Lately, I’ve been Mary-Make-It-From-Scratch. I’ve started making my own bread. I can’t even remember the last time I bought a meal that comes in a box or from the freezer section. I make my own yogurt. I’m sure there’s more, but just that short list exhausts me.
Dave always takes it one step farther. He’s decided that we are now brewers. Last fall I bought 60 pounds of apples. We juiced some of them and froze some of the juice. We decided to make hard apple cider. After some internet research we realized that we weren’t confident enough to put it in a bucket with a balloon tied to the top and hope for the best. We went to the local brewery store which is a few hours away, doesn’t have air conditioning, and I can see all of our disposable income floating into their cash register. We were filled with knowledge, our arms full of brewing paraphernalia and yeast, and sent on our merry way home. This concoction is sitting on top of the fridge. It looks like puke in a bucket. I know, appetizing.
While at the brewing store Dave bought the stuff to make Root beer. All you need for root beer is sugar, honey, more sugar, some more honey, yeast, more sugar, root beer extract, some more honey and water. We mixed and poured and boiled and poured and bottled. We set our bottles up next to the pukish looking bucket, wished the little yeasts happy eating, and hoped for the best.
One day later we had carbonation. There’s nothing like realizing carbonation comes from yeast waste to make soda even more appetizing. Day 2 we popped a bottle open and it smelled like root beer but tasted like yeast. Day 4 we opened another bottle. It wasn’t the greatest tasting root beer but it definitely tasted like something from the root beer family. Like the bastard step child, but definitely related.
The actual work in making the rootbeer probably took us less than a half an hour. So for a half hour of work, a few days of carbonating and for probably the same price as non-sale rootbeer, we’ve made rootbeer! The kids are already talking about making labels and selling bottles at the grocery store. Any one up for overpriced and less than tasty rootbeer?
Well, I feel compelled to add to the list of bread and yogurt. First, it should be noted that the bread includes sandwich, pizza dough, french bread, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, and even the occasional crouton.
Also, my kids don’t know that pancakes and waffles can come frozen in the box. The ice cream I just had for dessert churned in the garage for hours last night. The chicken marinades, potato/egg/broccoli salads, and casseroles don’t come from boxes or plastic tubs. Mashed potatoes are served a few hours after being peeled and refried beans come into our house as dry pintos or negros. Heck, I even give credit for air popped popcorn rather than microwaved bags.
You deserve all the credit in the world for your “from scratch” cooking. Once we move to the compound and have the crops coming in, I know we will be well provided for.
Also, my cider doesn’t look like puke. It looks just like it did when I was boiling it in the pot. A 1/2 in head on some apple juice.
I LOVE rootbeer!!!
lol~
Keep playing with it, you’ll get it down.. THEN I will buy a bottle
Have you read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? She inspired us, and we now try to grow a lot of our own produce or buy as much as possible locally. I am even going to try canning this year. Maybe I’ll even make cheese!
[...] of months I’ve had a disgusting five gallon bucket atop my fridge. It’s full of hard apple cider. This past week Dave’s decided it’s fermented long enough. He wanted to try it [...]