A hand pump is an excellent idea and can be a life saver.
Getting water out of a well, is impossible, unless there is a working pump.
Use it a couple times a week, for it will have what are called leathers in it, has to do with making the water pressure to bring up the water and if they dry out, the pump will not work.
When those that are laughing at you want water, and it will happen one of these days, be sure they do all the pumping.
Soaked Oatmeal: A Filling and Frugal Start to the Day
by KimiHarris on March 5, 2009
ng_soakedoatmeal
By soaking the oatmeal overnight with a dash of lemon juice, not only are you reducing anti-nutrients, but your oatmeal will cook up in minutes in the morning. A true instant oatmeal, done the old fashioned way! We finally found a way to make soaked oatmeal that we can really enjoy by the use of lemon juice, which gives a much more mild taste. We also love to add chia seeds to our oatmeal (easily soaked overnight with the oats). This adds not only omega 3’s, protein and nutrition to our oatmeal, but we love the texture it gives. (I recently ordered some from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have a great price. ).
When I decided to start soaking grains, I quickly decided soaked oatmeal was just not going to happen. It was so sour my husband wouldn’t even eat it. Of course, this was in my dairy days and I was trying to use yogurt and buttermilk. Now that we are dairy free, I decided to give it another go. I tried raw apple cider vinegar at first just because I had it on hand. And, not surprisingly, it had a funny vinegar taste to it. Then, I tried lemon juice. And it worked! It was hardly sour at all! By the time you add ghee (or butter) and some honey and raisins to the bowl, it tastes like a normal bowl of oatmeal.
A quick review, the acidic addition that you can add to your soaked grain include:
Dairy: Buttermilk, yogurt, whey, kefir
Non-Dairy: Lemon juice, vinegar (I also think that a well soured coconut kefir, or even water kefir would could work as well, but I haven’t tried it yet).
I have also added in some spelt or whole wheat flour into my oatmeal. Near the beginning of this blog I recommended Rebuild From Depression’s helpful Phytic Acid E-course. One of the tips she includes is adding a grain high in the phytase enzyme (which neutralizes the anti-nutrient phytic acid) to grains low in phytase-such as corn and oatmeal. She suggests adding in 10 percent whole wheat (or spelt) to your oatmeal. I’ve been experimenting a little, and so far we like having a tablespoon per cup of oatmeal, which isn’t quite 10 percent. Feel free to experiment on your own and see what you like.
Because I couldn’t get soaked oatmeal to taste right for a while, we had taken it completely out of our diet, but now that we are having it again, it’s certainly helping with our food budget! I was able to get a large bag full of organic rolled oats for about four dollars. That four dollars will stretch into many meals for us.
So this will be my nourishing frugal recipe for the carnival which I will be posting late tonight/ early tomorrow morning. I just ordered five pounds of steel cut oats and am eager to try a soaked version of them as well.
Basic Soaked Oatmeal-Serves 4 people
If you are worried about it being too sour, start with one tablespoon of lemon juice. If the chai seeds appearance is not to your liking, you can always grind them in your clean spice/coffee grinder. Lindsay from Passionate Homemaking gave me the idea to use a mason jar for the soaking process.
2 cups of rolled oats (not quick cooking)
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon chia seeds (or flax seeds )
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2-4 tablespoons of wheat or spelt flour
2 cups of water
a dash or two of sea salt
1-12 to 24 hours before hand, place your oats, chai seeds, wheat flour and 2 cups of water in a quart size mason jar or bowl. Mix it all together and cover. If you need to, you can add a bit more water to cover.
2-The next morning, dump into a pot with 2 more cups of water and a dash of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook just a few minutes and it’s done!
3-Serve with your favorite toppings: Honey, maple syrup, butter, palm sugar, ghee, raisins, dried fruit, fruit compotes, nuts, etc. Get creative! Elena and I have recently enjoyed Navitas acai powder mixed in as well. It gives a nice fruity flavor to the oatmeal. Perhaps a berry compote would be a special treat too! We have found that if we put a little ghee and honey on our oatmeal, it gives it an almost caramel like taste. Yummy!
How do you like your oatmeal?
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Nourishing Frugal Recipes Carnival
03.06.09 at 7:41 am
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Emily 03.05.09 at 5:12 pm
this looks delicious!!
i often make an “oatmeal bake”, building off a recipe my dear friend created. i fill a baking dish w/a mix of rolled and steel cut oats, some baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, I melt coconut oil (1/2 c-ish), add applesauce (egg allergies), soy milk (dairy allergies), some agave/maple syrup/molasses (a combo of whatever i have on hand). often i throw in some raisins. Mix the wet and dry, bake at 375 about 45 min, and YUM! (i usually make the night before and pop in the oven when we wake up).
i am going to try soaking my oats … i am new to the “world” of soaking but eager to try and learn. =)
thanks for an amazing blog … i am here often!!
Jessica O. 03.05.09 at 5:17 pm
We like to add honey, coconut flakes & blueberries to ours. Then we pour in a little coconut tonic to each bowl……Very yummy!!!
Jessica O.
