Kom-BLEW-cha!

 

A few weeks ago I secured my very first SCOBY. Yes...I am a Kombucha virgin <blush>. 

I know, I know it has been a hot topic for a very long time, but gee it took me 25 years of my life to discover just how amazing homemade sauerkraut tastes. Yes and this coming from the kid who used to be forced to eat the canned stuff ...you know the one... the kid who gagged because of it. (Thanks Mom!)

Ok, on with my discovery. 

While perusing Facebook Marketplace I came across someone in my local area offering to give a SCOBY and starter to anyone interested. With the FALL season upon us, my mind always wanders to unique ways to preserve whatever I can of FALL and most of the time that means jam, herbs, garden goodies and hauling in our outdoor plants before the first freeze. Can you imagine that is just around the corner...in my area it is less than a week away! Well anyway, with that on my mind I thought sure why not try out this fermentation thingy to see what happens. 

My dear friend Ms. Google and I got busy researching what we could do with this SCOBY thingy. What really intrigued me was the 2nd ferment process and adding various fruits to "feed" the tea and make some hopefully yummy "naturally fizzy" drinks. I learned that Kombucha starts out as sweetened black tea, a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and some already made kombucha tea to get it growing. With a little warmth and love the tea begins to make more healthy symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast and grows a new SCOBY that floats along the top of the liquid. After about a week the tea loses its sweet taste and becomes tangy and a fit fizzy. So I put together my first gallon of sweet tea, SCOBY and kombucha tea, tucked it away in the pantry for a week THEN...Oh happy day, we made Kombucha! 

I was amazed and delighted that it really was quite good tasting, kind of reminded me of ginger ale without the ginger. 

I was now really enjoying this new experience so I quickly began another batch since my sweetheart was going to have it drunk before I could try the "2nd ferment" process. Oh yeah, there is a second step to this process. So now we have about a gallon and a half, the second batch was made with green tea called Jun tea. My brew now was funneled into some 32 oz containers with swing top lids, a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 cup of mashed plum was added. I wanted to keep my first experiment simple...I thought I'd save the more complex flavoring for later. The send ferment just needs a couple days to allow the tea to feed on the sugar and fruit combo. Day 2 I take a peek and there are loads of bubbles...

Hm-mm maybe it's ready? I popped the lid back and an explosion of fizz and fruit come forth. I'm so glad I took it out to the porch! Ok, so after a bit of cleanup I think I'm so glad I checked that.

The other bottles looked fine so they all went back in the pantry. 

My sweetheart and I kicked back to enjoy a late night Netflix movie before bed but suddenly we heard a startling noise. 

Running toward the sound I had that unsettling "uh-ohhh" feeling. 

Opening the pantry door confirmed it... red pulp, glass and sprays of juice all over the floor, carpet runner, shelves, you name it! 

Well 1 1/2 hours later... the mess is mostly cleaned up. the other two bottles are opened to release any extra pressure and I learned that just because the bottle is designed to hold xyz psi Kombucha might just have more kick than that!

 

Celebrations and Remembering During 2020's Covid-19 Epidemic

 

Just last week when the world was reflecting on the somber events of 911 another form of remembrance happens in our family. 

My sister Colli was born on September 11 and we sisters living in Utah have our own event. Each year we gather for lunch at a restaurant of the birthday girls choosing. This year looked different. We met at Colli's home, ordered and picked up lunch and celebrated a milestone, Colli's 60th Birthday! I wanted to say Hurrah!  so I have been looking for something fun and perfectly descriptive of my sister, she is BOLD, she is COLORFUL and definately looks GOOD so here is my creation. I made it with my Cricut and it is only my 2nd HTV project...I was excited that it is so representational of Colli... 😄

Neighbor Christmas Treat Bags

Each year as the holidays approach I am on the lookout for clever ideas to create a gift to share with my neighbors and friends. I love Christmas and giftgiving but it can be physically taxing to get all of my preparations and shopping done. Each year I look to getting my tasks done earlier so I can spend time doing fun activities, hanging with family and friends. In July I saw a wonderful little hand made container...so-ooo perfect for those special homemade cookies, candies and other created surprises. I decided right then I needed to try it out then get my thoughts recorded so when the holidays came I would be ready with the idea. I'm a visual learner and I was so grateful to the folks at Cosmocricket for their How to Fold a Treat Bag Video Tutorial. And....Ta-da!!! I've found the perfect treat for my neighbors I though but when it came time to work on the treats I changed my mind and went with a chocolate dipped mini pretzel because of all the fun possibilities in decorating and flavoring them. I can't wait to hear what my neighbors think of them :)

Here are my results...Isn't it cute!!

Autumn, Sundays and Family Dinner

Carol's Apple Pie

Carol's Apple Pie, a peek inside...


When we first moved to Utah my sister Colli lived just around the corner from us. We started a tradition then of getting together for dinner. My sister Kathi also lives in Utah and although she lives the other side of the Oquirrh Mountains from me we also try to get together as often as possible. For my sister Kathi it is most often for celebrations. Several years ago Colli moved out of state so for today's dinner it was myself, nephew Mikeal and my husband for dinner.




Mike has recently begun a love affair with meatloaf. A few months ago I taught him how to make it and since then he likes to have it at least every other week. I planned to make it for dinner today after we took a drive up to through the canyon.




I look forward to taking time away to enjoy the Fall Leaves, it is my favorite season and a favorite way to enjoy the day. The days here in Utah are a bit crisp but sunny and the air smells simply wonderful...pines, oak, maples all mixed together with wet leaves.




Oreo, Tom and I drove up toward the Timpanogas and headed on a road past Tibble Reservoir. Before long it turned into a gravel road. We drove until the road narrowed. The mountains in the distance have snow capping them, the air is a bit colder. We hop out of the truck and begin our hike up the side of the mountain. Oreo keeps speeding ahead on the trail, he enjoys being in lead. I've snapped a few hundred photos today along with some video footage of the area. I hope to scrapbook some of thes pictures later, I'm sure we'll have a few good pictures! I sure love days like this.




We had a wonderful surprise when we got back to the house, Mike had just finished making meatloaf for us! I had planned to make my homemade apple pie tonight too so we had quite a dinner...Yum.