Here’s a round-up of my adventures making stuff from scratch!
(just click on the blue words and it will take you to the post that gives detailed how-tos)
Vanilla extract — easy and yummy
Chevre cheese — tangy and delish
Yogurt — easy and no fancy yogurt maker required
Sour Cream — even easier than the yogurt
Cranberry, coconut and pecan granola — Jason’s favorite
Chocolate dessert cups — fun and elegant
Ricotta cheese — smooth and tasty
Hot chocolate on a stick — super fun
Fleur de Sel Caramel candies — sinfully good
Apple sauce — simple, healthy and good
Slow roasted tomatoes — the perfect snack; they’re like candy
What do you think I should try next?
Yard to Fork 
Great post! Have you tried making butter yet?? That’s something we tried and it was sooooo easy and turned out great!…although it does take some elbow grease.
I’d still like to make yogurt. One day… the problem is my hubby eats the most yogurt and really dislikes plain yogurt. He likes the flavor of processed “fruited” yogurt. If I bought plain yogurt and added fruit, he wouldn’t like it… so I’d have to find a way to make the plain stuff taste all fruity and fake so he likes it. LOL.
I’ve got it! I love Kosher dill pickles. I love even more what are called half-done Kosher dills. The brand from Trader Joe’s (same people that make Bubbie’s) isn’t available any more. So I’ve found an alternative at the local expensive market, called Buck’s Vineyard – Pookie’s Pickles. These are very fresh, very crisp pickles that are made locally. They are always in the refrigerator section of the store. They are also very expensive – a large 1 quart bottle costs $5.99. So as I’m thinking about this, I saying to myself, “what can be so tough about this.” So i purchased some regular pickling cucumbers, and cleaned and cut them into spears, and put them in the brining solution (which is redolent with garlic, dill and pickling spices). I’m not even going to heat the brining solution, just put the pickles in and see how much they absorb. The cost of the pickling cucumbers is about $1.25/lb at my local ethnic market (cheaper than my local boutique market, which doesn’t even carry pickling cucumbers).
So your challenge, if you chose to accept it, is to come up with a great recipe for Kosher Dill pickles. These are healthy to eat, and make use of items you could grow, and are likely cheaper and better than the store. Plus NO wheat.
I’m waiting with my knife and fork poised!
Best, pat
Your mom says you are really busy. So just plant some pickling cucumbers and then deal with pickling them when you have time.
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Ice cream is fun to make. Look for a kick the can version 🙂 We used to do it in Girl Scouts – if you don’t have kid, get your neighbors to kick some cans with ice and to-be-ice cream in them and give them some when it’s done.
Here’s a version I googled really quickly (but haven’t tried): http://crafts.kaboose.com/ice-cream-in-a-can-or-kick-the-can.html
I came over here from JD’s blog to find out more about your fundraising class–which I hope to get into my fall schedule. But meanwhile, I followed your yogurt making instructions. They were the easiest I’d ever seen and finally inspired me to just do it. And….. I made yogurt!!!!! and it’s good!! Thanks for that post.
Yay! So glad it worked out for you!