Cream of Morel Soup

Fig Preserves with vanilla bean and cognac

Chestnut Bisque

Fig Cognac Vanilla Bean Preserves

Wine Making at Home with Ant

Every year in October since I was a kid I can remember my family made wine. I am continuing this tradition with my children. The process of making white and red wine from grapes to table takes at least two years. Now days the chemistry of making wine has become very involved and complicated and can easily ruin a good batch of wine, but I tend use a more traditional approach the way my Dad makes wine and with a little bit of chemistry and a lot of patience.

  This year we are making chardonnay, malbec and cabernet  franc.Testing the sugar levels with a hydrometer.

The hydrometer is floating in the grape juice to measure the sugar level. It should be about 13% alcohol when the sugar is converted to alcohol.

  The picture shows sterilization of the carboys with potassium metabisulfite, citric acid and water mixture before filling the carboy with maturing wine. The wine goes through a secondary fermentation know as malalactic fermentation. After the first month, the fets (our italian family dialect) settles to the bottom. The wine will be racked meaning the clear wine will be gently syphoned off the top of the batch into a sterilized carboy to set again leaving the fets or sediment pulp behind. Every 6 or more months the wine will be racked again. This process creates a pure clear wine, but in the wine industry the wine would be forced through filters as much as 26 pads deep to create the clear wine. 

  Our wine cellar maintains a temperature of 55 degrees with very little temperature variation through the seasons which is optimal for the maturing wine. Each 5 to 6 gallon carboy has an air lock closure to let co2 escape without oxygen getting in to spoil the wine.

Here is the 2011 wine (Pinot Noir and Merlot). We will begin enjoying this wine during the holidays. 

If you are interested making wine and would like to join us now or next October let us know. 

Chicken of the Woods

!Important! If you aren't sure what it is don't eat it!

But, If you are so lucky as to find this beauty growing on a hardwood tree, enjoy.  Be careful to cut away from the root so you can harvest it next year too. Even my children will eat this right up!

Hen of the Woods

Gently clean or wash

Dip in egg

Bread with your favorite bread crumb mix 

Fry until crispy and golden

The original vegetarian chicken tender. Served with mashed potatoes and white gravy and of course something green.

Man o man this is good!

Fizzy Lifting Drink...

Lacto Fermented Prickly pear soda

This is really the easiest recipe for lacto fermented soda and the way I make all the flavor variations of one gallon of soda.

All you need is the #2:

2 half gallon wide mouth mason jars

2 cups of fruit purée 

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of whey

2 lemons

The rest is filtered water

Fill half gallons with equal parts and set aside for 2 days.

Skim off the foam and discard

Taste test

Bottle in poptop bottles (Ikea) with plenty of headspace

I do use one plastic seltzer bottle that I can squeeze daily to check bottle pressure.

Leave bottled for 3 days.

Then enjoy!