Fuel for My Apron Fetish

You know when you discover a new product or store that you love so much you wish you had never heard of it, because now you’re going to go broke?  Alas!  Such a tragedy has befallen me in the last 48 hours. You might recall my recent post in which I extolled the virtues of my sweet mother-in-law and confessed my long-secret penchant for aprons.  If so, you can understand why my stumbling across Rick Rack Attack, an online store devoted to real vintage aprons (!), has rocked my world. 

I cannot believe how cute these aprons are!

 This one is as fresh and light as a garden party.  I love how cheerful it feels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or what about this one?  I love the detailing around the waist.  Another gingham beauty! 

Here’s a nice Christmas apron:

And what about this?  Have you ever seen a pantaloon apron before?  The Rick Rack Attack people say to wear it over pants.  I’m not sure if it has leg holes or if it just fits on the front of your clothes.  Either way, it amuses me.

Here’s a final exhibit: a timeless black and white classic.  I think it might even be my favorite.  Then again, it’s so hard to choose.  That first pink one is as cute as a button.

Now, guess how much these beauties cost?  Would you believe that they’re all under $30?  I think that’s a steal! 

Go check out Rick Rack Attack for dozens more aprons and feel the smile come to your face.  It’s infectious.

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Garden-Style Cultured Vegetables with Dill

For my last batch of cultured vegetables, I decided to break out of the box and do some experimenting.  I had prepared the basic Body Ecology recipe before (Version 2), as well as a delicious Marinara-Style recipe, but I wanted something new.  I poked around online to see what the companies that sell cultured vegetables (for exorbitant prices!) put in their signature mixes.  Then I came up with this recipe.  We really like the dill flavor, although basil would be wonderful too.

Keep in mind that these “recipes” are incredibly versatile.  If you have 8 carrots instead of 10 or no cucumbers around or want extra bell peppers, go for it!  This is just a guideline or a starting point.  Have fun experimenting.

 

Although no culture starter/InnergyBiotic/whey is absolutely required (I’ve successfully made cultured vegetables without them before), they’re great to use if you want to have more control over the specific strains of bacteria in your veggies.  You are also less likely to ever have a bad batch if you use a culture.  If you do get a bad batch, however, you will know it.  According to everything I’ve read, a bad batch will smell horrible and look gray.  Properly fermented vegetables smell sour or pickled and are still colorful.  Finally, consider avoiding the use of salt during fermentation.  It is a common practice, and one that’s advocated by Sally Fallon of Nourishing Traditions, but salt can inhibit the growth of some beneficial kinds of bacteria.  Check out this article if you’d like more information on that topic.

 

Yield: approximately 9 tightly packed quarts

10 large carrots
2 red bell peppers
2 large cucumbers or 4 small ones (unwaxed)
1 large red cabbage
1 large green cabbage
1 large onion
1 head of garlic, all cloves peeled
1 large bunch fresh dill
1 large bunch celery

1 culture starter, prepped according to package instructions (available here from Body Ecology)
OR
3 oz InnergyBiotic (available here; veggies made with InnergyBiotic will be more bubbly)
OR
whey from homemade yogurt or kefir

To see my tutorial on preparing cultured vegetables, including step-by-step photographs, click here.

This is how your veggies will look prior to fermentation:

(See the “after” photo at the beginning of the post.)

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