What’s cooking?

Underneath all those chives (can you tell I’m enthusiastic about my garden chives?!) is a stew made from mutton.
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When I heard from my farmer, Flavio @valledelsasso, that grass-fed mutton was available, I jumped. I love anything that I can slow-cook (for convenience, yes, but equally, for flavour). Plus 100% grass-fed – yes, please!
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There is no stigma, in this house, attached to ‘old’ meat. Why shouldn’t a sheep have a pleasant life on Flavio’s farm, being allowed to live, to nutrify the ground, to eat the grass and to provide wool? That seems a lot better than killing an young animal, just because it’s culturally fashionable (and easier to cook) that way.
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I bought 3 kg. One of those went in this, it”ll last us 4/5 days. I’ve already decided that the next kilo will be cooked with beetroot and warming spices.

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We are so quickly habituated to eating what is culturally ‘normal’. Goat, in other, non-European parts of the world (and even in Europe just a few generations ago) was normal. Goats are used extensively in dairy farming and to a great extent their meat is wasted.
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I wish we as a society, could take off our cultural glasses and look beyond what’s presented on the supermarket shelves.
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Here’s my tuppenceworth (is that just and English-ism?!): Goat stew. The meat was fresh that day. I added lots of onions and cabbage and some left-over fermented lemons. It was cooked overnight in the slow cooker.
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Thank you @aziendaagricolapodereruggeri

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My oat fermentation team!!
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In the middle are oats rolled from the whole grain yesterday (using a #marcatomarga hand grinder) that have been fermenting overnight with a blob of sourdough starter. See the band of water? That’s a sign of the vigorousness of the ferment. I’ll stir these and then transfer them to the fridge. They’ll be cooked up as porridge over the next 2-3 breakfasts.
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Flanking them, on either side, are the ‘crumbs’ that were created when I rolled the oats. I sieved them off and am wild-fermenting them with a lot of water to make the Scottish ‘Sowans’ – which will give me both a drink and a porridge.
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More pictures in my story today and a lot more details in my ‘Sowans’ highlight.
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I’m going to record some simple videos later in the summer on oat fermentation so you can see all this in progress.

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When the world gives you duff barley, make wild beer from rye.
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Up till now, I’ve been making my 5,000 year-old beer from spelt, but I fancied giving barley a go because that’s the grain most traditional beers were made from.
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I was all ready…but the barley didn’t sprout (even after I talked to it encouragingly!). Without sprouted grain (i.e. malted grain) there’s nothing for the little beer fermentation creatures to eat.
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So quick change of plan and we’ve got a wild fermented rye beer on the go.
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When I see the sprouts, like here, I remember how damn miraculous the process is. And the smell of malted grain is delicious.
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I filmed each of the steps and they are in my story today. I’ll save them to the beer and bread highlight if you’re coming to this later.
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Give me a few days and you can pop over for a taste…

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One of the biggest fears I had when I started taking steps to remove supermarkets from my life was that it was going to cost me more to buy from local suppliers.
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A few years down the line, my experience has taught me some nuggets regarding food expenses.
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The staples do not cost more *if* we are willing to change our daily habits and expectations.
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Here’s our lunch. Sliced cow’s heart.
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The heart, from @valledelsasso cost 15 Euro. That’s less than 18USD, 13GBP or 24AUD. Uncooked, it weighed 2.3kg. It has made 23 meals. That’s 65 Italian cents per serving. In addition, it has given us almost 4 litres (quarts) of the most amazing stock.
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And this meat was raised by someone who *really* cares, just around the corner. Meat that looks ‘cheap’ in the supermarket isn’t. Someone or something has paid the price. Someone or something has been exploited.
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In the latest episode of @ancestralkitchenpodcast I talk about my quest to detoxify my life of supermarkets. I get quite passionate. Luckily, @farmandhearth, my co-host, knows how to handle me! You can listen to us in Apple podcasts or by streaming from the link in my profile.
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And, in case you were curious, also on the plate we have salad from our garden and the local farmers’ market with a dressing including nigella seeds and some spelt sourdough spread with home-rendered local lard.

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Have you eaten egg, bread and pesto together?
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I did for supper yesterday:
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Millet and sorghum sourdough spread with home-rendered lard (fat from @lavalledelsasso), topped with a fried egg, fried spring onions (both from @radiciumane at #mercatointransizione) and home-made pesto left over from the pizza-making session a few pictures back!
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It was yum!
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And it was completely Italian, mostly local, and also had a few bits from our garden in. It was definitely supermarket-free and that makes me feel good.
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The latest @ancestralkitchenpodcast is on Quitting Supermarkets – listen in to hear me talk about why I want these places out of my life and how I’m doing with my quest. You can find the episode in your podcast app (search for Ancestral Kitchen) or by clicking on my profile link and streaming the episode from my website.

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If we’re going to survive as a species, the world needs changing.
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And, in wanting to play my part, I often feel either completely overwhelmed or as if I have to do something wild; something defiant.
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But the truth is this:
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We don’t have to rebel; we don’t have to stand with placards; we don’t have to fight; we don’t have to march.
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We just need to *stop*shopping*at*supermarkets*
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That’d shake things up so monumentally, the waves would drown a lot of our issues and what was born in their wake would be transformational.
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But it ain’t easy! Habit is strong, ‘saving’ money is a constant worry, time seems not on our side, advertising bombards us relentlessly, convenience is such a balm to our crazy lives.
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Today’s new episode of Ancestral Kitchen Podcast focuses on my own desire to get supermarkets 100% out of my life. The conversation is partly the reasons, partly the difficulties and partly asking for ideas to help.
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Thank you @farmandhearth for letting me get on my soap box somewhat and express something that burns so deep within me I had to get it out! If you’d like to hear why supermarkets are so bad, get some inspiration for getting to your local farmers’ market or pick up some tips for avoiding supermarket ‘pitfalls’, listen in – You can find us on your podcast app by searching for Ancestral Kitchen Podcast or you can stream the episode from my website (link in profile).
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I’d *love* to hear what you think.

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Spelt, lemon and poppy seed muffins risen with a starter made from wild yeast water made from lemons and raisins.
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These were a semi-success.
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The yeast water starter was brilliant. Gave them tonnes of lift.
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The ingredient mix not so great. I wanted a soft dough without having to add fat or milk. I tried using a portion of scalded flour (as I know this softens dough incredibly). It made the crumb soft, but the crust was far too bread-like.
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I want a muffin without milk (dairy or plant) and ideally without fat (though I’d consider olive oil).
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Anyone got advice/ideas? Gratefully received 🙂

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Beef heart, slow-cooked whole earlier in the week. Italian asparagus bought from the local health food store. Sourdough bread made from spent spelt grain (previously used to make ancestral beer) spread with home-rendered lard made from fat from @valledelsasso.
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Simple, local and delicious lunch which I ate with sauerkraut and a small side of beer.
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I’m just uploading some videos I took in my garden early this morning – so if you fancy a nose, head to my story today.
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Happy Saturday. What are you up to this weekend?

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