Copper Alembic Still

 

Just look at this beauty. My heart stopped the first time I saw one, and I knew I must add it to my home crafting supplies. Lest you think I'm ALL about the superficial eye candy, rest assured that it was the combination of usefulness and aesthetics that spurred me to covet and acquire this piece of functional art from Copper Brothers in Portugal.

There is a distinct aroma that says Home here in Central Oregon. Over the years I've identified different factions of this smell. While nordic skiing the sun comes out and warms the pine trees, sap, and Manzanita bushes. There's one. While hiking, my foot would crush a bit of pinecone and juniper berries, stirring up smooth yet sharp notes. That's another piece. More recently I discovered the extremely heady, perfumey fragrance of Ceanothus Velutinus or snowbrush. There's that sweet part of the Home scent. We have acres of natural sage, pine and juniper trees on our property, and planted lavender to add to the mix. I wanted to distill these and other native flora into a scent to share with others who may never make it to my neck of the woods or to enrich any environment with lovely natural aromatherapy.

My research into distilling essential oils and hydrosols led me to this striking still. Here I am a few years later firing her up and experimenting with an assortment of vegetation. For all of my research, I came up with only a few nuggets of pertinent information. My best resource was from Erin Stewart over on her website, Floranella. Her site led me to a few local lavender farms; and Youtube is always good for a smattering of useful (and not so useful) videos. There is so much I want to learn. I had intended to take a class with Erin that was offered through Wildcraft Studios, but then the pandemic hit. I just found another excellent resource and video from Mother Earth Living. I highly recommend watching their video. I am a total newby, but I will gladly share with you my limited knowledge and any tips that I've gleaned.

The base of the still is called the pot. The column is next, and is often optional. The top part is called the cap or the onion or the swan neck lid. The lyne arm is the connecter to the condenser, where the coiled tubing is. 

I've heard from a couple sources that you shouldn't use the same still for both essential oils and alcohol. I guess I won't be making any moonshine. It was suggested that 3 litres to 10 litres would be good sizes for home distilling. The column needs to be pretty packed with plant material for making oil. That's a lot of plants to pack the 10L column! The smaller 3L size seemed perfect for me because I only had a few large lavender plants. I didn't want to use all of my lavender for one distillation. I wanted to combine it with other plants and try different blends. 

When you receive your still, check the box, packaging, and still for any damage. In my case, there was a three-day time period in which to file any damage claim, which was clearly stated on the website. I hadn't noticed this reminder, and with Covid I let my box sit for a while before I opened it up and really checked it out. Unfortunately, the box was damaged in shipping and my still had a dent in it. Luckily, I've taken many metal smithing classes and felt comfortable doing as Copper Brothers customer service suggested, and used a rubber mallet to gently tap the dent out. Phew, disaster diverted! And by the way, I found Copper Bros customer service to be prompt and helpful. Also, I received my still within the week of ordering! Yes, that was an international order.

Besides the still, you'll need a heat source. I chose a 1500W electrical burner. You'll also need to cool the coils in the condenser unit by keeping a flow of cold water. I didn't want to be wasteful with free flowing water, and opted for recyling it. A bucket or container for the water, aquarium pump, and some tubing does the trick. I bought a very inexpensive pump for $12. I wish I had gotten a better pump that had a knob to control the flow of the water instead of twisting the tubing to control the flow. The knob would have been much easier. It's worth the extra $10 to get this feature, and you'll probably get a stronger pump to boot. 

I found setting the still up took some time and finagling. You need to find the right height of supports for under the condenser unit to match the burner and still height. The cooling water system has to be just right. And how to catch the hydrosol is another conundrum. Have lots of bricks, tiles, bowls, stools, etc around to figure this all out. I took a picture when it all worked to refer to the next time I set up. 

