freemotion
Food Guru
xpc said:
The bean thing
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freemotion
Food Guru
Hmmm.....doesn't lacto-fermenting do the same thing? (Running off to look it up again...)
Can someone tell me if the hominy thing is worth the effort? Should I get out my soap-making lye and some whole corn from the feed bag and get crackin'? We don't eat a lot of grains, but I am partial to corn. I would like to see how it is. I do like to try everything at least once, and it is good to know how to prepare emergency foods with what is at hand!
Can someone tell me if the hominy thing is worth the effort? Should I get out my soap-making lye and some whole corn from the feed bag and get crackin'? We don't eat a lot of grains, but I am partial to corn. I would like to see how it is. I do like to try everything at least once, and it is good to know how to prepare emergency foods with what is at hand!
noobiechickenlady
Almost Self-Reliant
Free, I absolutely love fresh hominy. The canned or frozen stuff just doesn't compare. It has somewhat of a corn flavor, but a slightly different texture. Its hard to describe though.
I've only made hominy a couple of times, but I've had it numerous. I guess it depends on how much you like it, as to whether it is worth it.
You can start out with a small batch just to try it. No exact measurements, just lye water to cover. The one time I've made it with ash water, we floated an egg to see if it was strong enough. A quarter sized bit of egg sticking out of the water meant it was just right. If its higher, too strong, if it doesn't float, its too weak.
I've only made hominy a couple of times, but I've had it numerous. I guess it depends on how much you like it, as to whether it is worth it.
You can start out with a small batch just to try it. No exact measurements, just lye water to cover. The one time I've made it with ash water, we floated an egg to see if it was strong enough. A quarter sized bit of egg sticking out of the water meant it was just right. If its higher, too strong, if it doesn't float, its too weak.
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
I use hominy in my "taco soup" recipe. It makes the soup taste like corn tortillias are actually in the soup. If I make it with the ash technique, that soup would be very healthy and tasty.
This is something I have been experimenting with -freemotion said:
if you can call having done it once an ongoing experiment. I took the idea from "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz, who was the only resource that suggested using ash. I *liberated* several cups of wood ash from the fireplace, before the chimney sweep came and cleaned everything, and put it through a sieve. Katz said to soak the corn first, and then cook with ash water. I did the cooking in a crock pot, but it went quicker than expected, and I think I cooked it too long. I ground the cooked corn in the food processor, but that wouldn't grind it very fine, so I had to add water, which made the masa more liquid than was probably good. Anyway, I made tortillas with what resulted, and I quite liked them, though they were nothing like anything you might buy in the store. Next time I will follow the directions given by Diana Kennedy, the doyenne of Mexican cooking, and see if it works better. She uses *cal*, or calcium oxide, cooking the corn in the *cal* water, and then leaving everything to soak before grinding. I'll use her method, but with ash.
freemotion
Food Guru
I am picturing gray corn.....I never dumped my last ash can at the end of winter, with all the discussion on lye, I just kinda hung on to it. I should give this a try. It will be worth it just to watch dh's reaction......
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- #47
I looked up wood ash lye after Wifezilla posted and found that it is best made with hard woods like hickory. Most said to punch a can with tiny holes in the bottom and fill with clean wood ash then pour water into it letting it seep to a collection container below. I would probably modify this by first putting a layer of clean sand followed by a layer of small gravel in the can first - this is a basic boyscout filter and will keep the solids and "gray" out of the final water (maybe) it would at least stop any solids.freemotion said:I am picturing gray corn.....I never dumped my last ash can at the end of winter, with all the discussion on lye, I just kinda hung on to it. I should give this a try. It will be worth it just to watch dh's reaction......
sweetcorn
Lovin' The Homestead
My mother did this exact same thing to my sister with beans and with veggies ...completely cruel ! She spent hours on barstools staring at food not allowed up until it was gone , also with the threat of still having to eat it if she puked in it . IMO child abuse for sure ! Luckily for me, I was an eat everything kid. My kids , you taste it , if you don't like it , you don't have to finish.Beekissed said:Certified Bean Hater here
My mother would make me sit in front of that cold bowl of beans for hours, until I ate it, gagging and wretching. She always told me, if I puked, I would have to eat that too.
free - actually the ash seemed to intensify the yellow somewhat. I have read the *cal* does that even more.xpc said:I looked up wood ash lye after Wifezilla posted and found that it is best made with hard woods like hickory. Most said to punch a can with tiny holes in the bottom and fill with clean wood ash then pour water into it letting it seep to a collection container below. I would probably modify this by first putting a layer of clean sand followed by a layer of small gravel in the can first - this is a basic boyscout filter and will keep the solids and "gray" out of the final water (maybe) it would at least stop any solids.freemotion said:I am picturing gray corn.....I never dumped my last ash can at the end of winter, with all the discussion on lye, I just kinda hung on to it. I should give this a try. It will be worth it just to watch dh's reaction......
xpc - that sounds like a way to get a concentrated lye solution, as is no doubt needed for soap. It doesn't seem to be necessary for hominy. By putting the ashes through a sieve I got out all the large bits, and the fine stuff is rinsed off with the water at the end. The recipe I followed called for 1/2/ cup ash to 2 cups dry corn. And yes, hard wood ash was recommended; ours is mostly oak.
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- #50
I totally agree with that, my mother was not forceful in making us eat what we considered tripe, what she did instead was make things just as healthy that we liked and ate whole heatedly. This made everything easier for everybody involved, it takes some time and age to appreciate the taste of certain foods - so don't force feed them down your child's gullet like a Doctor Phibes poodle pate'.sweetcorn said:My mother did this exact same thing to my sister with beans and with veggies ...completely cruel ! She spent hours on barstools staring at food not allowed up until it was gone , also with the threat of still having to eat it if she puked in it . IMO child abuse for sure ! Luckily for me, I was an eat everything kid. My kids , you taste it , if you don't like it , you don't have to finish.Beekissed said:Certified Bean Hater here
My mother would make me sit in front of that cold bowl of beans for hours, until I ate it, gagging and wretching. She always told me, if I puked, I would have to eat that too.
I have never knowingly ate liver, my father doesn't eat liver, nobody in the family ever ate the vile and disgusting organ. I don't care how good they say it is for you when there are many equally nutritious alternatives that you will gladly eat. And don't get me started on having to smother it with fifteen pounds of spices and onions because that is skulduggery.
