Buttermilk Yeast Bread

I know Sally calls it a compromise bread, but I've found that I can actually make it with no white flour. It's cooling right now, since I just took it out of the oven. I've just been working to get the proportions tight enough to yield a less-wet dough after the proofed yeast has been added. The dough was on the sticky side when it went into the pan today, but it didn't seem to affect the outcome. My family loves this bread. I make it with kefir instead of buttermilk, which works fine. I only include the baking soda if the dough is particularly sour, and I rise it only a short time. Still, the texture is perfect for sandwiches and toast, or even stuffing. I never measure anything, so I'm not sure about the details.

Update on Corned Beef

I'll be trying again soon. The beef never got tender enough to eat without a lot of work. So I cooked it up and then it was fine, as well as yummy. 

I'm on the lookout for a better recipe. 

I did, however, make a sort of hybrid keuftah/kibbeh from ground beef and bulghur. This was delicious and easy to eat. I'll try to remember what I put in it and post that... later. 

Right now we are fighting the second mold infestation of the month!

Achin' for Acres

This is an "anybody out there?" post. 

We are extremely motivated to homestead to some extent. We're looking for another family to partner with. Anybody got a lead?

Corned Beef

Here is the recipe for corned beef, slightly adapted from Nourishing Traditions, because clarity became an issue in her version.

Corned Beef
1 brisket, about 2 lbs
1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed
5 bay leaves, crumbled
2 teaspoons whole mustard
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 T sea salt
1 cup filtered water
1/2 cup whey (drained off kefir or yogurt)

Rub both sides of brisket with salt and spices. Put it in a bowl that just contains it. Mix water and whey and pour over brisket. Cover and soak 2 days, turning frequently. Transfer to refrigerator. Tenderizes with time.

You should see the man of the house wolf this stuff down. "Wolf" is a good word for it, because the meat is raw, after all!
 

Farming...

So with the fun I'm having in the kitchen and the ridiculous price I pay for some products because they are so rare (raw, local, organic), I dream & dream & dream of having our own farm. Joel Salatin is a farmer and advocate of sustainable farming and he wrote this mildly discouraging little piece, which shares a title with one of his books.  I liked it, but now I can't imagine the bureaucracy I'd have to go through! Oh dear!

Zoning laws control many things. The only reason we don't have chickens in our backyard is that it is illegal to do so in our city. I sometimes wonder if the moral imperative of feeding my family good food is superior to that of obeying the law... but I don't know how to decide, nor how to convince those that would need to agree with me!