Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Technique Needs Work

My homemade moisturizing and cleansing creams feel good on my skin. Because they have no chemical preservatives or stabilizers in them, the creams have a very loose texture during our summer heat. They become firm under refrigeration, and the texture alters a bit from that as well. Whatever the textures are does not affect how well the creams perform. I intend to try using grapefruit seed extract in my next batch, as it is supposed to have some natural preservative properties.

When I apply the jojoba-based moisturizing cream to my face (I am also using it on my hands, arms, legs and feet.), it feels very concentrated, and I have to tissue off the extra. Otherwise I would walk around with a very shiney face and need to be particularly careful not to walk through an insect hatch. I may make some moisturizing cream with grapeseed oil rather than jojoba oil as the base, because it is supposed to be less oily.

On the nutrition end of things, today I am making what is supposed to be a wholesome and nutritious snack - - Holiday Nuts. The recipe, from the Nourishing Traditions book, is called Holiday Pecans, but I am substituting a mixture of walnuts, almonds and cashews for the pecans. I had already soaked the almonds, cashews and walnuts in sea salt water overnight; then dried them in my food drier for another night. These are called Crispy Nuts.

To make the Holiday Nuts, I beat three egg whites and a pinch of sea salt until the whites were stiff. Then I gradually poured in one-half cup Vermont Maple Syrup and one tablespoon vanilla. I hope I don't regret it, but I also added an extra one-half teaspoon sea salt to the mixture. I ended up with what seemed like an enormous amount of whipped egg whites, syrup and vanilla (was this caused by the added salt?). I stirred in an extra cupful of Crispy Nuts, because there was so much of the creamy fluff.

I covered the screens of my food drier trays with foil and buttered them. Then I spread the creamy, globby egg/nut mixture onto the trays. They are to remain in the food drier for several hours, until the egg whites, which are now beige, are dry. I have never seen anything that looks like this before, and I hope it turns out well.

My overall opinion of the projects I have described today is that I need to work on my technique to develop a better batch of cream and a better batch of Holiday Nuts. We learn by doing, as the old adage says. Happy Day!

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