Mango Lassi Recipe

 I’ve been recovering from a gastrointestinal virus and my go to recovery food is a lassi in place of a meal.  There are sweet lassi, spicy lassi, and salty lassi.  I like a sweet lassi with a touch of salt.

The yogurt in the lassi is perfect for getting the digestive system back in shape.

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup plain yogurt 

1/4 cup milk if using regular yogurt or 1/2 cup milk for Greek yogurt 

1/2 of a mango or fruit of your choice (frozen fruit works well)

2 Tablespoons honey 

Pinch of salt or 1/8 teaspoon of homemade electrolyte mix 

Blend everything in the blender with a small amount of ice if you’re not using frozen fruit.

I enjoy drinking a lassi as a meal replacement or a snack.  Enjoy!

God bless,

Pam

Homemade Sports Drink Substitute

 It’s been hot, so very hot that, even when I drink a lot of water, I end up feeling awful after a couple of hours working outside.  My garden is suffering from lack of attention and I am suffering from hyperthermia.

It’s become obvious that water isn’t going to work for me and I don’t like the flavor and high sugar content of commercial sports drinks.  So I’ve decided to start drinking a homemade substitute electrolyte powder.  The ingredients are easily available at stores and online.

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup pure salt (without additives)

1 3/4 tablespoons potassium chloride powder 

1/2 teaspoon magnesium glycinate powder 

Mix the ingredients in a small jar and shake to mix well.  To use, mix 1/8 teaspoon to 8 ounces liquid of your choice.  In plain water it just tastes like slightly salty water.  I sometimes add some flavored drops or if you fell you need the sugar add the electrolyte powder to juice.

For just a few cents you can drink the same type of electrolyte drink that costs dollars in the store.  My grandpa used to work for the railroad and he used to tell me that on hot days he would pack lemons and salt to mix with water.  I like to think that this is just a new timey version of my grandpa’s recipe.

God bless,

Pam

Growing Chestnut Mushrooms in a Monotub

 We’ve covered growing mushrooms several different ways and now I want to discuss one of the more common methods for growing mushrooms at home: growing mushrooms in a monotub.

You will need:

A purchased or homemade monotub

Rubber gloves 

Sterilizing liquid (I use alcohol in a spray bottle)

Face mask 

Substrate 

Mushroom spawn

Water for moistening substrate 

I use a monotub, substrate and spawn purchased from Northspore.  The purchased monotub comes with the plastic tub, clear top with ventilation ports, filters to cover ports and a black tape for covering other holes in the tub.

It’s important to keep the entire process as sanitary as possible.  Wash your hands, put on your gloves and mask and spray your hands with the alcohol.  Now spray the inside of the monotub and lid.  Remove the substrate and spawn from the boxes they come in and spray the outside of the plastic bags.

Sanitize a pair of scissors or knife, resanitize your hands, and cut open the substrate and spawn. Pour the substrate into the bottom of the monotub.  Now add a small amount (about one cup) of water and mix it with the substrate.  Keep adding water until the substrate is uniformly moist.  You should be able to just squeeze out a few drops of water from a fistful of substrate.

Now add the spawn and gently mix it with the substrate until you have a uniform mixture.

Put on the monotub lid and seal.  I keep my monotub in indirect light near my Aerogarden grow light.  You will see condensation form on the top which is exactly what you want.  Don’t do anything more, but do look through the lid to watch for pinning.  Pinning is when baby mushrooms start to form.

I removed the lid for photos, but I usually just leave the lid on.  The mushrooms I chose to grow are chestnut mushrooms.  They were a new variety for me, but I loved their flavor and texture.  Definitely a variety that I will grow again.

When the mushrooms are fully grown, but young, they are ready to harvest.  I just put on a pair of sanitized gloves and pull off a clump.

I had several flushes of mushrooms and had enough to share with my neighbors.  My favorite recipe was a a cream of potato soup with chestnut mushrooms.  Follow your favorite potato soup recipe, but add the mushrooms when you’re sautéing the aromatics.  Add some cream to finish the soup.  It was delicious.

I have a coupon code with Northspore that will give you a 10% discount.  Use the code:  FRUGALMENNONITE at checkout.

God bless,

Pam

Good Reads: Transforming Florida Yards

 Transforming Florida Yards: A Regional Food Forest Guide by Dr. Amanda Pike is the best book I’ve found covering the idea of turning your yard into a bountiful food forest and doing so in a hot, humid climate.

I learned about Amanda Pike and creating a food forest by following her on Facebook group Transforming  Florida Yards.  She shares her amazing original recipes and gardening tips in a personable manner.  Did you know that green papaya is a great substitute for zucchini?

The book not only describes the process for planning a food forest, but is filled with information sheets on unusual heat loving, edible plants.

I highly recommend this book for anyone living in a place where it’s hard to garden because of the heat and humidity.

God bless,

Pam

Canning Blueberries

 As I stated earlier I went blueberry picking with my husband and friends.  I picked fifteen pounds of blueberries.  We ate as many as we could fresh, but I wanted to put some by to use in muffins and pie.  Fortunately the upick site has a whole section on canning blueberries.

I gathered my equipment, steam sterilized the jars and started lightly packing the jars with blueberries.  The option I chose was to can them in a light syrup.  I used my steam canner for both sterilizing the jars and processing them.

I ended up with a good supply of canned berries and I decided to use the rest for jam, but that’s another post.

Please note that I haven’t given explicit instructions on canning.  It’s much safer for you to learn from an experienced canner, your local extension office, or a reliable book (such as the Ball Blue books).

God bless,

Pam

Spring Mulberries

 If you want quick fruiting, fast growing trees, I highly recommend planting mulberries.  I started mine from seed and after one year I had a small harvest.  It has now been three years and I have more mulberries than I, and my neighbors can handle.

Spring is such a fun time with the mulberries fruiting.  I love to go out in the evening to pick berries for the next day’s breakfast and other recipes.  Plus the trees are so attractive year round.

One caution is that mulberry trees can be messy, so plant them where there’s little to no foot traffic.  Pick them wearing clothes that can get stained.

So far I’ve frozen berries for future use and made jam for the family and neighbors.  I’ve invited friends and neighbors to come over and pick berries whenever they want.  The benefits from two mulberry trees are beyond eating berries and move into the realm of creating community.

God bless,

Pam

My link for seeds:  https://www.trueleafmarket.com/?rstr=TheFrugalMennonite

Upick Blueberries in Florida

 It’s blueberry season in Florida and today we went blueberry picking with friends.  It was so much fun and now I have fifteen pounds of blueberries to process.

We went to Starkey Blueberry Farm which also has strawberry upick from December to March.  It’s very well run and an attractive piece of acreage.  I really enjoyed seeing families with small children and their excitement.  Plus there was the zen of picking down a row and being outside on a beautiful day.

Remember to take the time to relax with friends and family while enjoying the Spring weather.

God bless,

Pam