# Stocking up (and Sprouting 101)



## blissful (Nov 13, 2022)

We do stock up on produce at the grocery stores during gardening season and especially during fall/winter. Then we keep them as is, or can/freeze/or dehydrate.
Pineapples were running $1/each large last week or the week before at Meijers, these are good canned or dehydrated.
Potatoes (russets) are $0.99/5lb bag at Kwik Trip in WI MN. (canned or dehydrated)
Sweet potatoes are on sale for $0.39/lb at kwik trip.
Onions just went on sale for $0.99/3 lb bag at kwik trip. (Use all winter, use in canned soups or canned on their own, dehydrated, or frozen.)
Aldi's pushed back prices for Thanksgiving to 2021 prices, check them out.
Aldi's carried avocados $1/for 3, medium size. (freeze once ripe)
Cranberries 12 oz bags 99 cents each at aldis. (canned, dehydrated, freeze) Usually any cranberries left in stock get cleared out in January for less, if you find them.

While you may not have a kwik trip or aldis near you, you might find these kinds of prices at your local grocery stores. Many of the grocery stores are owned by large corporations so do carry similar sales if they get produce in large amounts.

Citrus will be coming into season soon, hopefully we'll see good prices up here in WI.


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## larry_stewart (Nov 13, 2022)

Those are some good prices.
Last week iceberg lettuce was $3 a head , this week $4.  I refused to buy it. Not that the 1 $ is going to break me, but I just find it offensive.


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## blissful (Nov 13, 2022)

larry_stewart said:


> Those are some good prices.
> Last week iceberg lettuce was $3 a head , this week $4.  I refused to buy it. Not that the 1 $ is going to break me, but I just find it offensive.


Lettuce and 3 romaine hearts prices are offensive as well. Some of the grain products I buy have doubled. It is sickening. Inflation, yes, but I think the market is also trying to see how high of prices it can bear. So if overpriced stuff sits on the shelves and rots, then let it rot.


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## larry_stewart (Nov 13, 2022)

Its one thing if it was the most perfect lettuce Ive ever seen, but Ive seen grapefruit larger than these lettuce, and even the quality was poor.  Of all the veggies  I buy week to week, the lettuce topped the list of worst deal.  Because of the garden, its been months since ive bought tomatoes, cukes, chard, potatoes, onions , garlic and string beans, so I really am out of the loop of what they cost.


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## blissful (Nov 18, 2022)

People are not buying all the produce at the increased prices. Then the store we go to bags up things just before they start to rot, sells them at $0.99/bag. We bought two bags, each had a salad kid ($3.50 each) some cauliflower and carrots 12 oz each, then a lot of apples to fill the bags. Today we bought 4 of the 99 cent bags, one with 4 packages of sprouts, two with 4 packages of sliced crimini mushrooms, and one with 2 egg plants and a handful of grapes. I'm cooking down the mushrooms right now. It wasn't on our list, but at those prices, we'll take them!  I've never seen this store with so many 99 cent bags of produce before. Usually they'll put a few bags out tuesday mornings but this is ongoing, that would otherwise be food waste.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 18, 2022)

I look for similar savings but don’t bother to stock up because I’m only cooking for one.

It seems like every week I find a deal on marked down meat, produce or bakery items that help me to keep costs down but truth be told, I usually squander those savings on some little treat or luxury.

It’s all about champagne living on a beer budget!


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## blissful (Nov 18, 2022)

@Aunt Bea yes it is! Oh I can see these cooked mushrooms in our thanksgiving gravy and stuffing! We decided to cook up diced eggplant to have with noodles this afternoon. We ate the grapes. Now to figure out what to do about the sprouts. I might add them to a soup.


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## blissful (Nov 21, 2022)

Necessity is the mother of invention. The large amount of sprouts hold up surprisingly well to being microwaved with rice. A heavily packed cup of them with a cup of veggie rice, microwaves down to about 1.5 cups and reminds me of an eggroll filling. The sprouts are softened but still crunchy, really good. I'd rather have sprouts than cabbage if I had the choice.