I like having the thermometer built into the still. You'll want to seal any joints that might let vapor escape with either a paste of rye flour and water or with teflon tape. It's not actually "tape" in that it doesn't have adhesive on it (Thank goodness! I mean, who would want to get this gorgeous copper all sticky and gunked up???) Plumbers use it to seal pipes. It clings to the metal and doesn't allow any steam to escape. My still was pretty air tight, but I did notice one tiny spot that needed the tape.

You can use the still without the column and put plant matter in the pot with the water. You can pack the column with plant matter. You can also do both in combination. If you put plant matter into the pot, it's suggested to put a strainer or something on the bottom of the pot to prevent the plant matter from resting on the pot bottom and getting scorched from the heat. I mostly used just the column. 

It takes a long time to get the water to boil, so it's much quicker to pour boiling water into the pot right from the beginning. Once you reach 100 degrees celsius or 220 degrees fahrenheit you should soon see tiny spurts of hydrosol come out of the condenser. I would run the still anywhere from one to three hours, getting one to two pints of hydrosol. 

The essential oil floats to the top of the hydrosol and can be removed by a variety of methods. I would guess there is only one to two tablespoons of essential oil in one batch. I decided this year to just leave the oil and hydrosol together and not bother with removing the oil. I found the hydrosol to be very long lasting and fragrant. In fact, my sage blend was REALLY sagey, and smelled like Thanksgiving. I sprayed about four spritzes and it lingered for weeks! Perhaps a little too long to smell like Thanksgiving dinner in summer.

I distilled rabbit brush blossoms, which has a very green, lightly pineapple like fragrance. I also tried juniper berries and pine blossoms. My favorite, of course, is the lavender. I tried fresh and dried and love them both.

I've put my still away for the year, but look forward to next season. I hope to plant additional fragrant plants to try along with my native growers. 

If you keep your hydrosol in the refrigerator, it should last about a year. I've purchased some pretty cobalt glass sprayers from Amazon in different sizes to fill for gifts. 

I'll be putting together sets of hydrosol, handmade linen towels, and wax wraps for Christmas gifts this year. I'll try to put up a post on the wax wraps soon. For now I'll enjoy the lingering scents of summer with my hydrosols.

Nut Meal Recipes ~ One Savory, One Sweet

What to do when your favorite soy or nut milk is no longer available due to pandemic supply problems? Make your own. I had never tried making nut milk before, so I was surprised at how easy it was and how much better the flavor and texture was.

The more I made, the more nut meal I had to use in some creative, delicious way. There were a few recipes online, but none that fit the flavors I wanted or ingredients I had on hand. A cold, rainy day makes the perfect time for a grand baking experiment. Usually I never bake. Why? Because I'll just eat it all! I have no will power. But today was the exception, so I tried to keep it somewhat healthy. I do not know how many calories or what the nutritional values are. This is a baking experiment day, not a math day.

I made one savory and one sweet batch of batters with only ingredients I had in my pantry. I am pleased with the results, and happy that they are more than edible. I hope you enjoy them as well, or perhaps you can do a little experimenting of your own with what you have on hand.

                                                             Pumpkin Spice Mookies 

                                       (cross between a muffin and a cookie ~ yep, I just made that up)
                                       (edit: actually I didn't make it up because I just hashtagged it on IG and it's                                                        already a thing. Who knew?? I didn't until now.)

1 C nut meal (mine was dried and somewhat ground up like flour with a few lumps in it)

1 C pumpkin puree (about half a can)

1 old banana

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon all spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/3 C whole raw oats

1/3 C chopped pecans

1/3 C maple syrup

1/3 C coconut oil, in liquid form

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients together. The batter will be fluffy and slightly stiff, like cookie dough. On a parchment lined baking sheet, mound heaping tablespoons of batter. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the outside crisps up a bit and begins to crack. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for about 15 minutes so they set up a tad before handling. I'm not sure how many it makes because we ate a few before I thought to count them. I think it makes about a dozen.

These mookies are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.

Next up is savory ~ slightly spicy, depending on the salsa you use, dense and moist, yet the cornmeal gives it a nice crunchy tooth. 

