the plant are released and eventually the kraut is covered by this salty water.

Then the jars are covered with muslin or netting and left to stand for 7-10 days on the counter to ferment.

If you followed the link above you would see that I have been experimenting with Paleo recipes. I am not sold out on the whole idea but I think that there are many ideas that are worth incorporating into our eating.

We are dedicated meat eaters, but I also enjoy the odd bean dish and cannot do without humus! I am not a big organ eater, but do enjoy a well made liver and onions.

I love the treat recipes (hence the nut butters) and some of the other precepts fit in with the Nourishing Traditions thinking.

So I will, as normal, harvest the ideas I like and use them in my home and for our health as far as my budget and time can handle.

This was a salad recipe from Paleo that I adjusted for my non-tuna eaters....

3 smoked chicken breasts (sliced)
2 oranges (peeled, segmented, halved)
1 cup pecans
2 apples cored and sliced
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup yoghurt
2 butter lettuces
Salt & pepper

Mix everything together except lettuce. Place lettuce on a platter top with the mixture, serve and enjoy...so very yummy!

5 comments:

Wendy said...

I love reading your blog, it always inspires me. Just a question, how will you store the potatoes?

Urban Homestead South Africa said...

My husband and I were talking about that just today. We need to keep them in a cool dark place which we don't have!! For now we will was them all, sort them in size and keep them in our spare fridge.

Chris said...

Indeed a very good week, Wendy! I am intrigued by your kraut making method.. I am tempted to try this in the glass jars. We had a bad experience a couple of years ago with one big pot of stinky cabbage!

You are way more organised than I am with the slow living post - will link yours in once I get mine up in the next week or so - but what I really wanted to say was..Happy New Year to you and your lovely family!! xx

Urban Homestead South Africa said...

Hi Christine

Thank you for your wishes. I look forward to seeing what you were up to last month once you return from your lovely looking holiday.

Katie said...

That recipe looks fabulous! I can't wait to try it out. Hope your little one is on the mend and not in too much pain. Katie