Back-to-Basics

9 Ways to Give Vanilla Bean Scraps A New Life

April 24, 2023 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

Don’t toss those precious pods in the compost after scraping out that fragrant black gold — get everything you possibly can out of them!

Maybe you finished up a pastry project that has left you with vanilla pod fragments. Perhaps you have spent vanilla beans from making homemade vanilla extract. Either way, one of these ideas is bound to inspire you to turn something from what’s often considered nothing.

If your pods are coming from a near-empty jar of extract, then yes, the alcohol has extracted everything good from those fragrant orchid beans. However, they’ve been marinating in their own extract which makes them fair game. Don’t let them go to waste!

WATCH THE VIDEO

If you’re more of a visual learner, here is the accompanying video for this post. I’m more active on YouTube these days than I am on here, so be sure to subscribe to my channel if you consider yourself old-fashioned at heart and would like to follow along.

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How to Make Beet Kvass in a Mason Jar

August 30, 2021 by Sylvia Rose 11 Comments

Beet kvass is a fizzy fermented drink. Tangy and traditional, this elixir is flush with health benefits. It’s also easy to make!

If you’ve never had beet kvass before, you’re in for a treat.

Making beet kvass is a simple fermentation project for beginners and only takes a week or two until it’s ready to drink.

It can be ready in less time, too, if you have whey to speed along the fermentation process.

Some people love kvass, others hate it, but there’s only one way to find out which camp you belong in.

Are you an initiate when it comes to this wonderful elixir? Let’s begin.

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Fermented Jalapeño Pickles (better than store-bought!)

September 18, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

These vibrant jalapeño pickles are rich in probiotics, easy to make and pack a mean spicy punch.

FERMENTED JALAPENO PICKLES: THE PERFECT SPICY CONDIMENT

Are you one of those folks who can’t get enough spice in their life?

Or maybe you’re looking for a homemade edible gift idea for someone who NEEDS hot sauce on EVERYTHING?

I’ll tell you one thing: these fermented jalapeño pickles will not disappoint!

Unlike the sodium-heavy pickles that can be found beside the salsa at the grocery store, these are actually good for you.

Pull them out for Taco Tuesday.

Dress up your breakfast eggs.

Add a spicy twist to savoury baked goods, and stick them in sandwiches.

You will want these in your burgers for a little kick that burns oh, so good.

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Hate Grocery Shopping? Stock up the Pantry this Fall!

September 3, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 3 Comments

Do you hate grocery shopping as much as I do these days? Here’s how to preserve the summer harvest this fall. Let’s fill up that larder!

stocking up the pantry with homemade salsa

STOCKING UP THE PANTRY THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

Once upon a time, grocery stores weren’t the primary destination to put a meal on the table.

Soup didn’t come out of a can, a helper didn’t come out of a box, and fast food had to be caught.

Families worked long and hard together to store up enough food to last them through the winter, and the majority of that supply was produced on their own land.

Before the dawn of modern refrigeration, almost every home had a root cellar or some sort of cold room to store their goods.

Potatoes, carrots, cabbages, and other hardy vegetables were carefully packed away.

There were bushels of apples, large crocks of homemade sauerkraut, and cured meats.

In the attic, there might be braids of onions and garlic and herbs hanging to dry for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

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Making and Maintaining a Sourdough Starter (it’s easy!)

June 19, 2020 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

Why bother with store-bought yeast when you have your own sourdough starter in the fridge? Learn how to make and maintain this old-fashioned leavener with only three ingredients: flour, water and time.

SOURDOUGH: A NOURISHING TRADITION

Sourdough first came on my radar when I read through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series as a child.

I would have given almost anything to take a bite out of one of Ma Ingalls’s good sourdough biscuits!

Indeed, sourdough has been around for a long time, much longer than most people would guess.

Did you know that sourdough bread dates back to at least 3700 BC?

While sourdough was shelved away for a while (like a number of other old-fashioned skills and traditions) it is experiencing a resurgence.

When yeast was hard to come by in some areas, sourdough was back in popular demand, and it’s no small wonder why!

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Easy Duck Prosciutto (a nitrate-free recipe)

May 8, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 8 Comments

This easy duck prosciutto recipe will leave you wondering why you haven’t made this before now. Plus, there’s something so satisfying about slicing up charcuterie you cured yourself!

THE PERFECT CURING PROJECT FOR BEGINNERS

Before making this easy duck prosciutto recipe for the first time, I thought curing meat was a complicated process best left to the pros.

Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, the authors of Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, showed me I was wrong.

Their recipe, which is the one I’ll be sharing with you today, calls for three simple ingredients: kosher salt, a duck breast, and white pepper.

Other than that, you’ll need a non-reactive container (like glass), cheesecloth and kitchen string.

Oh, and a bit of time and a cool spot for curing.

You might not want to hear this, but you’ll need a minimum of eight days from start to finish.

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