This Week’s post is written by a guest blogger: Jessica Rabe.
I would like to apologize. I am a guest blogger today, and I accidentally published something while trying to link. This is why I don’t have much to do with technology 🙂
With Valerie is in Kansas for a week to help with an ill family member, I have the pleasure of being a Guest Blogger for Bygone Basics. First, I’ll introduce myself, and then, I’ll let you read what you came for in peace 🙂
My name is Jessica, and I’m Valerie’s oldest daughter. Mom, jokingly calles me her Scullery Maid. I’ve been helping with the heritage kitchen whenever I can, and I love *almost* every minute of it. (I mean, who truly enjoys the cleanup?)
Waste Not, Want Not
Have you ever thought about all of the trimmings you throw away, or even toss on the compost? I never really did either, but it turns out the answer is: A lot! Recently, Valerie and I stumbled upon a wonderful blog post: Five Packaged Foods You Never Need To Buy Again by Jane Mountain. I’ll be the first to admit that I got a bit carried away in my excitement. My second favorite part of the Bygone Basics is learning how to take food as far as it will go, so the idea of saving the trimmings, bones, and juices really got me excited.
You mean….. I can use garbage to make all the soup I could ever hope for!!?
(For those wondering, my favorite is the health aspect. There’s just nothing like using raw closest-to-nature products, and the only drawback is cost. Hence my excitement!) Imagine my shock when Valerie told me that she already knew all about this. It’s so easy, why weren’t we already doing this? (Her answer was that she found she got great eggs from the chickens by feeding them the trimmings.) I figured we can do both….first make the soup stock and then feed the skimmed off, boiled stuff to the chickens. Worked like a charm! We got four times the product from our food. ate the carrot, peelings and ends went into making stock….and the the chickens got everything strained out of the stock…and we got our eggs. NOTE: chickens didn’t get the bones…those got composted.
A lot of product was gotten out of everyday "trash". This is a shot of our fresh soup stock and some of the day's pasta sauce all canned and ready for the shelves.
After about a week of saving, we had enough to start making a meat/vegetable stock. (I’m still waiting to make just veggie stock. There is much anticipation for a huge mess and a delicious way to squeeze every last drop of goodness out of these vegetables .) It sure isn’t a pretty process, and it takes a lot of time to boil down. But really, we just did other things while it simmered (sure smelled good). I have to tell you, I don’t see any future need to buy soup or bullions.
Now is the time
During the summer, everyone is rushing to get their produce in jars before it spoils. There’s really no time to try out any of the fancy recipes you dream of doing when it’s a race against time. However, winter is the perfect time to start unsealing some of those jars and making that spaghetti sauce, or to try any other experiment you’ve always wanted to try. Such an urge grabbed Valerie just last week, at the same time we were doing the meat stock. She began breaking into some canned basic tomatoes, herbs she’d dried, and threw a few fresh ingredients in there. This is also a great way to turn disappointment into satisfaction. Amanda and myself had messed up a bruschetta recipe…she added that too…a perfect way to put some good use to those still-good tomatoes. The result was a delicious pasta sauce that’s also healthy! (My favorite part.)
Remedy from Ukraine
In December, I returned home from spending a few months in Kiev. I was there teaching English, and honing my Russian language abilities. Of course, I ended up sick a couple of times, and so my host family made me some “tea.” Surprisingly, it was as easy as putting some lemon slices in some hot water, and squishing the juices out of them with a spoon. It went down so nicely. What a great way to give your immune system a boost! This is the time of year when people begin to get sick, and this is a great, simple home remedy to drink before or after you start feeling poorly. Stay healthy!
Contact Valerie today by calling (231) 740-4065, or emailing ICan@bygonebasics.com to ask about the February classes, (click to here check them out) put in an order, or schedule your own Experience. Be sure to visit the newly redesigned (and easier to navigate Bygone Basics website. www.bygonebasics.com
You might not agree, but I think this photo is a thing of beauty. Stock simmering in the back and pasta sauce simmering in the front. I wish you all could have shared in the aroma!
We also have had a lot of Bygone Basics guests come to learn how to make these heritage recipes themselves, while immersed in old-farmhouse style atmosphere and tools…they are always surprised how easy old-fashioned baking and home canning really is. Especially when I show them (if they wish to know) how a few of today’s tools can speed things up with out reducing the quality of the food.
icanatbygonebasics 