What’s cooking?

Sourdough oatcakes.
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In researching Scottish oats (for a forthcoming article in the Weston Price journal) I was surprised to learn that the Scottish did not pre-soak or ferment the oats that they used for their staple ‘bread’ – oatcakes.
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In my kitchen, anything that stands still for too long gets fermented, especially grains! So despite loving the standard Scottish oatcake, I really wanted to have a go at creating a fermented, sourdough version.
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Here is the result. It’s got all the creaminess of oats, and fresh from the pan it’s crunchy. But the sour tang of the ferment makes it almost cheesy too! Warm, with salted butter, these have become a go-to breakfast the last few weeks!
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The recipe will go out in my newsletter tomorrow. If you’re not on my list and you want to get it, go to ancestralkitchen.com/newsletter (link in my profile).

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In my story today, I ‘unbox’ my latest jar of sauerkraut!
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We get through 2 litres (quarts) of sauerkraut a month and I have a rotation of two jars on the go at all times – one fermenting on the shelf and one open and being eaten (stored in the fridge). Once the current one is all eaten, the fermenting one gets moved to the fridge and I make another jar ready for fermentation.
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I use glass pickle pebbles and a cabbage leaf to keep the vegetables under the brine (this is *very* important for good kraut).
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Sauerkraut is one of those foods that cost pennies (or cents, depending on where you are from!) to make and yet costs the earth in shops. You can hear @farmandhearth and I talking about 5 foods that are expensive (and yet really cheap to make) in @ancestralkitchenpodcast episode #4 via your podcast app or the link in my profile.
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If you have sauerkraut questions, feel free to drop them below 🙂

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‘The most delicious winter food imaginable’ is how I’d describe what I’ve learnt from @almostbananas about Slovakian cuisine!
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In my conversation with her, which is today’s episode of @ancestralkitchenpodcast, we talk about dumplings, cooking with sauerkraut, the importance of pork products, 20-litre vats of sauerkraut, bread, plum brandy and much more.
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Listening in, you’ll hear her weave food, culture and history together and you’ll leave understanding two traditional Slovakian dishes that you’ll want to cook up in your kitchen right away!
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Get @ancestralkitchenpodcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or stream/download from the link in my profile.

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If your whole ancient grain sourdoughs aren’t turning out how you want don’t despair!
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I have made *many* disappointing loaves in my sourdough life. To get there it takes time, patience, practise and a bit of good advice.
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There’s a lot of advice out there on sourdough. So much so that frankly, it’s overwhelming. So find one person you resonate with and stick with them, making loves and learning.
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I will be bringing out a free sourdough starter video course over at @thefermentationschool in a few weeks and @farmandhearth have had so many questions between us, that we’re putting together a ‘Sourdough Q&A’ episode of @ancestralkitchenpodcast soon.
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If you have questions (no question too ‘stupid’ or ‘small’), comment here or send me a DM. We’ll try to cover them all in the forthcoming episode.

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Did you read over Christmas? These are the three second-hand books I treated myself to. I had finished the bottom two of them by Boxing Day evening (oh holidays, I love you!).
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I know so much more about oats and the Scottish diet now. I was *staggered* by the details in The Scots Kitchen (first written in 1929) – no wonder Weston A Price found the Scots so healthy when he went there.
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There’s a section in there on sowans, the Scottish oat fermentation that I have a course on over at the @thefermentationschool. So great to see how it was a common food (just like it is in our house!) until quite recently.
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I’ve only just started the top book and it’s already produced a heated dsicussion on the development of taste in our household…I just love how books prompt thinking (and arguing!).
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I took a video and it’s in my story today.
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What did you read over the holidays?!

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Kirsten Shockey has been fermenting for over two decades and has authored five books on fermentation. We’re delighted to have her share her knowledge and experience on the podcast this week!
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@kirstenkshockey covered so many topics – what the most common questions she gets are, how she started, what her favourite things to ferment are, why women are so important in the tradition, how to bring on board fermentation skeptics, and lesser-known ferments like natto.
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You’ll also hear about her course, Your 30-Day Fermentation Challenge (over at @thefermentationschool), which both of us have so enjoyed learning from. It’s a perfect way to start the New Year and do keep an ear out for the discount on the course available to podcast listeners.
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Get the episode by searching for Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your podcast app or by streaming/downloading from the link in the profile above.

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