Sarah Park 03.05.09 at 5:50 pm
Hmmm, I have never tried using lemon juice! Soaking oatmeal is really the one grain-soaking thing that I have successfully absorbed into my routine. I use yogurt, and it does make it a bit sour… I guess we compensate with a *fair* amount of maple syrup. Lately I’ve been experimenting with a crockpot version: soaking the oats in warm water + yogurt, directly in the crockpot, the afternoon before. Then before going to bed, I add raw milk, a cinnamon stick, and a can of peaches in juice. I added butter and syrup in the morning. The taste was great, and we loved having it ready to go, immediately. But it was lacking any texture - very mushy. I’m going to try it with sliced fresh apples, to avoid the canned thing. Or maybe raisins.
Just one question - the tablespoon of wheat - is that the whole grain or is that ground as flour? Would it be okay to put the whole, unground grain in?
Alchemille 03.05.09 at 6:08 pm
I’m gluten free but oats (depending on the suppliers and the quality of the oats), I can have either way. The problem with gluten free oats (avena nuda aka naked/hulless oats) is that they can be much bitter even if they are more nutritious than regular oats (avena sativa).
I’ve tried the soaking method…I’ve had the best results with apple cider vinegar though I really have to determine the dosage because they can turn the oats quite sour. They start smelling fermented after a few minutes…
I have a question though: do you think this method would work with other cracked/rolled grains such as rice, millet, buckwheat…?
Thanks ;).
Elizabeth 03.05.09 at 6:08 pm
Hmmm, maybe I’m soaking my oatmeal wrong (I use yogurt, myself) but I actually think it’s absolutely delicious soaked! I really cannot stand to eat them any other way. I’m not a purist about it, just put about 2 cups of oatmeal and a goodly amount of water, along with a big dollop of yogurt, in a pot after I clean up from dinner. Then the next morning, just add some more water to thin it out, bring it to a low boil for a minute or so, then serve with butter or coconut oil, Grade B maple syrup, and some milk.
Heather 03.05.09 at 6:15 pm
I was wondering if you should soak steel cut oats similarly to rolled oats?
DessertObsessed 03.05.09 at 6:22 pm
i love my oatmeal soaked overnight! it makes it all chewy and so yummy the next morning! love it
Meg 03.05.09 at 6:25 pm
Soaking steel cut oats was the first grain fermentation I tried as well. It’s so easy to do! Fortunately we don’t have any dairy problems in our family so I soak overnight with about a cup of hot water (per 1/4 c of oatmeal) and a tablespoon of whey.
I love it with cinnamon and raisins sprinkled on top or a sliced strawberry or two!
KimiHarris 03.05.09 at 6:25 pm
Emily,
Yum, Sounds good! Kelly recently posted a recipe for a baked soaked oatmeal, but it isn’t dairy free. http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/03/healthy-breakfast-recipe-from-sue-baked-soaked-oatmeal.html Maybe sometime I will play around with creating a dairy free version!
Jessica,
Yum, blueberries, coconut and coconut milk would be great! Thanks for the idea!
Sarah,
I think that soaked oats generally are a bit more mushy then unsoaked, so it might not just be the crockpot! :-) The problem with using wheat berries instead of flour is that it wouldn’t cook very quickly (unlike the oats, which will cook up very quickly). Hope that helps!
Katie 03.05.09 at 6:33 pm
Greta and I like to eat soaked oatmeal for breakfast. I use yogurt to soak the rolled oats in overnight; the slightly sour taste has actually been what has helped me to enjoy eating oatmeal! My family rolls their oats fresh and brings me some whenever I need it; I think the freshly rolled oats taste wonderful. I add ground flax seeds when I have it, and we sweeten with a bit of pure maple syrup. It’s the perfect breakfast food: nourishing and inexpensive.
I thoroughly enjoy your blog. Each post is inspiring to me! Thank you.
Kaylin 03.05.09 at 7:27 pm
Soaking oats is soooo easy! I strain yogurt and use the whey and it isn’t sour at all. I always add butter and honey or palm sugar while it’s in the pot so my children don’t have the freedom to sweeten as much as they want :-). I don’t have to add much sweetener since the salt enhances the flavor. My older son loves it when I add frozen blueberries and strawberries, but my younger son is still working on liking fruit and veggies. They get so excited when we have oatmeal for breakfast!
Holly S. 03.05.09 at 7:59 pm
One of my favorite food combos of all time is oatmeal and peanut butter. I eat it about every other day for breakfast during the week and sometimes for a snack or even dinner. Usually, I soak oats overnight, like you Kimi, then cook with some cloves or cardamom seeds, sprinkle with cinnamon, raw honey or maple syrup or molasses, and top with organic peanut butter. It is filling and yummy!!
Kendra 03.05.09 at 10:36 pm
We also always use steel cut oats. They are Never mushy and are oh so yummy chewy. That said, I don’t like to use the lemon juice, but do like to use whole milk organic plain yogurt and it tastes so creamy. Dairy Kefir has also worked for me. But I like the taste of kefir and yogurt just mildly sweetened, so it may just be my preference.