                                                Chili Pumpkin Nut Meal Slices and Croutons

1 C nut meal (mine was dried and somewhat ground up like flour with a few lumps in it)

1 C pumpkin puree (about half a can) 

1 tablespoon Organic No Salt Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 C salsa verde

1/4 C olive oil

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients together. Pour the batter into a buttered 9" cake pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes. Cool on a rack. Once cooled, slice it up. If you would like croutons, dice some up and put into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes and/or under a broiler for about 5 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the croutons cool down in the oven to further dry them out. 

I put the croutons in my salad ~ yum! Tonight I'll melt a bit of cheese on the slices and serve them with dinner.  

I'm happy to have used up a few languishing ingredients; and to have created some new, tasty treats while sheltering in place. 

Edit update: Rhubarb is in season, so I'm adding another recipe.

                                                         Rhubarb/Pear Coffeecake 

4 C rhubarb, stems only, 1/4" slices

1 pear, cubed

1 1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/2 C nut meal

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger (I used 1 cube of frozen ginger)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon orange juice

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 C full fat coconut milk

Toss cut rhubarb with 1/4 C sugar. Add pear and mix. Butter 9" round cake pan, and dot with 1/2 stick of butter. Add rhubarb mixture. 

In a separate bowl, whisk nut meal, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, beat remaining butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in ginger, lemon zest, and OJ. Beat in one egg at a time. Add vanilla. Add dry mix and blend. Add coconut milk and mix. 

Spread mixture onto rhubarb. Bake about an hour or so in a 350 degree oven. 

Granola

The first time I tasted granola, it must have been 1972,  in fourth grade summer school. My mother worked full-time, so summer school was never optional for me. I didn't mind. I always made a new friend, and that year was no different. Her name escapes me, but she was very sweet and had beautiful, long wavy hair. One day she shared her grandmother's granola with me. I had never had anything like it before, and it would be many...I mean, MANY years before I would ever have anything like it again.

I've searched over the years, looking for that wonderful first taste recipe, but nothing ever quite came close, until recently a friend shared a basic granola recipe with me, and I thought, well, here it is, the closest thing I had come across. I really like this recipe because it's easy, and you can change things around, adding or subtracting, substituting ingredients, making it sweeter or not, to suit your own taste. It's almost a 3:3:1 ratio ~ 3 parts oats, 3 parts seeds/nuts, 1 part wet (sweet and oil).


                                                      BASIC GRANOLA

9-10 cups Old fashioned rolled oats (just happens to be one bag of Trader Joe's oats)
1-2 cups unsweetened coconut (I use one cup shredded and one cup flaked)
1 cup pepitos (pumpkin seeds)
2 cups pecans
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup pitted dates
3/4 cup coconut oil

Mix the first 10 ingredients in a very large bowl.

In a blender, blend the pitted dates and syrup into a smooth paste.

Melt the coconut oil (about 20 seconds in the microwave) and blend it into the paste.

Coat all the dry ingredients with the wet mixture. Split half of the mixture between two large jelly roll pans. Cook for 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Mix the granola and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.

You could add sesame seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, the sky's the limit. I've tried substituting honey for the syrup, but it just didn't taste right to me. I'd like to try black strap molasses sometime and see what that does.

This recipe seems like a lot, and I guess it is, but you'll be surprised how quickly it gets eaten. I always have extra jars around for gifting to friends and family.

I like to sprinkle a bit on my Greek yogurt and raw oats for breakfast; or enjoy it with fruit, on ice cream, add dried fruit and cocoa nibs and take it hiking, or just snack on it plain. How do you like your granola?

Autumn Oats

Autumn Oats~

Fall trumpeted its arrival for me loud and clear last night when I heard the marching band drums and hearty cheers from the local high school football game in the distance. I so enjoy a good drummer, and these sounds were happily nostalgic. Even though it was a tad chilly, I left the back door open to listen for awhile. The leaves are a-changing, and there's that little nip in the air; yet this morning, pre-dawn was warm enough to open the windows, whereupon I heard a different type of music, the yips and howls from a band of coyotes.

