Erika Gruber

Sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, sourdough, vinegar, chutney

I wash with horse chestnuts or ivy. I harvest chestnuts in the fall and peel, chop, and dry them.
To wash, pour 3 teaspoons of granules into a little boiling water and add it (slightly cooled) to the washing machine.
To wash with ivy, put 10 leaves in an old sock and throw it into the washing machine drum. Horse chestnuts and ivy contain saponins.

I use my "cooking box" very often. My cooking box is my oven, in which I place the pot, wrapped in blankets. Here's an example

It's spring in Central Europe. The time for the first harvests is beginning. This week I collected dandelion blossoms and made jelly for breakfast bread and syrup to dilute with water (instead of using expensive juice). I also picked daisies as medicinal plants. The blossoms are currently drying in the winter garden. Wild garlic is also in season. I made a pesto from them and froze a year's supply.

These are all plants that grow wild here. I just need to collect them and process them.

Next week I'll pick and dry ground elder. It tastes like parsley and goes into my herbal salt.
We've been having nettles on our plates more often these days. They're very healthy and inexpensive. I use them in herbal salt and as a spinach substitute.

Nancy Reading wrote that she had lamb shank. Did you use the bones to make a hearty soup?
I boil every bone. Only then do they go in the trash.

This ancient herbal knowledge is also available online—at least in German-speaking countries.
Here's an example.

Daisy - Medicinal Plant of the Year 2023

I also use medicinal plants and have a shelf for them in the basement.

How do you use the dried rhubarb?

Yes, Amaranth

Collected fruits, berries, herbs, leaves, roots and mushrooms are part of my basic supply. I use them all year round.
They not only provide calories, but also vitamins, minerals and taste

I am surprised that no one writes anything about a pantry or a pantry. Also nobody seems to preserve the fruits of summer for the winter anymore (canning).

Hello Kate Downham,

I also regularly make yoghurt myself. I use cow's milk, but the principle is the same.
I keep the milk warm in a thermal container. If you are interested, you can have a look at my blog. At the bottom left of the page is the button to translate from German to English/Spanish.