Saving The Flavors Of Winter
I have talked in the past about how important it has become to Chad and I to know where our food comes from. I want to know what is in the food I am eating and I want to know the farmers who grew the produce, wheat or dairy. It is a challenge, as distance and growing seasons/zones impact my ability to know all of these things. So, I do my best. If I find products that I know are created by companies that are aligned with our beliefs, I might pay a bit more for those products so I can ensure I’m giving my family the best food possible.
Citrus is one of those food items that we love. Unfortunately, Wisconsin doesn’t have the climate to grow our very favorite citrus - Clementines. The natural acidity of oranges make them the perfect (and one of the easiest) fruit to can. The oranges can be peeled and divided into segments, or the tiny globes of sweetness can be preserved whole! My process is to cold pack the oranges, cover them in a boiling very light syrup and then can in a water bath for 10 minutes. The most tedious part of the process is removing as much of the white pith as possible to avoid any bitterness.
Oranges, lemons, grapefruit are all at peak right now and can be made into amazing marmalades (you know I love jam). We also have some of our of our popular Lemon Curd available in stock, so grab a jar of that! Do not forget the PEELS! The cleaning power of citrus peels is well known. I put the peels into a half gallon mason jar, covered with plain white vinegar and put the jar in the sun for two weeks. After it’s done brewing, I strain it and put it into a spray bottle to be used as a cleaning agent. This can be done with all citrus peels and is a wonderful way to use as much of the fruit as possible, without any added chemicals.
My last blog talked about the beauty of bread and how such simple items, flour, water, salt and yeast work together to make one of the most basic staples in a home. Currently I am embarking on the sourdough journey. It is a process. Honestly it has been a frustrating one at times BUT I stumbled upon another blog that recommended using rye flour in the starter and it has changed the game. I use only two flour products, King Arthur Flour or I mill my own. Many flours are bleached and broken down until they have no resemblance to the amazing grains they came from. King Arthur does not contain any bleach, bromates or artificial preservatives. This means that the bread I make will have a much shorter shelf life, but it also means that I am avoiding all of the things that we do not need to consume. When making bread I most often use bread flour. Bread flour is milled from a hard spring wheat and it has a higher protein content than all purpose flour. This increased protein provides an increased strength to the bread dough, and will give a better rise than all purpose flour. If making cakes, cookies and pastries, it is important to use either a cake flour or all purpose flour, these are made from softer wheat varieties, have a lower gluten content and will give that texture that is so important to baked goods.
Last year my in-laws bought us a Mockmill 300, which is a home flour mill. It has allowed me to mill my own wheat flour. I buy wheat berries from Anarchy Acres, right here in Wisconsin. Anarchy Acres is a family owned business that specializes in heritage wheat varieties that are harvested by hand on an organic farm. Fun fact: they use DONKEYS for harvesting! I purchase wheat berries in bulk, 25 pounds at a time. These tiny grains are remarkable, they will keep for 30 years when stored in a sealed food safe container. I use food grade 5 gallon buckets with screw top lids, add in a couple oxygen absorbers to the bucket and then we are good to go. When milling your own wheat, you are keeping the beautiful nutrients in the flour that are otherwise lost to traditional processing practices. I grind only what I need for a recipe, as the shelf life of freshly ground berries is very limited and can go rancid after two weeks once milled. There is a learning curve to using freshly milled flour, it absorbs A LOT of liquid and requires a bit more kneading when making bread. I make all of my bread by hand, no mechanical kneading so it is a work out. The end product is a more flavorful bread with all of the beautiful nutritional benefits of a true whole wheat flour. Bread also freezes really well, so this weekend I will make several loves of traditional bread and sourdough. They will be allowed to cool and then wrapped really well in plastic wrap and frozen for during the week. Chad and I are on a grilled cheese kick, so having bread on hand for quick dinners works out well. I highly recommend using Muenster cheese for your grilled cheese if you have never done so, it is AMAZING.
On a completely unrelated note, our beekeeper was out this week and the bees are doing great! We have only lost two hives, which is a very good thing. Typical loss in a Wisconsin winter is around 20 percent and we are nowhere near that yet. They have lots of food stores, the hives are well wrapped and they are getting a lot of direct sunlight (when the sun appears) on the colony. I am getting ready to order more seeds for the pollinator pasture. This year I am going to focus on increasing brown eyed susans, coneflowers and daisies, as these are such hardy native species that the bees love. I bring this up because this is often a hard time of year for many, the gray weather… it is tough but as I write this, the promise of spring is only 37 days away!
