Natural Dyes by Soul Man Sweets May 2025
Food allergies can be a challenge. I get a lot of requests for organic desserts with natural food coloring. With a little creativity, you can have a beautiful dessert with vibrant colors without using the chemicals found in premade dyes.
Red dye is easy to make and tastes great. Dehydrate strawberries or use store bought freeze dried or dehydrated strawberries. Grind into a powder using a food processor, cleaned coffee bean grinder or mortar and pestle. Make a paste using 1 tsp powder to 1 tbl of water. To make pink, use less of the strawberry paste. Raspberries can also be used for pink; the seeds can change the consistency of the icing or batter.
Purple dye can be made from blueberries. Wash two cups of blueberries. Add to a small pan with 1/4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and mash the blueberries to release as much color as possible. Strain through cheese cloth or a strainer. Return to pan and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup. Cool.
To make yellow, boil 1/4 cup water with 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric. Boil and stir until it forms a toothpaste consistency. Let cool completely.
Green In a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon matcha powder to 2 tablespoons water, stirring to create a smooth paste.
Orange can be made by dehydrating carrots and grating into a powder. You can also buy organic carrot powder. Use 2 tsp of powder to each TBL of water.
You'll need to trust the process when making blue dye. Combine 1 cup of chopped red cabbage with 3/4 cup water in a small pan. Heat to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Remove cabbage and reduce liquid to 1/4 cup. Add a pinch of baking soda and stir. Cool and store in a small glass jar.
Brown can be made with cocoa powder or coffee. Red and green can also be combined to make brown.
The natural dyes can be added to batters to make colorful cakes and muffins. Dyes can also be added to royal icing or buttercream to decorate cakes and cookies. The food colorings can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for several days or frozen. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Sourdough Starter by Cameron Livesay, Soul Man Sweets April 2025
Sourdough starter seems overwhelming but it’s easy to create your own with a little patience and love. Think of your sourdough starter as a pet. It needs to be cleaned and fed. It wants to be taken out every once and a while and needs a little love and attention. The starter isn’t really a picky eater and is forgiving if you get busy. Just like a pet, it will get sick if it’s not taken care of. There are sourdough daycares where you can leave your starter while on vacation. Keep reading for some helpful sourdough starter tips and a recipe to get you started.
Sourdough has been used for thousands of years. Seamus Blackley, the creator of X-box, recreated a starter from 4,500-year-old yeast found in an Egyptian clay pot.* Boudin Bakery in San Francisco, claim to have starters that date back to the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. My starter, Audrey (think Little Shop of Horrors) is four years old.
INGREDIENTS • 6 cups (720 g) all-purpose flour • 3 cups (360 g) wheat flour • Water (room temperature, use distilled water if you have chlorinated tap water) INSTRUCTIONS Mix 6 cups of all-purpose flour with 3 cups of whole wheat flour and store it in an air-tight container. DAY 1: Add 1 cup of flour and ½ cup of water to a clean jar. Stir the mixture thoroughly and cover the jar with a lid or cheese cloth, with a rubber band. Place the container in a warm location for 24 hours. DAY 2: Stir. Cover and let it rest for another 24 hours. DAYS 3-7: Every 24 hours, discard all but ¼ cups of the starter and feed it with ½ cup fresh flour and ¼ cup water. Mix well. By day 7, the starter should start to bubble and double in size each day. In some climates, this may take up to 10 days. You are ready to name your starter and transfer it to a new glass jar that will be its forever home.
Now what? I keep Audrey in the fridge in a mason jar with a lid because we don’t bake bread every day. A fridge kept starter should be fed once a week. We set an alarm for a reminder. She has gone for two weeks while we’re away. To use, feed at room temperature to activate. If you bake daily, keep the starter on the counter and feed every day. It’s okay to switch between counter and refrigerator storage.
To feed starter, discard half and feed with equal parts flour and water.
Eww. What’s that brown stuff? That is called "hooch." If you see a dark brown liquid, your starter is asking to be fed. Pour off the liquid and feed.
My house is cold, what do I do? We set the starter and the dough when rising under the stove light. It provides enough heat to activate the process. Some people put in the microwave with the door open or in the oven (turned off) with the oven door ajar.
Can I freeze the starter? Yes. If you are going to be traveling or not planning on baking for a while, you can freeze the starter. Feed and wait for the bubbles. Put the starter into an ice cube tray. Freeze at least 24 hours and then transfer to a freezer bag. To use, thaw several squares in refrigerator overnight then bring to room temperature to feed.
What do you do with the discarded starter? Bake! A quick search will bring up hundreds of fun and easy recipes. Bagels, bread, donuts, pancakes and more.
* https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/oldest-sourdough-starter
Water Glassing Eggs
By Cameron Livesay - Soul Man Sweets September 2024
Raising chickens has become popular in the last few years. People raise chickens to save money on eggs or to live a healthier lifestyle or because they are fun to have around. Our chickens also help keep pests out of our garden and are helpful to keep pests like snails and moles away and help control the weed population. The eggs shells and chicken manure are rich in nutrients for composting too. Chickens on a healthy diet can lay 250-300 eggs per year. Unwashed eggs will last two weeks on the counter or three months in the refrigerator. You can gently wipe eggs with a moist paper towel to clean off any dirt. Washing eggs removes the protective bloom andthe eggs should be stored in the refrigerator and used within two weeks. What do you do with all the extra eggs? There are several ways to store eggs to use when production slows down in the winter. You can freeze eggs by cracking each egg into a clean ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer the frozen eggs into a freezer safe storage bag or vacuum seal to prevent freezer burn. Frozen eggs can be stored for up to a year in thefreezer. To use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or rinse under cool water. Another way to store eggs is by water glassing them. This is the best way to store the egg while still in the shell. We use large glass mason jars. If you have a lot of eggs, you can also use a food grade bucket. Use clean, unwashed eggs that have been laid in the last 48 hours. Place them with the smaller end pointing downward in the jar. Use 1oz of food grade lime (calcium hydroxide) for each quart of water. Distilled water is best. Lime can be found in the canning supply section of most stores. Using gloves, stir the lime into the water until dissolved. Pour over eggs until they are completely submerged. We use gloves because lime can irritate sensitive skin. Date the eggs and store in a cool, dry place that isaway from direct light. It is normal for the lime to settle to the bottom. Water glassed eggs can be stored for up to 18 months. To use the eggs; rinse in cool water and use as you would fresh eggs. Whether you have chickens or are considering getting them, we have you covered. Search Farmers’ Almanac for Raising Backyard Chickens for Beginners, Tips on how to build chicken coops, how to use them to improve your garden and more. Our chickens have added more to our lives than we ever expected. They are a part of our family and have brought a lot of fun to our day.