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The 2021 What-Jessie-Grew garden is coming to an end.  Eric and Jessie take a moment to review their townhome garden setup, what was grown, what yields they experienced, and offer some gardening tips that proved useful to them.  Link referred to in episode: https://whatericmade.com/journal/chickenguide

A pizza oven has been added to the WEM Kitchen arsenal, and we‘ve been very happy with the results.  Join us on our quest to make the perfect pizza at home.  In this episode, we take a deep dive into pizza dough and the variables we consider when chasing the perfect crust.  

When you live in the Northeast USA,  making sure you take advantage of as much of the growing season as possible is key to maximizing your garden's yield.  Jessie talks about the shoulder season (transitioning from winter to spring), how she prepared for it to get plants started as early as possible, and what the What-Jessie-Grew Garden yielded from these efforts.  Eric and Jessie also discuss some of the creative things they did with their harvest.  Show links:Baker Creek Seeds: https://www.rareseeds.com/Johnny's Selected Seeds: https://www.johnnyseeds.com/Podcast Episode 43- What is Vinegar, How do You Make it?: https://whatericmade.buzzsprout.com/327845/6500524-vinegar-101-what-is-it-how-do-you-make-itPodcast Episode 18- Vinaigrettes: https://whatericmade.buzzsprout.com/327845/2246108-vinaigrettes-building-blocks-and-alternative-uses

Whether you  have immediate plans to raise  your own animals for meat or just enjoy it as a consumer, becoming more connected to efforts and practices related to raising animals is important for all.  In this episode, we were fortunate enough to interview homesteaders Erik and Cami of "Our Backyard Eden" who talk about not only their logistical considerations when it came to raising pigs, but more importantly how the experience shaped their current beliefs about topics such as sustainable agriculture and animal welfare standards.  Links:Our Backyard Eden Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourbackyardeden/Justin Rhodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOSGEokQQcdAVFuL_Aq8dlgGeoff Lawton: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0UmwPolyface Farm: https://www.instagram.com/polyfacefarm/

Chef and food writer Kenji Lopez-Alt makes the argument in one of his YouTube videos for using a molcajete/tejolote (aka the mortar and pestle) to make the most of your guacamole.  We wanted to put this to the test to see if we could tell the difference between guacamole made with and without this kitchen tool.  

Don't fall for the fake promises and buzzwords that most grocery-store flour tortillas throw your way.  With simple ingredients, a memorable tortilla can be made at home.  In this episode, Eric and Jessie talk about how they executed a few different batches of flour tortillas to come up with a recipe that they approve of.  WEM Journal Flour Tortilla Recipe: https://whatericmade.com/journal/flourtortillas

What do you do when your mother-in-law drops off an unwanted melon? You experiment with several versions of pickling it and find out it's an awesome addition to your bibimbap rice bowl.  Eric and Jessie discuss the several versions of pickling they tried and review what they learned from pickling something they wouldn't have typically tried.  

We're all familiar with vinegar and there's a really good chance it's in your pantry right now.  But do you know how it's made and of all the possibilities that exist when it comes to making vinegar with different nuances and flavor profiles? Eric and Jessie describe their own vinegar-making journey in order to shed some more light on this everyday ingredient.  

The 2020 gardening season is coming to a close for us as the colder weather moves in.  Jessie and I take this opportunity to look back at everything that was grown in the what-Jessie-Grew garden.  We review what was planted, how we utilized the output in our dishes, and reflect on what will make another re-appearance in 2021.  For a written synopsis of this podcast episode and related, helpful links, check out the link to the WEM journal post below:WEM journal post: https://whatericmade.com/journal/2020garden

'Tis the season for apple cider donuts.  Eric and Jessie have been very busy over the past several weekends co-hosting cider donut pop-ups with local cafes and restaurants.  Ever wonder what it takes to successfully prepare and execute a one-time pop-up? Eric and Jessie reflect on every aspect of getting ready for a pop-up from finding local businesses to partner with, preparing ingredients, to setting up shop on pop-up day.  

Dashi (a family of Japanese stocks typically made with dried seaweed (komnbu) and dried fish flakes (katsuobushi)) has a reputation in the culinary world for facilitating the development of savory flavors and textures in a variety of dishes.  Jessie and Eric take a stab at developing a simple dashi, taste test different iterations of it, and share their thoughts on how incorporating it into their current plant-based ramen recipe impacted the final dish.Jessie's plant-based ramen recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8gcWtFxWw/Podcast episode 33 (Ramen: What it Takes For the Perfect Bowl): https://whatericmade.buzzsprout.com/327845/3717809-ramen-what-it-takes-for-the-perfect-bowlPodcast episode 35 (Plant-Based Ramen Recipe: Jessie Shares Her Secrets): https://whatericmade.buzzsprout.com/327845/3935012-plant-based-ramen-recipe-jessie-shares-her-secrets

Eric and Jessie take you behind the scenes into the WEM kitchen as Eric tries to re-create a seafood dish he had years ago that still stands out to him today.  

Before Eric dives into how to turn home-grown tomatoes into a jam, Jessie recaps what is going on in their garden of tomato containers and recaps a couple things to keep in mind when trying to grow your own tomatoes at home.  

Lemon squash is a fruit currently growing in the WEM/What-Jessie-Grew Garden.  Gardener Jessie gives some insight into this plant (how it grows, purpose of male and female flowers) in the first half of the episode while Eric offers his perspectives on how he recently cooked with it in the second half.  

Jessie provides an update on how the what-Jessie-grew garden is doing and shares the knowledge she has accumulated so far to help you achieve better results with starting and growing tomatoes.  

In episode 33, Jessie and Eric laid the groundwork for ramen with the 101s of this Japanese noodle dish.  As a follow-up to this episode, Jessie reviews the plant-based recipe she's been chasing to make it compete with animal-based bowls. Jessie's ramen recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8gcWtFxWw/?igshid=12e8sbd3o2ofd

Eric re-lives tomato confit, a recipe he used on a regular basis in culinary school.  Eric and Jessie discuss how this easy-to-do recipe opens up a whole new set of possibilities when it comes to cooking with tomatoes in a new way.  Tomato confit recipe journal post: https://whatericmade.com/journal/tomatoconfit"Tomatoes: the fruit of the summer" journal post: https://whatericmade.com/journal/tomatoes-fruit-of-summer

In upcoming podcast episode 34, Jessie and Eric will review the ingredients, technique, and thought process behind Jessie's attempt to create the perfect bowl of vegan ramen.  To lay the groundwork for this episode, Jessie and Eric first discuss in this episode the history and fundamental concepts behind this Japanese dish.  

What are three kitchen organization tools that every home cook and kitchen should implement? Eric and Jessie review these items and talk about how they come into play in their own kitchen.  For a video demonstrating these items plus a few other kitchen suggestions, check out the video link here: https://youtu.be/SmvnnKYC9yYPodcast episode 27 (knife care tips and tricks): http://whatericmade.buzzsprout.com/327845/3176644-knife-care-and-use-tips-and-tricks Podcast episode 13 (carbon steel pan): http://whatericmade.buzzsprout.com/327845/1534189-the-carbon-steel-pan-dutch-oven-durability-and-non-stick-performance Knife care tips and tricks journal post: https://whatericmade.com/journal/5knifetips Honing steel journal post: https://whatericmade.com/journal/honingsteel

Making well-executed tempura at home is within reach! Eric and Jessie recap this Japanese technique of battering and deep-frying, its typical steps, and some suggested ways to vary the technique/ingredients to produce different outcomes.