More Fermented Foods, and New Cheese Maker

Kombucha

Today I was busy as usual on a Friday with my kombucha, brewing a new batch.

On the left is my large gallon jar ready for the next batch. Beside it, in the smaller bowl, is the scoby resting in some kombucha. (Scoby = “Symbiotic Colony [or Culture] Of Bacteria and Yeasts.”) I was pleased today to discover that the scoby has grown sufficiently to be separated. On its underside was the original small disc of scoby that I bought on Ebay, and I was able to pull it away from its larger “baby” and I can now pass this on to my friend, who wants to start making kombucha. For now, it’s gone back in the jar with its mother, until my friend is able to come over.

In the larger bowl, I have just strained last week’s batch of kombucha, and behind that bowl you can see the bottles lined up, ready for me to decant the kombucha. This time I have decided not to do the second fermentation because much as I like it, I think I prefer the raw kombucha. Both are extremely good for you. I drink it as it is, and it’s also one of the ingredients in the 6-ingredient rehydration drink that I make every day (having an ileostomy I have to guard against the very real danger of dehydration). This delicious drink is made with fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, Himalayan pink rock salt, coconut water and kombucha, topped up to a litre with filtered water. I make it every evening and put the bottle in the fridge overnight so it’s ready for the morning.

Behind the smaller bowl is a jar of honey that someone gave my hubby today, from their own bees. I am looking forward to sampling that! I adore honey, and all the more so if it’s locally produced. You can also see the red ring binder which is my personal recipe book. The six bottles are now filled and in the fridge, and the large jar is back in the airing cupboard, complete with both scobys, fermenting for another week.

The kombucha is going very well, and apart from a bit of time spent on it once a week, it is very little bother to make, and it is happy to be left alone to do its stuff for the rest of the week.

Kefir Cheese

Today I was very pleased that both my parcels arrived from Amazon, sooner than I expected. In the first was another four Mason jars, this time with wide mouths (I bought narrow mouths last time by mistake, but it doesn’t matter because I can still use them). The second parcel contained my new kefir cheese maker. I had spotted this online several weeks ago and thought it looked really good but I wasn’t sure I could justify what I considered to be rather a high price tag for something which is fairly basic and doesn’t involve electricity. In the end, however, I decided it probably was worth getting, because making the cheese with a muslin cloth in a sieve over a bowl isn’t very satisfactory. Because the handle of the sieve sticks out, there isn’t room for it in the fridge, and it takes hours to drain, which means it is out at room temperature for too long.

Here is the new cheese maker.

It comes complete with a small instruction manual, and a little recipe book. These are obviously translated from another language because at times the English is a little eccentric, but perfectly comprehensible!

It consists of a glass jar with a green plastic collar which screws on. Into this goes a very fine plastic mesh container, and a clear plastic lid to cover it. Just behind the plastic lid in the picture is a small rubber lid and a spring. These are for if you want to make firmer cheese.

To use it, you pour the kefir into the top, screw the lid on and put it in the fridge for about 24 hours, during which time the whey drips through into the glass jar, eventually leaving thick kefir “cheese” in the mesh container. You tip this out and can either eat the cheese as-is, or add flavourings.

To make harder cheese, once it is drained so that it is firm enough, you put the rubber lid on top, and then the spring, and then screw down the main lid which compresses the spring and forces the rubber lid down onto the cheese, squeezing out more whey.

The whey is extremely nutritious and can be used in many different recipes.

The cheese maker is very well made and quite substantial – a lot better than I thought it would be, so I don’t mind quite so much about the price! It is now in the fridge with the first batch draining.

The recipe book has recipes for all sorts of cheese, including some not made with kefir. You can even make coffee and tea in it, but I shan’t be doing that – apart from anything else, I don’t want the mesh container to get stained.

Fermented cucumbers

I bought two cucumbers yesterday, and today our neighbour came round with some of her home-grown ones, and I said I would ferment some for her.

In the photo you can see both sorts of Mason jars that I bought – one of the narrow-necked ones on the left, now filled with Himalayan pink rock salt. The wide-necked ones have the cucumbers in them, the one on the left being my neighbour’s home-grown cucumbers which are quite pale yellowy-green in colour, and the one on the right, the ordinary cucumbers that I bought. Both are in brine made with filtered water and the Himalayan rock salt, with dill and sliced garlic. In front of the jars you can see two of my glass discs. The fermented cucumber jars each have one in them. Lacto-fermentation is an anaerobic process and it’s important to keep the vegetables under the surface of the brine or they will go mouldy. These glass discs which fit the wide-necked Mason jars are ideal for this purpose, but you can use a ziplock bag part-filled with brine and with the air squeezed out to keep the vegetables submerged.

My cucumbers are now on the floor of the pantry, and they should be ready to sample in four or five days. I have to remember to burp the jars twice daily or they might explode. A couple of weeks ago I got a roll of black labelling material with a mat surface that you can write on with a chalk pen, for labelling my various ferments. I haven’t used it yet. I am hoping this will cut nicely on my cutting machine so I can cut my own fancy labels from it. This stuff is apparently peelable which will make life easier.

