Greenhouse

The greenhouse is getting a face-lift. It is very exciting! Two years ago when we put the greenhouse cover over it, I chose plastic that was not UV rated. So, it did not hold up. Nothing like learning the hard way.

Now I have done all my research and are going to purchase the appropriate plastic early next month.

To prepare my husband had to remove all the plastic from the greenhouse, and then will reinforce some of the beams.  Sure looks odd.

Free Ranging Again

I cannot believe that we have already opened up the coop for the chickens. 

Seems like last year it was May before they were able to get outside. They are just loving it!  

Today I threw out a little extra feed and it was even more exciting. They have a bucket full of feed in their coop, but acted like they had not seen food in years. 

Too Cute.  

Maple Syrup Season

This is one of my favorite times of year. It is maple syrup season!! The first 3 days were very slow, but yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all set to be amazing. For those of you who have never tapped maple trees, it is such an amazing experience.

The trees to most of the work, but once all the sap is collected, the torch is passed and it becomes a lot of work for us. The sap gets boiled, boiled and more  boiled.  For every 10 gallon of sap we get it only becomes about a quart of syrup.  There is a lot of cooking, and in the end, the most scrumptious sweetness. It is divine. It always amazes me that such wonderful nectar can come from the trees.

Hope you are able to get some pure maple syrup this year. I know I am looking forward to my first plate of waffles.

Water Kefir

Water Kefir Grains

I am a big fan of kefir. We have a small glass every morning. We had been buying a non-GMO kefir that has fruit in it to cut the tang of the kefir. However, not only is the kefir expensive, there is some debate on the verification of Non-GMO status. Once I moved past feeling very betrayed, I decided I would make it myself. We had done milk kefir in the past, but finding organic milk, or raw milk, was very difficult in my area. So I decided to try Water kefir. 

Water kefir is a probiotic beverage made with water kefir grains. Although it is called grains it really is not a grain, and is gluten free. The kefir can be grown in sugar water, juice, or coconut water.  Like yogurt, Water kefir contains bacteria that are very beneficial for the gut, in addition Water kefir also has yeast which is also very beneficial. 

I ordered a starter grain from Cultures for Health. 

Finished Lemonade (dark color is
due to turbinado sugar)

When I received my kefir, I immediately started re-hydrating the grains (per the provided instructions). After re-hydrating for 4 days, I was ready to start the first fermentation. I had run out of our organic sugar so I used organic turbinado sugar instead. This ended up being a great alternative. I made the sugar water, let it cool and added to my kefir grains.  I then waited a couple days and then strained the kefir out, saving them for later. I added a bit of lemon juice to the water, and put into the fridge. I then used the grains to start another batch.  

Once the kefir water cooled I poured a glass of my lemonade kefir.  I love it. I cannot taste the kefir at all. Just a nice glass of lemonade, but teaming with fermented bacteria. 

This time, I did not choose to do a 2nd ferment which would have produced a "carbonated" soda type drink. I will try that later. 

I strongly recommend checking out Water kefir. An easy way to add healthy bacteria into your system. For more information check out Cultures For Health they offer great videos and recipes.