Today 5 of the 99 cent bags: 24 oz blackberries, 14 lbs of all kinds of tomatoes, 3.8 lbs yellow and orange peppers, 6 avocados. Our menu has changed quickly to tomato sandwiches, tomato salads w/guacamole. Blackberry sauce for our blueberry pancakes this morning. I'll be dicing peppers to freeze and making fresh tomato sauce!


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2022)

blissful said:


> Necessity is the mother of invention. The large amount of sprouts hold up surprisingly well to being microwaved with rice. A heavily packed cup of them with a cup of veggie rice, microwaves down to about 1.5 cups and reminds me of an eggroll filling. The sprouts are softened but still crunchy, really good. I'd rather have sprouts than cabbage if I had the choice.
> 
> Today 5 of the 99 cent bags: 24 oz blackberries, 14 lbs of all kinds of tomatoes, 3.8 lbs yellow and orange peppers, 6 avocados. Our menu has changed quickly to tomato sandwiches, tomato salads w/guacamole. Blackberry sauce for our blueberry pancakes this morning. I'll be dicing peppers to freeze and making fresh tomato sauce!


Sounds good.

What kind of sprouts is that? Mung bean, alfalfa, something else?


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## blissful (Nov 21, 2022)

@taxlady, the brand is River Valley Sprouts. I usually sprout my own so this was fun to try a store type. They pack A LOT of sprouts in the little square cubes. It says 5 ounces each-it's a LOT. Two kinds 'Tangy' clover and radish sprouts. And "Garlic" alfalfa onion and garlic sprouts. I know radish sprouts are a little 'hot' or tangy, but these really seemed like mostly clover sprouts. The sell by date: 11/21, today, but they are still looking very good.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2022)

blissful said:


> @taxlady, the brand is River Valley Sprouts. I usually sprout my own so this was fun to try a store type. They pack A LOT of sprouts in the little square cubes. It says 5 ounces each-it's a LOT. Two kinds 'Tangy' clover and radish sprouts. And "Garlic" alfalfa onion and garlic sprouts. I know radish sprouts are a little 'hot' or tangy, but these really seemed like mostly clover sprouts. The sell by date: 11/21, today, but they are still looking very good.


Thanks for the info. I was afraid it was mung bean sprouts and I don't like having to break the roots off of those. I used to grow my own sprouts, but some days I just don't have the energy to pay attention to them and give them a rinse. It's good to know there is something else that can be done with them when they are nearing the end of their life. I sometimes get "micro greens" from the place I get my produce baskets. Most of the micro greens are no bigger than sprouts, but they are only reasonably priced on special and if I use them up.


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## blissful (Nov 21, 2022)

If you don't like the rinsing routine of sprouting, you could try this. Take a 20x10 inch flat ($1) with soil ($1) in it, wet it down, sprinkle it with seeds and set it in front of a window. Cover with newspapers for a few days to conserve moisture, then uncover when the sprouts start pushing up the newspaper. Let it grow and cut off bunches as you need them, rinse and eat. After they are gone, mix up the soil, and start over.


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## larry_stewart (Nov 21, 2022)

I haven't grown sprouts in awhile, I've tried a few different methods, never the one you show. above , Bliss. Think Ill try it out this year.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2022)

blissful said:


> If you don't like the rinsing routine of sprouting, you could try this. Take a 20x10 inch flat ($1) with soil ($1) in it, wet it down, sprinkle it with seeds and set it in front of a window. Cover with newspapers for a few days to conserve moisture, then uncover when the sprouts start pushing up the newspaper. Let it grow and cut off bunches as you need them, rinse and eat. After they are gone, mix up the soil, and start over.


I'm planning on that. It's how Lufa Farms, the produce basket place sells them. Well, except they use a small coconut mat instead of soil. They may put a bit of some sort of potting mix on it. Now, I just need to get the seeds. If you grow them indoors, do you really think they need to be rinsed before eating?