I recycle all the instant coffee jars that I buy for my hubby – these jars have nice glass lids with a rubber seal, that are designed to be recycled for other uses, and these are all on the shelves in my pantry. I designed labels for them on the computer and they look very pretty.

I think the black, semi-permanent ones will contrast nicely with these. The large Mason jars will have to go on the floor because all the shelves are full now!

Every evening I go into the kitchen and deal with what my hubby calls my “liquids” – said in a dark tone of voice which implies that they are something concocted in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory!! I suppose it’s all quite a bit of work, making fresh kefir every night, and sorting my rehydration drink for the next day, and burping my various jars so we don’t have major explosions, but I’ve got into a routine with it all now and it doesn’t seem too much hardship. I am loving the results, and I am feeling a lot better health-wise than I’ve felt for ages, apart from the possible return of my parastomal hernia (still waiting for a CT scan appointment to determine that), and  recent thrombophlebitis in my leg, which has now improved greatly, since going back on my rivaroxaban (anticoagulant).

The next thing I am going to experiment with is sauerkraut but I shall leave that for a week or two.

Tonight I began the next batch of sourdough which I shall make tomorrow.

WOYWW 482

Better late than never… It’s been rather a busy day and I’ve only just had the chance to get this post sorted.

Here’s my studio today.

Chaos reigns eternal. No change, except a bit more mess. I did manage to tidy up my wools a bit, though, over on the other side.

I’ve been busy again with the embellishments for my scarf. I finished the butterflies and have started making some crochet flowers. I shall just keep going until I think I’ve got enough! They are fairly quick to do, and relaxing while watching TV.

I’m glad I made a mistake with one of the butterflies and only did 6 “petals” instead of 8 – when folded over to create the butterfly, it makes a slightly smaller one, of a different shape. Serendipity, and nothing like a bit of variety! The larger flowers are done in several layers, and are quite 3-d.

Kitties

The kitties had their annual kitty MOT this week, and the first of the annual boosters of their inoculations. They were so good! They didn’t make a sound, either when the needle went in, or when they suffered the indignity of having a thermometer shoved up their bums. They looked slightly anxious but the lovely young Polish vet was so gentle with them, and she spoke to them softly, and gave each one a stroke after it was all done. They have gained so much weight since last year – last August, Lily weighed 1.33 kilos and she now weighs 3.3 kilos so that’s a gain of a whole kilo! Ruby was 1.23 kilos last year, and is now 3.6 kilos so she’s gained even more. She remains the heavier of the two, and is pretty solid! The vet said their weights were healthy and they shouldn’t gain any more without being overweight. They are eating well, and getting plenty of exercise running around the garden.

Here’s lookin’ at you, kid!

Kitty chorus – feeding time at the zoo!

Health Update

I still haven’t got an appointment for my CT scan to see if I really have developed another hernia (I’m pretty sure I have), but the support garments lady is coming to see me on 11th September for a fitting, which is progress.

The man from the company that supplied the power assist system for my wheelchair was down in our area yesterday and serviced my wheelchair for me. Good to go for another year.

Sourdough

Last weekend I made my best sourdough bread ever! I am following a particular Youtube video and this really seems to work.

Fantastic crumb this time – look at all those lovely traditional sourdough holes!

I made this loaf with half-and-half white and whole wheat flour instead of using wholemeal rye. I’m not sure if the improvement was due to this, or my improving dough-handling skills.

I have just started another batch, and this time I’ve divided the wholemeal half into half-and-half wheat and rye, to see how that goes. I do like the flavour of the rye.

Busy weekend ahead

This week, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, I am attending a Christian conference, non-resident, as the place is just up the road from us. I have been asked to sing and I received the list today – they want a lovely lot of songs, including a few from my repertoire which I haven’t sung for ages. I had a long practice session this afternoon and they are still a bit rough round the edges, but I may have another go this evening, and will certainly set aside some time tomorrow for further practice, and I think they will be OK. My friend is also singing, which is great. I’ve booked in for all the meals except breakfast, and my hubby is joining me for the first and last meals. It will also be a lovely opportunity to meet up with several old friends.

I have also been asked to bake the challah bread for the Friday evening meal, so I’m going to do that tomorrow as well, and work on my sourdough throughout the day. The sourdough doesn’t need a lot of work, but it needs quite a bit of attention – several folding sessions at two-hourly intervals etc. so it’s fairly time-consuming in that I have to be here, tied to the kitchen timer! There should be a nice baking smell in the house tomorrow.

Fermentation

My kombucha is going very well indeed. This time I set aside 6 bottles for second fermentation, with raspberry puree, which is delicious. The Scoby (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts) – the “dead jellyfish” that you use as a starter, has grown a lot and it’s doing a fantastic job. This fermented tea is so delicious, and has so many health benefits. I start a new batch on Fridays, and start the second fermentation of the previous batch at the same time – this is ready in three days.

I have also made a small jar of fermented dill cucumbers just to see how they worked. After three or four days on the kitchen counter, they are sensational. Definitely something to do again. Absolutely no effort required – I just cut up the cucumbers into strips, stuck them in a jar with some dill and chopped garlic, and topped the whole thing up with brine, covered it and left it to its own devices. I just had to “burp” the jar morning and evening to let the CO2 escape. It’s now in the fridge, but I don’t think it will be there for long!

