Jackie recently lost a loved one to COVID-19, so we won’t be putting out a newsletter this week.
In the meantime, we want to try something new. Sunshine + Microbes has grown into a wonderful, niche community of almost 700 subscribers. Now — more than ever — Jackie and I would like to hear from you.
Most of us have been inside for two months now 😱 What have been your favorite quarantine meals? Do you have a go-to comfort food or must-try recipe? Don't be shy. Trust us, you're doing better than Robert “Batman” Pattinson. Click the button below and share what you’ve been cooking with our Sunshine + Microbes community 🍳
Please keep wearing your masks and social distancing — not just for you, but for everyone around you. Thank you for your support!
I'm so sorry for Jackie's loss. My quarantine has been spent baking and eating lots of bread, esp. sourdough (along with the rest of the country). I've also made cultured butter and buttermilk (which I then used in Jackie's chocolate buttermilk cake). And I made some fermented mustard using Jackie's recipe. My favorite quarantine dish, though, has to be pancakes made with sourdough discard.
I've been trying to recreate my mother's Indian cooking. The amount of time required for Indian dishes can vary widely so I decided to start with a recipe for red beans (rajma), which is on the shorter side. The recipe requires vegetable oil, onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red beans and an array of spices. Overall the recipe is quite simple but I nearly burned my dish at a few points because of how quickly certain ingredients cooked. For example, cooking with medium-high heat worked well to brown onion in a couple of minutes. However, that same setting cooked the garlic in what seemed like a matter of seconds.....my limited cooking experience is pretty obvious, huh? Haha, well despite a few moments of panic, the rajma turned out well! If anyone would like a detailed recipe, please let me know!
I've been pampering myself with some experimental versions of the rice+veggie+etc Glory Bowl Jackie made famous at Ground Floor Farm; my favorite spin lately is to add some sea flavors by cooking the rice with a plank of kombu a la sushi rice, then quick pickling thin slices of the kombu and adding it to the finished bowl along with a generous shake of furikake. But when I'm too beat to cook, I have been scarfing down probably too many of the veggie Bahamian patties made by our local farmer's market icon, Norma "The Pattie Lady" Larsen, with a squirt of homemade lacto hot sauce from red-ripe jalapenos from my farm... bliss.
Sending encouragement to Jackie. I have been enjoying chia seeds in my smoothie bowls and cereal (oat milk and coconut milk are personal favorites). Cucumbers are perfect to cool off on hot days. I've also been consuming globs of local honey and protein shakes.
I just joined this mailing list on the recommendation of a friend! Excited to try some new ferments! For me in quarantine it's all about the sauces/toppings: chipotle sauce, mustard oil, zhoug and preserved lemons - to top all the bready things :)
Not ferment related but I was inspired by Melissa Clark's super simple method for cooking greens (recently features in the NYT) which is just basically braising with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. I've been making this often with any greens I can find. I'm also making a lot of beans. Luckily I had been gifted a box full of Rancho Gordo beans for christmas and I'm enjoying trying all the different types. Beans and greens is a satisfying meal!
Fermenting all day everyday! Injera with teff flour, two types of dosa (one with red rice and red lentil, one with white rice and red lentil), miso napa cabbage ferment, fermented strawberries, blueberries, 3 krauts, Swiss chard, w number of gluten free ‘sourdough’ starter alternatives. All good fun!
I'm so sorry for Jackie's loss. My quarantine has been spent baking and eating lots of bread, esp. sourdough (along with the rest of the country). I've also made cultured butter and buttermilk (which I then used in Jackie's chocolate buttermilk cake). And I made some fermented mustard using Jackie's recipe. My favorite quarantine dish, though, has to be pancakes made with sourdough discard.
ditto! my fave - popovers, discard? never.
I've been trying to recreate my mother's Indian cooking. The amount of time required for Indian dishes can vary widely so I decided to start with a recipe for red beans (rajma), which is on the shorter side. The recipe requires vegetable oil, onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red beans and an array of spices. Overall the recipe is quite simple but I nearly burned my dish at a few points because of how quickly certain ingredients cooked. For example, cooking with medium-high heat worked well to brown onion in a couple of minutes. However, that same setting cooked the garlic in what seemed like a matter of seconds.....my limited cooking experience is pretty obvious, huh? Haha, well despite a few moments of panic, the rajma turned out well! If anyone would like a detailed recipe, please let me know!
I've been pampering myself with some experimental versions of the rice+veggie+etc Glory Bowl Jackie made famous at Ground Floor Farm; my favorite spin lately is to add some sea flavors by cooking the rice with a plank of kombu a la sushi rice, then quick pickling thin slices of the kombu and adding it to the finished bowl along with a generous shake of furikake. But when I'm too beat to cook, I have been scarfing down probably too many of the veggie Bahamian patties made by our local farmer's market icon, Norma "The Pattie Lady" Larsen, with a squirt of homemade lacto hot sauce from red-ripe jalapenos from my farm... bliss.
Sending encouragement to Jackie. I have been enjoying chia seeds in my smoothie bowls and cereal (oat milk and coconut milk are personal favorites). Cucumbers are perfect to cool off on hot days. I've also been consuming globs of local honey and protein shakes.
I just joined this mailing list on the recommendation of a friend! Excited to try some new ferments! For me in quarantine it's all about the sauces/toppings: chipotle sauce, mustard oil, zhoug and preserved lemons - to top all the bready things :)
Not ferment related but I was inspired by Melissa Clark's super simple method for cooking greens (recently features in the NYT) which is just basically braising with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. I've been making this often with any greens I can find. I'm also making a lot of beans. Luckily I had been gifted a box full of Rancho Gordo beans for christmas and I'm enjoying trying all the different types. Beans and greens is a satisfying meal!
Fermenting all day everyday! Injera with teff flour, two types of dosa (one with red rice and red lentil, one with white rice and red lentil), miso napa cabbage ferment, fermented strawberries, blueberries, 3 krauts, Swiss chard, w number of gluten free ‘sourdough’ starter alternatives. All good fun!