Yogi Chai

"Hospitality consists in a little fire, a little food,
and an immense quiet."

-R.W. Emerson

We are very fortunate to have a multitude of friends from all over the world.  Spending time with these friends throughout my twenties I received a wonderful gift and lesson, the gift of hospitality that comes so naturally to so many other cultures.  There is nothing like visiting with kind people, feeling nurtured and cared for, feeling loved.  Hospitality is very important to us, so one small way we like to make our guests feel at home, especially on cool autumn or blustery winter days, is by serving a sweet, warm cup of homemade chai.  Now if you are looking for a recipe for authentic Indian chai, this is not it.  This is more of a modified version I made up, a cross between my desire to use medicinal herbs as food and my love of sweet, warm, creamy, drinks.  I have been told by many that it is quite good, so I hope you enjoy.  And don't be discouraged by the lack of precision in my recipes.  Just try it and make it the way you like.  I guarantee you will fall in love with the spicy way your home smells from the all day brewing, not to mention how good the ingredients are for you.

Yogi Chai (adapted from Recipes For Living In Big Sur)

Herbal Ingredients and some of their properties:
Cinnamon bark- aromatic herb, stimulates digestion, relieves indigestion, useful in early stages of flu, relives sore throats
Black pepper- digestive tonic and liver support, relieves flus/colds, sore throats, stimulates circulation, combined with clove/cinnamon boosts immunity
Fresh ginger root- stimulant of peripheral circulation, promotes perspiration in fevers, promotes gastric secretion, relieves flatulence and colic, an effective gargle for sore throats
Whole cardamom pods- useful in reliving colds/flus, coughs, sinusitis, aids digestion, respiratory problems, poor circulation, and boosts immunity
Whole cloves- relives stomach ache, indigestion, flatulence, nausea, toothache, useful in colds/flus
Fennel seeds- relieves flatulence and colic while stimulating digestion and appetite, increases flow of mother's milk, calming effect on bronchitis and coughs
Astragalus root- immunomodulator, helps anemia and chronic immune deficiency

 half of a handful of green cardamom pods

Add half a handful of cinnamon bark (or several cinnamon sticks), black peppercorns, green cardamom pods, whole cloves, whole coriander, fennel seeds, a generous amount of fresh ginger root cut into slices, and a few slices of astragalus root to a large stock pot filled with filtered water.  If you are serving this for guests, start the chai in the morning or several hours before you plan on serving.  Bring to a boil and let simmer all day. Enjoy the heart warming aroma that fills your home.  As the chai simmers it will turn a rich, dark color.  Eventually you should taste for desired spiciness because the black pepper and ginger can give a really strong kick.  This is also the point where you would add your black tea bags if you must.  Before serving, sweeten with honey and add the milk of your choice.   I use whole milk or (half and half) but if you're vegan or lactose intolerant I think almond milk is good in the chai too. 
Yogi chai will keep in the refrigerator for several days if you haven't added the milk yet. 

Enjoy your cup of happiness!

Chanterelles

I have always had a passion for wild foods, fungi in general I find quite mysterious.  However, the warnings about those species that can be fatal have been a deterrent for me to gather wild mushrooms myself, even after taking several classes and reading a handful of books.  I still feel the best way to harvest mushrooms is with an expert!  A recent hike in our local parts with a new friend and neighbor of ours (who happens to be a mycologist) led us on an expedition to find chanterelles.  These delicious wild mushrooms have a wonderful scent some say smell like apricots but I think they are sweet and earthy with a delicate meaty flavor.

We learned that any and all edible mushrooms should be well cooked before consuming, as raw mushrooms have carcinogens which over time can be toxic.  (So much for those white button mushrooms in your salads.)

To prepare the chanterelles first gently wash the dirt off, being careful not to rub the gills to much since all the flavor is in there.  Then remove any brown parts, cut or tear the remaining clean mushrooms into small pieces and saute in lots of butter with an onion.  It is important to saute them for a long time, until the water is all cooked out and they start to look very meaty.  They also need to be cooked right away after being harvested.  I washed and cooked a huge basketful then put them in pint jars to freeze.  I will pull them out here and there for omelets, quiche, pasta dishes, or whatever we like mushrooms with (except these are way better than any grocery store mushroom).  You can really eat them with any meal they are so yummy!

Creating Traditions



 Our first annual harvest party took place last weekend.  Give thanks for delicious food, great company, games, crafts, really good pizza...and we finally fired up the cob oven.  As the sun went down we enjoyed hot cider, caramel apples, popcorn and the bonfire.  It was wonderful to see so many local folks come out. 

Thank you to all who attended and for helping us create a new autumn tradition.  Now that the party is over it's time to get to work, turning our attention back to the garden.  We have lots of starts that need to go in the ground (a little late), a huge pile of manure to work into the soil, compost piles to build, ponds to finish, and more seeds to start.  The list seems never ending but the weather has been beautiful.  We will get in what we can before the rains arrive. 