The other day my hubby saw me at work in the kitchen and asked, “Are you working on your liquids?” – not drinks, haha! He said this in a rather dark tone of voice as if he was suggesting that they were the product of Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory.

Other food

My hubby has started bringing in fast quantities of apples from our tree. His brother was over today and he confirmed that they are Bramleys – we didn’t know what variety they were. They are very good apples. My hubby peels and slices them for me, and then it’s up to me to do something with them. This year I’m determined to be a bit more adventurous than just stewing them. I’ve already fermented some, but my hubby doesn’t like those much. I am going to make more apple butter in the slow cooker this year, and I’m going to attempt to dry some. I don’t have a dehydrator but understand you can get good results using the oven on its lowest setting. I’m not going to have much time to attend to this for a few days, though.

I haven’t done much other stuff in the kitchen as my recent cooking days have yielded lots of freezer fodder and we’ve been noshing on that. I’m making a salad for tonight, including a sweet potato salad that I made this morning with fresh herbs from the garden, and a mixture of mayonnaise and home-made yoghurt (now being made from an heirloom culture I got online – fabulous). Once my bought mayonnaise is all used up, I’m not buying any more. My friend who got me started on fermentation gave me a recipe for her fabulous mayonnaise made from kefir, and that’s definitely the way to go. I saw a Youtube video last week where the woman said, “Read the labels on the back of foods in the supermarket. If you can’t pronounce any of the ingredients, don’t buy it!” Lol!

Have a great week, everyone.

WOYWW 481 Felt, Crochet and Sourdough

I can’t believe another week has flown by… We are nearly at the end of August, for goodness sake.

Still no movement on the studio front apart from tidying away my disaster of a felt box which I had discovered was all wet because I hadn’t emptied a bottle of soapy water and it had leaked all over everything. It’s all now cleaned up and dried and put away so there’s a slight improvement in floor space on that side of the room.

I have been continuing to work on felt embellishments for my striped scarf.

I have made several little calla lily lookalikes, and I’ve also started covering the white cores with coloured fleece, as you can see on the left in the photo.

To add a bit of variety, I thought I’d do a few crochet embellishments as well, so after a quick search on Youtube I found some very nice flower patterns, which I haven’t started yet, and this delightful Dutch video on crochet butterflies – even though I don’t understand Dutch, the filming was so clear that I was able to follow everything, and I’ve written out a pattern that I can follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh1uEIyN0rc&list=PL-OKjxuL-AQjnRsxxRNohlLOr1oAF1Y7s&index=7&t=0s

I have completed one, and am working on the second.

They are a bit lumpy but once they’ve been steam pressed, they will be fine, I am sure. They are such fun to do, and don’t take long.

Sourdough

I decided this week to have another go with the sourdough, following the very good video I mentioned last week. Because my first attempt seemed very dry compared with the baker’s dough on the video, I thought I’d try increasing the hydration of the dough by 10 percent, which was a total disaster – when I turned the dough out onto the table towards the end of the process, and left it to rest, when I came back, it resembled a pancake and was practically flowing out of the door!! There was nothing I could do about this and I was really fed up by this time, as it was the end of the day and I was tired, so I binned the lot.

The day before yesterday I had another go, this time reducing the hydration by 5 percent and the same thing happened. I thought it was a shame to waste good ingredients, although bread flour isn’t that expensive, so I scooped it all up, and decided to make it into sourdough crackers which are made of excess sourdough starter with some added flour, coconut oil, an egg and some additional salt. I can’t remember but I don’t think I added the egg, but I did add some coconut oil and another teaspoon of salt. The cracker recipe says you have to leave it to rest for several hours, and when I came back, the dough was rising all over the place so I thought, what the heck, I’ll bake it as bread and see what happens! I didn’t take that much care over the folding and shaping, so I didn’t expect stellar results, but it did produce a loaf, and as anticipated, the crumb was much more dense than that of true sourdough.

It tastes pretty good, though.

Yesterday I thought I’d have another go, and this time use the Youtube baker’s recommended 65 percent hydration again, which I’d done the first time I’d tried his method. I thought that on that occasion the crumb was a bit dense because I hadn’t exactly mastered his method of folding and shaping, so this time I took extra care over this.

Initially the dough did resemble his much more – on my first attempt it was so dry, which I put down to the fact that the rye flour I mix in has a higher absorbency – I thought I could compensate for this by increasing the hydration but after two failed attempts, this obviously wasn’t going to work. This time it seemed a lot less stiff to start with, and I thought all was going to be well. However, with each folding session, it seemed to get more and more wet, until at the turning out onto the table stage, I knew it was going to spread again, and so it did. I was getting so desperate with it at this stage that I thought I couldn’t possibly waste any more dough, and I’d bake it anyway.

