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Author: Martha Wilkie
Dear Readers: We would like to substitute this method for the method in The Real Food Cookbook. Kefir is a powerful probiotic-rich cultured dairy drink that’s easy to make at home, although it’s a bit of a science project at first. A mix of beneficial bacteria and yeasts, it originally comes from the Caucasus Mountains, where people have been making and drinking kefir for centuries. It’s excellent for rebuilding and maintaining healthy gut bacteria. After drinking it every day for a few months, I feel great, my GI issues are cured, and my hair is even growing in less gray!…
This year, we decided to do something different and made speckled Easter eggs (via Martha Stewart Living). Very easy, very pretty, and very kid-friendly. Start with dry hardboiled eggs–either dyed your usual way or left white or brown. Prepare small plastic or paper cups (we used empty yogurt containers) with about 1/2″ of dried beans or seeds; we used popcorn kernels (un-popped). Add a few drops of food color to the cups and gently shake eggs one at a time around in the kernels. If it dries out, add a tiny amount of vinegar to refresh it. Let dry on…
You might think that New Yorkers (or Manhattanites, at least) would be hard pressed to compost, but it’s easier than you think. You don’t need a backyard or worms wriggling in your kitchen (although if you want worms, the city has a program— NYC Compost Project). Greenmarkets offer drop-off composting in all five boroughs. Also, many community gardens and other sites accept food scraps. I keep fruit and vegetable scraps in my freezer (in a handy open container in the door and, once that gets too full, in a plastic bag). Once or twice a week, I dump it at my local Greenmarket. Very satisfying! I re-use…