Health in a Jar
Posted by: candace on: September 29, 2009
So. I successfully (I think) brewed by first batch of kombucha. First, I grew the “mother”.
Then, I transferred it into ceramic pitcher of sweetened tea and store-bought kombucha (I need to get a big glass crock) and let it sit. I think it looks like a jellyfish.
I used apricot ginger black tea, because it was the only organic black tea I could get my hands on when I needed it. When it was ready to be bottled, I poured about an inch of apple juice into bottles first, before transferring the kombucha. Then I sealed them tightly and put them in a dark pantry for two days, after which I put them in the fridge and have been drinking kombucha every day since!
My kombucha is much sweeter, and with a significantly less strong taste, than store-bought. It was fizzy, though not as much as I would have liked. I did notice that the serving bottled in an old kombucha bottle was the most fizzy, presumably because it had the tightest fitting lid.
All in all I’m pleased with the results. I’m hoping a daily dose will help ward off the flu and any other illnesses we have been passing around at school. My next batch, currently bottled and sitting in the pantry, was made with plain organic black tea and a 1/4 cup less sugar and flavored with grape juice.
While my explanations were vague here, I followed these instructions and with very good results.
Writing Elsewhere
Posted by: candace on: September 26, 2009
The start of the school year and a new round of school vs. home has kept me away from internetland as of late. On Thursday, however, a guest post I wrote about using leftovers appeared on The Sassy Saver.
It Runs In The Family
Posted by: candace on: September 15, 2009
Last weekend many family members on my mom’s side gathered for the wedding of one of my cousins. While sitting at the reception I asked Scott for the lip gloss he put in his pocket for me since I wasn’t carrying a purse. They immediately bonded in their mutual purpose.
you would never know they are only related by marriage
Yes, it is Mary Kay. Because we are good and proper southern ladies. And my aunt sells it.
Teacher Goals
Posted by: candace on: September 9, 2009
Goals for the semester:
1. Don’t get swine flu.
2. Drink kombucha instead of diet Coke.
3. Dress like a grownup.
4. Don’t be cranky with students on no-lunch-break days.
5. Introduce classes to 30-second dance parties.
6. Leave school by 6 pm.
7. Invite officemates over for dinner.
8. Finish lessons plans before leaving on Friday.
9. Bring stellar lunches for Lunch Bunch (more on LB later!).
10. Only eat a moderate amount of chocolate from the “teachers aide” drawer.
Make Your Own Kombucha
Posted by: candace on: September 3, 2009
Today, instead of knitting, I spent my early morning time researching how to make kombucha. Like many snazzy things, I first learned about kombucha from my mom. Initially, I was looking for places that sell kombucha mushrooms, or mothers, that serve as starters and got discouraged because they were a bit pricey! This site, however, saved the day and I now have my very own kombucha mother growing in a mason jar on my kitchen counter. I think it will be ready after the long weekend. Scott brews beer, as I’ve mentioned before, and this experiment may very well be the closest to solidarity we every come in that particular endeavor.
Like most new food experiments, I am hopeful that this will, of course, cure all of our ailments and lengthen our life span. Truly, I am always so tired during the school it’s sometimes a challenge to keep up with everything else after I’ve used up all my energy at my job; I am hoping this will maybe help a bit with that, as well as help me not get sick every quarter of the school year due to germs my students so lovingly and willingly share.
Has anyone had any experiences with kombucha? I think I’m going to use this recipe for the first go ’round.
The Work and The Home
Posted by: candace on: September 1, 2009
School got off to a surprisingly smooth start. (Weird.) So work is going pretty well and I’m having a relatively good time teaching Latin to all 67 of my little darlings. (Some are more little and darling than others.) In an effort to give myself a better balance of home and work this year, I’ve started getting up about 5 a.m. most mornings to knit and maybe write a bit before getting ready to leave. It’s probably made me a little more tired, but it’s just blending in with the regular back-to-school fatigue and barely noticeable. (Yes, I am a morning person.)
What is noticeable is how much calmer I feel walking out the door each morning. I haven’t driven to work crying once. (This is actually an accomplishment, embarrassingly enough.) I do feel a bit wistful when I leave because I’ve usually gotten into a good homey/crafty/creative mood by the time I need to get dressed and head out, but still—no crying.