As happens every single time I bake sourdough, the final moulded dough sticks to the cloth and will not turn out cleanly onto the baking sheet or into the casserole I use as a Dutch oven. Pulling the cloth away destroys the integrity of the boule and spoils the top surface and because the skin of gluten that you work so assiduously to create is broken, there isn’t enough oven spring and the bread does not rise sufficiently in the oven. I have tried normal bread flour to dust the cloth (not recommended because it’s too high in gluten and sticks like glue), rice flour and semolina (both low in gluten) but everything sticks.

Yesterday’s effort was a total disaster. It stuck big time to the cloth despite copious amounts of semolina – there was only one small central area which didn’t stick. The trouble is, when you flour the cloth inside the bowl or banneton you use for the final proving, the flour won’t stick to the sloping sides but slides down to the bottom.

Worse was to come. I took the lid off the casserole half way through the baking as instructed, and when I came to take it out of the oven I noticed it was rather overdone. Then I couldn’t get it out of the casserole because it was stuck fast! The whole thing is terrifyingly hot so there wasn’t much I could do except leave it in there to cool off a bit. It is still completely stuck. I shall have to wreck the loaf to get it out. Grrrr and double grrrr! I don’t know what’s going on…

The baker on Youtube is a lovely man who has answered everyone’s comments on the video, so I think I’m going to ask him for some help! I’m obviously doing something wrong and am wondering if it’s something to do with the rye flour. If I have to abandon this, I shall be rather sad because we do love the intense flavour of this.

So I think the latest effort may end up being sourdough croutons!!! At least there are lots of variations in the sourdough universe, and whatever I do, and however unsightly it may be (crumb too dense, top looking like a lunar landscape, whole loaf looking like a squashed flying saucer, etc. etc.) at least one thing is consistent – the delicious flavour! I am so determined to get this right, though, and will NOT admit defeat!!

Other fermentation

On Monday the three days required for the second fermentation of my first batch of kombucha (fermented tea) were up, so I put the bottles in the fridge. Cooling a carbonated liquid helps retain the gas in the liquid, so opening the bottles tends to be a somewhat less explosive experience than at room temperature. Yesterday I opened the first bottle, and released the wire clip very, very, veeerrrrry slowly, with the bottle in a bowl in the sink and my eyes tightly closed like a kid watching Doctor Who from behind the settee, and it was pretty lively even so! I strained the liquid into a bowl and saw that as the Youtube video had said could happen, it had grown a little baby Scoby (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts – the culture used to ferment tea into kombucha). (in the photo, you can see it on the surface of the mango one on the right, and in the raspberry one, it has got stuck in the neck of the bottle. Goodness… it will probably shoot out and get me in the eye when I open that one!!) Unfortunately I couldn’t keep this because it had flavouring in it (in this case, mango puree) but I had no conscience about putting it in the compost bin because Scobies make excellent compost to feed the garden. The man on the video said if you don’t strain it, swallowing a Scoby by mistake can be a bit of an unnerving experience (like drinking a jellyfish) but it won’t do you any harm – it’s full of gorgeous probiotic bacteria and goodness for your system. (You can feed them to animals who love them! Or you can cut them up and dry them to make dog treats. They need probiotics too.) Anyway, my first batch is delicious – I can’t taste too much mango, but it tastes rather like cider. I haven’t tasted the raspberry one yet. In addition to drinking it as is, I am also using it as an ingredient in a rehydration drink I am making as a change from St. Mark’s Solution (a rehydration drink designed by St. Mark’s Colorectal Hospital in London for ostomates) – I drink a litre of this every day. I’ve been making up the new recipe with the brine from my fermented apples until the kombucha was ready – all adds variety to the spice of life! I think it’s delicious, but when I offered my hubby a taste, he pulled a face!!

Kitties

From being ultra teenagerish and stand-offish, suddenly Ruby wants cuddles all the time in the evening once they are in from the garden and have had supper. When not on my lap she likes sleeping on the back of the settee behind me. Last night Lily purloined her favourite spot and for a couple of hours they were happy up there together. Is this the new latest place? Lily seems to have abandoned the hammock!

Here they are on the outside of the kitchen window, in the vain hope I’ll open up and let them in.

And here’s Ruby cuddled up with the teddies after my hubby brought them (the teddies, not the kitties) in from the sitting room window.

Lily is loafing around the TV. She is fascinated by the screen saver that comes on if the DVD player goes into standby. Lily is a bit of a TV addict anyway, and particularly enjoys wildlife programmes.

Hospital appointment

I have done a blog about this in detail, but suffice it to say here that I saw my surgeon last Thursday, and the stoma nurse. It is possible that I have herniated again… I suspected this and told him, and after examining me, he couldn’t be sure so he’s booked me in for a CT scan (awaiting appointment for that). If I have got a hernia again this will be the biggest bore ever – it will mean I went through ALL THAT at the beginning of the year for nothing – further major surgery, followed by infected haematomas and the beginning of sepsis and coming close to death. It will be much more difficult to deal with now, because of the presence of the mesh, and also I have already had the hernia repaired twice. Oh grrrr… Anyway, I’m not going to worry, but wait and see what shows up, and if I have got a hernia, I think my surgeon will agree with me to leave well alone, get adequate support asap (stoma nurse arranging appointment with support garments lady – my existing ones now 18 months old and probably too stretched to work properly any more, in addition to my having lost weight), and hope against hope that it doesn’t cause another obstruction. They reckon that between 50 and 75 percent of ostomates will get a hernia and it’s a very difficult problem to deal with.