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## larry_stewart (Nov 21, 2022)

The only way  I'd rinse them is. if some of the soil came up. with them. when harvesting,but if clipping with. scissors, that shouldn't. be an issue.

Years ago. I sent. away for a. sprout growing kit.  It used. some kind of. synthetic fabric-like mat to growth them on.  It worked well, but when that mat got wet, it smelled like wet laundry that has been sitting around for a. few days (like socks or feet).  I dont use those mats anymore.


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## blissful (Nov 21, 2022)

I don't know if you NEED to rinse them, but I rinse them and it's easy to accidentally pull up roots and dirt.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2022)

blissful said:


> I don't know if you NEED to rinse them, but I rinse them and it's easy to accidentally pull up roots and dirt.


I agree that's it's easy to accidentally pull up dirt. Even with those mats, when there is a bit of potting mix on them, you sometimes get dirt, especially when the sprouts are in a tray of some sort. I have learned to pull out the mat before cutting them. Much easier to avoid pulling up roots with dirt that way. That's also why I want to use those coconut mats.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2022)

Oh, another question about growing sprouts: where are good places to buy the seeds?


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## GinnyPNW (Nov 22, 2022)

taxlady said:


> Oh, another question about growing sprouts: where are good places to buy the seeds?


I like  True Leaf Market Seed Co for lots of seeds, especially for Sprouts and Microgreens.

I grow mine as hydroponic gardens:


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## blissful (Nov 22, 2022)

I buy my sprouting seeds on Amazon. They last a very long time. I use about 3 T each time I start them in a quart jar. I need to stock up on broccoli sprouts.


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## taxlady (Nov 22, 2022)

GinnyPNW said:


> I like  True Leaf Market Seed Co for lots of seeds, especially for Sprouts and Microgreens.
> 
> I grow mine as hydroponic gardens:


Do you use the same seeds for microgreens as for full sized plants?


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## GinnyPNW (Nov 22, 2022)

taxlady said:


> Do you use the same seeds for microgreens as for full sized plants?


I do not, but then, I'm not growing full size plants of things I use for microgreens.  I'm betting they are "bred" for the specific use.  In other words, they might not do as well as those meant for full size plants?  But, that said, I'm just guessing!!!


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## taxlady (Nov 22, 2022)

GinnyPNW said:


> I do not, but then, I'm not growing full size plants of things I use for microgreens.  I'm betting they are "bred" for the specific use.  In other words, they might not do as well as those meant for full size plants?  But, that said, I'm just guessing!!!


So, are you buying seeds that are meant to be used for growing micro-greens? There really isn't much I want to grow as full sized plants.


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## GinnyPNW (Nov 22, 2022)

Yes, Ma'am!  That's what I do with the microgreens and sprouts seeds.  If you check the link for True Leaf, you'll see that they have links for "Microgreens" and "Sprouts" and even kits!  DH did grow Wheatgrass from one of their kits, but he found it stinky (thankfully, he grew it upstairs, where I rarely go), and a lot of trouble, to make a bit of Wheatgrass Juice.  So that was that.

I do grow other things, as full-sized plants, also in my hydroponic gardens.  I like to grow herbs for cooking...and lettuce for salads and sandwiches.  I've grown peppers and tomatoes.  But my favorite things to grow are flowers and ornamental plants for my kitchen.  I enjoy watching them grow and I enjoy the added light in the dreary months!!!


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## taxlady (Nov 22, 2022)

GinnyPNW said:


> Yes, Ma'am!  That's what I do with the microgreens and sprouts seeds.  If you check the link for True Leaf, you'll see that they have links for "Microgreens" and "Sprouts" and even kits!  DH did grow Wheatgrass from one of their kits, but he found it stinky (thankfully, he grew it upstairs, where I rarely go), and a lot of trouble, to make a bit of Wheatgrass Juice.  So that was that.
> 
> I do grow other things, as full-sized plants, also in my hydroponic gardens.  I like to grow herbs for cooking...and lettuce for salads and sandwiches.  I've grown peppers and tomatoes.  But my favorite things to grow are flowers and ornamental plants for my kitchen.  I enjoy watching them grow and I enjoy the added light in the dreary months!!!


