Summer Salsa

I have had several requests this week for my Salsa recipe. We are officially in Tomato season in Texas and loving our local bounty but needing to get creative with preserving these beauties. So today I am sharing my recipe for the BEST salsa ever (If I do say so myself). Later in the week, we will share a fermented ketchup recipe that my hubby is working on.

 Fermented Summer Salsa

(Makes 1 qt)
6-8  Fresh tomatoes
2- 3 green onions, chopped
1 large size chopped jalapeno(seeded)
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or pressed
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1-2 limes
2 T. sea salt
1/4 c. filtered water with tsp of salt (This is the brine)

Pulse in food processor until it reaches a consistency that you enjoy. Some prefer a "chunkier" salsa. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar. Press down lightly until the juices rise up; if there is not enough liquid to cover the vegetables then add a little brine water. The top of the vegetables/liquid should be about an inch below the top of the jar. Cover with a loose jar lid OR a towel, place jar in a bowl to catch any expansion overflow and keep at room temperature in a dark and undisturbed area for about 5 days before sealing and transferring to the fridge.
A note about timing: that “5 days” is a very subjective figure. It depends on a number of factors.  The temperature of your kitchen is also a factor. I like the flavor that develops at 5 days BUT have gone several weeks before.

 How do you know when it’s done? Taste it every single day. Twice a day if it’s really warm in your kitchen. Open it up, press the vegetables down, and give them a taste. When it tastes really good (slightly effervescent) it’s done. As you can see, there is pretty much no way to get this wrong.
If you use the no whey-extra salt method, like I do, you’ll know it’s done when it starts to taste less salty.

 I don’t know that I’d let this one go TOO long… probably better slightly fermented than sour-kraut-level fermented.

NOTE: We had a recent batch of salsa that we let ferment until it was practically explosive. It had fermented for 2 weeks in Texas summer (78-80 degrees in my kitchen at times). Anyway, it tasted good, but it is very bubbly.  Almost like a champagne salsa which is a very refreshing flavor. If you personally want to avoid this, transfer to your fridge before the “exploding with bubbles” stage. There’s a lot of variation in this process, and with practice you get better and better at it. Give yourself the permission to experiment and fail, and you can’t go wrong.

There are MANY variations with salsa.....experiment with a few of your favorites. Add a variety of fresh peppers, fruits, carrots, etc... My favorite Salsa Verde would substitute the tomatoes with tomatillos and an addition of cucumber. VERY refreshing and light!

 ENJOY!

Nuno Felting

No, I am not writing about food, fitness or beauty today. But, I am sharing a bit of creative therapy that I had the opportunity to explore today.

 

I enjoyed a break in my schedule for a class on Nuno Felting....! It is truly a primitive art form, using natural fibers such as mohair, alpaca, silk, wool, etc... I hope you enjoy this brief history of Nuno and some pictures of the scarf I created today.

 

 

"Felted fabric is thought to predate woven or spun fabric. Among the oldest examples of felt are 3,500 -year-old hats found in Scandinavia..." It's not hard to imagine the use or almost necessity of felt in colder climates, but nuno felt was developed with just the opposite in mind. "When Polly Stirling codeveloped nuno felt with her assistant Sachiko Kotaka, her intention was to create a cooler, wearable felt for the warm climate of Australia, where she lives part-time." For me, that was a big draw too. Living in the humid subtropic of southeast Texas.



"Nuno is Japanese for fabric or cloth." It's the word that became associated with this technique during the collaboration of Stirling and Kotaka. "Today they are widely credited with popularizing the technique, although northern Europeans developed a similar technique about a decade earlier. Their term 'laminated felting' is preferrred by some feltmakers, since Nuno is also the name of a textile design company in Japan."

"To create nuno felt, very small amounts of wool are layered on a pre-existing fabric, usually silk or cotton. During the felting process, the wool fibers migrate through the weave of the cloth and entangle, pulling the cloth along with them as they shrink. The result is a fully integrated and highly textural fabric..... Nuno...gathers in all directions rather than just one, making the fabric appear bubbled. ..... Nuno felting strips things down to the bare bones, making use of wool's alchemic power even when using so very few fibers. When we experience the total transformation of so few bits of wool on cloth, somehow the power of the process is more starkly revealed to us. ..... nuno felt is also very practical as a wearable fabric. It is incredibly lightweight and drapes the body beautifully. Not only is it gorgeous, but it also completely takes people off guard when they hear how it's created."

Here is a close up of the laying down or placement of my natural fibers onto my cotton muslin.



(Above is the scarf, before the felting process began) Wetting, soaping, rolling and tossing....it was a workout over the course of this 3 hour class. But the scarf turned out beautifully and I am not sure whether to wear it OR hang it on my wall.