Kombucha–My First Attempt

Recently I decided to try my hand at making kombucha, which is fermented tea, a health-giving probiotic drink. There are lots of helpful videos on Youtube and I found the best to be the one from Brothers Green Eats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Axb37lMWI&list=PL-OKjxuL-AQgDUbD4Aa0D0LCNst8AbrIa&index=5&t=0s

and one from Blake Kirby, which many of his commenters say is the best one on the web.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23P7QqsjEMw&index=5&list=PL-OKjxuL-AQgDUbD4Aa0D0LCNst8AbrIa

Here is my jar of kombucha in the airing cupboard, about half way through the week. I think it looks like a kid playing a shepherd in a Nativity play!

Today was the eighth day since I started. The experts say the “sweet spot” is between 7 and 10 days; anything sooner and it will still taste of sweet tea, and anything much longer than 10 days will produce a vinegary flavour.

All you need to make kombucha is sweet tea (black tea is best) and a Scoby – the acronym stands for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts. This thing is a slippery, rubbery thing which is made up of living organisms. It looks quite disgusting but it does the job! In the above photo, you can see the size of the original Scoby that I bought on Ebay, surrounded by new Scoby being formed as the original one grows.

At this point, I dipped in a ladle and scooped out a bit to taste. It tasted delicious, so I knew I’d hit the “sweet spot” and could go ahead.

Here is the Scoby, removed from the kombucha jar and placed in a bowl with some of the kombucha to help it on its way in the next batch. You can see that the new growth has collapsed but it will all unfold and spread when it goes back in the jar and starts growing again.

Straining the kombucha, to remove any solid pieces. There is cloudiness at the bottom of the jar which is an accumulation of yeasts, which need to be stirred in so that nothing is wasted. It is important to avoid metal coming in contact with the Scoby so I am using a plastic sieve.

I didn’t have any suitable pure fruit juice and didn’t want to put whole pieces in the bottles, so I made a puree in my high-speed blender, using first mango and then raspberries, from packs of frozen fruit that I keep for my breakfasts on diet days.

I put a little in the blender and added some water to make more of a thick juice than a puree. This was then funnelled into the bottles.

These are bottles designed for carbonated drinks, and have a swing top which keeps everything secure during second fermentation. Here is the puree in the bottom of each bottle.

Unfortunately I miscalculated and I hadn’t made enough kombucha to fill eight bottles, but only four. I’ve kept the excess fruit puree to make milkshakes etc.

Here are the four bottles, capped and ready to put in the pantry for 3 days to ferment again. There are plenty of bacteria and yeasts in the kombucha despite the Scoby having been removed, and these will act on the fruit sugar and reduce it by fermentation. As the bottles are firmly capped, this will also cause carbonation, with the build-up of carbon dioxide gas which will have nowhere else to go but into the liquid.

My four bottles ready to be stored in a cool dark place for the next three days.

After this, if they are not drunk immediately, they will be stored in the fridge, which will arrest the fermentation, and also prevent the carbon dioxide from escaping too explosively when I open the bottles.

I have revamped my recipe to increase the quantities by half as much again, which will fill six bottles instead of four.

If I like it, I can see myself needing to make double quantity in order to produce a good supply to last while the next batch of kmobucha is being made.

After my attempt to make fermented apples, seen here on the left:

This is the result, served up for supper.

thought they were delicious, but my hubby only awarded 4 stars. Oh well, can’t win ’em all, I suppose. However, this won’t dissuade me from eating the lion’s share myself! Tonight for supper, I cooked up some of last year’s apples from the freezer, adding a small quantity of the brine from the fermented apples, and served it hot with custard. My hubby really liked that! I didn’t tell him it had fermented apple juice in it!

Follow-Up Hospital Appointment

This morning I had my long-awaited follow-up appointment with the surgeon, after my operation at the end of March and subsequent major infection in April. At the time, he said he wanted to see me a fortnight after my discharge, but NHS timing being as it is, for them, two weeks = three months!

I had been having trouble with Kermit, my ileostomy, for weeks after the operation wound had healed, with many leaks and frequent bag changes. I kept hoping for an early appointment so that I could see the stoma nurse at the same time, and during this time, I was dealing with the problem myself and getting more and more frustrated with it. I suddenly remembered I’d had exactly the same problem after my original operation in 2015, and after trying various solutions, the stoma nurse had given me convex bags to try, which act by pressing on the parastomal area and making the stoma protrude more into the bag, and this solved the problem. I had been using the normal flat bags since the operation because initially, you have to let the area heal before using convex bags, and also, because Kermit Mk II was longer after being remade during my hernia repair surgery, I thought it would no longer be necessary. Anyway I decided to try, and hey presto, it worked, and the problem was solved.

I phoned the stoma team a few days ago to ask if I could see someone during the surgeon’s appointment, and was told that they were very short-staffed, with two on leave, and one with a broken wrist, but they would do their best. The HCA (complete with cast and sling) did manage to come, and she and the surgeon saw me together.

