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I’m excited about Cheeseslave’s giveaway today. Click here for details. She is giving away 3 starter cultures, sourdough, yogurt, kombucha, and more! The drawing will be done on June 29th. Plus there is a chance of being entered up to 11 times! So, go check it out!
I am making homemade buttermilk this week from my raw milk. I let my starter go, so I’m starting over from scratch. I like to keep buttermilk on hand for pancakes, biscuits, etc. Plus it’s a great way to keep from wasting my raw milk. Once it’s cultured, it lasts a long time in the fridge.
You can use store-bought buttermilk as a starter, but I found that it only works well for a handful of times. When I start it from scratch myself, it lasts longer (the culture, that is).
Click on this link to see just how easy it is to make buttermilk at home.
If you need more information, check out this link.
Also, you can use this same method to make sour cream. Once you have a starter, either store-bought or homemade, use it to culture your raw cream. If you want it ultra-thick, you can strain some of the whey out (I use a coffee filter, basket-style).
The benefit of both these products, is that they are live foods, without any added junk. They contain necessary probiotics, and even if you are using the buttermilk to bake with, there is evidence that dead probiotics still benefit us (the heat will kill the probiotics)!
Other articles on live foods that you may enjoy:
We have had problems with gnats every summer for years and years. I don’t know if they come home with the produce from the store or if it’s just a natural occurrence in a humid climate. Whatever the cause, they bug us!
Until last year. Last year I found a natural, safe solution. This is a trap anyone can make with normal things found around the house.
I fill a short juice glass with apple cider vinegar (I don’t use raw for these purposes–too expensive, I just use the generic store brand). Then I just drop a drop of dish liquid onto the surface to break the surface tension. The vinegar attracts the gnats and since the surface tension is broken, they drown.
I keep this glass in my kitchen and refresh it with water as needed or just throw it out and make a new one.
I have tried a small ramekin (6oz.), but it didn’t seem to work. I don’t know if the edge makes a difference, perhaps the gnats had too much area to climb out with. I don’t know. But the juice glass works wonders.
6 oz. Ramekin
Now we no longer have to suffer every summer with annoying gnats!
Tip: It seems to take a couple days to work, so give it time. But after that, you should be gnat-free.
Hope this is helpful. If you have a natural bug repellant tip, please share!
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