Dear jarred,

We love dill pickles – a lot. We eat a lot of them. I prefer to can them whole – with the blossom end trimmed off, of course – because spears can tend to get a little soft. Sometimes I’ll open a jar, cut them into spears, and then replace them in the brine and stash in the fridge for snacking.

How do YOU like your dill pickles?

I’ve talked about these on the blog before, but we need to talk about them again!

The pictures here came from one of our 3-day long canning sessions with the legendary Domestic Endeavors. Her spacious, airy house is perfect for long assembly lines and her giant refrigerator holds enough food to feed multiple armies!!! We always leave her house feeling well-fed, happy and exhausted from our productive labors.

She shared a dill pickle recipe with me, which was given to her by a friend, and is a very simple and basic recipe and simply DELICIOUS. My uncle later gave me HIS favorite family recipe, and it was virtually identical except for the batch sizes – this must be a true classic!!!

I have used this recipe to pickle green beans (dilly beans), squash, okra, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and anything else I find in the fridge during pickling season.

Download the recipe here. Read about the Food Lab pickling event here.

Simple Dill Pickle Recipe

Substrate:

Brine:

Fresh dill is where it all begins. Finding fresh dill is the hardest ingredient to source, but it makes ALL the difference in the finished product.

Long, firm beans have the ends snapped off and are prepared to go into seasoned jars for pickling. Acres of beans.

A good recipe should be nice and spattered! A really good recipe needs to be reprinted every time, ha!!!

Jars are filled with seasonings and lined up to be packed with cucumbers or green beans. By the time we get to the end of the day I am usually digging through the fridge to see what else I can try pickling. I usually do a few jars of just onions – pickled onions are AMAZING – and some 4-ounce jars of garlic cloves.  My father-in-law loves those, but he’s only allowed to eat them when my mother-in-law is out of town!

Green beans and cucumbers are packed in as tightly as they reasonably can be, without crushing or smashing.

Outside, a washing assembly line is set up. I like to start with fresh, organic produce. Cucumbers have to be canned within 24 hours of picking for optimal crispness in the jar! The first washing stage can be whatever you like to use to cleanse your produce – I use Thieves Fruit and Veggie Soak to make sure there are no dangerous residues or “friends” in the produce. You can use a non-toxic dish soap like Thieves Dish Soap and add Grapeseed Extract, a drop of Digize Essential Oil, or another favorite edible cleaner.

The following bussing tubs contain water and the cucumbers are shifted from the soapy cleansing water through several stages of rinsing water until they are completely rinsed and soap-free. From there, they are taken inside for trimming and packing.

Cucumbers have to be kept cold and crisp! Miz Carmen had the brilliant idea of lining the bottom of the cooler with blocks of Blue Ice and clean towels!! This kept the cucumbers icy-chilled all day. And yes, it was in the baking 90s.

Packed jars, ready to load in the canner. A rim-wiper cleans the tops and then adds lids and rings. A busser loads them into a bussing tray and whisks them outside to the rows of canners.

It’s nice to have a team manning the canners!

We were kept well-hydrated by our hostess, who kept us loaded up with ice-cold quart jars of Trim Healthy Mama drinks. One of the other canning ladies crocheted adorable jar cozies that kept our drinks cold and our hands dry!

The finished product is so satisfying – every canner loves to see rows of shiny, clean lids, and hear that satisfying pop of the lids sealing! Once they had cooled for 24 hours, we removed the rings for another day’s use, washed the rims and threads of the jars, and took our individual cases home to enjoy all year long.

Much love,

Andrea

Instacool – I like pictures 
Oils – I like oils

Dear doubtful,

My kombucha is the best. That is a completely relative and unqualified statement, but this is my blog so I can say what I want on here (sardines are good! I don’t like kidney beans! Some essential oils smell weird!).

But let’s be real. Everybody says my kombucha is the best, and by everybody, I mean everybody that has tried it. Obviously, we already have a lack of scientific sampling here, but let’s keep going like I know what I’m talking about.

(This is fun!)

My original, unflavored kombucha recipe is a light, fruity, airy, delicious and bubbly drink that has been acclaimed by kombucha enthusiasts, kombucha snobs and kombucha experts. Dave Matthews bought 2 gallons (did you know he has a chef that travels with the band and shops at local farms wherever they go? I mean you gotta love the guy).