They agreed that I should have new support garments. The last ones I had were in January 2017 and they should be replaced every year as the elasticity tends to diminish, and I had also lost weight since then, so my current garments are probably not providing adequate support. The stoma nurse will arrange for a representative from the company to make an appointment with me, and she will come and see me at home.

I told the surgeon that I had a suspicion that my hernia had returned. He examined me, but couldn’t be sure, so he is booking me in for a CT scan to see what is going on. He said that if I had got a hernia again, it would be very much more difficult to repair, firstly because I have already had two repairs done, and secondly, the mesh that he inserted in March would make things a lot harder. I said that I realised this, and that I was most unwilling to have Kermit re-sited on the other side of my abdomen, which is what they often do under these circumstances. Not only would I have to get used to managing Kermit on the other side, but it would also introduce another weakness in the abdominal wall and a potential site for herniation.

Anyway, we shall have to wait and see what the scan reveals. If it has herniated again, I am going to suggest that we leave well alone, and try and manage it without further surgery, and I have a feeling he will agree. There is always a risk of it causing another obstruction, which would again involve major emergency surgery, with the added complications listed above. Meanwhile, we will try and get new support garments as soon as possible.

I told him that I was feeling better than I have felt for years, and my hubby agreed that I was much better these days. I told him I had decided to try and restore my gut microbiome by drinking kefir when I came out of hospital and was still on the strong antibiotic cocktail to combat the last of the infection. In hospital I had three different combinations of intravenous antibiotics and came home with the oral version of the last, and this was playing havoc with my gut. I knew my friend had had great success in dealing with her long-standing gut problems, by consuming kefir and other fermented foods, as well as some radical changes to her diet, excluding certain foods that were causing her problems. She came round, armed with some kefir grains and a lot of very helpful information. Since then, I have been immersing myself in this whole new world of fermentation and the diversity of the gut microbiome. My surgeon didn’t say anything in reply and he probably thinks I’m a weirdo, unless he’s kept up to date with the latest research in this area! Anyway, the proof of the pudding has been in the eating, literally, in my case! (A little aside: I do hate the way this expression has been adulterated recently – I keep hearing people on TV saying, “The proof is in the pudding.” This is nonsense!!!)

We also discussed my anticoagulant treatment. Up until my recent operation I’d been taking rivaroxaban, because some time previously, a CT scan had revealed numerous small pulmonary emboli. I was told to stop the rivaroxaban before surgery, and resume it immediately afterwards. This became a problem a few days after I was discharged, with profuse bleeding from the stoma, and I was readmitted overnight until it settled down. I remained off it during the following couple of weeks, during which time I was brewing up with the infected haematomas in my abdomen which led to the early stages of sepsis and my emergency readmission. When I was discharged, I asked about going back on the rivaroxaban and they said no, but to have the daily fragmin injections for several weeks (horrible – like bee stings!). Once these were finished, I spoke to my GP on the phone and asked again, and she said she had had a letter from my surgeon saying that I should not start again until I had seen him in the outpatient clinic. We all thought my appointment would be a lot sooner than it was, so all this time I have been without them. He said that I really should be taking them, and would inform my GP accordingly. It is a relief at last to know where I stand on this.

All in all, it was a good appointment. My surgeon is so expert and experienced, and speaks with authority but without being patronising, and is friendly and charming. He is always ready to listen to my point of view and we have fruitful discussions, and informed decisions are made. I am extremely blessed to be cared for by such a man. I always know I am in very good hands with him, and that he always acts in my best interest, and gives a lot of thought as to how to deal with the various problems I have had. I have the greatest confidence in him.

So now we wait and see what result the CT scan brings.

WOYWW 480 Felt and Sourdough

I’ve been really tired this week and still getting intermittent headaches so I’ve rested as much as I can. I finished knitting the striped scarf (one of my famous UFOs – UnFinished Objects!) and sewed the ends closed, and when I did the ironing at the weekend, gave it a good press so it’s now looking OK.

To finish it off, I’ve decided to add lots of fun embellishments instead of a regular fringe. Ages ago I found a brilliant image somewhere online which inspired this idea, and now I can’t find it for love nor money – I had an idea it was on Pinterest but I think it must have been taken down, and I didn’t download it, so I shall just have to remember the impression of how it looked. This is probably a good thing because I won’t be tempted to copy it, but make it my own from a memory that inspired me.

The first step was to make lots of felt balls. I’ve started these off to the pre-felt stage, using needle felting, which is more time-consuming than wet felting, but at least I can do it sitting on the recliner. I made quite a lot, and then decided it was a waste of the coloured Merino wool tops so I started making white ones, which will have coloured wool needle-felted on top.

They are in a variety of sizes and after wet-felting they will be smaller. I can string these on crochet chains and also attach tassels to them. I am also thinking of adding a bit of embroidery to the larger ones.

I have also started making a few needle-felted flowers, some of which will also be suspended, and others will be sewn on the scarf itself.

I’ve chosen colours as close to the knitted colours as I could manage. I think the effect will be quite striking.

