Soirée with The Sauce

The podcast formerly known as Permaculture Velocity is now Soirée with The Sauce. Soirée shares the sauce of living the resilient and good life whether you are in the country or the city, homesteading or thinking about homesteading, and doing things that lean towards sustainability. Food and food preservation, wild fermentation and canning, repairing and mending, making and doing, using old skills and learning new ones.

Choosing a Preservation Method—Canning or Freezing? 07/29/2022

Turmeric Paste Perpetual Ferment 07/20/2022

Turmeric Paste Perpetual Ferment Perpetual ferments like nuka pickling beds and pao cai are wonderful because they allow one to add and remove vegetables (and fruits) as needed to ferment then enjoy—fermented turmeric paste is another perpetual ferment. I love having the turmeric paste around as we are a household of two and having one jar of paste around is perfect for adding a handful of vegetables to then enjoy. It’s perfect when you have a radish or an apple or a couple cucumbers. The first step to all this convenient fermentation is to ferment the paste. Following ’s lead in ’s Fermentation Journeys, combine 400 grams turmeric root, 400 grams turnips, 300 grams peeled garlic, and add 4% salt in a blender and blitz until it’s a paste. I found that using my food processor didn’t yield a paste. I then fermented the paste in a 3 liter jar for nearly six weeks because I forgot—it was during winter so it would’ve taken a bit longer to be happy. I didn’t stir as the recipe indicated due to the same forgetfulness—there was some darkening on the top of the paste—but it was fermenting along happily and smelled terrific. Now the turmeric paste is happy and ready to accept foods to be fermented. I found that I love the dramatic presentation of turnips, radishes, yellow or brown onions, grapes, apples, pears and Asian pears, and cucumbers. In the summer time they are usually tasty wonderful after 3 or 4 days—in the winter it takes a week or two. I’ve found that if I need to add to the jar because the paste is running low or needs more salt, I make a half batch or so—adjusting the salt as needed—and add it to the existing paste. Stir and resume using the paste after a few days. While I am sure that the creative culinary folks will have lots of ideas about using the turmeric paste for cooking or adding to other ferments, I always use it to get a curry kicked off. It’s more than half way there—sauté some garlic, ginger, etc. add the paste, and add a can or two of coconut milk. Done. Add tofu or meat if you like. Dinner on the quick along with some noodles or rice. Instagram: Website: Producer: Marina Darling Recorded in beautiful Hampshire, Tennessee Try a Podcasting 2.0 Certified app: - - - - - /episode/index/show/permaculturevelocity/id/23809553

Care of the Homestead Septic Tank 07/12/2022

Garden Happiness 07/05/2022

Cheesemaking Philosophy & Learning to Make Cheese 06/28/2022

Cheesemaking Philosophy & Learning to Make Cheese I love cheesemaking. When I first learned to make cheese in 1991, I didn’t think or know that I should be scared or concerned about doing it wrong. I was raised with a can do attitude, just do it, learn, learn more, then down the road master it or at least be better at it. There are risks but cheeses often tell us we screwed up. Bloated, bouncy cheeses are obvious for example. Off colors and undesirable textures and smells are also obvious. Quite unlike Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, hanging out with nary a sign of its paralyzing presence looming in a jars of home canned food, improperly cured meats, and so forth. Absolutely employ good milking practices from a healthy herd, milk from a trusted source, attentiveness to cleanliness of the cheesemaking equipment, etc but beyond that I just jumped in and still jump in—I didn’t have anyone or the internet to warn me otherwise. With one thin cheesemaking book that I picked up used, I dove in. Some of my first cheeses were from allowing milk to naturally clabber and junket rennet cheeses. I was so excited when I spotted junket rennet at the local Hy-Vee! I didn’t know about chymosin and pepsin and the difference between junket which is for making custards and legitimate cheesemaking rennet. But, I made cheese and it was exciting. It opened up a whole world to me—a world that I love dearly to this day. Instagram: Website: Recommend Reading Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking by Gianaclis Caldwell  This book is a master class in book form and I highly recommend this book. She also has another book Mastering Basic Cheesemaking but if you are ready to get in the fast lane then Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking is a great start. Rather than mimicking cheeses from around the world; learn what makes all the different textures, flavors, and so forth. Make a cheese that is truly your own even if using commercial cultures. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to duplicate the famous cheeses or regional specialities as so much relies on those pastures, those dairy animals, that climate, those caves and aging spaces, those techniques, that equipment, that scale, and so forth. Be inspired by all those magical cheeses and make your very own. The Art of Natural Cheesmaking by David Asher With a solid foundation in making cheese from Gianaclis you can make some amazing natural cheeses (no commercial cultures, non-GMO rennets or alternative rennets, natural wrapping, washing, brushing etc.) Make a cheese that truly represents your local terrior. And also check out Trevor Warmedahl on Instagram and prepare to have your mind blown! He also has a substack so check that out too.Thank you for sharing the wealth of your travels Trevor! Producer: Marina Darling Recorded in beautiful Hampshire, Tennessee Try a Podcasting 2.0 Certified app: - - - - - /episode/index/show/permaculturevelocity/id/23488925

Stocking the Homestead Pantry 06/21/2022

Stocking the Homestead Pantry Food is expensive and stocking the homestead pantry with bulk food, buying food on sale, and other strategies is a good thing—but pantry pest infestations can be devastating and expensive. In this episode I share my considerations for storing food and stocking up. My favorite storage containers other than glass mason jars with metal lid and ring or fancy plastic lids like Mason Tops lids are Vittles Vaults. Vittles Vaults are made by Gamma 2 in San Diego. They are large food grade plastic containers (BPA-free) that are suitable for storing large quantities (50 pounds or more) of flours, grains, beans, etc. Gamma Seals are made by the same company convert plastic pails and buckets into secure food storage containers. Vittles Vaults and Gamma Seals are widely available in the U.S. including farm supply stores, pet supply stores, home improvement stores, and internet retailers. The silicone gasket, lid, and ring can be replaced if required. Good storage containers that are air and water tight not only protect foods from pests and moisture getting into the container but also contain an infestation from moving from container to container. Consider silica gel or other oxygen absorbers if you live in a humid climate. I use Wise Dry as the large pouches are great for Vittles Vaults and have indicator beads to quickly see if they need to be recharged and the smaller ones are suitable for smaller containers like half-gallon jars. Try a Podcasting 2.0 Certified app: - - - - - Good food storage practice: Inspect the food and packaging. Some folks store grains and flours in the freezer for protection or to kill any insects that might be present prior to long term storage. I don’t have a large freezer but this is something to consider depending on your situation. Decant the food into a clean, air and water tight container. Many containers are not suitable for long term storage. Consider an oxygen absorber if you live in a humid climate or storage will be longer term (more than a month). Discard packaging (compost, recycle, fire starter, etc). Refrain from commingling container contents. My exceptions are pasta which I decant into clear bags to save space and store together in a Vittles Vault and commercially packaged and sealed mylar bags which I also store in together in a Vittles Vault. Label with contents and date. Rotate inventory if needed, adhering to the first in, first out rule. Store in a dark and cool location. /episode/index/show/permaculturevelocity/id/23488844