`A SPRING TREAT, NETTLE PIE `

Today was a good day to make nettle pie. A gray day, windy but temperate and the nettles ripe for picking. Nettles are absolutely packed with nutrition. Picking nettles is a spring rite for many people. I try to pick enough to dry for teas. They are one of the best remedies for pollen type allergies. Nettles contain histamines. They contain iron and vitamin C and a host of other good nutrients. Dried it can be crumbled and used as a salt substitute.

The reason they sting is the shape of their barbs. If you look at a microscopic photo of one it actually has a hook on it similar in action to when a bee stings. As you instinctively pull away your action pulls the barbs into your skin, locking them in place. I knew one old timer here in the neighbourhood who picked them with is bare hands, BUT he picked the leaves with the grain, so to speak, rather than against the grain which is what most of us do. I've also met a physiotherapist who picks them bare handed to stimulate the blood flow to her hands. Her hands are her most important tool so this keeps them conditioned.

So there you go, some stories about nettles you maybe didn't know. BUT back to the nettle pie. The ingredients are simple and making it is relatively simple.

YOU NEED to pick about half a paper grocery bag full of nettle tops and the first few leaves. I usually wear some latex gloves.You want to pick the nettles when they are not much more than 6 to 8 inches out of the ground. Don't wash them , you are going to steam them anyways. I find that most nettles are really very clean when you pick them young.

You are first going to make a rue with chopped garlic, onion, butter, flour, milk and a fresh bay leaf (if possible). Next you will generously butter a casserole dish ( 9 x 14 ) and spread the steamed nettles into it. Pour the rue over the nettles and then cover with a good amount of grated cheese. I used mozzarella. (today :-D) Use whatever mild cheese you desire.

Next you are going to prepare a batter of 4 eggs, 1 1/3 cups flour, salt and enough water to make a fluid batter. Mix this together and blend well,  pour over the grated cheese nettle mixture and put into a hot, 375F oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.  


Enough for 6 - 8 people.  ENJOY !!!! 

PS. the top photo should be the last one. I am still trying to figure out how to arrange things on the blog site , bear with me ;-) 

Making Yogurt Today

This morning I made yogurt. Its very, very easy and you end up with a yogurt that is silky, smooth, thick and creamy ! Also exceptionally beneficial to your good health. Here is what you will need. You will need to buy a container of plain, organic yogurt to start the process. After your initial purchase you will not need to buy any again. Eat what you have but make sure to keep a good tablespoon aside for your culture.

Lets begin.

Gather: 2 , 1ltr.mason jars with screw top lids
1 small picnic type cooler with lid (to put the two jars into)
a cooking thermometer
whisk and pot big enough to hold 1 ltr. of milk

Ingredients: one litre of organic, whole(3.25%) milk
one tablespoon yogurt ( don't level it off, just one good spoonful)

-Fill the cooler with hot water and set aside. Fill the two mason jars with hot water and set aside.
-Put the milk into pot and heat slowly to 180F., whisking frequently.
-Once the milk has reached temperature take it off the element and let sit until it cools to about 110F. (this does not take long, 5 or so minutes)
-Add the tablespoon culture and incorporate it into the milk.
-Empty one of the mason jars of hot water and pour your milk mixture into it, put on screw cap.
-Empty hot water out of cooler and quickly put both mason jars into the cooler and put the lid on the cooler. Your cooler should contain one jar of milk and one jar of hot water.
-Set the cooler aside somewhere undisturbed for the next 8 or more hours.
-After 8 or so hours check the milk jar, if the mixture has become thick and creamy its done. If not, leave awhile longer. Don't forget to close the lid !

Thats It !

I usually prepare the yogurt in the evening before bed and that way its ready in the morning. Always remember to keep at least a tablespoon full in the jar so you can make your next batch.

