Chelsea Green Blog
Food & Drink
4 Ways to Preserve Your Green Bean Bounty
Harvest season is finally here! If you’re anything like us, you’ve got green beans up the wazoo around this time of year. If you’re looking for a new way to preserve your green bean bounty for the fall and winter months, these four salt-based techniques should help. Here’s to months of delicious green beans ahead!…
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The Promise of Purslane & Salt-Pickled Recipe
Are you quick to grab a shovel at the mere mention of purslane for fear it will overrun your garden? If you nodded your head “yes,” might we suggest taking a second to rethink your attack? This semi-succulent annual not only boasts the highest-yet-measured levels of omega-3 fatty acids (hello, health benefits!) in a plant;…
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Homemade Kvass: Ancient Fermentation
Looking to add another recipe to your fermenting repertoire? Try your hand at Kvass. Bonus: it is the perfect entry-level project. Kvass is an ancient and beloved beverage from Slavic Eastern Europe. While it is basically a low-alcohol beer, it is enjoyed as a soft drink, even by small children. This nourishing beverage calls for…
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Elderflowers and Elderberries
We should just change the name of summer to elderberry season. It’s the perfect time to pick these berries (which aren’t actually berries) and make delicious jams, drinks, and sauces. Cooking or fermenting elderberries is crucial to unlocking their flavor. Once processed, you’ll have an end product with plenty of health benefits as opposed to…
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Relax and Refresh with Country Elderberry Wine
There’s really nothing better than sitting down after a long day with a glass of wine and the sun setting in the distance. Unless of course you foraged for the berries for said wine, crushed them by hand, added in some sugar, water, and citric acid, bottled it up, and waited six months before you…
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How to Make Fermented Farinata: Italian Chickpea Flour Cake
What is Farinata? We’re glad you asked! Farinata is an Italian fried cake made from chickpea flour. Sanor Katz describes it as “a luscious, light, and creamy treat that is almost like a fluffy omelet or soufflé.” The following is an excerpt from Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys by Sandor Ellix Katz. It has been adapted for the…
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Easy Cheeses to Make at Home
Have you always wanted to make cheeses at home, but have never known where to start? Good news! Homemade cheese doesn’t have to be complicated, all you really need is a handful of ingredients and time. The following is an excerpt from Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys by Sandor Ellix Katz. It has been adapted for…
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Say (Vegan) Cheese! Making Spicy Hard Cheese
For the next post in our vegan cheese series we’re trying our hand at spicy hard cheeses! While the base and first few steps of this recipe are very similar to the vegan cheese spread in the last post, there are few extra steps that’ll test your fermentation and cheese-making skills. If this sounds a bit…
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How to Brew Amazing Beer in Vast Quantities
Wouldn’t it be cool if, after some time and practice, you’re known as the Beer Brewing Master? Your friends gather at your house every weekend to try your latest ferment, eyes filled with wonder. Your homebrewing skills unmatched by all. Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods,…
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Carrot Cake Applesauce Muffins
If you’re looking for a kid-approved muffin recipe that is just as healthy as it is delicious, then look no further. Leah Webb, author and master chef, has found the perfect substitutes for sugar, grains, and dairy for these delicious muffins. Packed with nutrients AND flavor, they’re the perfect breakfast side or snack. No matter…
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How-To Turn Sap and Syrup into Beer, Wine, and Liquor
As much as we love to drizzle (or drown, let’s be honest) our pancakes in maple syrup, you may be surprised to learn that a variety of drinks are made with tree sap, with results that will far surpass your typical sugar buzz. Several companies have ventured into the world of sap related alcoholic beverages.…
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Eating Okra All Winter
Okra is an extremely productive plant and, if you choose to grow it, you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor all year round! Let the winter weather inspire you to try okra in a different way—dehydrated and fermented. The following is an excerpt from The Whole Okra by Chris Smith. It has been adapted for…
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Tree Sap: Nature’s Energy Drink
There’s nothing better than kicking back after a long day with a nice cool glass of tree sap. Sounds sticky, but you might be surprised to hear that sap from maple, birch, or walnut trees is comprised mostly of water with 2 percent or less sugar and loaded with minerals, nutrients, enzymes, antioxidants, and more—an…
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A Feast to Warm Your Soul
Spring is just around the corner, but winter is still at our doorstep. What better way to stay warm and positive than a gathering centered around good food and drink? Here we offer culinary inspiration: Spicebush Duck Legs from Marie Viljoen’s Forage, Harvest, Feast, to be coupled with hot, mulled Wassail from Jereme Zimmerman’s Brew…
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Hunters’ Rabbit Stew
Looking for the perfect recipe to warm up the cold winter months? This hunter’s rabbit stew is the perfect twist on a cold-weather classic that the whole family will enjoy! With this simple and satisfying recipe, you can add a twist to your family’s comfort food this winter. The following is an excerpt from Raising…
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Hungry? Try These Holiday Appetizers (With a Twist!)
