Culture Crunch

Firstly, check out the sidebar…WE DID IT!

The last two days of the pledge time were crazy and just…totally amazing. I had hoped and hoped, but really was not at all sure it was going to come together…what a gift, what an astonishing gift. I can’t wait to dole out the rewards to my backers, but I also want to show my appreciation to those who sent my project well wishes instead of cash, who posted to their blogs and shared the link to my project (you know who you are)…starting in March and for the rest of year, watch this space for a monthly giveaway. I want you all to feel the love, oh yes I do. Project updates and giveaways will be posted/hosted here as well as Facebook, so check the sidebar for the shop page there and give it a “like.”

I did get caught up in the anticipation of the Kickstarter campaign and my best intentions for posting a recipe “tomorrow” fell away and turned into “next weekend.” Ahem. Better late than never, I say, so onward to get a little culture on:

I used to get a fabulous cultured granola from Three Stone Hearth in Berkeley, CA. Their granola had almonds (can’t have ’em) and was far too sweet for my taste, but I loved the idea of it and since we moved back to VT have been working on perfecting my own version. I think I finally hit it on this latest batch. Crunchy, lightly sweet, and simplified. Previous batches had too many seeds, nuts and dried fruit goings-on…it was noisy and I prefer now to make a “base” that I can add whatever extras I feel like adding on a particular morning. Sometimes, I just don’t feel like raisins.

I warn that this recipe is not exact. You’ll have to play with it a bit to discover what works for you, but here are the basics for whipping up your own Culture Crunch:

Three days before: Put one cup of unhulled sesame seeds in a quart-sized mason jar, fill with water and fit with a sprouting lid. Leave to soak overnight and then rinse and drain. Rinse/drain three or four times per day, and you should have tiny sprouts by the second or third day.

Two days before: Using a mixer, blend 1 – 1 1/2 quarts yogurt (I used homemade raw-milk yogurt) with 1 stick of softened butter, preferably cultured and salted butter. Add three quarts – 1 gallon rolled oats (I used organic thick-cut rolled oats). Set aside somewhere warm-ish and leave it alone for two days.

The big day: Mix your sprouted sesame seeds into the oat mixture. Add two cups or so shredded coconut. In a saucepan, melt at least 1/2 stick of butter, 3/4 cup or more (to taste) maple syrup and about 1 cup of nut butter (I used peanut butter this time, but cashew or almond butter are also awesome). Heat gently to melt and blend the butters and syrup. You could also use coconut oil and/or honey in this step.

Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture. Now, here’s where you can add extra seeds or spices. I’ve used sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger…this time around, all I added was a pinch of salt to keep it simple, but the possibilities are endless.

To preserve all the culture-y goodness, keep your oven below 200 degrees if you can. 150 degrees is ideal. Bake for several hours, testing every so often for crunch achievement. When the granola has cooled, you can add nuts and dried fruit, or leave it as is. I store this granola in a mason jar in the fridge and freeze the extra. It’s nutrient-dense and a little goes a long way. I love to heat it gently with a little raw milk.

 

YUM.

In other news, Gather Here opens for business TODAY! 10am – 7pm!

Penny. She’s there waiting for you.

And now to spend some time with my new best friend. And yes, that is a pie plate in the door.

Big snowflakes, hot tea and the spinning wheel round out the necessary ingredients for a perfect day.

Next time, some introductions:

Teasel and Tweed, btw, thank you for all your support!

xoxoxo

 

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