Archive for the ‘Kitchen Hints’ Category

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Stopping MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014
Bars of Snowbunny Soap

Bars of Snowbunny Soap

by Catherine Haug, April 30, 2014 (Photo, right, by K. Mansfield)

I’m sure you’ve heard of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the bacteria that is not easily controlled by antibiotics, and is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans, that likely lead to death of the patient. At least 23,000 of them die as a direct result of those infections (1).

Environmental and health scientists believe that raising livestock in CAFOs, and on feed laced with antibiotics, is responsible for this deadly bacteria. And, in fact, could be creating other antibiotic resistant bacteria as I write this. (3)

What can you do to protect yourself and your family? You’ve heard me rant about this before on this site, so I’ll keep it simple: (more…)

Posted in Community, Ecology, Home & Ranch, Kitchen Hints | Comments Closed

Kitchen Hint: Using Pure Essential Oils in Cooking

Saturday, April 5th, 2014
Dill Essential Oil in Glass Vial

Dill Essential Oil in Glass Vial

By Catherine Haug, April 2014 (Image, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Thanks to Bev for this intriguing hint. Caution: as Bev points out, use the tiniest amount of essential oils as they are extremely potent.

I used this tip last year when I was canning pickles.  I couldn’t find any fresh dill in any of our local stores so I used Dill Essential Oil in its place.  I used one drop per pint jar and two drops for quart jars.  If you don’t have enough fresh dill and you have to use what you have sparingly, Dill Essential Oil can be used to help stretch your fresh dill further.  The key is to use only a pure, therapeutic essential oil.

Essential oils can be used in many areas of cooking.  For example you could use a Basil or an Oregano Essential Oil in Spaghetti Sauce. (Caution, Oregano Oil is considered a hot oil and it will burn your skin if you are not careful.)

Essential Oils are very, very concentrated; [for flavoring a sauce] you would dip a tip of a tooth pick into the oil and then into the sauce. (It goes without saying that you would use a clean toothpick every time you insert it into the oil.)

Swan Valley Herbs in Bigfork carries some pure essential oils; Withey’s in Kalispell has a wider selection. Bev also provided an online source:  essential-oils-farmacy.com.

Read on for other herb options. (more…)

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Kitchen Hint: More Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

by Catherine Haug, Jan 22 2014

See also Kitchen Hints for others on this site, including Uses for vinegar from 2012. The EssentiaList: Homemade Apple Cider provides instructions for making your own raw apple cider vinegar.

The following uses for apple cider vinegar are from TakePart.com (1), or other sources as noted. You don’t need to use raw apple cider vinegar unless you ingest it (as in items 1, 3 and 9). Save money and use regular apple cider vinegar if it is not to be ingested. For household uses, you can use white vinegar. (more…)

Posted in Ecology, Food-Nutrition-Health, Health, Kitchen Hints, Remedies | Comments Closed

Gathering Summary: Rendering Animal Fat for Soap Making with Sheree Tompkins, June 19, 2013

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
Melting fat, with Cracklings

Melting fat, with Cracklings

by Catherine Haug, June 23, 2013

(photo, right, by C. Haug)

This is just a short synopsis; you can find more detail in the complete, printable pdf file: [a link will be added here when available]. Sheree had two handouts:

See also related photo-essay on The EssentiaList: Rendering Lard in a Crockpot: The Process

From the Gathering Notice about this event:

Sheree discussed equipment and materials needed to render fat, as well as an overview of the process with a dry demonstration. She also discussed how this fat is used in soap making, and the properties they contribute to the soap; this topic brought the most discussion.

While soaps made from vegetable fats and oils are popular right now, animal fats have served humans well for eons, and they are much less expensive than imported vegetable fats, especially if the fat is from wild game from the local area. Additionally, it is an efficient use of what would otherwise be waste from the butchering of animals.

Animal fats have many other uses, especially in cooking, as they generally tolerate high-heat than the fragile polyunsaturated vegetable oils. (more…)

Posted in Ecology, Food-Nutrition-Health, Gathering Summaries, Home & Ranch, Kitchen Hints | 2 Comments »

Kitchen Hint: Keeping Asparagus Fresh with Water

Monday, April 8th, 2013
Asparagus

Asparagus

by Catherine Haug, April 8, 2013

(photos from Wikipedia)

It’s asparagus season, not only in the groceries, but also soon it will be sprouting up in neighborhood fields. Don’t know what wild asparagus look like? See photo, below.

Wild Asparagus

Wild Asparagus

However, if you find it like this, it’s too late. You want to pick it when the shoots first come up. All is not lost, however; take note of where you saw this plant, then watch for the shoots next spring.

Keeping Asparagus Fresh

Today’s hint comes from Jean H. When you buy/pick asparagus, the best way to keep it lasting fresh is to place them upright in a glass container with a couple inches of water (asparagus tips pointing up), and place in the fridge. If there is still asparagus after 5 or 6 days, change the water. It keeps very well.

This also works well for leafy herbs like parsley and chervil. Like a bouquet of flowers, put the stems in a glass of water and place in the fridge.

When root veggies like carrots, and stem veggies like celery begin to wilt, place them in a bowl of ice water; they will crisp right up!

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Kitchen Hints | Comments Closed

Kitchen Hint: Chopping Nuts

Sunday, April 7th, 2013
Whole walnut kernel

Whole walnut kernel

by Catherine Haug, April 7, 2013

Thanks to Jean H. for this kitchen hint.

(Walnut photo, right, from Wikipedia; knife photo, below, from Amazon)

How do you chop nuts?

If you use a food processor, you know that they can quickly be reduced to a paste, as the processor extracts oil from the nuts.

Most chefs use a Chef’s Knife in a rocking motion over the nuts on a cutting board or counter. But this requires holding your fingers on the nuts as you chop – risking bits of finger in the nuts….

If you use a knife on a board or counter, you know that they tend to scatter all over the counter as you chop. To minimize scattering, use a bread knife – the kind that has a scalloped serrated cutting edge, as in photo, below.

Wusthof Bread Knife

Wusthof Bread Knife

For more ideas on chopping nuts by hand, see:

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Kitchen Hints | 2 Comments »

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