I’m suffering from a terrible case of hippie kitchen. I have sauerkraut fermenting in one cupboard, kombucha on another shelf, and sprouts hanging in a bag from one of my cupboards. It’s a serious situation, to say the least. But all is not lost: I don’t have my yogurt maker on at the moment, nor have I received my new mushroom logs.
I’m joking, of course. I love growing food and cooking up recipes from items that are on hand. Yes, I do have all of the above in my kitchen, and I am eagerly awaiting the entrance of the mushroom logs. But no, I don’t think that I’m weird for loving to grow food. I just giggle at it sometimes.
Growing herbs is a good way to get into the grow-your-own mentality. Right now, my herbs are outdoors enjoying the sunshine. However, I’ve been experimenting with growing mint and chives indoors as well. Rosemary is another plant that loves being indoors in the winter time, and it’s so lovely in scrambled eggs!
Growing sprouts is something that I’ve struggled to master. I’ve tried a plastic sprout grower and a mason jar. Neither worked well for me. This newest method is doing the trick: I have healthy sprouts growing in a bag to allow air to flow through. If you’re thinking of doing this, get an actual sprout bag made from natural materials.
Mushroom logs are something that I’ve tried before. It’s lovely to have your own fancy mushrooms growing from logs. You do need space so that you don’t get spores flying around your bedroom or your kitchen: a basement or an underused garage is good for this. If you do get a mushroom log, get one that is reusable, since you don’t want to be creating more waste!
Fermenting and preserving food is a way to keep the harvest around longer. You can bring in unprocessed foods and process them yourself into the thinks that you love to eat. Yogurt is relatively simple to make, either in a yogurt maker or in an oven. The yogurt maker is much more energy-efficient. Making sauerkraut is as easy as chopping a cabbage and submersing it in salty brine for a week or more until it ferments to taste. Both of these are full of natural probiotics that help your digestion.
Do you grow your own food indoors or preserve the harvest for later in the year?
Image Credit: Groesel