Did you put a link for True Leaf? I can't find it. I didn't look before, because I usually try to avoid the hassle of cross border shopping.


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## Kathleen (Nov 22, 2022)

How do you grow them in the mason jars or jars in general?  I've seen where you can purchase special lids for starting microgreens but seem unsure how to use them.


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## blissful (Nov 22, 2022)

The jar lids, I like the plastic ones, you could put screening or cheesecloth over the top, with a rubber band instead. In a quart jar, just put 3 T seeds, soak in fresh water overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse. Then rinse 2-3 times a day until they get as big as you want. If you want mostly pale sprouts, keep them shielded from sunlight. If you want them green, let them be near a window in the sun. This is mung beans. They still need a couple more days. Then they can go in the fridge.


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## GinnyPNW (Nov 22, 2022)

taxlady said:


> Did you put a link for True Leaf? I can't find it. I didn't look before, because I usually try to avoid the hassle of cross border shopping.


You know, I tried to and thought I did...but it didn't work?  Sigh.  Try this: *TRUE LEAF LINK - I HOPE*  - let's see if it worked this time?


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## larry_stewart (Nov 22, 2022)

I actually bought those screen tops.  I think I actually bought it as a sprouting kit.  They recommended after rinsing, store the bottle upside down until the next watering ( it actually came with a rack to allow it to be placed upside down).  The main issue I had was the smaller sprouts would latch on to the screen as they grew.  It did work though.  (Bliss, yours look a lot more successful than my jar sprouting).


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## blissful (Nov 22, 2022)

This is now officially the sprouting thread while stocking up, lol.
Okay then there is one more method of sprouting. When I sprout 4-8 cups of white wheat, red wheat, or rye, I soak them in a bucket for 24 hours. Then drain and rinse. Then twice  a day I add water, swish them around, drain. 3-4 days and they have little sprouts on them. Then I grind them up in a food processor into a meal the texture of oatmeal and use 2 cups in whole wheat bread and I freeze the rest of the meal for future baking. 
1.  sprout in a jar
2. sprout in a tray w/soil or substance
3. sprout in a pail
4. sprout under indoor lights
5. sprout in a hydroponic system
(anything else?)


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## taxlady (Nov 22, 2022)

GinnyPNW said:


> You know, I tried to and thought I did...but it didn't work?  Sigh.  Try this: *TRUE LEAF LINK - I HOPE*  - let's see if it worked this time?


Yup, that link worked. (BTW, if you want to see if a link works, copy and paste it to a private browsing window or to a window in incognito mode.) That was interesting. I see they do ship to Canada, but there are customs and duties (and brokerage fees) and I just don't want to deal with that. But, now I have a better idea of what to look for, here in Canada.


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## taxlady (Nov 22, 2022)

larry_stewart said:


> I actually bought those screen tops.  I think I actually bought it as a sprouting kit.  They recommended after rinsing, store the bottle upside down until the next watering ( it actually came with a rack to allow it to be placed upside down).  The main issue I had was the smaller sprouts would latch on to the screen as they grew.  It did work though.  (Bliss, yours look a lot more successful than my jar sprouting).


I just used to use pantyhose as a screen.


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## larry_stewart (Nov 23, 2022)

taxlady said:


> I just used to use pantyhose as a screen.


Next time I get a run in one of my pairs of panty hose, I'll be sure to repurpose them 

As far as stocking up,  Being holiday time, they are. selling a lot of stuff in bulk (Including string beans).  I'm sure they're no bargain, but the quality looks good, so Im taking the opportunity to buy them in bulk and can them.

When I lived in Philly, we'd hit the Italian market where a lot of produce was sold inexpensively in bulk.  Then another place opened there called Produce Junction.  Very inexpensive , but decent quality produce.  At that time in my life I was doing more studying than anything else. We would always make a produce run every weekend.  We would literally come back with a couple of boxes full of produce for like $15.   I wasn't into preserving, canning dehydrating back then, but I'd make a lot of soups from the produce and freeze them.  Produce shopping & cooking were therapeutic for me at that time ( and still is).