Sourdough

Esmeralda, my sourdough starter, has been quite active in the fridge, where she is supposed to be asleep, and after I fed her she started going bananas again so I took some out, and made pancakes again. I didn’t make any sourdough last week, but just fed her and put her back in the fridge.

Last week I was doing some more research into improving my sourdough technique and found a superb Youtube video which showed how to get a good texture from a relatively low-hydration dough. The higher the hydration (very wet dough) the more difficult it is to handle, especially for beginners like me, but if the dough is too dry, you don’t get the characteristic sourdough texture.

This man had a different technique which involved folding the dough several times over a period of six hours, after having chilled the dough and then leaving it at room temperature overnight, so quite a long process. I was able to do things in between, of course. When I turned it out ready for baking, it maintained its shape brilliantly and didn’t subside into my usual flying saucer! I baked it using the Dutch Oven technique, using my mum’s old iron casserole which creates a micro-climate around the dough and keeps it moist during the first stage of baking, allowing for what they call good “oven spring.” – the final rise in the oven.

This was the result.

From the side, you can see how much it has risen, and what a good shape it is.

Cutting it, I was slightly disappointed that the crumb wasn’t quite open enough, but this can be improved upon with higher hydration.

Following along with the Youtube video while I was folding the dough, mine was a lot stiffer than his, even though the hydration was the same. I think this is because I used a combination of white and rye flours, and the rye flour is a lot more absorbent than the normal bread flour. Next time I shall increase the hydration and I think it will be easier to handle, and also give a better crumb.

Unfortunately I had to make this into a single, larger loaf in order to use the Dutch Oven method, because I couldn’t get two small ones in the casserole side by side. My bannetons are too small for a loaf of this size so I had to use a bowl for the final proving. I shall either have to buy a bigger banneton, or revert to the original method of baking in the oven on a baking sheet, with a tray of boiling water underneath to produce the steam to prevent the dough drying out too much initially, and stopping it rising in the oven. Even when pre-heating the baking tray in the oven, it doesn’t stay hot enough when you take it out to turn the dough out onto it. The casserole, being solid cast iron, remains incredibly hot – I had to get out my old fashioned oven gloves in order to be able to handle it at all! The Dutch Oven method is definitely more successful, but without the banneton, I don’t get the traditional spiral pattern on the loaf. Appearance? Quality? It’s a no-brainer, really… However, the main thing is that this bread tastes absolutely fabulous. This is Real Food. Watch this space.

Other fermentation

The kaanji I attempted to make was revolting, and ended up being poured away. Can’t win ’em all.

This week my large fermentation vessel and bottles arrived, along with a Scoby (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts – looks a bit like a dead jellyfish) so I started some kombucha (fermented tea) which is going very well in the airing cupboard – I can see definite evidence of fermentation activity. It takes about a week to ten days. After this, it can be bottled with a bit of fruit for second fermentation which will flavour and carbonate it. I can’t wait to try it.

(It looks a bit like a kid playing a shepherd in a Nativity play!)

I tasted the kimchi I had had fermenting on the kitchen counter and it’s delicious, but really fiery! I think I might have put in a bit too much of the Korean chilli powder. I stirred a little into the sourdough starter pancake batter and it was great, but next time I’ll add a bit more to give more of a kick. It’s now in the fridge, to arrest any further fermentation.

This week my hubby brought in the first crop of apples from our tree, and I’m attempting some fermented apples. I’ve added dried fruit (dates and raisins) and some spices (cloves, cinnamon) and it’s doing its thing on the floor of the pantry. I am very interested in how this might turn out.

Apples on the left (fermenting) and kimchi.

We are still continuing with the kefir. I start a new batch every night. The grains increase, and I put the excess in a jar in the fridge in some milk, and I’ve given the first lot away to a wholefood shop in Totnes – she was very grateful as she often gets customers asking if she has kefir starter kits.

I’m running out of jars. I’ve got half a dozen 1-litre Mason jars on order from Amazon. As for fridge space, that’s now at crisis point!

Kitties

Just one picture of them this week, taken with the zoom from the bedroom window.

They don’t like the rain and have taken to coming in and out throughout the day, and sleeping more in the daytime.

For some reason quite beyond my understanding, last night Ruby suddenly decided she’s gone off kitty biscuits and started trying to eat her sister’s wet food, so we’ve started giving them both the same food again! When they were quite small, Ruby made it quite clear she hated wet food and would only eat biccies. What has suddenly changed her mind again? Can anyone fathom what goes on in the kitty mind? The question remains unanswered, along with what happened to the ill-fated Marie Celeste, who killed Cock Robin, and whether the moon is made of cheese. (Funny, even after putting men on the moon, NASA didn’t tell us this. You’d think they’d know.)

Health Update

When I was in hospital, my surgeon said he wanted to see me two weeks after my discharge, which was at the beginning of May. The NHS runs on a different time-scale from the rest of us. Two weeks = three months. My follow-up appointment is tomorrow. Oh well. It’s a good thing I’ve been OK, isn’t it. I rang the stoma team a couple of days ago to see if I could see the nurse while I was there, and was told they are very short-staffed (two on holiday, and one with a broken wrist) but they’d see what they could do. Not too impressive. My surgeon told my GP months ago that I couldn't go back on the Rivaroxaban (anti-coagulant) until I’d seen him in clinic so I’ve been off it all this time, and am not sure what effect this is having, and whether I still need it or not. If I do, my health could have been put at risk all this time. No doubt I’ll get the chance to discuss this with him on Thursday.

