Strontium Dawg Posted July 19, 2015 Coriander roots are my favourite bit to eat, sooo much yummy flavour... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LokStok Posted July 19, 2015 if you're house-sharing, see if you can sneakily stuff some of your underpants & socks into your house-mates jeans pockets in their dirty clothes basket when they are not looking & then claim them back after they come back from the laundromat. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted July 19, 2015 Coriander roots are my favourite bit to eat, sooo much yummy flavour... Agreed, I use them in my spring roll mix. Just made some tonight actually. I grow my own coriander so is not a problem for me. But it's a good trick if you just want the herby top. It will actually grow as well, adding to at you purchased. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) Like naja just mentioned herbs that you buy will grow no probs if they have roots and are planted out with a bit of seasol! Yesterday I got a pre and probiotic Sauerkraut at the food markets, they guy said I could use the juice as a starter for a batch so I'm gonna give that a go! Any ideas on getting it started? Maybe just a few small cabbage runs to get it going again then a proper batch to eat? I'm just assuming I can treat it like any other starter!? Edited July 19, 2015 by theuserformallyknownasd00d Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strontium Dawg Posted July 20, 2015 You gotta keep the shreds weighed down so there's no exposed bits while it ferments d00d, otherwise you'll end up with nasty funky mouldy fermented cabbage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted July 20, 2015 Thanks glaukus! Do the starters work like liquid fermenting yeasts? Ie do I just pour from one ferment to the next like I would my kefir grains or wine yeast? All that keeping in mind it's a clean ferment like you pointed out too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strontium Dawg Posted July 20, 2015 I don't know mate, Ive never heard of a starter culture for sauerkraut. Usually it's just pounded to juice it up a bit, salted, weighed down and left in the cool dark til it's ready. I guess the starter culture would give the lactobacillus a headstart on any other organisms that might spoil it. I think it's pretty important to keep air out of the fermentation pot. Traditionally water is poured over the lids which are specially shaped to stop air getting in. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) You can use milk or water kefir for a sauerkraut starter, some people call it kefirkraut. I actually prefer it to traditional sauerkraut There's a page about it on Dom's kefir site. http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirkraut.html Anyway you do it you will have a jar full of nasty smelling stuff sitting in your kitchen in a few days. It makes a good benchmark for your farts. Edited July 20, 2015 by Sally 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted July 21, 2015 i just changed all my mums lights to leds she was running about 300 watts now its down to 45 and with a increased lumen output Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted July 22, 2015 What are some vege crops that give the maximum output of food in the shortest period of time? I have silver beet, spinach, kale, miners lettuce and lettuce on the go. But progress is slow. I am thinking a huuuuuge patch of spuds should be my next step. And might try growing kumara (sweet potato) too, as I have seen them succeed in my climate, and the young leaves are edible. But what else. What can I grow to feed my hungry tummy when the money runs dry...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted July 22, 2015 The humble radish... Has the benefit of being low carb for a root (much like carrot) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted July 23, 2015 Hehe i can already see myself dressed in rags, huddling over a cauldron of radish and stinging nettle soup.. Such is life. They really are prolific producers tho, and something i had forgotten about, ta. I will track down some seed. I wish at times like these i lived in a warm climate.. i wana grow my own corn, pumpkin and watermelons. Attempts at these here have had miserable results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted July 23, 2015 Farmers markets beat supermarkets for price and quality of produce any day. Making your own bread is easy, fun and quite cheap.. and you get to fill it with your choice of seeds and herbs. I knw this will be the third mention i have made of stinging nettle in this thread..but you can put dried nettle into bread too for a greater nutrient profile and it doesnt affect the taste or appearance. Nuts are also handy to save $... keep available to nibble on to avoid default bingeing on crappy quick food when your blood sugar levels drop and your brain stops working cz you need a decent meal. Nuts will tide you over. And hot water bottles have been my saving grace while growing up poor in cold houses. Cuddles are always preferable, cz who needs money when you have a snuggle-bunny, but sometimes a hottie will have to do. Good luck to all my fellow penny pinching peasants...our wallets may be thin but our minds are keen, and if our deeds are clever our hearts can stay warm and our bellies full! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted July 23, 2015 (edited) or just disembark from the bloodsugar train rollercoaster only extend your hand towards bread to slap it away and say FUCK YOU BREAD :D (probably the wrong thread to be slapping food away) Edited July 23, 2015 by ThunderIdeal 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted July 23, 2015 You can make beer out of nettles too BF, if the nettle is free then all you need is a bit of sugar, yeast and some citric acid or lemons. For a few cents a bottle it's not a bad subsitute for commercial beer. Other herbs work OK too as long as you don't use something like rosemary that is high in phenolic compounds. