Rose Cottage

  Fermented foods come in many forms, and can offer great support for gut health.  Asian countries have many processes for fermenting beans - in Japan, one of these is Natto. I was intrigued to discover rather than purchasing inoculant, you can use a handful of mint stalks! (The first Natto was likely made using rice stalks.) Natto with avocado and fresh herbs On his ikigai diet youtube channel, health enthsiast Sachiaki Takamiya offers videos with  tips and recipes for making this superfood at home, plus info on healthy lifestyle. Protein levels in fermented beans are often double that in the same beans when simple cooked.  I enjoyed this video , highlighting 4 generations of a family (4-88) evoking good health and daily natto, plus the process and health benefits.  In the Shiga prefecture, it is common for elders to eat soybean natto several times a week, along with seaweed, vegetables and other whole and fermented food. As in the Blue Zone Okinawa, many cont...

 I've been intrigued with homemade concoctions and  Kitchen cosmetics since my teens, and it's fun to watch my granddaughters experimentation with their own formulas!  My mom was sensitive to chemicals and fragrances, so kept her routines simple - she washed her hair with baby shampoo, and used skim milk (from powder) to set her hair in pin curls ! Her mama Mary worked with herbs, so my mom was supportive when I tried recipes from my American Girl magazine (facial stream using mint leaves, facial masks with oatmeal and honey ...)  In my 20s, my botanist hubby and I grew herbs, and with guidance from our books, I steeped nettles, horsetails, lavendar,  Rosemary and chamomile, for hair rinse, made facial masks, and drank herbal tisanes. I learned to identify plants, and harvest nettles, horsetails and wild herbs.  When my son was 8 or 9 and spurred by our mean rooster, we learned about clay for wound care from our friend Kylene - after thorough cleaning, the...

 One of my favorite ways to use my gluten free Sourdough starter is in pancakes / leaf fritters. Another is sourdough raisin rolls! Tasahara Bread Book  is a great source of both tips for beginning your own starter, and lovely bread recipes. These raisin rolls are one of those. I've found that shaping them, & letting them rise  overnight (in the original recipe)  makes for very flat, hard rolls, so I shape them in the morning, let rise ~ 20 min & then bake! They are still a bit flat, but not hard!! Basic Gluten Free Starter :  Combine in glass or ceramic container, cover & let ferment a few days on a counter : 1 C warm water 1-2 tsp sugar 1 C flour (I use sorgham and brown rice) 1 Tbsp dry yeast "You can also begin with some sour food, 2 or 3 day old 'rice, cereal, coconut (!) fruit, veggie or milk & mix with 1/2-1 C flour & sufficient water to make dough spongy. Cover & let sit 3 - 4 days, un-refrigerated" (Tasahara Bread book P. 73) I ...

 And - the new induction cooktop is set into the countertop and hooked up, cabinet and drawerpulls are on! Thank you, builder Jorge and our electrician, Duane - it's looking much more complete!   Kitchen corner I love the clean lines and ease of function.  Drawers are on order for the space to the left of the sink, and I can restock the art cart! Using the induction hob is a learning curve - one of my first efforts was Rhubarb sauce with one stem of rhubarb, a handful of dried apples, some frozen blueberries,  a teaspoon of honey, some cinnamon, mint and a dash of sea salt!  Rhubarb sauce Enjoyed it with coconut milk yogurt on the back porch! This quick and easy recipe came from a gal cooking in the shed on her allotment. With the induction cooker, it's good to prep ingredients before turning the element on! (I did step outside for the mint sprig)  Both the wok and my cast iron frying pans have very soothe surfaces, and I just got some burner mats (saf...