Infused Oils and Vinegar

Infused Oils and Vinegar's and Essential Oils

Ingredients:

Apple Cider Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar

Olive oil

Herbs, spices and fruits

Variations  of Vinegar's:

Peach or strawberry Vinegar

Blackberry and Clove Balsamic

Apple, Pear, and herb Balsamic

Oils or Vinegars:

Lemon Thyme

Garlic Rosemary

Ginger, Sesame, Garlic

Garlic Sage

Variations of Essential Oils:

Smells of the Holidays

Berry, Vanilla, Cardamon

Vanilla Chamomile Berry and Fruit

Citrus Sunshine

 Directions:
1) Gather your herbs and prep your oils in proper sanitary jars

2) For essential oils you want to muddle the herbs a little bit, below is lavender stems

3) Add your herbs to your oils, below is 2 cups olive oil and several sprigs of herbs per jar. Each one is a different flavor: 1) Rosemary 2) Thyme 3) Sage and Garlic

4) For my Ginger, Garlic, Sesame

5) Below I made a lemon thyme oil and a lemon thyme vinegar to go with it

6) Infused Apple Cider Vinegar's

7) Essential Oils: see recipes below

How lovely is that? Since these are gifts I have ordered little 5 oz bottles to put these all into for gifts, more pics to come once that part of the process is done.


Recipes:

Basic Herb Oil and Vinegar Infusions:
2 cups of oil to several sprigs of herbs

Lemon Thyme Oil or Vinegar:
2 cup of oil or vinegar
several sprigs of thyme
fresh lemon peels
20-30 peppercorns

Blackberry Clove Balsamic:
2 cups balsamic
10 cloves
3/4 cup muddled blackberries

Ginger, Sesame, Garlic Oil or Vinegar:
1 cup vinegar or oil
1/4 cup sliced ginger root
1/8 c. sesame seeds
1/4 tsp. of sesame oil
5 garlic cloves chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Apple Cider of Balsamic Vinegar with Fruit/ Herbs
2 cups vinegar to 1 cup fruit (we used peaches and berries)
can add herbs if you like too

Variations of Essential Oils:

1 cup of oil with;

Smells of the Holidays- pine, clove, mulling spice, orange, and ginger

Berry, Vanilla, Cardamon- Cardamon seeds, vanilla bean, muddled berries

Vanilla Chamomile Berry and Fruit- Chamomile flowers, muddled berries, vanilla bean and lemon peel

Citrus Sunshine- lemon, orange and lime peel, pineapple chunks

PS You can use these essential oils as lotion, lipbalm, or salve bases ;)

Here is a list of other wonderful things you can use:

mint
jalepenos
sundried tomatoes
cilantro
dill
chives
parsley
bay leaves
basil
peppermint
mango
teas
herbs for medicines and make your own tinctures

Stir Fry with Spicy Ginger, Pineapple, and Tomato Sauce

DIRECTIONS AND INGREDIENTS:

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins
Serves 4

Helpful advice:

Prep work- cut veggies, marinade protein, boil water for rice

First- start sauce, start oil and seasons on wok, add rice to boiling water, start baking or bbq'ing protein

Next step- add dense veg to wok, add thickner to sauce, check and rotate protien

To Finish- Add less dense veggies with a "cover" over to "steam" for last part, Cover protien with sauce for last 5 mins of cooking, stir rice and sauce, taste!

Stir Fry Ingredients:

Broccoli, bok choy, carrot, bell pepper, onion, zuchinnis, pineapple ect...

Directions for Stir fry:

Coat large frying pan or wok with sesame oil at medium high temp.

Add minced garlic and ginger and other seasonings such as salt

Add in denser veggies like carrot, zuchinnis, onions and let saute til slightly soft then;
Add in rest of veggies (dense to less dense) until steaming hot and slightly fried, crisp but not overcooked.

 I like my veggies more crispy, they are healthier as well, and less nutrients are cooked out, when still "living"

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced Pineapple
1 whole tomato
1/4 + tsp cayenne (to taste)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
1/8 c. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. thickening agent like arrowroot or cornstarch
ground ginger to taste

Directions for sauce:

Mix all ingredients into saucepan and cook on med/ low while preparing stir fry veggies, stir often, if too thick add more water, add more cayenne if you have a spice for life.
Optional Protien- Marinated Tempeh or Chicken:

Marinade: Tamari, rice vineager, pineapple juice, sesame oil and seeds, and cayenne pepper.

Bake or grill strips of marinated chicken or tempeh on shish-ka-bob sticks 

Backyard or Porch Container Gardening

This year, since my permanent location is still... not permanent; I have decided to take another approach to growing my own food at home. In addition to a backyard garden I will be creating with friends, I am also preparing myself for a more permanent garden. I have started with container plants, that will be able to transplant down the road or keep as container plants as sort of a "mini garden".

These are raspberry plants that are babies still, this year these 1 gallon pots will do, but next year they will need a larger pot to grow in.

A pretty little herb basket, I figured I'd like a basket of herbs in my kitchen window too, so I made this.

These are the starts I purchased to plant in my container garden this season.

Little pots of nasturtiums, these little guys will need something to climb like a small trellis or a pole of bamboo, if they are able to climb further they will will travel quite far in one summer.