Tonight I hadn’t had my fill of domestic goodness, so the evening’s agenda included homemade pita bread, coconut pecan brownies, and felting a potholder. Does someone want to hire a knitter/baker/homebody? I think I’m getting pretty good at this.
Review: Tropical Tradition’s Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil
Posted by: candace on: August 25, 2009
I recently received a sample of Golden Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions to try and review. Being able to try this product has been most helpful in my quest to learn more about the benefits of coconut oil and incorporate it into our diet.
I never thought I’d say this about oil but, “Yum!” This coconut oil even smells delicious. I’m finding that using it in place of vegetable oil or other fat in your everyday recipes is the best way to consume it on a regular basis. The first recipe I used it in was my standard brownie recipe. So good! It gave the brownies a mild coconut flavor and the texture was perfect. Next time I think I’ll add some coconut flakes and nuts as well. I really liked that the flavor wasn’t overwhelming, but definitely there.
This past weekend I used the coconut oil in my pancake recipe. I was so impressed with the flavor! Because I only needed 2 tablespoons in 2-3 serving recipe the flavor was very, very subtle–just enough to actually improve the taste of already good pancakes without being obviously coconut-y.
As an experiment, I’ve also drizzle coconut oil over blueberries with plain yogurt for breakfast to make sure I got a daily dose. Because coconut oil does solidify at 77 degrees F, it of course began hardening up. The texture didn’t bother me since plain yogurt isn’t always perfectly satin smooth and I really like the coconut taste it added. I think the trick is to pour it over something cold, like fruit and yogurt, in a very thin stream so you don’t end up with big chunks of oil in your breakfast.
I am thoroughly pleased with this product and plan on continuing to use it in my kitchen.
If you are interested in ordering your own jar of yummy virgin coconut oil, or any of their other products, you can do so by visiting Tropical Traditions website here. If you are a first-time TT customer and would like to receive a free copy of their book Virgin Coconut Oil: How It Has Changed People’s Lives and How It Can Change Yours!, select “referred by a friend” when asked how you heard of them when placing your order and enter ID number 5356767.
Back to School
Posted by: candace on: August 24, 2009
As mentioned before, I am a teacher by school day. One of the lovely perks that comes with this job is summer vacation which, in my opinion, just balances out the l-o-n-g workdays August-May and all those lunch breaks you don’t get. I digress.
Summer vacation ended last week when my school started on Wednesday. I spent a good bit of the summer wondering if teaching was still “my thing” because I had such a feeling of dread everytime I so much as thought about the upcoming school year. If teaching wasn’t for me anymore, I was in big trouble because while I am truly qualified, through experience as well as official teacher training, to teach, it is the only thing I’m qualified to do. I did a lot of thinking about vocation and if everybody has one. What if I didn’t want my calling anymore, if I did still have one? What does it mean that I think I just want to hole up at home forever, cooking and knitting and container gardening? What changed between the first teaching experience I had at 18 that made me sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a teacher and now, when just talking about the upcoming school year literally made me tear up, and not with tears of joy?
Through all of that I deduced several things: I still love teaching, love Latin (yes, I’m a Latin teacher), and love working with kids. What I don’t love, and in fact hate, is being away from home for so much of the day. I don’t love coming home too tired to even want to cook dinner, when I love to cook. I don’t love spending all weekend doing the chores I didn’t get to during the week, instead of resting and hanging out with Scott. So, the problem isn’t with teaching, but with being away from home for most of the day–I don’t like it. I’m one of those people who doesn’t have to leave the house everyday to be happy. I am usually much happier at home, working at my home-y things, than out somewhere else. I wasn’t weeping over teaching, but the prospect of having to choose it over other things at home for the next 10 months with much of a balance.
So, as I’m back-to-schooling this year and enjoying my new crop of young Latin scholars (who are wonderful!), I’m also dreaming of the day when leading a productive life doesn’t mean 10 hours away from home each day.
- deb: Sounds like you've hit a home run! Congrats on this :)
- cathy: Can you show us a picture or two of how this "dry-in-a-sack" system works?
- candace: Thanks, Gena! My last batch or two have been fizzier, as you said yours were, and I've had good success with an addition of grape juice, in particula