Kelly 03.06.09 at 4:30 am
We made this today and it’s fantastic. The husband was impressed with how fast it cooked up. But what is the reason behind soaking the oatmeal? I have the Nourishing Traditions book and I am sure she says in there. I just haven’t cracked it open yet.
Kelly 03.06.09 at 4:43 am
Nevermind - I found your other posts on this topic! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Rachael 03.06.09 at 5:43 am
I soak my steel-cut oats for 24 hours with lemon. It think it makes the end product have a creamier texture! I like to add organic peanut butter and honey to my oatmeal in the morning! I usually make five servings worth at a time and just keep it in the fridge and heat it up all week as needed.
Sherie 03.06.09 at 6:45 am
I am REALLY new to this blog so I have a newbie question - why can’t you just soak the oats in water overnight - what is the significance of the lemon / yogurt / whey?
Stacey 03.06.09 at 7:33 am
This was very good! I soaked some steel-cut oats last night after I saw this (I added a little more water, since they seem to soak up more than rolled oats would) and used the spelt flour and chia seed options. I dressed it up with raisins and muscovado sugar, and it was yummy!
Dana 03.06.09 at 7:38 am
I have been making soaked oatmeal for a few weeks now- I am very new to soaking grains. My kids enjoy it very much, but I have to make my husbands separate in the morning- unsoaked. He is VERY picky. But he does like the soaked bread recipe from passionatehomemaking blog.
Back to the oatmeal- my kids love the applecider vinegar soaked oatmeal- they say it tastes like when I used to buy the instant apple flavored oatmeal in the packets- so glad I don’t buy that anymore but glad my kids like it.
I have rinsed off the oatmeal a few times if it smell too strongly of either yogurt-which I sometimes use or the apple cider vinegar- I thought it was better to save the batch than have noone eat it- and with 4 kids its a large batch. Do you know why rinsing can’t be part of making it? Are nutrients washed away?( btw not a lot of rinsing just a pitcherful of purified water) I thought most of the nutrition is actually within the grain but I really don’t know. Anyone have any input- it really makes for a lucious oatmeal if your sensivive to “sour”.
Thanks!
Jill 03.06.09 at 8:02 am
I tried this with whole oat berries and it worked great too. I used lemon and rinsed it off before cooking. I still had to cook it for about 30 minutes but that is about half the normal time. I put a mashed banana through it just before serving and topped it with cashew nut cream. The kids and I loved it. Thanks!
Mary Ellen 03.06.09 at 8:17 am
Thank you for this! I’m just beginning my journey into this way of eating. I’m still trying to absorb all this wonderful information on your blog and a few others. I’m going to give soaking oatmeal a try since we eat it practically every morning!
KimiHarris 03.06.09 at 8:30 am
Hey Everyone,
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and ideas. It’s been so helpful. For those who said that they’ve had good results with yogurt, thanks! That’s helpful for our dairy people to know. :-) Looking back, I think that the brand of yogurt I tried was perhaps a very sour one. I am sure that didn’t make my own experience good.
Here’s a few Q & A
1-Why does it have to have the acidic addition?
The anti-nutrients in the grain are neutralized best when it’s slightly acidic.
2-Can you rinse the grains or oatmeal?
I have before! I don’t think that you will loose too many nutrients this way, but you may lose some of the texture. I do find, by the way, that even my picky husband likes the lemon juice soaked oatmeal, when he wouldn’t eat it the other ways.
debbie 03.06.09 at 8:40 am
I use whole oat groats. With my VitaMix, I steel cut 1 cup. Then I mix with 2 Tbls raisins, 2 cups filtered water plus 2 Tbls whey (not diary-free), and soak 24 hours (in reality probably more like 22). The next morning I place them on the stove over medium heat with 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp coconut cream. Cook while stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes and it’s done. My 2 yr old son and I eat them just like that… delicious and no added sugar.
Carolyn 03.06.09 at 8:43 am
This sounds yummy. Is there a flour high in phytic acid that is gluten free?
Thanks!
Carolyn
Holly S. 03.06.09 at 8:57 am
Question– I am wondering if it is important to also soak beans/legumes with something acidic the same way you to with grains? I soaked some chickpeas last night with a bit of apple cider vinegar and they seemed to cook pretty quickly (I need them tonight so I did not have time to sprout like I normally do).
Alchemille 03.06.09 at 10:49 am
I follow you on the question regarding legumes and acidity in soaking water…I’m starting to cook more beans and lentils because 1/I’m trying to stay away for canned ones (even though they are practical) and 2/I can’t find all the varieties I’m interested in, especially heirlooms.
My previous question way above was “Do you soak whole/flaked/cracked gluten free grains as well?” and “Is acidity required as well?” (I like oats but I don’t like having the same thing for breakfast everyday).
Thanks ;).
KimiHarris 03.06.09 at 11:00 am
Two more Q & A’s:
Soaking beans. To get a full answer, check out this post from Weston A Price Foundation. http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/cooking-legumes.html
I don’t always use an acidic addition simply because I am afraid of it making the beans tough (it’s happened once or twice). Still experimenting there!
