News In Sewtopia, Sewing, Sauerkraut, and Life

 This photo  is by Rebecca Plotnick  Her beautiful Blog HERE. This is a Parisian street scene.

I just remembered that I did not post photo's of the flannel lounge pants I made in late December. This is the last pair, before I stitched the elastic down. (front, back, each side seam with a stretch zig-azg stitch) A beautiful fabric, my pre-wash showed minimal shrinkage. When I make items like this for myself I usually add inseam side pockets. Husband doesn't care. 

- A nice long loaf of bread ready to go to the oven. My absolute favorite counter top oven, the Breville convection, had a sprung hinge on the door. It was not fixable because the unit is sealed. I tried to keep it closed with all sorts of brilliant ideas, no go. So, I brought up a smaller one I had stashed after we sold the cottage. I suffered though it but it was too small for about everything I did. Then I brought up  one I had in the motor home thinking I would use the top oven in the new range. Tossed that one. It was old, too small, difficult to control the temperature. So, in absolute desperation I ordered another Breville. Guess what, they had a sale before the holidays and none were available for a month. I waited, it finally came last week and I am thrilled to be literally back in business. Bread baking as we speak! I know I have reviewed this little charmer in the past but I really can't say enough positive about it. It is available at several retailers and online. The price is about the same at all of them. It has actually been reduced in price since I bought the first one about 4 years ago. So, if you are in the market, I cannot recommend it more highly.  

-Today I am harvesting another Aero garden collection. Of course, the sweet basil is abundant, starting to flower. The thyme is skimpy, the chives are pathetic. I think my plant plugs are a bit hit and miss with this group. I ordered them from a different source. I am planting parsley, cilantro, and something else this afternoon. It is easy. I wash the unit well, nice hot water with a teaspoon of  bleach to sanitize the base. Then refill with water, put in the little plugs, turn it on after a teaspoon of all purpose liquid food. This is the one I have, it is available on Amazon.

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-This small jar, about a gallon is working hard pickling peppers. I got a great bargain at Costco last week on peppers. Who doesn't enjoy pickled peppers?

The sauerkraut crock. This baby will hold 10 lbs of shredded cabbage! I shred the head, place it in a huge bowl, add 3 Tablespoons of salt for each 5 lbs of cabbage. And then.....massage that cabbage! I know, spa day for a vegetable. It helps the fermentation process, breaks down the shred a bit. I add peppercorns too. Usually about 1/4 cup for 10 lbs of cabbage. Sometime I use caraway seed, it depends on what I have on hand! After packing the cabbage in the jar with a wooden mallet, I add enough filtered water to cover it all then a set of heavy porcelain weights to keep the cabbage down. I add water if necessary each day to make sure it is covered. Often we will have a "bubble-up" and water will outflow. This jar has a large water seal rim to keep air out but I often keep the jar in a tray just in case of overflow. I start taste testing in 3 to 4 days, sometimes a week will pass before the tartness is reached. I pack it in heavy-duty silicone sealing reuseable bags and freeze it. My mother used to can it. The health benefits of fermented foods is well documented. One of my favorite ways to prepare this is by making a relish from it adding finely chopped onion, pimento, and carrot. I first had this at a local Bavarian restaurant, it is very tasty.

-Tomorrow, we are making that sauerkraut. I have been using a large food processor with the shredding blade to cut the cabbage since we mistakenly gave away our cutter. It works fine for me, sometimes there are comments from the peanut gallery about the size of the shred. One day it will be considered too big and another day the same shred will be to small. What can I say?

-And finally an explanation. In November I commented that there would be more about garment construction here. And there will be, but not for a while. I have been on a weight loss journey, a slow one I might add, since October. I have decided to not make much of anything until I'm done. I am difficult to fit and I don't want to do it twice. Does that make sense? I decided to try the NOOM program and I am pleased with it. Now, make no mistake, it is still a diet. it is Science, Nutrition, and Psychology based. You have reading lessons every day, even some quizzes to help you understand the concepts of changing your lifestyle. I am down 35 lbs and generally feel much better but I am not done yet. Unfortunately, my back pain has not improved as I had hoped. It is a slow process when your physical limitations impeded your progress, but I am still at it. So, whatever I make will not be fitted much. I am looking at my patterns to see what I can make and alter easily. A work in progress. In many ways.