Homemade foods: a hobby turned passion

Homemade foods: a hobby turned passion

I have always been a fan of homemade. Not only homemade foods but also clothes, home decor and much more. I even had a stint at making Christmas cards. I can remember watching a tennis final with Roger Federer while making dozens of Christmas cards for family and friends. It was enjoyable and exciting, probably because of the tennis yet I never did it again. Maybe it is because there are no more Federer finals to watch!

Homemade food have been a passion for a long time now. Whether it is for health reasons, being frugal, using the best ingredients and enjoy doing it, it has been a huge part of my life.

The collection of such foods is growing. As I love sharing good things, I have started to blog about it. Not all recipes are mine and my husband Keith is doing his fair share. He loves fermented foods and started making apple cider vinegar and sour dough bread years ago.

aple cidre vinegar, fermented foods, gut health, daily habits, homemade
Apple cider vinegar prep

In fact my daughter started a sourdough culture while we were still living in Australia and we loved making fruit and nut breads. Making your own sourdough bread is easy and fun albeit there are a few rules. Keith has perfected his starter culture and we always have the luxury of crispy fresh sourdough. He trials different flours and sometimes adds ingredients such roasted garlic, rosemary and olives.

Homemade foods on offer

We have now added fire cider, red and white sour kraut, pickles, chutneys, jams and olives to our list of homemade foods. We were so lucky to spend almost a year on a large property in the Ariège. There were plenty of fruit trees including apple, plums, mirabelle, blackberries, mulberries, figs and crab apples. Consequently the production of chutneys, pickles and jams resembled a professional kitchen.

I hope to inspire you to have a go at ‘homemade’. My perfect ‘cook up’ is singing along to my favourite tunes on a weekend day while having the kitchen to myself. Then miracles happen………..

Be inspired!

Love Marijke

homemade, homemade foods,  lifestyle, healthy
Are you ready for fire cider?

Are you ready for fire cider?

As we are heading for winter, consequently it will be time for fire cider! My previous post showed you how to make organic apple cider vinegar and that will give you the perfect base for fire cider.

So what is fire cider?

Simply said, it is a spicy concoction that combines different taste sensations in one drink. It is a combo of sour, spicy hot, pungent and sweet and it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. We take it during the winter months as a daily tonic to help fight off colds and flues.

Ingredients

fresh horse radish, onion, garlic, freshly grated turmeric, grated ginger, chillies, a sprig of rosemary, 1 cinnamon stick, apple cider vinegar, honey to taste and a large glass jar.

The list of ingredients is not set in stone and we use what we can get hold off. For instance it is hard to find fresh horse radish in Southern France where we live.

The quantities are rather flexible because it depends on how much you would like to make. Nevertheless if you want specifics feel free to let me know in the comments.

Some of the main ingredients for fire cider

Here’s how to make it

  • Chop up all ingredients in tiny pieces and no need to say – the tinier, the better.
  • Place them in the jar and cover with apple cider vinegar
  • Close the jar and shake it up!
  • Place in a cool dark place for at least 4 weeks
  • Strain so you are just left with the liquid
  • Warm up honey and flavour to taste
  • Store in the fridge or a cool cellar
Finely chopped ingredients for fire cider

How to use fire cider?

Take a shot everyday, neat or dilute with water. If you find it hard to drink it, you could use it as an ingredient in soups, marinades, sauces and dressings.

Does it work? Who knows! It is full with ingredients that are good for you. Scientifically its potential may not have a leg to stand on as scientist usually don’t spend their time on testing the efficacy of natural remedies. I am a firm believer of taking daily a large diversity of organic natural ingredients. This fire cider is a combination of such ingredients.

As a matter of fact I am not here to debate the pros and the cons of taking fire cider. Above all I am here to show those who are interested how to make it.

All things considered, let me know if you have a go!

See you next time!

Marijke

fire cider, apple cider vinegar, homemade lifestyle change
How to make organic apple cider vinegar

How to make organic apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar seems to be one of the latest trends in the forever growing list of super foods. Apparently, it is a cure for many ailments, although it is not very well documented scientifically.

Despite that and like many people before me, I have started taking it on a daily base. I take 1-2 tablespoons in a glass of warm water first thing in the morning and I have done that now for several years.

As apple cider vinegar is cheap and easy to make, you can be sure there won’t be much scientific research to support the benefits. I personally have not experienced any side effects and I actually love the taste. As a result, I am hanging out for that glass first thing in the morning. An additional advantage is that bloating seems to be a thing from the past. Needless to say that I will keep on taking it.

There are many types of apple cider vinegar available in the shops but we prefer to make our own. And in this case I have to credit my husband who has been making the vinegar for a few years now. It is cheap and easy to make as long as you can get hold of organic apples.

Basically making apple cider vinegar is a process of fermentation where yeast converts the sugars in apples into alcohol. Then a bacteria called acetobacter turns the alcohol into an acid. The result is a fluid with a sediment called the ‘mother’ and apparently it is this mother that offers substantial health benefits.

How to make apple cider vinegar?

aple cidre vinegar, fermented foods, gut health, daily habits, homemade
Pouring water dissolved with sugar over the organic pieces of apple

Ingredients for home made apple cider vinegar

  • organic apples
  • filtered water
  • sugar such as honey, cane sugar, agave or maple syrup
  • a sterilised jar
  • a good dose of effort and time

Method:

  • Sterilise the jar
  • Remove the stalks from the apples
  • Cut the unpeeled apples in pieces
  • Use 1 apple for 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of a sugar
  • Put apple pieces, water and sugar in the jar
  • Stir and cover with paper towel and an elastic band
  • First 14 days – place in a warm place and stir daily to prevent the apple pieces on the top going mouldy
  • After 14 days – remove the apple pieces and leave the liquid to rest in the dark for at least a month

After a month the apple cider vinegar should be ready to drink. We like to pour it in a nice decorative glass bottle and enjoy 1-2 tablespoons daily. Don’t drink it neat as the acidity may damage your teeth enamel and avoid storing it in plastic bottles!

