Our spring building projects! The first three photos are of the timber frame structure we built to shelter the future bread oven. The oven is now our highest priority. The foundation is going to be built in the next few days. The last photo is our in-progress chicken/turkey brooder. All it needs are walls, a door and some electrical wiring.
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We finally made blood sausage with the blood we froze from the pig slaughter earlier in the fall! We made a morcilla-style sausage. This Spanish version has pork shoulder meat added to it and the blood acts more like a binder instead of being the main event. We cooked them up for breakfast the next day. Very delicious!
Not the best photo, but this was delicious homemade split pea soup. Homemade chicken stock, homemade ham from the pig slaughter this fall, and homemade crackers with local flour from Castor River Farm. The ham we made was from the back leg, brined for about ten days in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, beer, bay leaves, juniper berries and black pepper. We then hung it in our garage for a few weeks before soaking it, boiling it and baking it. We ate the ham for weeks before using the last of the meat and the bone to make this soup. Best pea soup we’ve ever had! Take that Habitant!
Last weekend we roasted a herb brined chicken on an open fire. We needed a stand to set up the spit, so my boyfriend made one out of a left-behind satellite dish. This was the most delicious chicken we had ever cooked! Brining the chicken for about 12 hours in a 3-4% salt brine, infused with herbs, garlic scapes and citrus kept the chicken extremely tender and flavourful. Cooking it rotisserie-style also help baste it constantly as the melting fat dripped back onto itself as it spun around. To top it all off, the fire gave it a hint of smoky flavour!
Two weeks ago I picked up some used crocks to make vegetable ferments such as sauerkraut, kimchi and cucumber pickles. Last week I received Sandor Ellix Katz’s new book The Art of Fermentation. His first book- Wild Fermentation introduced me to the concept in such an open and inviting way that there was no question that I would buy this next one! This second book is more in depth. It offers researched information on the history, process, and concept of fermentation. Fermentation is so ingrained in many food products and our lives that many people might not even think about it. The main thing that I like about Sandor’s approach to fermentation is the open idea of experimentation. Just try it! Anyone can make sauerkraut. There is no need to worry about getting sick from your ferments. They will tell you if they’re no good. The stench of a ferment gone bad will keep you away, and if there is film of white on top of your ferments, but the innards are good then go for it. If you get a chance to pick up a copy of either of these books I highly recommend them.