Gluten free Grains and Flours: Yes, most of them have at least some phytic acid. Rice and millet are low in phytic acid, though they definitely benefit still from a soaking period. Take teff for example. It is traditionally used to make a teff bread that it soaked for three days!
Hope that helps! Thanks for the great questions.
Noelle 03.06.09 at 11:19 am
I’ll definitely try this one. I’ve been using a little kefir and it’s just too tart for some of my kids’ taste.
Karen T. 03.06.09 at 12:53 pm
We do “breakfast for dinner” every Wednesday. Last semester it was eggs & toast. This semester it has been oatmeal. I make “pumpkin pie oatmeal”…which has pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice plus the regular oatmeal stand-bys. We’ll never eat it another way again!
Rosy 03.07.09 at 11:46 am
Try soaking it with a vanilla bean one time. That is some good stuff. Add a little cinnamin, and that is the best oatmeal ever. I can’t buy vanilla beans all the time, and extract isn’t as nice.
Jen 03.07.09 at 2:06 pm
The best oatmeal takes less than 5 minutes. You just pulse rolled oats in a spice/coffee grinder until powdered. Add to water (1 part oatmeal : 2 parts water) with a little salt and bring to a boil. Stir for a minute or so until thickened.
Voila, perfect oatmeal, no soaking or lemon juice required.
KimiHarris 03.07.09 at 5:17 pm
Hi Jen,
Sounds good! The only thing is that the reason that I soak my oatmeal isn’t simply because it takes a shorter amount of time to cook (though that is a plus!). But rather it is because of the nutritional advantages of soaking. :-)
D 03.07.09 at 11:09 pm
I got this cooking method for steel-cut oats from a magazine:
1 cup steel-cut oats
4 cups water
Combine oats and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and put a lid to cover. Let sit overnight or you can let sit for about 5 hours. Next moring or 5 hours later, bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and it is done! You can sweetened to taste, if desired.
I then let it cool completely and portion it into serving-size containers or you can eat it right away. In the morning, I put one serving-size portion into a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. I add sliced bananas, toasted unsweetened coconut and/or toasted nuts and eat it with soy milk. Very delicious and satisfying.
kellyne 03.08.09 at 5:39 am
MMMMM! I soaked whole oat groats, used coconut milk to cook them in and added tiny slices of banana so that it got a nice whipped texture (suggestion of Kath Eats Real Food Blog who has a never ending list of suggestions for making truly scrumptious oatmeal that you can modify as needed). Then added a pinch of salt…this was a like my favorite Thai dessert. So good! Not to mention nutritious, filling and frugal…thanks for reminding me that oatmeal is out there Kimi!
Chiot’s Run 03.08.09 at 8:48 am
I prefer oat groats, we soak them overnight with a little apple cider vinegar. YUM YUM. We also cook a week’s worth in a big pot and warm it up each morning. We usually add flax, raisins, crystalized ginger, cinnamon, coconut milk & some nuts the next morning after we warm it.
Suzy 03.08.09 at 4:02 pm
The way I have been making my oatmeal on my busy mornings is as follows:
I bring a 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup whole milk to a boil (I realized that cooking the oatmeal in some milk makes it taste much more flavorful and less watery), then add 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats and a sprinkle of sea salt. I then cook it for about 5 minutes until it looks creamy. Then I add a couple of good dashes of cinnamon (it adds so much good flavor), a 1/2 tablespoon of raw honey, and some organic raisins and chopped raw walnuts. Then I add a little bit more whole milk too cool it down. It’s delicious!
Sometimes I like to substitute the walnut and raisins with dried cranberries and sliced almonds. It tastes really good too.
I’ve also heard of banana-peanut butter oatmeal, but I haven’t tried it yet. It sounds really good though! You just add a spoon of creamy peanut butter and sliced banana into your ready oatmeal. I have to try this soon!
If your a chocolate lover, try adding some cocoa powder to your oatmeal when it’s done. My friend (who’s a chocoholic) loves her oatmeal this way.
Tonight I’m going to take out my steel-cut oats that have been hiding in the back of my cupboard (because I rarely have the time to wait 30 minutes for it to cook) and soak them for tomorrow! I’m really excited to try it out. =)
Thanks for another wonderful post!
carole 03.09.09 at 9:58 am
Bear with me, I just found this site last night after hearing about “soaking” on another blog. I grind our flour at home in our vita-mix. All this time, I’ve been doing this (and adding in flax seed to increase the nutritional value). From what I understand after all these posts, we have been missing out on a lot of nutrients??
So in order to make pancakes or waffles, which we LOVE, I should grind the wheat the night before and let it soak in lemon water and then use that mixture as the flour in the recipe???
Someone please help- I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start- did I mention that my hubby eats oats everyday for breakfast? So that’s part 2…..help???
