homesteading holiday

In the spirit of saving money, combating consumerism on a personal level, and being "green" (we try not to buy a lot of plastic or throw-away items), we made several edible items to give as gifts for the holidays this year.

I made my annual batch of krupnik - a Polish vodka drink that is perfect for cold weather.  My family and friends just LOVE it - you can heat it up to sip, or take shots of it like the Polish do.  Na Zdrowie!
I use an old recipe that includes distilled water and honey, boiled and steeped with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla and oranges.  I also add a touch of ginger.  Then it's bottled (I use paper paint strainers like these to filter out the nutmeg, orange pulp and vanilla specks) and sits for two weeks.  This year I've collected dozens of "airport sized" bottles (like in the wonderful $5 Absolut mini bar that's out right now), and even made my own labels.  It's a good idea to give krupnik in small quantities, it really packs a punch!

My husband perfected his own hot sauce this year: made with cayenne, garlic, vinegar, salt and sugar.  It is extremely hot - and works great as a marinade for chicken wings or ribs.

Then I made a couple jars of a spicy jalapeno relish.  I finely chopped the jalapenos with bell peppers and onions, and made an oil and vinegar base with garlic, salt, sugar and white pepper.  It would be perfect on dogs or burgers, or to spice up falafel or tofu!

I made pickles too - garlic/dill cucumbers and baby corns.  They turned out great - crunchy and light with a fresh dill flavor.  I also added a couple chives and black peppercorns to each jar, which gave them a little complexity.

And lastly, we made my mom's mustard - another holiday family tradition.  It's extremely creamy and while tangy and spicy, also has a sweetness that makes it perfect for ham or turkey.  The recipe calls for tarragon vinegar, but we had trouble tracking any down (even in Reading Terminal Market - the bastion of food!) so I made my own by putting a handful of fresh tarragon in a jar with apple cider vinegar.

And although the mustard-making process made our house smell pretty terrible, the mustard itself tastes fantastic!

I had so much fun making food this year, and it gave me lots of weekend projects to experiment with.  I can't wait to give all of this fun stuff as presents to friends and family - I hope they like it as much as I liked making it!