Try this once and I am sure you will be so encouraged with the results that you will keep it up.
Let me know how it turns out for you :-D

An Introduction to Fermented Foods

What foods do you know of that are fermented ? Usually we think of yogurt, buttermilk, beer. What about miso, soy sauce, tempeh, kosher dills, sauerkraut, cheeses, kimchi, sourdough ? I could go on. Every culture has had some kinds of perishable foods that were fermented so that they could be preserved for later use. Before refrigeration this was one of the few ways to keep foods for longer periods of time. Fermented foods are ancient, interesting, beneficial and taste great !

Fermented foods are literally alive. They have been inoculated with microbial populations that live and feed in the environment the food is being preserved in ! I hear a few of you "YUK, YUKKING". We wouldn't be alive on this planet without them.

Fermentation preserves nutrients and breaks down proteins into more easily digestible forms. Soybeans fermented become miso, soysauce and tempeh. Milk breaks down lactose to become yogurt, cheese and buttermilk. Fermented wheat/ grains are easier to digest than unfermented ones.

Fermentation creates new nutrients. Microbial cultures create folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine and biotin. Fermentation removes toxins from foods. Depending on the ferment it can neutralize and even eliminate certain toxins that would otherwise be harmful to our health.

Remember though that pasteurization kills much of the beneficial bacteria in fermented foods. Making and preparing your own fermented foods ensures that you will get the most beneficial benefits from the alive foods. It also insures that your fermented food will be colonized with organisms that are local and in your own environment. Just remember not to use chlorinated water ! This also kills microorganisms.

Our coexistence with beneficial microorganisms protects our immune systems and we would not be alive today without them. They inhabit every surface of our existence inside and out. Problems only occur when we upset the balance of the system. Unfortunately we are really good at tipping the scales.

Many of us are beginning to accept and acknowledge the need for biodiversity on this planet, especially in the growing of food crops. It is generally accepted by many of us that monoculture is the wrong way of doing things. The very same goes for our own bodies. We are hosts for a very complex relationship between our cells and the microbial organisms that inhabit us. We are not even close to understanding the intricate bonds between ourselves and the unseen. Suffice to say that they are integral to our very health.

I have been making my own yogurt bi-weekly and have also made buttermilk, kimchee and sauerkraut this winter. I honestly feel better and healthier and have been learning lots in the process.

Many of you are enjoying my bread making process and results. I really enjoy the effort of working with this living dough. I eventually want to blog the process from start to finish. I hope you will stay tuned.

Wind and Weather work with Plants Together

We experienced one of our terrific wind storms today on the west coast. Gusts up to 100 km in certain areas. Power went out for about 3 hours. El Nina is not about to relent yet.

I have been learning more and more about soil and humus. Up until now most of our knowledge about how soil is formed comes from the belief that wind and weather are the main forces that break down rock and turn it into soil. Well this is true but not the complete truth. Plants play a mighty role as well.

We now know that lichen are neither plant or animal. They are actually a class unto themselves. They are a brilliant combination of algae and fungi neither of which could live off of rock on their own. Algae contributes the carbohydrates through photosynthesis and the fungi contribute water storage and chemical salts capacities. The lichen feed off of the rock using a process called chelation.

Chelation, meaning "claw", is a process by which a molecule encircles and binds to a metal, literally extracting it. Through complex acid secretions the lichen are able to extract and dissolve the iron and other minerals within the rock and feast on them. At the same time the lichen are feeding they are contributing to the slow but steady progress of breaking down rock into its' eventual form. SOIL !

There is a bird called a pito living in the Andes mountains of South America. It uses a plant called the harakeh'ama to dissolve and soften rock so that it can make a nest in the indentation it forms. Holding the leaves in its' beak it swishes the leaves in a circular motion on the desired rock and keeps getting more leaves until it has made the right size hollow in which to nest ! This plant is also chelating the rock in order to break it down.

Chelation is going on in soil, microbes, cells of plants and in the bodies of animals and man. Chelating agents course through our bloodstream keeping minerals soluble and fluid. Minerals must be made soluble in order for plants and animals to absorb them and use them.

So this windy, windy day has uncovered and exposed a few more amazing things that nature does on a daily basis. Its just going about its' business.

Puts wind in my sails !!