Cook 4 Seasons 03.09.09 at 11:06 am
Love this dialog! I’ve been soaking my grains for years, but never oats , I guess because I felt they would be too mushy by morning. Not so! They are just heavenly - and with so many flavor choices, depending on my mood: chocolate, coconut, almond, vanilla, hazelnut. And speaking of mood - sometimes I sprinkle a bit of maca powder on top. I might even try something green for St. Patty’s Day:)
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http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/03/nourishing-frugal-recipe-carnival-2.html
Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home 03.06.09 at 4:39 am
http://www.heaveninthehome.com/2009/03/06/nourishing-frugal-recipes-carnival-sprouted-mexican-rice-and-raw-hummus/
Dawn 03.06.09 at 11:39 am
I have so enjoyed your blog, so I’m happy to share this tasty main dish that costs less than 50 cents per serving, is kid-friendly and freezes well. It is good with or without meat. I’m still experimenting with soaking the lentils, which reduces the cooking time, so use your judgment. Unsoaked cooking times are given in parentheses:
Lentil Chili (inspired by Mollie Katzen)
serves 8+ as main dish
4 c. (~1.5 lbs.) pardina lentils (I use Goya)
10 c. water, divided
28 oz. can diced tomatoes or 3-4 fresh, chopped (skin OK)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic (I used jarred)
2 c. chopped yellow onion
2 tsp. sea salt
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or cider vinegar)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste (not spicy at this level)
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar or parmesan, fresh parsely, cilantro or basil
Optional meat: leftover brats or homemade ground sausage
Important: Simmer this slowly, or it will cook too quickly and turn to mush. Leftovers get softer and thicker as the excess liquid is absorbed.
Clean lentils, cover generously with water and soak for about seven hours with a splash of kefir, whey or lemon juice. Rinse lentils and place in 8 qt. soup pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer for about 20 min. (unsoaked 30 min.) Chop onions. Add tomatoes, cumin, paprika, thyme, garlic, onions and optional meat. Stir, mostly cover and simmer for about 15 min. (unsoaked 30 min.) Add water as needed to prevent dryness. Add sea salt and tomato paste. Stir and continue to simmer slowly, partially covered, until tomato paste is blended in, about 10 min. (unsoaked 10 min.) Stir in the vinegar, black pepper and cayenne pepper, adjusting to taste. Serve hot and garnish with toppings if desired.
Ranee @ Arabian Knits 03.06.09 at 12:38 pm
This isn’t related to the carnival, but a question about your rss feed. I have had you on my bloglines, and haven’t been able to see your posts on bloglines for almost two months, since January 8th. Do you know if it is a bloglines thing or a feed thing? Thank you!
Rosy 03.06.09 at 2:37 pm
Warm Spinach salad 2-4 people
1-2 bunch spinach leaves, or other greens.
2-4 slices of bacon
1 tsp Dijon mustard, organic is better
1 boiled egg per person
1 small onion or 1/2 large
1/8 to 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, organic unfiltered
1/8 cup water
1 tbsp honey
salt to taste
Fry bacon unit crisp. Crumble and set aside. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, and save rest for your morning eggs. Boil your eggs, I like bring the pot to a rolling boil, and then cover and turn off heat. I let it sit for 15 min. This keeps the yolks from getting tough. Saute onions in bacon grease until desired done-ness. Add water, vinegar, and honey to pan and mix together. Add cleaned greens and wilt. Make sure you cover the greens with the vinegar mixture. Add bacon and salt to taste. Slice eggs and serve on top of greens. Yummy! Cheap! and Easy! We have buttered bread with this.
Kristen 03.06.09 at 7:10 pm
Split pea and Barley Soup
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup split peas
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
Saute carrots, onions and celery in butter until softened. Add chicken stock, split peas, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for 2 hours. After two hours add one cup of water and pearled barley. Return to a boil, cover and then reduce to a simmer again for two or more hours until barley is cooked and split peas are fully softened. If soup is too thick, add more water or stock.
Heidi M. 03.07.09 at 5:50 pm
Kimi,
You don’t need to publish this comment; I would have written you an email but I couldn’t find a place where you have made the address available.
About a month ago I commented asking if you knew about nixtamalization with corn, and you graciously responded with the intent to give a full answer in your next Q&A post. Could you give me a rough idea of when that might be? I know you have lots to do, so I don’t want to pressure you or anything–I for one am grateful for your example of clearly making your family a high priority–but I thought I mention my request just in case it fell through the cracks. :)
Thank you for working diligently to serve the Lord.
Heidi
Carolyn 03.07.09 at 7:34 pm
I love what you’re doing with your blog! I have to participate in the next Carnival.
I wanted to let you know that I selected you for a Kreativ Blogger award. I recently won the award, and the deal is to pass it forward to 10 bloggers. I wanted to include a few new people, and I found you from Hip Organic Mama’s site.
Congratulations!
Rosy 03.08.09 at 9:51 am
nixtamalization is when you cook corn with wood ash. It acts much the same way as soaking for grains. If you have ever had real Homminy that is what this is. It is still traditionaly done in Mexico. Although this isn’t the only place this process was used. It was well known all over north and south America by the people who grew and ate corn.
There is a section about it in Wild Fermentation by Sandour Katz ( I think I spelled that right.) It also has instructions on how to do this at home.
The basic idea is to cook the corn in water and wood ash unitl the skin will come off the kernels. This is much more easy to digest, and won’t cause B3 difficency.
