The Kombucha Keg

I embarked on a bit of an experiment- to create a functional kombucha "keg" for Wickerman.

The idea was simple. I needed a way to transport and dispense a large amount of kombucha at a camping event. That means no actual refrigeration. The trick is keeping fermentation and carbonation at the same pace as draw-off, and figuring out what to do if it doesn't work perfectly. Well that, and making sure the lid doesn't blow off from too much pressure.

Creating the keg was actually surprisingly easy. One heavy duty five-gallon bucket, a screw-top lid, a spigot attachment, some hose, and a "beer gun" nozzle. For transportation and refrigeration, I rigged up a sort of "mini-fridge" out of a white Styrofoam cooler. We'll know in approximately 3 weeks if this thing is a success. And by success I mean keeps the booch at the right carbonation level & temperature, and dispenses properly.

I have to admit, it was kind of exciting doing a 5 GALLON recipe of kombucha. If it works, I think I'll get my Wild Man hooked up with a keg so he can start brewing his own. For as much as he drinks, he may very well need his own keg.

My mind is wandering to other possibilities now, of what other delicious beverages I could dispense. Hard cider? Knotweed wine even? Or just a crap-ton of kombucha.

Pictures and updates to come. If the weather stays hot, it'll be sooner rather than later.

Wish me luck!

Knotweed

I think I'm going to specialize in knotweed. Forget dandelions. They're too much work. Knotweed is where it's at.

Some of you newer readers might be wondering, what the heck is knotweed?

Japanese knotweed is an invasive pest, if you ask anyone but me. It looks similar to bamboo, and grows just as fast. It's nearly impossible to get rid of and spreads like the plague. If you have anything nearby that fits this description, it's probably knotweed.

Oh, and it tastes like rhubarb.

I have a large patch out back of the house that is spreading. The nice thing about knotweed is that, because it's such a pest, I can use it liberally without any concern of killing it off.

This year was something of a test run on some of the knotweed products I want to start making. I have two 5-gallon buckets of knotweed wine brewing, and I took a whack at making knotweed jelly. With the leftover juice came knotweed syrup, turned into knotweed liquor. That one is still sort of a work in progress and I don't have the recipe for it quite nailed down yet. The wine will take some time before I know if the recipe "worked" but the jelly seems to be spot on already. Not that I can exactly take credit for it.

You're probably wondering what my point is here.

I've been dabbling in the kitchen again.

Knotweed wine, in the beginning. Yeasty & frothy.

Knotweed liquor? Sure, why not!?
I'll have a recipe once I figure out how to reproduce this.

Knotweed jelly is ridiculously easy to make. I was a bit nervous about making jelly for the first time, but actually felt a tad disappointed when it wasn't more difficult. THIS is actually the recipe I used, and is great if you don't mind loads of sugar. I do mind loads of sugar, however, so next time I will be experimenting with using stevia. This could be a disaster waiting to happen.

In any case, the sucrose-laden recipe worked, and is a tasty treat when I feel like stepping off the wagon at any time. Or will make nice gifts to my SAD-eating friends & family.

My first Knotweed Jelly. It's a pretty salmon color!

In other news:

I did a review of Tropical Traditions Omega-3 Greens and am doing a give-away. There's still time to enter for that!

I aced the semester and am thoroughly enjoying not being in classes right now.

Warrior Dash is less than 90 days away. I'm still raising money for St Jude. If you would like to donate, you can do so HERE.

I found a source for unpasteurized goat milk. Watch for more dairy recipes to come.

I'm dabbling in using the continuous brew method for kombucha. So far so good!

My fancy new (Walmart) kombucha jug!

Tropical Traditions GREENS Review & Give Away!

It's been a while since I've done a review & give away. I've been itching for something new. Now that I'm done with finals, I figured it would be a great way to celebrate the end of a very brutal semester.

Typically I wouldn't have tried greens on my own. It wasn't until I'd spent some quality gal time with my birthday-twin, Chelse, up in Rochester. Chelse and I have very different diets. Both fairly healthy. Her's includes little meat. Mine includes lots of it! While visiting she made a green drink for me, which tasted surprisingly good, I have to admit.

That got my gears turning, and I'd remembered Tropical Traditions offered Greens on their website. Being a fan of practically every other Tropical Traditions product I'd used, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

Now, green veggie powders are not something I'm accustomed to. At all. Chelse doctored up her greens quite a bit to make them palatable, so I was a little nervous about trying my own without anything but water. I put a scoop in my blender bottle, added cold water, and shook the heck out of it.

It looked ok, I guess. It was green and resembled pond water. What else was I to think?

I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised! I mean, it's not like drinking fruit juice or anything, but it was tasty! Very sweet, a little minty. Kind of green-tasting. Not at all like grass clippings, for which I'd prepared myself.

After that first sample began the experimentation.

Greens in green tea. Good.
Greens in milk. Surprisingly good.
Greens in my protein shake. Amazingly good!

I was putting Greens in everything. Seriously.

I have to be honest- Greens don't taste good in coffee.

Really, I think my favorite way so far has been between mixing it like crazy into my vanilla ice cream (don't look at me like that) and in my smoothies. I really wish I'd gotten the berry flavor now that I know how much I like it.  Milk, eggs, whey, greens... it's good stuff. Best milkshake EVER.

Because I like it so much, I want you to have the chance to try it also. Signing up is easy.

All you have to do is sign up for Tropical Traditions Newsletter and leave a comment below with your e-mail address.

For more entries you may do any of these things. Simply leave a comment below telling me you have, accompanied by your e-mail address.


1) Follow me on Twitter @DianaRenata and tweet about my giveaway with something like the following:
"@DianaRenata is giving away a container of @TropTrad Omega-3 Greens! http://wildernesschilde.blogspot.com/2012/05/tropical-traditions-greens-review-give.html"

2) Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter @TropTraditions and tweet about my giveaway.
"@DianaRenata is giving away a container of @TropTrad Omega-3 Greens! http://wildernesschilde.blogspot.com/2012/05/tropical-traditions-greens-review-give.html"

3) "Like" Tropical Traditions on Facebook.

4) Follow my blog.


Each comment counts as one entry. Deadline is June 1st!


Oh! And before I forget, you can find some amazing recipes that use Tropical Traditions products HERE! They're absolutely free!

Tropical Traditions is America's source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Soon!

I just wanted to drop in, say "Hello!" and let you know I'll be back very soon!

Finals week is almost over. Just 2 days left and I can get back to the regularly scheduled Wilderness program.

And I'll be bringing a give-away along with me!

:)