I


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## blissful (Nov 23, 2022)

@larry_stewart the next time you get a run in your pantyhose. 

Our next two 99 cent bags: 2 zucchini, 5 slicer tomatoes, 5 green and yellow peppers, 2 small heads of iceburg lettuce, 3 6-oz containers of blackberries, a lime, and a small package of basil. Woo hoo! That will keep us in fresh produce until next week.


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## GinnyPNW (Nov 23, 2022)

blissful said:


> <<Our next two 99 cent bags: 2 zucchini, 5 slicer tomatoes, 5 green and yellow peppers, 2 small heads of iceburg lettuce, 3 6-oz containers of blackberries, a lime, and a small package of basil.>>


Score, Blissful!  I would grab that bag anytime!


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## blissful (Nov 29, 2022)

Yesterday's 99 cent produce bags.

Bag 1: 10 lbs of bananas. We still have a few pints of nice-cream, so we'll dehydrate these bananas. It will just take a little while to cut them all up onto trays and then to ignore them in the dehydrator.

Bags 2 and 3: 
4 small zucchini
4 plastic boxes of different types of basil (I'll make some pesto of garlic/basil/walnut butter)
a plastic box of thyme, rosemary, and sage
a small head of iceberg lettuce
a small bag of 3 hearts of romaine lettuce
a package of veggies called 'stir fry mix' from fresh veggies with a ginger/garlic sauce included
a large carrot
And 3 unknown items, I'll have to look them up to figure out what they are. They look like potatoes but they are more squat with a stem. Maybe a root item or a fruit item. I'll get back to this soon. Probably a Jicama.
(recipe for baked fries with them, is to microwave them first to soften them, then just toss with herbs/spices and bake like potato fries.)


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## blissful (Nov 29, 2022)

Today's 99 cent produce bags.
Bag 1: long cucumbers (we'll be eating a lot of cucumber salads)
Bag 2: thyme, lots of it (dehydrate and powder)
Bag 3: cranberries 6x12 oz (rinsed and cooking now)
Bag 4: limes, about 4 lbs of them (dehydrate)
Bag 5: small multicolored peppers (not hot ones) ~4 lbs (chopping and freezing)
Bag 6: apples, 4 lbs (eat and cook)
Bag 7: nopal cactus, large spiny pads, about 2.5 lbs (clean, sliced, precook and drain-stir fries, salads, stews)


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## blissful (Dec 2, 2022)

Crazy produce bags for Friday, 99 cents each.
Six of them.
2.5 lbs of broccoli (raw for salads, cooked for greens)
10 lbs of apples (pink lady) (we'll be making a crustless pumpkin pie into a 9x13 dish, topping with sliced apples and cinnamon, lots of them.)
2 heads of cauliflower (trimmed cut rinsed with vinegar water for making cauliflower wings tomorrow or the next day)
3 12-oz packages of precut mixed greens for salads
1 lb fresh organic dark spinach leaves (for salads)
4 lbs of tomatoes(washed removed any bad ones, took out 6 that need to be added to soup or chili later, the rest for salads and sandwiches)

We're letting the produce bags decide what to cook or eat. We're thankful for it.


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## blissful (Dec 6, 2022)

Yesterday 1 99 cent bag, of 5 eggplants.

Here is juggling sprouts, starting them every 5 days or so. Two split from 1 jar, to make space for them. These will go in the fridge to be used in 5 days or less, while the next jar is sprouting. 





https://aegeandelight.com/growing-broccoli-sprouts/ Sprouts have some nutrients that are much highers than the actual vegetable. I like broccoli sprouts for this reason.


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## larry_stewart (Dec 6, 2022)

Great produced deals, and a nice variety to play with.  Sprouts look great too. I should really start doing sprouts again.