I wanted to make something warm and steamy, a big pot of one of my favorite things, Autumn oats. Okay, it's not just for Autumn, but that's the perfect time to put the pot on the stove and set about cooking up a big batch of comfort food. When I was a small girl, for a while it was just my mother and I. She was a single, working mom, so simple, nutritious, and inexpensive was good. She would make me a packet of instant "opymeal" or a scrambled egg every morning. I still love oatmeal to this day. As it turns out, it's rather good for you, and I believe it's helped cut my cholesterol levels.

A few years ago when I found out I had high cholesterol, I began introducing oatmeal back into my diet, so I came up with Autumn oats. It doesn't take much longer than regular steel cut oats, but you wind up with a large pot of oaty, fruity goodness that will last you for days.

Ingredients:
4 C water
1 C steel cut oats
1 Cookie Sleigh Ride tea (or other flavored tea of your choice)
3-4 cups cut fruit, such as apple, pear, plum, etc or a combination
8 oz frozen blueberries (or any berries or cherries)
1/4 C chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
1/4 C shredded coconut
1 T cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla


1) Put the water and tea bag in a large pot on high. My daughter gave me the tea bag idea. I think it adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Clever girl!
2) While the water comes to a boil, chop up the fruit.
3) When the water is boiling, add the oats. Boil hard for 3 minutes.
4) Turn down the heat to a slow simmer. Take out the tea bag, and add the spices, salt, and chopped fruit. Cook for 5 minutes.
5) While this is cooking chop up the walnuts.
6) Add the frozen blueberries and cook for another 5 minutes.
7) Add the walnuts and coconut. Continue at a simmer for another 5 minutes or until the oats are cooked to your liking.
8) Turn off the heat and add the vanilla.

I like to add a little milk to my bowl. This time I added macadamia nut milk ~ yum! Autumn oats is not just for breakfast. I enjoy this treat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or a snack. I hope you'll enjoy it too.

Here's some beautiful fall color from our family vacation a couple weeks ago in Jackson, Wyoming.
Happy Autumn~

Tomato Recipes

Tomato Recipes~

For a time as a child I lived with my Aunt Babe and Uncle George. He was a tomato farmer and owned a tomato canning factory. So you could say I grew up around tomatoes.  I remember fields of them, sometimes picking them, watching them being prepared, and eating them.... though never with as much delight and relish as my Mom! Her favorite was a thick cut tomato sandwich with salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. I liked a bacon and tomato sandwich, but other than that, I could give or take them, back then at least.

We eventually moved away from the farm and those delicious fresh-picked juicy globes. We were reduced to buying the imitation, plastic-like, tasteless, pale things in the grocery store, wiping out my appreciation for tomatoes completely.

It wasn't until recently, when I began frequenting the farmer's markets or roadside farm stands that my taste for tomatoes was piqued. The odd shaped, convoluted forms hold a summers' worth of sunshine and sweetness, just awaiting that first bite of goodness. For the past few years I wait, ever so patiently, 'til summer's end for our Central Oregon tomatoes to ripen, then pick up my flats from Rainshadow Organics.

Just what do I do with my flats of tomatoes you might ask? I eat them plain; make tomato salads with Armenian cucumber and avocado or a Caprese salad with fresh buffalo mozzarella; bake them with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and parmesan; roast them off with elephant garlic and onions, freezing some as-is or cooking up huge batches of marinara sauce to freeze or gift; and this morning I baked a crustless tomato quiche for brunch. I wish you could smell it ~*~

If you are so inclined, now is the time to scoop up those organic heirlooms and have yourself a delicious feast today and put up some of summer's bounty to be enjoyed in the winter months to come. You'll be so glad you did!

