Women conservation groups are powerful in Kenya—one, in particular, in Kwale county near Mombasa dedicates itself to mangrove conservation by establishing nurseries and planting seedlings. The women have received some money and some attention. But beyond the initial donations, they’re pretty much on their own—volunteering. Only about 30 women of the 300+ participate, but they…
Category: FoodWISE ideas
WISE Foods on Kenya’s coastal small plots—vegetables, fruits, traditional fats
Our WISE acronym—whole, informed, sustainable, experienced—applies also to coastal travel; in these few months in Kenya, I’m reporting on the availability of vegetables, fruits, and traditional fats. The coconut water, coconut cream, and rice are heated over a coral frame fire with small pieces of wood. The rather large amount of coconut rice (shown right)…
WISE Foods in Kenya—vegetables, but who eats them?
Six weeks in Kenya has been, literally, fruitful. Many vegetables are grown around Nairobi ..and in a small duka there… and points around Nairobi due to the less humid environments and greater availability of water. A case in point is Sakuma Wiki, pictured in the top back row, and below. A popular vegetable—for it’s taste…
Cheese, glorious cheese
I still consider fermented foods such as yogurt, cheese, and sauerkraut to be wholefoods. Natural processes of fermentation are everywhere. Milk wants to be cheeseand sour cream: it starts to sour soon after it exits the animal unless properlyrefrigerated and handled. Cultures aid the transformation. That is the origin story of cheese: probably discovered millennia…
Good Crackers
Even if you have some gluten sensitivity, I invite you to consider trying these long-fermentation, whole-grain breads and crackers. I myself have a laboratory-certified gluten sensitivity, and my bread doesn’t arouse that sensitivity at all. These days we enjoy own home-baked bread, but also tortillas and crackers—consuming grains mostly whole and unprocessed.
A Fall harvest of art and science
Here, in the Northwest, we enjoy a weather pattern that is conducive to grazing and growing. Hard work in spring and summer pays off in fall. And, at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA young legumes peek through the soil. They’ve made great progress since their October seeding.
San Miguel de Allende, Gigi’s Global Learning Program—one year ago today
Just one year ago this September, an incredible group of ten students and I plus able-bodied assistant Hazel, spent two weeks in a study program in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. We couldn’t have done any of the trip without our amazing guide, Monserrat. Here, students are on the Otomi archaeological site of Cañada de…
Fermenting sheep milk from frozen—cheeses, whey lacto-fermentation, ricotta cheesecakes
Fermenting sheep milk from frozen milk is a marvel. It’s why we have dairy sheep, the milk is a perfect protein-fat mix so that it freezes beautifully—even for months. We freeze the milk to make fresh and hard cheeses later in the summer or in the winter.
Returning home from Europe—to a world of cheesemaking
Each year, I take students to Europe….where we cook, as below…. And tour the countryside, as here, in San Gimignano: But, exciting, too, is returning home to milk sheep and make cheese…and chickens that love cheese rinds and cats that love baths.
Gigi cutting cheese for Ian and Drewsy’s South Carolina wedding!
This was pre-departure, cutting three different cheeses: Manchego I, Manchego II, Buttery Jack, Washed-rind style Télème… …and, in South Carolina…