The picture below shows a quantity of 5 cups of water, 5 medium apples and 5 tablespoons of raw cane sugar. Put a label with a date when you made it and you’e done!

apple cider vinegar, feremented foods, home made foods, gut health
Quantity of 5 cups of water, 5 medium apples and 5 tablespoons of raw cane sugar

Why don’t you give it a try? By the way, I am not an expert and suggest you do your own research before making and taking the vinegar.

Love to you all!

Marijke

apple cidre vinegar, homemade lifestyle change

How to meet yourself at where you are?

How to meet yourself at where you are?

I was watching a yoga practice and the teacher said the following – “Meet yourself at where you are!”

Immediately I asked myself “What does that mean and am I doing that?”

Taking this literally, the answer seems rather obvious. Of course I know where I am but you must sense that the real question addresses something a bit deeper. Practically I know where I am – my location, activity and general sense of well-being. However you probably get that this is not my point.

Meet yourself at where you are!

‘Meet yourself at where you are’. What does that actually mean? To be honest, all kind of things come to mind, but I found the below online.

Meaning to take note of where you’re at (what’s going on in your life, how you’re feeling, etc) and then give yourself permission to focus on what is important right now based on this.

I understand that it refers to an awareness of “where you are and if that is where you want to be”. In other words, are you doing what you love and are you living the life that meets your dreams, beliefs and values?

Reflecting on myself, I think I am ‘somehow’ where I want to be. I enjoy living where I am and I am grateful that I can earn an income online. What I do, may not be my ‘ideal’ job although it addresses many aspects of what I am trained for and enjoy doing.

The main restriction has to do with time. My work week is 9-5 for four days which sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Yet I am aware that deep down I would like it to be different…..

For starters I chose to work only 4 days per week because I have plenty of other things that I want to do. Before I accepted the job offer, I knew that working 5 days per week would zap me from most of my energy. Even with a four days per week, I don’t seem to have enough energy to do other things. Being over 60 may have something to do with it!

What is the answer?

The reality is that I am no different from many people. I am certain that many people with set work times feel the same. Many motivational gurus tend to make us believe that all we need to do is ‘make time and commit’. Somehow that does not seem to work for me and possibly not for you either.

To recap, I am able to take note of what I value and I am so lucky to be living in a country that I chose. I have the option to work from home and have been able ‘to set up office’ in five different countries so far. It means that I can travel, do house sits or move around while still doing my job and earning an income.

Some of my favourite things to do are hands-on. I love gardening, up-cycling furniture, mosaics and in general being creative. When I do such things, I tend to forget about time and am totally ‘in the moment’. This is the ‘place’ where I would like to be most of my time but so far I have not figured out how to make that my reality.

Not an easy one! Feel free to let me know if this rings a bell and intrigues you. I am curious about your thoughts!

Keep following your dreams!

Marijke

doubt, moments of doubt,lifestyle change, moving abroad, experience, living in a different country
Role reversal – could you handle it in a positive way?

Role reversal – could you handle it in a positive way?

Let’s have a look at role reversal. As some of you may know, we have made a recent move to the countryside. To be precise we have taken on the role of caretakers for an estate near the Pyrenees. It came our way and it shows how life can take an unexpected and sudden turn.

Find out how fast things can change here

We usually do a few housesits throughout the year and 2021 was no different. In June we got a request to replace a caretaker’s couple so they could visit their family in the UK. The house was for sale and during that fortnight there was a house viewing. We helped to make it look presentable and met the couple that ended up buying the house.

To make a long story short, they asked us to become the new caretakers after they became the new owners. We accepted and hence the lifestyle changes since early December.

You can read about our recent lifestyle change here

The impact of our role reversal

The biggest change would be for my husband as he really was the one taking on the job. I have a job of over 30 hours per week and was not on the lookout for additional hours. I am aware I may have to chip in during the weekends especially when there are holiday guests. The house is already booked out during July and August. Considering it is not a cheap rental, we can expect demanding customers.

Our daily routine is as follows. We get up and I go to the ‘home office’. My husband puts on his work gear and ventures outside to tackle the property’s maintenance chores. The remarkable thing currently is the role reversal in this new life. I have not worked in an office ever in my life and all my jobs were hands on and quite physical. My husband on the other hand is an office man and never was that keen on manual labour.

The way it used to be

I was the one who took on landscaping, gardening, painting to name a few. Although I have always said NO to lawn mowing. Funnily now, we do what the other usually did and we seem to have taken to it without much effort. I must admit that although I do like my job, I find the ‘office hours’ element a bit of a struggle.

At the moment I am happy to do it, but I knew that I had to say NO to full time. In fact, I managed to negotiate a four-day gig, from Monday to Thursday. As a result I have been working like this since August 2021.

The role reversal has made me think about the things we like to do ‘innately’. I am sure that my calling was hands-on, active, outside and lots of people contact. My husband would be more of an office man happily sitting behind a computer and do his thing.

I have trying to install this sense of ‘doing what you are naturally good at and feel happy doing’ in my kids. Only time will tell if they manage to achieve this.

Writer David Chapman on how to improve your thinking:

“Learn from fields very different from your own. They each have ways of thinking that can be useful at surprising times. Just learning to think like an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a philosopher will beneficially stretch your mind.”

Source: How to Think Real Good

What are your thoughts? I would love to know….

role reversal, recent change, change, lifestyle change