Homegrown Creations

[Win4us]

Shawshank was such a good movie!

That still was from bridesmaids after they all have upset stomachs, lol. When Nobody mentioned 'issues' with spicy food it made me think of it.

 

[Goaldeje]

I swear to God Win, that clip gets me every effing time. My wife and I are sitting here with tears running down our faces.

 

[SC_RedskinsFan]

I am trying to figure out what that post means Win. I must be obtuse. Wait - what did you say - are you calling me obtuse?

The prison they used is in Mansfield Ohio, I have been there before and it is one creepy place! Shawshank is one of the best movies ever!

 

[Win4us]

I swear to God Win, that clip gets me every effing time. My wife and I are sitting here with tears running down our faces.

I know right, that scene alone is worth watching the whole movie!

 

[Boone]

Jerky report. Habanero BBQ, hot and pretty good. Kimchee - disappointing. Pleasant, but I might need to puree the kimchee next time before marinating, just not enough of the flavor present in the finished product.

But the teriyaki/scorpion pepper jerky? OMG. Tasty and hot enough to make it hurt. So good.

Oh - and Elephant and Mike are jerks! #jerkreportcomplete

 

[Boone]

In my first (and failed) attempt to make Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) , one of the by products of the process is a large volume of soy sauce. I had about 3 gallons of it in some beer growlers that has been aging in my sun room for over 5 years.

Finally filtered and bottled it the other day. It’s strong and salty and stanky and I love it. And yeah, obviously the label is just a gag. Although I am a white boy.

 

[Goaldeje]

Oh wow, that sounds amazing, bet it would kick up the taste levels on just about anything.

 

[Boone]

Oh wow, that sounds amazing, bet it would kick up the taste levels on just about anything.

I'll save you a bottle or two for the next time I see you.

 

[Boone]

Goaldeje - thought you might be interested in this one. I am making some 'Limoncello' and homemade Kahlua for our beach trip in late July. The Limoncello is very simple to make. Basically, you take vodka (or Everclear) and add the zest from about 12-20 lemons (dependent on how much alcohol you are using). It's *apparently* important not to add the white 'pith'. The alcohol/lemon zest sits in a dark cool place for 3-4 weeks, gets strained/filtered using a coffee filter or cheesecloth, then you add a sugar syrup. Most folks keep it in their freezer (but if you plan to do that, you need to make sure your vodka is either high proof, or use Everclear as the mix will freeze if not high proof enough). You can drink it straight or make a variety of drinks with it.

The Kahlua is even simpler to make. Basically it's a mix of rum (I used Myers Dark), sugar, some high quality freshly brewed strong coffee of your choosing, and vanilla (either extract or split fresh beans). Once combined and the sugar dissolved, it's aged like the Limoncello. There are even recipes out there calling for instant coffee but I think if you're going to go to the trouble of making it, might as well use the best ingredients you can find.

 

[Goaldeje]

Sorry, been on vacation for... like... ever it feels like.

Our middle daughter made Limoncello last summer and we loved it - really good stuff. And some friends make Kahlua that is divine, good to know how easy it is - I might have to give that a shot when we get home and settled.

 

[Boone]

Finished making the Limoncello and homemade Kahlua. My son and I stole a sip and they are both really good. The Kahlua was amazing and Limoncello was nice but will really have to be ice cold to judge.

 

[Boone]

Recently made a killer batch of kimchi, and it reminded me that I've been meaning to try and make something I love but that I have never attempted.

Sauerkraut.

Not much better (to me) than some grilled italian sausages covered with a big pile of cold sauerkraut.

It's weird with all of my food experimentation that I've never made homemade kraut. It's about as simple a process as you can imagine. Slice fresh cabbage. Salt it. Knead/crush it to release the liquid inside the cabbage and help the salt penetrate it. Cover with more brine so all of the cabbage is submerged and tuck it away for a couple weeks. Did about 6 lbs of it this afternoon.

I shall report back.

 

[Boone]

I love to make my own kimchi. I started out making my own kimchi paste. It's not difficult but a few years ago, I ordered some kimchi from Mama O's - an online kimchi company - and it was the best I ever tasted. I have since then bought their jars of kimchi paste as I like it better than anything I have come up with on my own. You can order it online and Whole Foods also carries it. They sell the 'vegetarian' version so I add fish sauce and anchovy paste to it to make a more traditional kimchi.

I have a big batch in my fridge that is some of the best I've made.

I love Dilly Beans and fermented green beans, so I decided to try and make an all green bean kimchi. Bought 4 lbs of fresh green beans, soaked them in brine overnight. Going to drain them, add my doctored up kimchi paste, some minced garlic, and sliced scallions, and ferment for a week. I shall report back.

 

[Boone]

Green Bean Kimchi in fermenter. Will leave it for 5 days or so at room temp.

 

[RedWolf]

How was the Kraut? Always best fresh

Boone

Love me some Limoncello

 

[Boone]

I have made some amazing limoncello. My first attempt at sauerkraut got contaminated (it had some bizarre butterscotch flavors and I threw it out). My 2nd attempt was good, but it just didn't exceed what I could buy in the store so I don't think I will bother doing again.

Now storebought kimchi is inedible for the most part. So that is a major motivator.

 

[Boone]

A friend of mine told me about drying tomato leaves and mixing them with kosher/sea salt. Supposed to be good. I'm going to try it. I know there are a lot of hysterical semi-myths out there about tomato leaves being poisonous because they are part of the nightshade family, and have alkaloids in them. Pretty much every vegetable has alkaloids in them, and you'd have to eat a ton of it to have an issue. I shall report back.

 

[RedWolf]

A friend of mine told me about drying tomato leaves and mixing them with kosher/sea salt. Supposed to be good. I'm going to try it. I know there are a lot of hysterical semi-myths out there about tomato leaves being poisonous because they are part of the nightshade family, and have alkaloids in them. Pretty much every vegetable has alkaloids in them, and you'd have to eat a ton of it to have an issue. I shall report back.

Back in the old days people used to use either oil or salt to preserve things and that includes fresh herbs. I would assume that would also apply to tomato leaves

Try basil salt or lavender salt it's really wonderful

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

A friend of mine told me about drying tomato leaves and mixing them with kosher/sea salt. Supposed to be good. I'm going to try it. I know there are a lot of hysterical semi-myths out there about tomato leaves being poisonous because they are part of the nightshade family, and have alkaloids in them. Pretty much every vegetable has alkaloids in them, and you'd have to eat a ton of it to have an issue. I shall report back.

If you don’t report back we’ll know the myths were accurate.

 

[Boone]

If you don’t report back we’ll know the myths were accurate.