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## pepperhead212 (Dec 6, 2022)

I have to plan in advance, but I like sprouting a lot of things - legumes, for soups and the like, and a some grains, to put in breads.  There is a recipe for sprouted wheat bread that has a unique flavor, unlike any other I've made, from just a quarter cup of wheat, sprouted, and added to a basic WW bread.


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## larry_stewart (Dec 6, 2022)

Im taking vegan cooking class where they use the liquid from fermented sprouted wheat as an ingredient. I used to sprout lentils to snack on. The kids loved them.  Ill do other things for salads and sandwiches. Perfect winter gardening thing to do.


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## blissful (Dec 6, 2022)

larry_stewart said:


> Im taking vegan cooking class where they use the liquid from fermented sprouted wheat as an ingredient. I used to sprout lentils to snack on. The kids loved them.  Ill do other things for salads and sandwiches. Perfect winter gardening thing to do.


Are you fermenting vegan cheese? I was just reading up on fermenting the vegan cheeses using the liquids of sprouting. I haven't done any of that, at all. My vegan-ish friends keep telling me, 'you must try it'!


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## larry_stewart (Dec 6, 2022)

blissful said:


> Are you fermenting vegan cheese? I was just reading up on fermenting the vegan cheeses using the liquids of sprouting. I haven't done any of that, at all. My vegan-ish friends keep telling me, 'you must try it'!


I've done it in the past. Thats where I learned about " Rejuvelac ( the fermented liquid from the sprouts).  It kinda has that fermented, cheese- like smell to it. Its the type of thing that if you found it in your fridge,  you're probably think it was something that spilled and had to be thrown out. Some of the cheeses I've made were successful, others not so.  The firmer the cheese I try to make, the less successful I am.  Cheese sauces are easy, spreadable cheese not so bad.  As of now,  Its impossible to get the ' stretch' that you have in real cheese, and no matter how much they tell you its melts like real cheese, trust me, it doesn't. It is fun to experiment with.  

In the beginning of the quarantine, my wife and I took and online/zoom cheese tasting class.  They sent 6 different cheeses, and then she went over each one ,where and how it was made ...  The Brie was very good, so was the smoked cheese.   

Along with the guy I take the classes with ,  I also purchased the book " Artisan vegan Cheese". by Miyoko Schinner.  She has a line of Vegan cheese in stores, and also is well known in the Vegan Cheese making business.



The store that had the online. tasting class was Riverdel Vegan Cheese In NYC ( Essex Market).  I've ordered from them a few times ( after we took the class).  Very expensive.









						Riverdel | Riverdel, The Original Vegan Cheese Monger
					

Vegan, Plantbased, Dairy free #eatmorevegancheese  #vegancheese #nodairynoproblem




					www.riverdelcheese.com


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## blissful (Dec 12, 2022)

We picked up 3 of the 99-cent produce bags today, Each one had a package of 3 heads of romaine and 1 cauliflower. Not much variety. We'll make salads and probably some cauliflower wings from that cauliflower.


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## taxlady (Dec 12, 2022)

Chopped cauliflower is a nice addition to salads.


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## blissful (Dec 18, 2022)

4 tablespoons of seeds, soaked in water, and at 3 days, split into two jars.
Sprouts at 3.5 days.






Sprouts at 7 full days, ready to go in the fridge for the week.


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## blissful (Friday at 12:31 PM)

We're going through about 3 qts of sprouts/week, 2 qts of broccoli sprouts and 1 of mung bean sprouts.

The reduced produce is keeping us in salads still. I hope the grocery store prices start to be more normal. Right now it is high prices or reduced produce (which is really good prices).

In the reduced area-but in excellent condition, 11 and 1/2 lbs of mushrooms for $18. I'm canning them this morning.
Also-about 36 lbs of blackberries for $36, all in perfect condition, nothing wilty, slimy, molding. I've never seen a sale like this with blackberries before (in my life). We're canning blackberry puree or jam by tonight. After the mushrooms are canned, we'll spend most of the day cooking down the blackberries.