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted July 26, 2015 I can't wait to get a repeatable and stable system in place for making some kombucha - it's abit pricey aye! Well I gave the method I mentioned earlier a go starting from a bottle of shop-bought kombucha - this is what it looks like after a week. It's probably too early to call it a success, & I don't want to start harvesting until the scoby is all grown-up so I can't say what it tastes like yet, but it smells awesome. I might try out the "continuous fermentation" thing - so instead of brewing it in batches you just pour off a glass or two whenever you like & replace with some fresh sweetened tea - aside from just giving you a continuous supply of drank, it's also supposed to give some of the slower-growing critters a chance to take off, giving you a more diverse range of goodies. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted July 27, 2015 Is that a repurposed water filter urn Anodyne ? If it is it could be OK, but you have to be carefull when brewing kombucha in glazed ceramics as they can sometimes contain lead in the glazing material. When it's finished fermenting the PH can sometimes get down below ph3 which can liberate some of the lead into the solution. While it doesn't seem conclusive that the lead came from kombucha brewed a ceramic pot in this article from the lead advisory service, it seems like it could be an issue. http://www.lead.org.au/lasn/lasn007.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted July 27, 2015 Hah, teapot actually. Hadn't considered the pH aspect, lead glazes are supposed to be pretty rare on Australian foodware and dull-coloured glazes in general. I'll look into it anyway, there don't seem to be alot of good alternatives though - all plastics & metals will react given enough time & all-glass units are crazy expensive. Figure it should be fine for short term experiments. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted July 27, 2015 I just got a nice Scoby off eBay so with some luck I'll scoby yas up. Can give anyone some water kefir grains if needed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nothinghead Posted July 27, 2015 I have recently had a reduction into our families income. But it's been good in a way. I am saving more now than ever. Strange. Most recently I also made my first venture into homebrew cider. 8 days from beginning to end. Use champagne yeast or s-04 strain. Add sugar for a sweeter or stronger cider. Very drinkable and works out about $1.50 per 1.25 liters. A simple airlock in the lid and that's all you need. Very very easy. If u don't like a batch u leave it to turn into apple cider vinegar for ahem science. I had a go at about 30 litres of apple cider from just wild apples using no additional yeast. Turned out pretty well. Next time I used a champagne yeast and it went a bit weird and headachey and some turned into apple cider vinegar. Next time I used a cider yeast and tried to make a decent lot of apple cider vinegar alongisde the cider, and ended up with some kind of apple wine from both lots. Needless to say I've not mastered the cider family just yet. Still, not as bad as my housemate who added diabetic amounts of sugar to the cider, exploded a few bottles in the racking room and had to use steel wool to scrub the walls clean. Easy ferment recipe for getting probiotics going: - Make up a strong brine (non-iodised salt melted into water). Should taste about as strong as seawater, as a rough estimate. - Chuck your fermentables in there. - Push contents down at least once a day for several days to get rid of air bubbles and submerge the top stuff exposed to air (bits exposed to air can get mouldy fast). - When it tastes good (sour not salty) chuck it in the fridge and start eating. Sauerkraut is an easy example. Shred your cabbage, throw it in the brine, and follow the above instructions. A few fresh juniper berries adds flavour and the cloudy looking ones are covered in wild yeasts that will kickstart the process. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slocombe Posted July 28, 2015 - Goon. If you can't be bothered brewing your own, mix goon with some juice, cordial, fruit and anything else you have lying around the house. Makes great punch. - stay away from homebrand pies. I still get indigestion a decade on after combining those pies with too much goon. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yeti101 Posted July 30, 2015 - Goon. If you can't be bothered brewing your own, mix goon with some juice, cordial, fruit and anything else you have lying around the house. Makes great punch. Health Warning: If you are at a party, and they are making Goon Punch in an inflatable kiddie pool, you may well be heading for the infamous 3-day hangover. Goon-of-fortune may also lead to reputational damage (I am not as funny as I think I am). 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yeti101 Posted July 30, 2015 What I was gong to say, before I got distracted by Goon, was that you can get a pretty big & cheap veggie seed pack from the Diggers Club - the 'Budget Breaker' - I think you need to prove a low income somehow, they used to ask for a photocopy of your Health Care Card, not sure how they do it now. https://www.diggers.com.au/shop/seed-collections/budget-breaker-aka-low-income-offer/s260/ 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted July 30, 2015 Health Warning: If you are at a party, and they are making Goon Punch in an inflatable kiddie pool, you may well be heading for the infamous 3-day hangover. Goon-of-fortune may also lead to reputational damage (I am not as funny as I think I am). Did you get in the pool and go for a spin Yeti ? That would have been awesome to watch, I would have cheered you on. Maybe the phthalates in the plastic contributed to the hangover, acidic wine and alcohol could have leached all sorts of shit into that infamous goon punch. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rottenjonny Posted August 3, 2015 Busking raises way more cash than you think it does. So does buying a bulk tray of anything. Printing a label that says 100% organic Pesticide & GM free and selling smaller lots for triple the price. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
