Have I ever mentioned how much I love to grow things? I do. I love it. Always have. Doesn't matter what it is - animals, plants, babies, food, anything living. I've always had a fascination with anything living and changing. 'Indoor gardening' has fit in with that fascination quite well.
Here's what I have going at the moment. From left to right.
A half gallon of raw goat milk. This milk went straight from goat to cheese. No refrigeration, no heating. Just bring it home warm and add the mesophilic culture and rennet. Sits out until it has formed almost like jello, then I strain it through cheesecloth to separate the whey from the cheese. It's really good and similar to cream cheese. Fresh raw cheese!
The next half gallon jar is kombucha. I've had this mother culture since last summer. Over the winter I let it go months and months and ended up with a kombucha vinegar - which I really liked to use in dressings and as a soaking medium. I didn't like the taste of kombucha so letting it turn to vinegar worked well for me. Well, recently I decided to try it again and have found I like it better! So I've been brewing it once a week and drinking a small glass every day.
The jar next to it is a second fermentation of water kefir. I added a juiced orange (along with the pulp) and some fresh ginger pieces. I've been playing around with different flavors and this one smells pretty good! I'll strain it today or tomorrow and see how it tastes.
Ginger carrots - this is my first time trying this recipe. Grated organic carrots, grated fresh ginger, whey, and sea salt. Mixed together and packed in a jar. Let sit at room temp for a few days to ferment. They smell really good and I'm excited to try this. Can you believe that I'm still eating vegetable ferments from last summer's harvest? I'm the only one in the house that eats it and it's lasted me this long. Still tastes good!
Next to that is a new brew of water kefir. When I started the second fermentation of the previous batch, I started a new one brewing. These grains grow quickly! I had to take some out and store them in the fridge. I let it brew for a week to be sure the sugar is mostly eaten up.
And on the end I have pinto beans sprouting. First I soaked them in whey and warm water for more than 12 hours. Then I drained and rinsed them in a colander. I keep them in this over a plate with a towel over the whole thing. I rinse them twice a day. They now have little sprouts coming out. I think today I'll cook them in some of the bone broth I have left from the other day. Then I'll either use them in a dish right away or freeze them in batches for later use.
On the liver front - still not satisfied with giving up on the liver pate. So yesterday I made a batch of sourdough crepes and filled them with the pate, an herbed yogurt dressing and some lato fermented kraut. Rolled them up and put in the fridge for easy grabbing. I had two of them and they were tolerable! I think it will help when I don't have to SEE the pate (which looks like something I wouldn't want to eat) and has melded flavors with the dressing and kraut. Yeah, I'm stubborn.