How are you an expert?

[tortoise]

Ooooo, I want to learn how to make mayonnaise! I tried it once, but it's been so long.... @frustratedearthmother , would you be willing to post a tutorial for how to make it?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

WBF is the expert - let's make her do it! If she doesn't have time I'll try...

 

[MoonShadows]

Would love to make my own mayonnaise. Probably so much healthier. I make tuna once a week with onion, lemon juice and mayo, but it takes a lot of Hellman's...which is probably not the best thing to be eating. Can you direct me to the journal post?

 

[Amiga]

Does someone have a suggestion where I might join a discussion of Permaculture here?

 

[freemotion]

There is always more to learn but I am pretty self-sufficient in many ways. Mostly food. I grow most of our food and make everything from scratch. I process our pigs and poultry, making the lard, bacon, sausage, etc. I grind any flour we use. I make all condiments and freeze, can, and dehydrate many, many items. I do some foraging, mostly for fruit. I make interesting country wines and meads with very little financial input. The only things we buy are single ingredient items, mostly, with rare exception. Chocolate it an occasional treat but I get the good stuff.

I'm working on my sewing skills, getting private instruction in fitting and have the goal of sewing my entire wardrobe eventually, at least something from every category, including outerwear and shoes. I will always buy socks, shoes, and coats, but will be able to manage if I ever had to, and I will have some of these items in my wardrobe. I am getting closer to that goal, am at the point where it is no longer non-stop frustration and I am turning out some really nice stuff, finally.

The biggest change since I was active here last is probably the beehives, and I switched all my gardens to the BTE method, using heavy ramial woodchip mulch. Free, of course!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Fantastic! We process our own pigs and poultry as well, glad to hear from someone doing the same!

We also used to have beehives but haven't gotten back into them yet (potential long distance move pending, not an easy feat to move them)

Would love to hear more about the food you process.

 

[Wannabefree]

@frustratedearthmother NOthing "wrong" just mayonnaise recipes vary greatly....mine is more designed to taste similar to Kraft mayo. Tweak it...I think Hellmans has a sweeter taste if I recall correctly so maybe add a pinch of sugar or honey? Mayo is simple. Break an egg, teaspoon of salt on the yolk, 2 teaspoons vinegar, blend WELL with a stick blender....only way I've ever got it to work well was a stick blender...then add a few DROPS of oil at a time while blending, keep adding oil, for one egg, it usually takes about a pint of oil, till it creates an emulsion, it should begin to thicken a bit with the first 1/3 cup of oil, and will continue to thicken as it blends and oil is being added. Stop adding oil when it's the consistency you want, then you can blend in herbs and spices and/or sugar/ sweetener if you wish. Fair warning....you can ruin a couple batches when you first start trying to get an emulsion, room temp egg is nest, duck eggs being thicker work very well....just keep trying!!! I got it on the second try, because first try I used a regular hand mixer. If you have a kitchen aide mixer, use the whisk on high speed does well also I've found.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

NOthing "wrong" just mayonnaise recipes vary greatly

True. I can get it to emulsify just fine - and I like the taste...guess when I stop buying Hellman's DH will have to get with the program, lol. That stuff is expensive!

 

[Wannabefree]

Yeah it's waaaayyy more expensive than making your own...amazes me what they charge folks for them there fancy plastic jars with 50 cents worth of mayo in em

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Dang near 4 bucks a quart here....and with DH not working right now...he's gonna learn to eat homemade! What kind of oil do you use in yours?