When you bring home your flats, pick out any unripened or perfect tomatoes. Save those for your salads. Don't throw away the bruised or not so perfect fruits. Clean them and cut off anything too bad. These will be used for baking and saucing.

Roasted tomatoes ~ individual and for Marinara Sauce

I use aluminum jelly roll pans ~ Do I hear a gasp? I've heard that aluminum and the acid from tomatoes don't mix. Well, I've never had a problem with my pans and baking them off. I've asked my culinary friends, and they agree with me. I coat a little olive oil on the pan, then place the cored and cleaned tomatoes, cut side down for more juice, cut side up for a drier finish. Quarter one onion and rough cut a half head of elephant garlic (or regular garlic if you want), scatter these on top of the tomatoes with a hand full of basil, salt and pepper, and an ample drizzling of olive oil. I bake two of these jelly roll pans at once, which is about half a flat of tomatoes. Cook for four hours at 300. If you want a batch of dry roasted tomatoes, you could bake those over night at 200. I freeze the drier tomatoes individually and throw a handful into a saute or stir fry. They're sort of like big, squishy sun dried tomatoes, just bursting with flavor.

If I'm going to make sauce, I'll cool the batches of tomatoes for about half an hour and slip off as many skins as I can. Then put everything - tomatoes, onions, garlic and juice - into a stock pot. Add a few bay leaves and some red wine, about a cup or two, depends on what you like. Sometimes at this point I'll add sage or whatever herbs I have around. Simmer for about an hour; take out the bay leaves; cool a bit if you want...or not....then use a hand-held blender to blend all the ingredients into a chunky or fine sauce.

I then fill pint or quart jars to about an inch from the top. You want some headroom so your jars won't break in the freezer. I'll put the jars in the refrigerator for a day, then into the freezer. Why? I'm not sure, but I haven't had any broken jars so far. When you're ready to use the sauce in the winter, either thaw in the refrigerator a day or two before you're ready to use it; or take off the lid and defrost on 50% power in the microwave for about a minute or so.

Crustless Quiche -

1 pound cooked, squeezed, and chopped spinach
1 hatch chili, roasted, seeded, chopped
1 handful chives
1 handful basil
6 tomatoes
1/4 C farmers cheese
1/4 C grated cheese
4 eggs
salt & pepper

Cook and squeeze any water out of the spinach, chop. Put this in the bottom of a lightly oiled shallow dish. Add half of the cheeses. Chop chili, chives and half of basil. Sprinkle this onto the spinach and cheese, season with salt and pepper. Slice tomatoes and add to dish. Add remaining cheese and remaining basil. Whisk eggs with salt and pepper and add to the dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes; 400 for 20 minutes; turn off the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy your summer's bounty of tomatoes now while they're fresh and into the winter months to come.

Cranberry liqueur

Cranberry liqueur ~

I was visiting a friend one chilly morning. We were having a cup of tea, waiting for the sun to warm our path before we went out for our walk. As we were chatting about this and that, she told me of a delicious cranberry liqueur she had made and pulled out a bottle of the most beautiful red liquid. I was interested to know just what cranberry liqueur tasted like, wondering how this rather sharp fruit would lend itself to a liqueur. She asked if I wanted a little sample. I hesitated, only for a moment: It felt quite decedent, being a weekday and before noon, but I was terribly curios, so I said yes, I wanted to taste this elixir. It was at once tart, yet sweet enough without being cloyingly so. It was perfect on its own or could be paired with other ingredients for a cocktail. It was altogether delightful. My friend said it was easy to make and emailed me the link to the recipe.

The idea of gifting small bottles or jars of this pretty and tasty liqueur spurred me to action. On my way home I stopped to buy the cranberries and vodka. I borrowed some larger mason jars from my neighbor, gathered my ingredients, and set about making a batch straightaway.

It was extremely simple to make. The most difficult part was waiting the three weeks for the flavors to meld properly. Finally, it was time to strain out the cranberries.