If you get a chance, research this technique.Its so beautiful. I plan to do a larger project for an art piece in my new home and maybe even a few scarves for Christmas gifts. I am hooked!

The HEAT is on.....!

Well....the AC has officially been turned off in Texas! The humidity is brutal. And this outdoor primitive lady is too diva to smell too natural.

Here is a recipe for a natural DIY deodorant that rocks!

Equal parts of:

Baking Soda

Arrowroot Powder

Sea Salt 

Coconut Oil

Vitamin E Oil (just a few drops)

Essential Oils (use adequate amounts of your favorite therapeutic grade brand- I use Tea Tree, Lemongrass, lavender)

*men may want to use a blend of YL Thieves or DT's OnGuard for an extra anti bacterial protection!

Once blended, you may store in a small jar in a cool area. It works great and it's no chemicals,metals, parabens or synthetic fragrances. 

 

Blog about to get a FACELIFT.....!

Well it is time.....preparing to update LOOK and LOCATION of Primitive Diva! Stay tuned for lots of FUN news, products and announcements this summer. In the meantime, come and walk on the WILD side at our Facebook page Primitive Diva!

Wild Foraging

I have committed myself to discovering and identifying two new wild edible plants, each week, at the farm. Using my favorite local foraging website Foraging Texas and the sage wisdom of the master forager himself, Merriwether. This week, I have located several patches of Chickweed and Pimpernel. As you can see below, they look quite similar. However, taking the time to study each...they are quite unique! Continue reading to see how I used my harvest today.

Chickweed: Chickweed sprouts were a common source of greens on early navy ships and helped prevent scurvy before the discovery of vitamin C. Their small amount of saponins help give dishes containing chickweed a creamy texture, especially when diced finely and simmered in pasta sauces. It's also tastes wonderful in pesto, salsas, and raw food/vegan "green drinks" as well as greatly increasing the nutritional value of these foods.

The hairy "Mouse-Eared Chickweed" must be cooked before eating to soften the hairs on the stems and leaves.

Pimpernel:The scarlet pimpernel has a tradition of medicinal use going back to the ancient Greeks. They considered it to be a "cure-all", capable of treating any sort of injury, illness, or infection of bone, muscle, eye or other organ. The plant was dried and powdered, this powder then consumed in a drink. The raw plant has a rather unpleasant taste, probably due to the small amount of bitter saponin compounds it contains. It was also used as a wash for bad skin. Perhaps more importantly the pimpernel was thought to raise spirits and dispel melancholy, for which tea made from the fresh plant was recommended.

The pimpernel flowers close up when rain approaches, allowing them to be used as a crude method of predicting bad weather. The flowers also close up in the evening and won't reopen until stuck by sunlight.

Growing Wild Tip: I encourage you to discover one new wild food near you this week......wild edibles offer such amazing primitive nutrition. There are numerous books on the subject that are beneficial. But remember, if you are uncertain its best to hire a guide or teacher to get you familiarized with your local wild food.  Once you have some ingredients to work with, there are great recipes at sites like Edible Wild Food

Wild Chickweed Smoothie..........Green Apples, Strawberries, Banana, Local Bee Pollen and freshly harvested Chickweed!

The smoothie was great. It provided great energy to nourish me for a busy afternoon.

Now, I am dehydrating the Pimpernel for a wonderful medicinal tea.

 

Raves and Reviews

Totally wanted to share my discovery of these awesome EcoJarz lids......! Give it a full Thumbs UP (except for the fact that I ordered four and only received one--I will work that out later)

I have cleared out 99% of the plastic in my home and we do not drink bottled water. I love my Mason/Ball Jars for my beverages. These drinking convereter lids are free of any plastic, BPAs, Phtalates. I love them for grab and go beverages. They are dishwasher safe too (medical grade stainless steel). They fit ANY small mouth canning jar. ONLY $6.99 Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Reuse...Reuse!

 

Check them out in my Amazon Store HERE:

 

 

Grow WILD......!

Sorry to disconnect from the blog world for a bit.  I have been busy with life, kids, work, goats and farm planning. I guess I almost feel that I am steadily breaking out of a cocoon, that I developed for myself during this strangely unsettling move to the farm. It is everything that myself, kiddos and husband have dreamed of.....BUT uprooting and transferring to NEW soil, is always hard. I am posting this photo as a reminder to myself to find my path again as I grow WILD into my new, but now familiar, surroundings.

Such simplicity in these words, but so much TRUTH in the way we should ALL be living and growing. I have many things to share with you this Spring on the topic of Growing WILD......Including a 6 weeks course on becoming a Primitive Diva. I am also remodeling the BLOG and finally getting it transferred over to my Primitive Diva domain.

With Love~ Melissa