Adding an appetizer course is a great way to jazz up any holiday dinner. Next time you’re looking to celebrate, try out one (or both) of these delicious holiday appetizers; they’re perfect for the winter season and sure to be a hit with everyone at the table. The following is an excerpt from Black Trumpet by…
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What in the World is a Pawpaw?
Do you know what a pawpaw is? A few generations ago, most would say “yes!” You could ask just about anyone and they could tell you what this fruit looked and tasted like, and more importantly, where to find it. But today, the pawpaw remains a mystery to some and entirely unknown to others. With…
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Dried Apples: Two Ways to Enjoy All Year Long
Autumn is undeniably apple season, but how do you take your apples after you can’t get them straight from the tree? Instead of buying mealy apples from your grocery store, try drying your fresh apples and enjoying them later! The following is an excerpt from Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by The Gardeners & Farmers of…
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Bottoms Up! All-Natural Sports Drink (Plus a Recovery Tincture!)
When exercising for extended periods of time, we lose large amounts of electrolytes. Instead of picking up a sports drink from the store, you can use Jill Stansbury’s recipe for an Electrolyte Drink to keep you going without the processed chemicals and sugars. And if you’re feeling sore after all that work, try her tincture…
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Unbelievably Delicious Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake
Finding a recipe that produces a flavorful cake without having to compromise the texture is difficult, but this recipe delivers on both flavor AND texture. The unlikely combination of chocolate and sauerkraut yields an absolutely delicious and moist chocolate cake, perfect for your next craving! The following is an excerpt from Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys…
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Fermentation Sensation: Turmeric Mead
Fermented honey, or mead, is widely thought to be the first intentional ferment. Honey is rarely fermented alone, although it can be. Typically, meads include botanical enhancements. Mead is a perfect way to share the flavors, aromas, and other powers of plants. Meads are also enriched by the additional yeasts and often complementary nutrients that…
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Kick Your Kimchi Up a Notch!
If you’ve been looking to spice up your kimchi game, this is it. Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys and award-winning book The Art of Fermentation, is here with a new spin of the classic kimchi recipe. The following is an excerpt from Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys by Sandor Ellix Katz. It…
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How Do You Like Them Apples?
Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy apple-focused food & drinks and reflect on this staple of the American diet. Here are some Chelsea Green books that embrace the biodiversity of apples in all forms! The New Cider Maker’s Handbook by Claude JolicoeurTo make the very best cider—whether for yourself, your family, and friends or…
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Take a Tea Break to De-Stress This Winter!
Life can be stressful! Sometimes there’s just no avoiding it. Luckily, taking a moment to brew and enjoy a cup of tea can actually help quite a bit– especially if you’re brewing a cup of Jill Stansbury’s Tea for Stress-Related Muscle Tension. So next time you’re feeling stressed, take a break and brew some tea.…
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Wild Apples, Real Cider, and the Complicated Art of Making a Living
“Loving apples or cider is not a prerequisite for loving this book. All that is needed is the willingness to follow a vibrant narrative voice driven by the pursuit of dreams.”—Alice Feiring Andy Brennan owns Aaron Burr Cider in New York’s Catskills region. Since its founding in 2011, Aaron Burr Cider has become well known…
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