I tasted the liqueur. It was good, but there was a slight bitterness that I wanted to tame. I added one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste and two tablespoons of honey powder. That did the trick! The addition smoothed out the rough edges without adding any flavor. Next time I think I'll double the additions to keep a subtle layer of these flavors.

I decanted the liqueur into recycled bottles and jars, wrapped them up, and gifted them for the Holidays.

I like the cranberry liqueur straight up.You might also try adding some to a glass of champagne. My current favorite way to enjoy is with the addition of a few bourbon soaked, dried sour cherries. Just place about 1/4 cup of dried, sour cherries into a small container, cover with bourbon, and let them soak. I used Oregon Spirit Distiller's C.W. Irwin straight bourbon whiskey. It's a gold medal winning, "proud yet lively" whiskey, made right here in Bend, Oregon.

The bright, red color also lends itself to Valentine's Day. If you hurry, you can make a batch just in time for sharing.

"Kitchen sink"fruit crumble

"Kitchen sink" fruit crumble

So much fruit, so little time, thus some of that fruit was beginning to look a little past its prime. I decided a "kitchen sink" fruit crumble would be the perfect solution. No recipe, just this-n-that.

Lots of cut fruit with the zest of a lemon plus its juice .....

And the crumble is a mixture of what's in the picture, plus a little vanilla and garbanzo bean flour.  Here's my best go at the crumble "recipe". About 2 cups raw old fashioned oats; half that amount of chia seeds; same for garbanzo bean flour. Two hand-fulls of walnuts, then chop; 1/4 cup slivered almonds; 3 tablespoons cinnamon; 1 tablespoon vanilla; and some chopped crystallized ginger; about 1/3 cup coconut oil and the same of honey; a couple dashes of salt.

Just mix crumble together and have a taste. Does it remind you of that yummy oatmeal cookie dough that you used to sneak as a kid? You're on the right track. Could you not resist going back for a second taste? Then you've got it!

A little coconut oil in a glass casserole dish (I love cooking in glass); layer fruit, then crumble, mixing the crumble into the fruit a bit; pop in a 350 degree oven for about 25 or so minutes.

There you go, a perfect use for all that leftover fruit, and a healthy dessert for all. No picture of the final dish. We've already eaten it all. Nothing more needs be said.

Bruscandoli (Hop shoots)

                                                    

For just a very short period of time, you can gather the tender, young hop shoots, and make a delicious meal of them. I almost missed my window this year, but luckily caught some just in time. Harvest only the very tender ends, about 10-12". If you go beyond that, they are woody and tough, and not fit to eat. Harvesting by hand makes it easier to tell just where they snap off easily. If you have to finagle it, you've gone too far into the tough part. 

I have a couple hop plants in my backyard. I adore the way they clamber all over my fence and create a wall of lush green in summer. By the end of the season the hop flowers or cones come out, spilling everywhere. I leave some of the dried cones on the fence, because in wintertime they catch the snow and remind me of lace.

Last year I made a wreath out of the fresh cones, and it's still on my front door. It's faded now, but I've enjoyed keeping a bit of summer around throughout the year. I'll probably make another wreath in September. If so, I'll post directions so you can make one of your own if you like.

This year I decided to add anchovies to my hop tips, because I love anchovies, and because it was Mother's Day, and I was the only Mother around, I made them just how I wanted!

I put about a tablespoon of coconut oil in a heated wok, then added a couple cloves of chopped garlic. Cook for about 30 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant, then add your chopped hop shoots. Stir fry for a couple minutes, then add 5-6 chopped anchovy fillets, about a tablespoon of lemon vinegar, salt and pepper. Smoosh the anchovies into the liquid to make sort of a paste and stir into the shoots. Then I added about a half pint of halved cherry tomatoes. Because the skins were so thick and tough, when the tomatoes were cooked enough, I pinched the skins off and discarded them. 

I hope if you have the opportunity to try hop shoots some time, you'll do so. They are delicious, and reminiscent of asparagus.

Buon Appetito!