Doesn't Take Much To Do It Yourself In The Kitchen
20.05.12
To cultivate a hive on the fire escape outside my bedroom window. Would the neighbors really mind?
Though I quickly — and wisely — nixed the budding beekeeper idea, there was no stopping me in my other endeavors. Jams, jellies, sauces — no problem that I didn't have a lot of room or a garden. I availed myself of seasonal (and cheap-ish) produce at the market, cleared the schedule and persevered. I quick-pickled pearl onions because they're cute and also because I love them. Along with a wedge of sharp cheddar and good bread, there's nothing finer. I sterilized way too many jars for a vat of blackberry-huckleberry jam, the literal fruits of hours of labor picking in the wilds of Northern California, and which I still haven't tired of. And that ricotta cheese — I will probably never buy it again. From-scratch has a delicacy and sweetness the store-bought stuff just can't match.
When you start thinking about, not to mention getting into the spirit of, DIY, there's really no end to what you can accomplish: homemade gnocchi, handmade vegetable potstickers, granola bars, hot sauce, fruit preserves, chocolate syrup, candy, butter, nut butters, beer, English muffins, even cured meats if you're into that sort of thing. If you have interest and scope of the imagination enough, the DIY world is your virtual oyster.
Source: North Country Public Radio