Loree 03.08.09 at 11:36 am
Believe it or not, but potatos and cheese make a complete protien - maybe that is why there are so many different potato and cheese dishes in Europe (where we live). These meals are quite frugal as well! Our favorite in Luxembourg is Potatos Gratin. Or, even more simply: when in a rush I just boil peeled / washed cubes of potatos in leftover hommade chicken broth and then eat topped with a nice soft raw french cheese - or any nice cheese will do, hard or soft, parmesean is good as well. We are always experimenting with different cheeses and then top off with a sprinkle of parsely. Or just use yogurt instead of cheese (like sour cream) or creme fraiche……
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2205903/posts?page=48
Madness, from D.C. to Denver (NOW, we can take over Agriculture - or at least TAX IT TO DEATH)
summit daily ^ | March 10 | Liddick
Posted on Friday, March 13, 2009 9:15:06 AM by jessduntno
Have we all suddenly gone mad? Have our wits suddenly deserted us? Has common sense been completely routed from our lives? The indications are not good.
In a little-noticed verdict last week, a U.S. District Court of Appeals has decided that the Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to act against farmers who endanger public health by kicking up dust in the course of their business. Expect anti-dust regulations and fines to follow.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Risk Assessment
March 9, 2009
by Christopher Bellavita
‘The legitimate object of government,’ Abraham Lincoln wrote, ‘is to do for a community of people what they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves — in their separate and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere.’
The Lincoln quote comes at the end of an article by Robert Charatte called ‘On The Lookout.’ The tease for the article in the March issue of Government Executive reads ‘If government’s job is to protect the people, it must begin to manage risk — before disaster strikes.’
Historically, managing risk replaced relying on luck as a decision making tool. Charatte’s article does not define what risk is. Perhaps because there are dozens of definitions. Perhaps because managing risk is built into the evolutionary template of people who swim the human gene pool. Being alive means you understand something fundamental about risk management.
Risk is ‘generally understood’ (that phrase has no empirical referent) to mean the probability of something happening (usually something negative) and the consequences if it does. In homeland security, risk often shows up on a powerpoint slide as a function of threat, vulnerability and consequence. www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/dhs_risk_lexicon.pdf
The DHS risk lexicon — an effort to standardize language — has one definition of risk: ‘potential for an unwanted outcome resulting from an incident, event, or occurrence, as determined by its likelihood and the associated consequences.’ The lexicon also offers what it calls an extended definition: ‘potential for an adverse outcome assessed as a function of threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences associated with an incident, event, or occurrence.’
How is homeland security, writ large, doing on the risk management front? Is anyone in the enterprise explicitly managing risk in a way intended by the various risk management theories? Are there any exemplars in the homeland security environment that can be used to educate others about how to do — not just advocate — this activity that is supposed to be a foundation of national domestic strategy?
Obama’s homeland security agenda calls for allocating ‘our precious homeland security dollars according to risk….’ The Bush Administration wanted to do the same thing. Really smart people have worked for years on this goal. How are we doing? What’s getting in the way of turning risk management into a routine activity? Maybe — like target capabilities and universal tasks — risk management in homeland security is in the too hard to do honestly category. We know in general what the strategic threats are to the homeland. But we do not know what they are with enough specificity to allow cities and states to allocate resources with anything approaching precision. As a GAO analysis discovered, vulnerability contributes little to risk management. Everything is vulnerable. And we still do not know the full consequences of September 11, 2001, let alone the potential results of future attacks.
Perhaps paying unquestioned homage to risk management in homeland security is the 21st century analog to interpreting chicken bones. It may allow us to continue to worship the rationality gods. It is unlikely to prepare us for the next Black Swan. Lincoln might have suggested we try something else.
Source: http://www.hlswatch.com/2009/03/09/risk-management-and-c hicken-bones/
http://tryingtraditional.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/frugal-meal-ideas/
The Nourishing Gourmet is having a carnival and I’m playing along. Who couldn’t use more wholesome meal ideas. Today the focus is on main dishes and here’s what I’ve got. Some simple, some not so simple, but all of them will not break your bank, a couple focus on using up leftovers in the fridge, many use the crockpot, and all of them are tasty and repeats in our house. A word on the crockpot. It gets used weekly in our house. There is always a day that seems to be so busy that I know I won’t be able to prepare proper meals and the crockpot seems to be the way I cope with that. I’ll start off with my crock pot recipes as I don’t have to go find the recipe. They are my tried and true, in my head favorites!
Beef Roast in a Crockpot
Place one to two onions, wedged, in the bottom of pot. Add an inch of broth. Lay roast on top of onions and put some pepper and garlic on the meat. Add a sprig or two of herbs if you have them and then a layer of carrotson top. High for 4-6 hours, low for 6-8 and you have a tender, juicy roast. I try to make as large a roast as my pot will offer and use the leftovers in soup, tostadas, rice dishes, sandwiches, or whatever seems to float your boat will work.
Chicken in a Crockpot
Many of you may already do this recipe, but honestly it is my favorite way to cook a chicken, I’m not sure where I figured out how to do it, and it needs to be shared!
