Rose Cottage

 In the 70s, my friends in La Leche League and I took turns driving to a nearby farm weekly for grade A+ raw milk, and I began making yogurt with some of mine. Both my hubby and I grew up drinking full fat raw milk, and preferred it to processed milk.  These days, I do better off most dairy, so make my yogurt using tinned Coconut milk, following cardiologist Dr William Davis' recipe. (Here's  the option  using dairy) Coconut milk yogurt Dr Davis wrote this about the L-ruteri strain,  "in adition to causing release of oxytocin from the hypothalamus that leads to effects such as reduced skin wrinkles, increased dermal collagen, acceleration of healing, and increased muscle and bone density, also exerts unique upper gastrointestinal tract colonizing effects.  "This may be important in preventing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, that is now occurring at epidemic proportions in modern people."  Oxytocin is know as the 'bonding' hormone, and p...

 Yesterday I crotched a little Nebaaru-kun amigurumi ❤  Nebaaru-kun and Raku vase  I've been reading 'Cultured, how ancient foods can feed our microbiome,' by Katherine Harmon Courage. Her chapter on bean ferments, including Natto, (popular in Japan) had this sweet bit: 'In Japan, charming characters pop up almost everywhere - on mobile phones, on bags, practically out of the ether. There are countless cute animals, but there is also a cranky egg and a depressed burned roll. 'And the character de résistance: Nebaru-kun, or Little Sticky Boy. ... He is the natto character, meant to represent the dynamic nature of natto!' I found this amigurumi cupcake pattern , which even included a cherry on top, that I adapted for the topknot! In Japan, human in Nebaaru-kun costumes can stretch up/ spring tall, to mimic the sticky natto threads. Nebaaru-kun In process Fermented foods are eaten in cultures around the world, and are often included daily by folks who live lon...

 In the 70s, I feel in love with Anne McCaffrey's writing and her fantasy world Pern, with its telepathic dragons and dragon riders! Who doesn't want a dragon (or more practically), small fire lizard in their corner? Map of Pern And throughout these magical books, two drinks figure prominently, wine from Benden hold, and Klah... ' Aleesa herself served him up a cup of Klah . Pellar nodded and smiled in thanks, cupping his hands gratefully around the warmth. The klah was thin and watered down.' (Dragon's Fire,  p 92) So - what's Klah, and how do I make it?  The mythical Pern is the 3rd planet from its system's star, Rukbat, with a similar climate to the colonists home planet Earth.  As they settle in, they miss their familiar coffee. The early botanists find the bark of a native tree to have stimulant properties, and that it tastes rather like a blend between coffee and cinnamon, so begin using it for their daily brew. Klah, book and recipe A decade or so ag...