My studio remains a total tip. Hopefully in the coming days I shall have more time and energy and actually get back in there. I don’t understand how mess multiplies when one isn’t even using the room. Another conundrum to go with the kitty mind one.

Happy WOYWW everyone.

WOYWW 479 Cooking Again

I wasn’t intending to join in WOYWW today because nothing had changed on my desk after another busy and tiring week and having a headache every day, probably due to the heat, but it’s cooler today and I decided to move my “desk” to the kitchen and be creative in there instead.

Last Friday we went to another Shabbat meal and again I offered to make the challah. This time I divided the dough into three, as it made two absolute whoppers last time – I took two, and kept one back for ourselves.

I didn’t make sourdough this week because we’ve still got enough in the freezer.

It’s been a hive of industry in the kitchen today!

On the hob I’ve got my stock pot with two packs of chicken thighs with veggies (offcuts from the bag in the freezer) making stock, and I’ll also end up with some lovely tasty cooked chicken and cooked veggies ready to make soup with when I want. At the back is a pan of plain boiled brown rice – so easy – I just covered it with water and simmered it with the lid on until all the water was absorbed. Nicely chewy and fluffy, ready for supper tonight. In the wok I am sauté-ing veggies with no oil. It takes absolutely ages and in the end I added a bit of water and put the lid on and let them steam a bit before increasing the heat again. They came out very dark as they were pretty much caramelised. Very tasty.

Ingredients all ready for curried parsnip soup – chopped onions and parsnips, veg stock from the freezer, and spices. I couldn’t do this until the chicken stock was done as I needed the stock pot.

Making the sauce for supper. This morning I discovered a Youtube channel belonging to “Chef AJ” who is pretty radical, vegan, no oil, no salt… I’m not going that far, but she’s got some brilliant recipes! This is her “Yummy Sauce” in the making, with cannellini beans, lemon and mustard.

The completed sauce. This is absolutely scrumptious!!! Yummy indeed!

The components of our supper, ready to throw together when my hubby comes home. The Yummy Sauce, brown rice, and sautéed veggies. They will make a nice couple of bowls of goodness.

Sorting out the chicken stock. The chicken in the pan waiting to be boned, the stock, and the veggies.

The curried parsnip soup on the hob.

The cooked chicken with the bones removed. I had skinned them before boiling, so it wouldn’t be so greasy. On the right, some home-made Coronation chicken in an old pot from Tesco. I’ve decided not to keep buying this, but to make my own – much cheaper, and more delicious!

The chicken spread out on baking parchment, ready for the freezer. This will stop the pieces sticking together. Once it’s frozen, it will go in bags.

The curried parsnip soup after going through my high speed blender, cooling, ready to be frozen.

We’ve got plenty of food for the week now.

Finally, the aliens have landed!!

Our neighbour gave this to us today. I have no idea what it is, whether it’s an actual alien, or an alien spacecraft. I think there should be flashing lights on those bumps around the bottom.

I think it’s a sort of squash. I am sure I shall find something to do with it, as long as little green men don’t hop out when I cut it open.

Fermentation

I am still doing my fermented foods. This week I made some kimchi which isn’t ready yet – it smells pretty amazing, though, and it’s fairly fiery too with lots of Korean chilli spice in it. I discovered a very simple recipe for an Indian fermented drink this week, which I am trying, called Kaanji, made from carrots and spices in water, and of course, I am continuing to make my kefir.

At the back: kimchi. Tall jar: kaanji. Front left: kefir.

I have decided to try my hand at kombucha (fermented tea) so I have some stuff on order – a gallon jar and some bottles, and a kombucha scoby (this is an acronym for “Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeasts”) – you need this to convert the tea into kombucha. It looks pretty revolting, a bit like a dead jellyfish. Oh well, the kombucha is supposed to be delicious!

Esmeralda, my sourdough starter, is asleep in the fridge.

I need more room in my pantry.

Kitties

Ruby has decided she’s gone off the hammock, and gone off sleeping with Lily at all. I really don’t understand kitties. She’s now adopted a soft cushion on the settee. Before she abandoned Lily, I got this picture of her with one leg over.

Last night there was a bit of a mystery with Ruby. My hubby got them in for supper, and shut the back door so they wouldn’t go out again. Next thing I knew, Ruby was out again! The previous night I’d left the door open by mistake and they both went out again, but this time I was sure I hadn’t let them out. My hubby managed to bribe her in with kitty biccies. Five minutes later, she was out again!! We couldn’t understand it. Then I remembered… when my friend came in the afternoon, we decided it was a bit windy to sit outside, so we sat in the flat which is nice and sunny, and brighter than our sitting room, and I’d opened the window and forgotten to shut it! Mystery solved.

We’ve been out for lunch this week as well, and I’ve been working on last month’s accounts (not yet finished) and various other activities too, so I haven’t had a chance to go in the studio. Hopefully this coming week…