Place one or two onions, wedged, into the bottom of a crockpot. Place whole chicken on top and rub bird with garlic (2-3 cloves), pepper (4 cranks on my mill), and a pat of butter. Sprinkle with a dash of cayenne and cover. Cook until well done and tender (low for 6-8 hours depending on your pot.) The smell of this cooking will make you hungry so plan accordingly!
Salsa Chicken-remember that jar of salsa that’s fermented to a tang you just aren’t fond of
in a glass dish combine chicken pieces (2-3 pounds) with a jar of salsa. Let marinate overnight and then put into crockpot in the morning. Cook on low until meat is fork tender (about 6-8 hours.) Eat as is and shred the leftover’s for tacos or rice dishes.
Fried Rice-this is a great way to use up leftover meats and veggies
Chop one onion and place in wok or large skillet with a bit of oil and some garlic, sautee until soft. Scramble four eggs in same skillet/wok with onions pushed off to side. Add in your vegetables and meat (up to 2 cups each), stir until warmed through. Add 4-5 cups cooked rice, stir well. Pour 3 tablespoons of good soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce over the mix and your done.
Crustless Quiche
one onion, chopped
tablespoon of oil
leftover meat if you have it, 1 cup (turkey is a favorite around here as is sausage)
10 ounces or so of spinach, thawed and squeezed
5 eggs, beaten
seasoning (I use salt, pepper, dry mustard, and cayenne)
2 cups of cheese (monterey jack is good, so is co-jack, so is muenster)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or quiche dish.
Sautee onion in oil, add in meat and then spinach. Cook until excess moisture evaporates, allow to cool some.
Mix seasonings, cheese, and eggs in a large bowl, stir in spinach mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Cabbage Roll Casserole
brown 1 lb of ground beef in a skillet, add a chopped onion at end and let them soften in hot meat while you finely chop one head of cabbage and add into the mix. Stir together 2 cups of beef broth, 2 small cans of tomato sauce, a cup of rice, and seasoningsto taste (we did salt and some herbs such as basil, thyme, and chives.) Mix all of this together, put in a 9×13 pan and bake for 50 min covered and then 20-30 min uncovered at 350. I topped ours off with a sprinkle of raw milk havarti cheese. Even the wee ones ate it!
My Favorite Fish-mild and good
Pieces of a mild fish (we like tilapia)
lemon juice
water
pepper
Heat up a griddle on your stove-top, med-hi. You’ll need a lid that can withstand heat (I use the lid to my big skillet)
Place as many pieces of fish that will fit under the lid, but still have some space between them, onto your griddle. Pepper them, drizzle with lemon juice, and cover with lid (the lemon juice will sizzle and steam) Occasionally lift the lid and put some water on the griddle and re-cover quickly to encourage fish to steam. Flip and repeat with pepper and lemon juice and then water until fish is cooked. If you like things lemony use less water and more lemon. This doesnt’ take long, so have other parts of the meal ready first.
Well, that is seven and my fingers are tired of typing. Follow link to find more recipes by other bloggers!
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/07/nourishing-frugal-food-carnival-2.html
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/09/frugal-and-nourishing-grain-buying-tips.html
Kimi Harris 09.05.08 at 2:08 pm
My Year Without,
My preferred method of grinding grains without a grinder is Sue Gregg’s method of using your blender with some of the wet ingredients. This only works for certain recipes, like muffins, quick breads, pancakes, waffles. But it works well! We used to use that method even though we owned a grinder. Her cookbooks were written in the low fat era of health food, and she didn’t soak her grains. But she has recently revised her recipes to include a soaking method. I would check out her website and try some of her free recipes out, and see how it works for you! http://www.suegregg.com/teaching/WholeFoodsCookingLessons.htm
Just click on the pictures to go to the recipe. If you like it, you could certainly adapt your own recipes to that method.
You can also use a small coffee blender for small amounts, but it would take along time for large amounts. My friend has a larger coffee grinder, and she told me that she has had really good results grinding flour in it from whole grain. :-)
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Frugal and Nourishing: Grain Buying Tips
by KimiHarris on September 4, 2008
Hard Red Wheat
I am working right now in lowering my food budget. Not always an easy thing when you have high standards for your food quality and food prices rising. So I try to keep an eye out for good deals on organic grains. One of the biggest ways I save on grain is by buying in bulk. I am able to buy wheat berries in 25-50 pound bags for half the price it costs in the bulk section at my health food store. That adds up to big savings!
But recently, I have been able to buy some organic grains in bulk for much cheaper than hard wheat berries, which saved me a considerable amount of money. I thought I would share what I have found and hopefully pass long some of the savings to you as well!
(Note: I do grind my own grains, but that doesn’t mean those without a grinder can’t benefit from these prices as well. Some of the grains can be used whole in many dishes. But you can also use Sue Gregg’s method of grinding your grains in a blender for muffins, pancakes, etc).
Soft Wheat Berries
I order many of my grains through Azurestandared.com. I am close enough to one of their drop points that I don’t have to pay shipping, but they now do offer UPS shipping. If you can’t find something local, you can try to figure out how much shipping would cost, because with these prices, it still may save you a pretty penny.