Happy harvest season to you all!

lettin' the pizza dough rise

firing up the oven

our first wood fired pizzas

autumn inspired crafts

Milk Flow

It's been a busy week and what's new you ask?  Three more lovely goats..we are excited to announce.  Two Sable Sanaans (currently in milk) and one Kiko meat goat.  As a first time milker, I can't express the satisfaction I feel in greeting these ladies each morning with an empty pail, and walking back to the house with it full.  I never thought of myself as much of an animal person but I am finding such solace and pleasure in tending to and playing with these goats.  They each have such distinct personalities not to mention that they are supplying us with the creamiest, most nutritious raw dairy products.  I know it is an adjustment for our family to use goat milk in our diet.  It definitely has a different taste so I'm starting out disguising it in other foods that I know the kids will eat (typical momma move).  We have used it in our morning pancakes, smoothies, made some yogurt, paneer cheese, and on the list for tomorrow...ice cream of course!  I have the feeling I might quickly develop one of those cheese making obsessions I've read so much about.  Chevre and mozzarella are on the list for this week.  Can't wait.  Here is an easy paneer recipe adapted from William Sonoma's Savoring India, by Julie Sahni.  (You can use store bought cow's milk too.)  This was so yummy, it barely made it to the dinner table with hungry hands snitching off the counter. 

I started with a little under a gallon of milk.  Poured it into a pot and gently brought it to a low boil. 

I then added 1/2 cup of white vinegar, you can also use lemon juice.  Stir until the curds separate from the whey, about 1-3 minutes.  Remove pot from heat, then use a fine mesh cheese cloth or a cloth napkin to strain the whey out.  (You can save this and water your plants with it, use it in your compost, or feed it to your chickens.)  After you have successfully strained the whey out and the curds are fairly dry, pour or dump them into a square or rectangular casserole.  Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to flatten the curds down.  Cover with the cloth napkin and press them down with something heavy like a pot full of water.  Leave the curds like this for an hour or so.  They will become firmer and easier to handle. 

When you return to your curds they should look like a brick of extra firm tofu.  Cut the cheese into small squares or triangles and dust them with flour.  For you gluten free folks out there, any type of flour will do, I have tried sweet white sorghum flour and it is super yummy.

Next fry your cheese in coconut oil or the high heat oil of your choice until golden brown and there you have your own homemade paneer.  Serve with any saucy, spicy dish.  It's really good. 

Harvest

Delicious autumn!

 My very soul is wedded to it,

 and if I were a bird

 I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns.

 - George Eliot

Autumn is my favorite time of year, a time when we celebrate the bounty in our lives and a time when we begin to slow down, move inward.  The change in season brings so many beautiful colors, the air turning cool, butternut squash, fresh pumpkin pies, crisp tart apples, onions and bubbling stew on the stove, the smell of cider brewing all day long.  I suppose that's enough but really, I begin to feel more grounded, a sort of settling in.  This year I have immensely enjoyed stocking our makeshift pantry with as much of summers goodness as time allowed.  Some of the last jars to go on the shelves are filled with honey from our resident bees. 

I waited and waited for this honey.  The beekeeper in the family decided to change his philosophy and follow the Warre beekeeping method (which is supposed to be more bee friendly), so there was alot less human honey harvesting going on around here.  But I have to say it was worth the wait.  Above is a super from one of our hives.  Each super is filled with eight frames and each frame is full of honey.  This year however we used top bars instead of frames, which just means that instead of giving the bees an already built rectangular base to start with they had to build their own comb in any shape they please. 

Since the top bars are frameless we couldn't use our homemade extractor.

we soon discovered another method of extraction.......packing the honey comb into jars.....

 

covering with wire mesh............

 

and inverting over a larger glass jar so the honey filters through the mesh but the beeswax stays behind.  The process goes especially fast when jars are placed in the warm sunshine...(just beware of robber bees!)

SWEET!




Walter William's "Harvest"

 

Building an Earthen Oven

Early in September we hosted a sustainable building workshop facilitated by our neighbor Sasha Rabin of vertical clay.  The weekend was an amazing introduction to natural building.  We spent all day Saturday and Sunday building an earthen oven which will be used to bake wood fired pizza, hand made bread, and much more.  Everyone who participated had a wonderful time.  Even the kids had a blast and ended up designing and creating their very own cob oven (kids and mud are a great combination). 

We can't wait to fire her up for the first time!

We did some prep for the workshop, building the base out of urbanite, bricks, gravel, and some cob.

For the base we wanted to use materials we had on the property.  We basically dry stacked urbanite (no mortar), then filled in the center with broken brick pieces and gravel.  Next was the insulation layer.  We used some kiln bricks we had been saving.  Then we filled it all in with sand and leveled off the top.  A batch of cob was mixed up to patch up the cracks around the base. 

There was also some prep to the site before beginning the base...(digging about six inches down, filling in with gravel and some drainage tube/cloth.) 

The workshop started out with laying out the fire bricks, some measuring and sketching....

Not quite complete, she still needs a finish coat of plaster (we're thinking red).  It really is amazing to learn what you can build with the ground under your feet.  We have been truly inspired.  Thanks to all who participated!