FIREWOOD

    The hydro crew came through last month and cut down trees and branches that were blocking their lines. The trees were mostly Manitoba maples --  not high up on the list of desirable firewood. But already cut and trimmed into logs by the crew, all I needed to do was to cut the logs into firewood and let them cure for a year or two. All that free heat! My chainsaw also needed to be made ready for storage; the gas mixture in the tank had to be used up -- so I got to work. I stacked the last of it yesterday evening on a spot just behind one of the flower gardens that needed heavy mulching.
    I've been heating with wood now for many years -- I smugly enjoy seeing the oil and propane trucks going down my concession to service my neighbours (I can only imagine their bills). Wood requires some work, but it is economical and clean-burning, assuming that the woodstove is reasonably efficient. Mine is a beautiful Vermont Castings Resolute downdraft stove that I purchased used... little maintenance required and I delight in seeing the almost invisible emission from the chimney. I get my firewood from Camphill Nottawasaga's well-managed woodlot -- the purchase price goes to help sustain their small community.
    The only real problem is that it is hard to tear away from the pleasure of staying by the warm stove. 

FIRST SNOW!

    We finally had our first snowfall here this year, very light in weight and quite beautiful. I had to drive this morning -- the plows had been out already but the road surface appeared slippery. Good winter tires (ice tires are my preferred choice) are the one thing that I don't mind spending money on.

     Second-hand snowshoes were the object of my thrift store visits for over a year and I was about to give up when I finally found an exquisite rawhide pair in good shape. I need to oil the leather bindings and then wait for the right conditions. Cross-country skiing was for years my preferred winter activity but the discovery of snowshoeing has opened up a whole new winter world. My property is surrounded by forest and snowshoes are the ideal way to get around.
     Tip and I went for our daily walk this morning through a neighbour's forest and rolling fields... no special gear needed yet. We stopped for a brief visit with him -- recent heart surgery has left him frustrated by his enforced inactivity but he knows that he has support from his neighbours.

photo: Frizbees work well right now for my Border Collie to run after and catch because we can spot them in the snow and they don't sink in like balls do. Later when the snow has packed down we will return to playing 'tennis'.

A LATE PLANTING OF GARLIC

    A friend recently gave me some hardneck garlic bulbs that were so nice that I thought it might be wiser to plant them in my garlic bed instead of doing the obvious thing of eating them. My small garden does well with garlic -- a load of aged manure mixed into the soil before the main planting in mid-November should do wonders for the bulb size for next summer's harvest.
    The moon is waning and the weather is mild -- perfect weather for squeaking some extra garlic cloves into the ground. I had previously shifted the composter several feet and the very fertile spot where it had previously been was where these cloves would go.

    Normally by mid-December the ground would be frozen and probably covered with snow. I had wanted to extend the garlic bed but thought that I had missed the opportunity. It makes a welcome gift and I love the taste of my organic raw garlic on my home-made bread along with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, and tomatoe slices  --  clearly I needed to grow more.
     So the last planting went into the ground today, just ten days before Christmas. Tip, my clever and active young Border Collie, was puzzled that frizbee throwing wasn't the main activity.

KEFIR - EASY AND INEXPENSIVE TO MAKE

     Kefir is easier and less expensive to make than yogourt -- it is less demanding and the quality is consistent from batch to batch. I prefer it to yogourt but always found it rather pricey-- up to six dollars for a litre container.
     Determined to find a way of making it at home, I was delighted to find that there is a simple method.  Having purchased a home-made style kefir (from Kimberly General Store), I strained the 'grains' (small curd-like bits) from the kefir and used them to make my first batch of kefir from organic milk. It turned out great! Before the jar of kefir went into the 'fridge, I once again strained the grains. So far I have made a lot of kefir and the grains continue to do the job. Just remember not to drink the kefir before you have saved the grains!
     I just happen to have a very nice yogourt/cheese-maker (a German-made SEB) that I had bought at a garage sale years ago... it maintains the milk at a consistent temperature and accelerates the process. Mixing the grains into the milk carton also works. I generally leave it for two days -- I like it strong.

 

      A local health-food store often has a 50% discount on their slightly dated organic milk -- quite perfect for kefir. So my delicious and healthy kefir costs a fraction of the store price!

NOTE: The above method will result in a yogourt-like kefir -- to get the slightly alcoholic effervescence the incubation container needs to be tightly sealed.

photo: Kefir just out of the incubator, about to be stirred and strained. My mother's enamel strainer brought from Sweden sixty years ago does the job perfectly. A vintage Crown mason jar stands by to receive the kefir.

MAKING SAUERKRAUT UNDER A FULL MOON

     My neighbour laughed when I told him that I would have to wait until the moon was full to prepare his tub of sauerkraut. I've been making kraut for years now and realize that the most harrowing part of it is whether or not the cabbage juice will rise. Ocean tides rise to a full moon and cabbage juice should not behave differently.
     The moon was full last night (Jupiter was close by -- a beautiful night sky) -- all should have been well but, the cabbage juice failed to rise enough to cover the shredded cabbage! Easily correctable -- I will add just enough brine to do the job.
     This is the first time this has happened in my years of kraut-making. I would have consulted my mentors -- a couple of now deceased elderly Latvian ladies -- they would have known what the problem was. Cabbage a little too late in the season, not quite enough salt to draw the juice (I do try to keep it minimal)...... there are several possibilities.

      The sauerkraut that I made four weeks ago is quite fabulous and the juice is well over an inch above the cabbage.