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## taxlady (Friday at 1:10 PM)

Wow bliss, that's a lot of canning you have to do in a hurry. At least it shouldn't make you uncomfortable to heat up the kitchen with the canners going, like it would in summer.


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## blissful (Friday at 2:03 PM)

@taxlady canning in winter here in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, is great. It warms up the whole house. What a bounty! Blackberries and mushrooms are two things we don't grow.

Yeah, I was thinking, I'm so glad I have 2 18-qt roasters, and a pressure canner, and a couple waterbath canners. There's no space around for storage...which I should fix, regarding the canning equipment. 

The mushrooms are in jars and pressure canning now, 45 minutes. The two roasters are full, really full of blackberries. Once they cook into liquid, we should be able to get them into one roaster, and just cook to evaporate excess moisture to make it thicker.

I might make some low sugar jam or puree with the blackberries but I also want some 'syrup' w/no sugar, for me to use. Blackberries and raspberries are especially good for healing sore throats and mouth sores, should we need that. I would add the syrup to water and sip on that all day.


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## taxlady (Friday at 3:46 PM)

The mention of blackberries got me wondering again. The only blackberries I have eaten were some that I picked wild. But, I eventually figured out that they probably weren't blackberries, but look like them. The plants, however, were not bushes or canes. They were tiny subshrubs that didn't get over a foot high. They completely covered an abandoned field or meadow. I went down an internet rabbit hole today trying to figure out what they actually were. They were probably Northern dewberries. Have you ever tasted dewberries? If so, how much do they taste like blackberries. I found the dewberries less tasty and less interesting tasting than raspberries.








						Rubus flagellaris - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## blissful (Friday at 4:32 PM)

I haven't tried dew berries. If you like them sweetened and they are free, then I'd capitalize on that.

There are dozens if not hundreds of kinds of berries, and the sweetest ones are the more well known cultivated ones.

Off the top of my head, currants are very sour but not sweet but delicious when sweetened. Amla is indian gooseberries, astringent.  Honey berries (we're growing these), watermelon berries, saskatoon berries, mulberries (wild), highbush cranberries (we use to grow)...there are so many kinds.


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## taxlady (Friday at 4:55 PM)

blissful said:


> I haven't tried dew berries. If you like them sweetened and they are free, then I'd capitalize on that.
> 
> There are dozens if not hundreds of kinds of berries, and the sweetest ones are the more well known cultivated ones.
> 
> Off the top of my head, currants are very sour but not sweet but delicious when sweetened. Amla is indian gooseberries, astringent.  Honey berries (we're growing these), watermelon berries, saskatoon berries, mulberries (wild), highbush cranberries (we use to grow)...there are so many kinds.


The dewberries were actually quite sweet. They were free for the labour, so we ate a lot of them. They were good, but not nearly as good as the raspberries or the wild strawberries. I was asking more out of curiosity, to get an idea of what blackberries are like. I haven't lived where I can find the dewberries growing wild in about 40 years. I have always avoided paying grocery store prices for blackberries because, I didn't think they were all that great. But, I now realize that I haven't tried blackberries.


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## blissful (Friday at 5:04 PM)

When cooked blackberries are bright red like raspberries, very pretty, they taste similar to raspberries. Raspberries are sweet and tangy. The blackberries I have here are not very sweet and not as tangy as raspberries. Similar but not exactly. They could be interchangeable in recipes.

We've put one roaster of cooked berries through the oxo food mill to remove the seeds. The other roaster isn't quite ready for that.


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## taxlady (Friday at 6:13 PM)

So, what I had was definitely not blackberries. They were very dark purple when cooked and didn't taste like raspberries. Blackberries sound better.


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## blissful (Saturday at 11:13 PM)

I finished canning late last night, 36 jars (8 oz and 12 oz) of blackberry puree/jam. What a long day, but, that will keep us in blackberries for a while!  I'm looking forward to blackberry jam on pancakes, toast, on cake and I tried a couple of tablespoons of it in a big cup of hot herbal tea, delicious.


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