Red Fife Wheat is thought to have originated in Turkey, after which it moved across the Black Sea to Ukraine where Mennonite farmers grew it. Red Fife seeds were later shipped to Glasgow, where a friend of David Fife sent a sample to Canada. Fife then grew the variety in Ontario and shared it with other farmers, calling the wheat Red Fife after its distinctive colour. The Red Fife seed adapted to a great diversity of growing conditions across Canada and became the baking and milling industry standard for forty years, from the 1860s to the turn of the twentieth century.

GOLD FORREST GRAINS

The grains we grow, and then mill, are steeped in heritage and tradition. The wheat is antique; Red Fife, Park, Spelt and Einkorn. They taste different, feel different and nurture your body differently. Baking with our flour products takes you back in time to the age of whole, healthful foods. Your baking will have the wonderful, indescribable taste that only your grandparents would recognise.

 I have been asked to make this online tutorial many times during butcher demonstrations.  It's second nature to me and I do this process pretty fast in real life so it looks a bit scary to anyone hoping to recreate it at home.  When I am teaching I also find it hard to get the information to stick with someone.  Whilst they can do the knot with me stood there giving them a few prompts they soon loose the steps.

  1. With the piece of meat parallel to you bring the butcher string under the meat.  I would advise that the ball of string is in a plastic container on the floor- keeping it away from the meat keeps the ball clean and dry.
 2. Bring the end of the string back towards you over the top and keep it on the left hand side of the bottom string.
 3. Bring the end of the string under the bottom string.
 4. Take the end of the string up towards the top left.
 5. The end of the string now goes underneath the top string which forms a loop- make sure the loop is big enough to bring the string through in the next step.
 6.  Bring the end of the string through the loop.
 7. Gentle bring the knot together by pulling on the end of the string.  Do not tighten it too much as it needs to slip along the bottom string to tighten on the meat in the next step.
 8. To tighten the knot hold the bottom string and pull towards yourself.  I find it easier to take the knot away from me over the top of the meat and then pull it towards me.  This allows me to keep my knots in a perfect line along the top of the meat- you really don't need to worry about this until you have done so many of these knots that straight lines matter!
The tightness of the string all depends on what you are rolling.  If you are stuffing the meat with something you can apply less pressure and tighten the string less so you don't push out the stuffing.  Just aim to keep the meat at an even thickness.
 9. We now have to secure the knot.  Take the bottom string and make a loop around your finger and thumb.  Grab the top string (the loose end sticking up from the knot), and drop the loop over the top.
 10. Hold the bottom string and the top and tighten the securing knot.
 11. Trim the top and bottom strings to leave two neat ends.

 There has, as always been lots happening in my kitchen but it has been a bit healthier lately.  I am always experimenting, playing and learning with my food.  You only have to look at the cookery book shelves lately to see that "healthy" is the buzz word.  It's nice to see that healthy nowadays also means tasty instead of simply looking calorie reduced and screaming of hunger.  So whilst I still bake brownies every week there are more seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables in my kitchen too.  So expect a few trimmed down recipes with less bang for your calorie buck but with all the taste to tingle your taste buds!

Everything in moderation, including moderation.
So expect to see some delicious things coming soon here on the blog but have a little patience as I work on this new design and sort out those pesky tags I keep putting on the job list.  I promise when its all done this little site will be singing and way more organised to find delicious things like this Supersonic Gin & Tonic, because getting healthy and tipsy all at the same time is a thing, right?

The days are getting longer and the snow is melting.  Spring and Summer are coming, I can feel it!