our first fermentation

We have some fermenting veggies sitting on our counter, and it is pretty convenient that, in this case at least, the jars are very colorful and pretty! We started our inaugural batches of sauerkraut and kimchi last weekend, and they are tasting pretty good so far. We were kinda nervous to taste them for the first time. Knowing that you are basically growing tiny organisms in your food, and then eating them, is a little weird to actually think about!

We made sauerkraut with red cabbage, since we tend to eat that more often on tacos and things. We used this recipe for the kimchi. My one suggestion would be to wear gloves or something if you have sensitive skin. My hand had a burning feeling for a couple hours afterward!fermentations

a t-shirt quilt

I think the key to having fun while making a tshirt quilt is to be ok that it might not be exactly perfect. They’re tshirts. You wore them and washed them. They have (most likely) never been ironed before. All the designs might be different sizes, or shirts might be different materials. Oh well, it will be absolutely perfect for a picnic outside under a tree. tshirtquilt1

These were tshirts from our time in college. I had to get a little creative to fit the shirts in the right number of squares, so a couple of the squares are combos. This one has the black fabric from our graduation gowns, that I was incredibly scared to iron because it was made from recycled bottles or something like that, and I was convinced it was going to melt. I also needed one more square, so we made a combo square with tshirts from the first places we worked after college.

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I’ve been saving these shirts for forever to make this, so I’m happy its finally done, and looks good too! Now I want to make another one!tshirtquilt3

things that caught my eye this week/ seven

Sometimes when I take photos for my shop, the models get bored.models

Some things I found this week:

sourdough/ week seven

This week we made sourdough English muffins! A little bit of change from the normal loaf we have been making. It was actually a little more arm work than the normal loaf though! It wanted 6 1/2 cups of flour and kneaded and rolled out! Great arm workout.

I used a little bit smaller biscuit cutter than recommended, and I ended up with one million muffins.

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I opted to cook them in the oven. I’ll try it in a skillet next time though.englishmuffins3

Once they cooled down, I put a whole bunch in the freezer. No one person ever needs to eat 11 English muffins in one week, even though that would be delicious.englishmuffins4

new in the shop: guitar cards

For some reason lately, I feel like I could learn to play the guitar. I am pretty terrible at most musical things, so I could be completely wrong here. But I know you can get 1/2 sized guitars, which would be good for me. And I am fairly good at memorizing patterns, so I feel like it is something I could learn. I just think it would be fun to sit in the backyard in the evening and play the guitar (provided someone tunes it for me). So some of my proceeds from my shops will be going into my future guitar fund.

In honor of my recent google search history, a guitar card is new in the shop this week!guitar

recipe box

We have a whole collection of wonderful recipes from our family and friends, thanks to our recipe card wedding rsvps. I am always jotting down recipes we try, and like, onto extra cards too. And there are always the phone calls to ma to be like- How do you make such and such?- and into the box they go. It was getting a little unorganized, so I went through and added a couple categories to make it a little easier to find stuff.

Of course, the first category is cookies. And I taped that recipe from my grandpa to the top of the box. Always a good recipe to remember.recipebox

st patrick’s day

We had a pretty simple St Patrick’s Day. It will be fun someday to plan out green pancakes, and watch for Leprechauns. For now, we made enchiladas for dinner, and went on a long evening walk. We also have fresh, clean sheets on the bed, so if that doesn’t say holiday, I don’t know what does.green and yellow flowers

things that caught my eye this week/ six

We were lucky to catch the skywriting last night for Pi day. We literally walked out the front door for our evening walk, and caught them in the act. It was pretty mesmerizing to watch.pi in the sky

Some things I found this week:

  • This bag would have been a perfect farmer’s market tote.
  • Love the idea of sourdough breakfast pizza. I can’t wait to try pizza dough with my starter!
  • I loved contests as a kid, and I definitely would have entered this one!
  • Even the in progress photos of this little project look gorgeous.
  • I finally finished up this book, and it was so interesting. It really got me thinking about fermenting foods, and how it has always been a part of our culture and diet, until more recently. The argument behind feeding our whole body, and all the little organisms that work to keep us healthy, makes a lot of sense. We are gonna try our hand at maybe some carrots, sauerkraut, or kimchi (for that Korean husband of mine), and this hot sauce recipe seemed fairly simple too!

The guy spent last weekend SXSW-ing 24×7, so we are excited to spend a couple days together. We have a rock path to finish, some garden beds to make, cookies to deliver to friends, and some vegetables to ferment. Busy busy busy!

harvest day

Our winter vegetables were starting to look a little on the overgrown side, so we decided to harvest most of it. Except those brussels sprouts, we are gonna see how those play out. We got a ton of kale, and a bunch of little leeks. I am thinking maybe potato and leek soup? Or I found a couple casserole type dishes that used potatoes and leeks. Do you have any favorites??winter harvest

Now time to start the spring garden! We are definitely getting some tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Tomatillos might be fun for salsa making too! We follow the planting suggestions here, and it looks like we have a lot to do.