Comments farmersdaughter has made

The oven is set to such a low temperature that it doesn't even heat up the house.  There are traditional methods for sun drying tomatoes, but you need to live in a dry climate (I'm in the humid South) so I've never tested those recipes. 

other sugar substitutes

In the cake, I have before used sorghum molasses (in the millet family, I believe) with good results.  Both sorghum and agave are liquid sweeteners so you need to decrease the amount of liquid called for in the recipe by 1/3.  In the above recipe instead of 1 cup of coconut juice, use 2/3 cup.

But for agave, you need to make further adjustments because it is sweeter than sugar, thus you need less of it. The general rule for agave is to decrease the amount of sweetener called for by 1/4.  For example, in the above recipe you would substitute the 1 cup of Rapadura with 3/4 cups of agave.

The back of the bottle of agave nectar has sugar substitution recommendations as well.

I have not tried this cake with agave, but I am pretty sure the above substitutions would work.  

This frosting recipe, however, will not work if you use agave.  When you whip the chocolate mixture with the wooden spoon, you are pushing the sugar molecules into one another causing crystallization to occur. I do not think agave behaves this way (I've never seen it crystallize in its bottle).  

Last, I have not used stevia much, but I believe the sugar substitution guide on the box would work in the cake recipe.

If you try any of these, please let us know how it turns out.

Happy Baking!

AprilOn A decadent chocolate cake for your sweetie, minus the animal products posted 9 months, 2 weeks ago 11 Responses

Take the pressure off with a pressure cooker

Yes, using a pressure cooker is a great idea to save time and energy cooking beans.  Individual beans and pressure cookers give you different cooking times, but I always prefer to cook them slightly less time than the pressure cooker instructions call for. Then I let them finish cooking with the lid off so that some of the liquid has time to evaporate, making the flavor richer, and so that I am sure not to overcook them.

Obviously, perhaps, lentils cook in about twenty minutes and do not require the pressure cooker.     On Take the chill off the bad economy with a frugal, delicious vegetable soup posted 9 months, 3 weeks ago 14 Responses

Turkey recycling

Exactly!  My favorite part about Thanksgiving is Turkey bone gumbo made from the carcass.  The amount of meat that most people just throw away is astounding! On Take the chill off the bad economy with a frugal, delicious vegetable soup posted 10 months ago 14 Responses

freezing chestnut paste

In freezer safe containers or bags, you're frozen paste should keep for up to a year.  Alternatively, you could pressure can the paste, but I do not have a pressure canner and thus, have not looked in to this.  I would not advice water bath canning of this product, however, because it is a low acid food. Hope this helps,
April     On Long forgotten, chestnuts are coming back with a vengeance, and make a delicious holiday pudding posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago 5 Responses

rising problem, part 2

Another point I should mention is that you are not only relying on the yeast in this recipe.  You also have baking powder and soda as leaveners.  That said the dough should still rise, just not as much or as fast as say, baguette or pizza dough.   On Thanksgiving can reconnect families and revive traditions -- like sweet potato rolls posted 1 year ago 15 Responses

Reverent, Occasional Meat Eater

Just to be clear, I am no longer vegetarian.  I still have a vegetable-centered diet, but I do occasionally eat meat.  I think it is very important that when we are highlighting the abuses done to dairy cows and all animals in our industrial food system, that we point out that their are alternatives other than becoming a vegan. There is a significant increase in availability of farmstead cheeses, butter, and yogurt across the country from cows who are respected, well-treated, and graze on pasture. The same is true of pigs and chickens and turkeys.   I had a conversation with Don Bixby of The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy a few years ago.  He said that in order to save heritage breeds of livestock, they need a job.  If that job is feeding us, then we both benefit. I am a firm supporter of the "Eat it to Save it" Movement.  

I have bridged the gap in my family by offering to bring the turkey for our Thanksgiving celebration, which is a heritage breed that is allowed to eat bugs and grass and run around in plenty of space. I also located a country ham from a pastured heritage breed pig for our Christmas celebration, from an artisan ham curer. My family thinks these foods taste "the way food used to," and this leads to discussion on the failings of industrial agriculture.  

In my family, there is great reverence for the pig.  As sustenance farmers in harsh Appalachian winters, cured pork, kraut, dried beans, and dried corn made up the whole of the diet of my ancestors.  Pork was not only used for meat, but also as the primary source of fat, necessary for survival.

My husband and I both began to eat animal products again about 5 years ago when we became concerned  about our dependence on modern soy products and wanted to shift our diet dependence to locally grown and small-scale food production.  
           On Thanksgiving can reconnect families and revive traditions -- like sweet potato rolls posted 1 year ago 15 Responses

reply: Amish kraut board

Hi Andrea-

I use a wooden Amish kraut board to make quick work of slicing 50 pounds of sauerkraut.  I bought my kraut board from Lehmans.  However, I couldn't find it in the current catalog.  I'd suggest emailing them to ask when they might have them in stock again.  

AprilOn When farmers and activists get together, food culture ferments like delicious sauerkraut posted 1 year ago 5 Responses