Make my basic kombucha recipe here, or use your own personal best (which is probably insanely awesome, and way good, and suited exactly to your tastes and The Best Kombucha of YOUR blog!).

Let’s talk flavoring.

Everybody always asks me how long I second ferment, when I’m going to get pregnant again and why do I think it’s safe to co-sleep. Let’s focus on that first point today.

I don’t do second ferments.

Heresy!

Burn her!

Make her eat kidney beans!

I have a little secret to let you in on – I am literally quite lazy. You don’t get this far in life without being a little lazy. Ha! I say that jokingly, but let me explain my philosophy: by being kind of lazy, and wanting to find shortcuts and better ways and focusing only on what is really important, I can get a lot more done in a day or in a week than I would otherwise be able to do. (And if making kombucha is not your thing, you might just want to buy kombucha, and that’s fine, too, or maybe you don’t even want to DRINK the stuff. Skip the rest of the blog and go to the crochet section because now you can make that bobble hat finally!!!)

Second ferments take time, and I have to remember to Do Things and move things around. My personal version of flavoring kombucha is basically foolproof.

1. Make plain, original kombucha. Yummy!
2. Take the stuff I want my kombucha to taste like (strawberries, or cinnamon sticks, or whatever), and put them in a jar.
3. Pour the plain, original kombucha in to the jar and close the lid.
4. Place in the fridge and forget about it for three weeks or whatever, and drink it cold.

How easy is that? It’s stupid easy. The reason I leave it for at least three weeks is because I was always flavoring my kombuchas for three or four days, like I saw People Online doing. Then one day I packed a jar with strawberries and filled it with bucha, put it in the fridge and forgot it was there for three weeks. When I pulled it out and strained it, it was LITERALLY THE BEST kombucha I had EVER had in my life and I was Totally Freaking OUT!

Favorite Flavors

Strawberry Kombucha 

Forget about strawberry soda or strawberry lemonade – this is lightyears better! Fill a half-gallon jar halfway or more with fresh or frozen strawberries, whole or cut, stems or not. The more surface you expose, the more juicy flavor can come out of the berries. If you remove the stems, use them to make scrap vinegar. Cover with kombucha and refrigerate for three weeks; strain out strawberries and serve. Use fermented strawberries for salad, add to smoothies, eat them plain or compost them.

Strawberry Sunshine 

I could drink enough of this to make me sick, it’s that good. Make Strawberry Kombucha. In one 8-ounce serving, add 1 drop of Vitality Jade Lemon oil*.

Strawberry Lavender Sunshine 

Who needs lavender lemonade when you have this! Make Strawberry Sunshine, and add 1 drop of Vitality Lavender oil*.

Cream of Vanilla Chai Spice 

Creamy and delicious, the vanilla adds a smooth flavor. Put whole or ground cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, grated nutmeg, black pepper and a vanilla bean in a half-gallon jar or carboy. I use a lot of cinnamon, and a little less of everything else. Full disclosure, I have NEVER measured it. Pour in kombucha and let sit for three weeks or more before straining.

Berry Sunshine Kombucha 

Bursts of summer  … I use bags of frozen berries to make this in the dead of winter. Fill a half-gallon jar halfway with mixed whole or crushed berries, 1/2 cup lemon juice, lemon zest and 1/8 cup pure vanilla extract or the scrapings of a vanilla bean. Fill jar with unflavored kombucha and let steep for three weeks in the refrigerator before straining and serving.

Ginger and Wild Pear

Pungent – refreshing – and soothing for the belly. A true tonic! I LOVE this one. Dice up wild pears (let’s be real, any pear from the store will do, but we used wild ones hence the name), and fill a half-gallon jar halfway. Add five to ten drops of Vitality Ginger oil*, and fill the jar with plain kombucha. Let steep three weeks before serving!

Cream of Mulled Cider 

This ranks as my fall favorite. I adore. It’s the first flavored kombucha I ever made! Dice apples (various flavors, but really, use what you’ve got. Gala is nice and sweet. Red might have too much tannin), and fill a half-gallon jar halfway. Add cinnamon sticks, orange peel, five drops Vitality Orange oil*, whole or ground star anise, clove, nutmeg and ground allspice. Add one vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out and stirred in, or 1/8 cup vanilla extract or a lesser amount of two-fold extract or a strong store-bought extract.