As I was getting my order together this last time, I noticed that their organic soft wheat berries were significantly cheaper than their organic hard wheat berries. The hard wheat berries were a little over thirty eight dollars for 50 pounds, while the soft wheat berries only cost a little over 24 dollars! That’s a significantly savings for me! I did buy 25 pounds of organic hard wheat from a local mill, but I bought 50 pounds of the soft wheat from Azure. The hard wheat will be used to make homemade bread (you need the protein and higher gluten content for bread making), while the soft wheat will make much better, softer, sourdough pancakes, quick breads, Irish Soda Bread, and muffins. I love that I get to save money using a better flour for these projects!
Hulled Barley
I also noticed that their organic hulled barley is a great deal right now! It’s only $11.40 for 25 pounds. My husband has always told me that he liked barley, so he has been greatly enjoying having it recently. I have been experimenting with grinding some to add to my whole wheat bread ( it adds a nice sweetness), putting it in soups ( a favorite), and making a barley and white bean salad (very good!). I have also found that it tastes wonderful just cooked up whole and served with some maple syrup for a snack or breakfast. By the way, don’t get the pearled variety of barley, because it has had some of the nutritional outer layer taken off of the grain.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat, while not as popular in my family as the barley, is also a nice, highly nutritious grain for a good price from Azure. It is also gluten free for those who need gluten free options. It’s only $3.35 for 5 pounds, $16 for 25 pounds, and $25.60 for 50 pounds of organic buckwheat. Although I haven’t experimented as much with Buckwheat, we have found several recipes that we really enjoy. We have greatly enjoyed simple Russian Kasha made from Buckwheat and We also like buckwheat crepes.
(Buckwheat, by the way, is not related to wheat)
Other Tips
Another great grain to look out for is millet. It is often at a great price (although not super cheap right now fromAzure). It is fairly easy to find non-organic sources for millet for around 60 cents a pound, or less. It can be used for part of the flour in quick breads and muffins, etc and adds a nice light texture. We have also enjoyed it in whole form in many dishes.
Most of all, I would just keep a watch on prices. You may be surprised at some great deals you find. Don’t get stuck in thinking prices stay the same, because they do change. Try to buy grains that are cheaper at the time you are buying. It’s also fun because you get to experiment with different grains. I wouldn’t have bought the barley, except that it was so inexpensive. But we enjoy it so much, I think it’s going to become a mainstay!
This Post is part of Frugal Friday!
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/02/sprouting-brown-lentils.html
Sprouting Brown Lentils
by KimiHarris on February 2, 2009
ng_lentilsprouts2
It sounds like I have some fellow sprout enthusiasts from my last post, Why Sprout. Great! I am so glad since I do plan on sharing my sprouting adventures and the recipes I create along the way. I also will be sharing some other easy (and frugal) methods for sprouting and some resource options as well.
Meanwhile, I wanted to share a few pictures and explain the basics of how I sprouted my brown lentils (with a recipe using them soon to follow). Lentils are extremely easy to sprout, so they are a great choice for first timers.
Directions for Sprouting Brown Lentils (Using a Mason Jar and Screen Insert)
Basic Directions: Soak lentils 8-12 hours in ample water. Rinse and drain thoroughly after the initial soaking period. Every 8-12 hours after wards, rinse and drain until lentils sprout. Most people enjoy lentils sprouted small.
Detailed Directions:
(You can also start soaking in the morning, and then start the rinse and drain process that evening. You can buy a screen insert at Mountain Rose Herbs for a very good price).
In the evening, put two cups of brown lentils in a half gallon mason jar. Fill completely with water, and screw on the screen insert. Leave out on the counter overnight.
In the morning, you will find that the lentils will have swollen considerably.
ng_sproutinglentils1
Drain through the screen into your sink.
Rinse very well with water (I use purified water) once again through the screen. You want the water to drain clear. Drain well over the sink, and then put screen side down in a bowl, or other container which allows the glass jar to remain at an angle. This allows the lentils to continue to drain with good air circulation.
That evening rinse and drain again.
The next morning, you may start to see sprouts, like I did.
ng_lentilsprouts2 You can stop at this point (many people like legumes sprouted just a little bit, as they taste sweetest then, but it’s a personal preference call). If you don’t see any sprouts yet, rinse and drain again and check again in the evening.
I decided to go ahead and sprout a bit longer, and on the third morning, my sprouts looked like this.
ng_sproutinglentils3
I did not rinse again, as that will make them too wet to store well. Instead, I simply made sure they were dry to the touch and took out the screen and replaced it with the normal jar lid. This was then placed in the fridge. Feel free to experiment, if you like, by sprouting even longer. You can even eventually get your lentils to grow tiny leaves (this takes about a week). Though you will probably be happiest with a very small sprout, about 1/4 inch long.
These can now be steamed and enjoyed on salads, cooked in soups or casseroles etc. Stay tuned for a recipe idea using sprouted lentils!
This post is part of Kitchen Tip Tuesday!