Happy Flavoring!

And now you know my secret – I never second ferment my kombucha. Ever! Too lazy!!!!

Cheers!!!!

Mrs H

*Where to buy Vitality Essential Oils:

I only ingest essential oils from Young Living. As you know, essential oils are a popular food flavoring throughout the food industry, in products ranging from La Croix drinks to medication to candies. Synthetic versions are now being used to reduce the cost of adding flavorings to foods in many cases, but essential oils have been our flavorings for generations!

Vitality Oils are a line of cooking and ingesting oils from Young Living that have been labeled and approved by the FDA as a supplement for internal use. The oils are the same, i.e. the oil in a Vitality bottle of Lavender from Young Living is the same as the oil in a regular bottle of Lavender from Young Living, but the Vitality Label makes them FDA-approved for ingesting! Awesome!

You can buy a few Vitality Oils here by going through as a Retail Customer, or click Wholesale to buy a 50% discounted bundle of oils that includes five of my favorite vitality oils, plus six other oils and a free diffuser!

Dear Groggy,

We all know those energy drinks are so horrid for you. And beautiful, lovely coffee is a toxin that, as fragrant and heavenly as it is, brings our frequency down, raises our acidity and makes our heart race.

What are some other alternative sources of energy?

To start with, getting sleep on track is the most important factor. According to neurologists, if you wake up to an alarm – you’re sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation is the start of a slippery slope of brain damage. Scary, right? I’ll share more about sleep in a follow-up post (link will be added here when it is live).

So here we are, and we need energy. What are some alternative sources?

Choffy: Brewed Chocolate

Choffy is super delicious. It’s crushed cacao beans that you can brew in a French press just like coffee – it’s high in iron, has the delicious aroma of chocolate, and packs a punch of clean energy that doesn’t have a caffeine crash. It is non-addicting, but I have to say I love it so much that maybe I got addicted after all? Pictured here: my Paleo bulletproof Choffy latte (vegan option), recipe follows!

I think you have to purchase through a distributor, but I get a steady supply from my aunt who has a friend who sells it, so I’ve never actually purchased it myself (lucky, right?!). If I ever find out where she gets it from, I’ll add the link here!

Bulletproof Choffy – Paleo, Vegan
Printable PDF Recipe

Brew 8 ounces Choffy – I love the dark chocolate version.

Heat 4 – 8 ounces almond milk (the frothiest) or coconut milk while Choffy is brewing.

Pour hot milk, hot Choffy, and a tablespooon of grassfed butter, ghee or coconut oil in a blender; hit on high for a few second or until frothy!

Serve immediately. Yum!!!! 

Ningxia Red, Ningxia Nitro, and Ningxia Zyng 

Essential oils are loaded with pure energy that boost your body’s natural ability to burn, fuel and clean up any systems that are clogged with synthetic chemicals or addictive substances. You can order Ningxia products by going here.

Ningxia Red is loaded with powerful plant purees and essential oils all known for feeding our body and cleaning out the “rust” we build up over time. Cleaning up your own body is one way to start to burn cleaner, more efficiently and feel better all at the same time!

Ningxia Nitro is a tiny energy shot that has all the same energy plus a boost from black pepper and green tea. Ningxia Zyng is a canned beverage that is fizzy and loaded with plant power!

My favorite Ningxia Mocktail recipe follows!

Ningxia Red Mocktail
Printable PDF Recipe

16 ounces carbonated water (La Croix, Soda Stream, Pellegrino, mineral water)
2 ounces Ningxia Red
4 drops Orange Vitality Essential Oil
1 tablespoon dried Ningxia wolfberries

Combine all four ingredients in a glass jar or bottle. Swirl to blend and serve in a wine glass!

Diffusing 

You can apply oils to your body – blends such as En-R-Gee, Motivation and Citrus Fresh are designed to help boost your energy capacity and get more done!

You can also diffuse them – citrus oils are great for boosting energy, and frankincense makes a great pair with any citrus.

Do you have a favorite diffuser blend for increasing energy?

Love and energy to ALL!

Andrea