Where are those ducklings?  One of the mama ducks abandoned her post and now has her hubby all to herself and left the tiny quackers with the other mom.  We have been concerned as to where she is hiding them in the tall meadow grass and thought they were all but lost.

On one of my searches for ducklings through the tall grass I came across some fragrant meadow mint and wanted to go back and gather some for mint tea.  I had three bunches of baby beets from the farmer’s market in the fridge calling out to me to save and I wanted to make beet kvaas with the sweeties, but was too lazy to peel them like I usually peel the larger beets.  Then I thought, why do I need to peel the beets anyway, just scrub well and cut in fourths.

I did not have any more beets, but for a real flavorful kvaas, I should have put in more, but this will make two jars.

Now what? We love garlic, of course, in our kvaas and I also wanted to add lemon and the spicy meadow mint.

The unencumbered couple decided to take a stroll in the meadow as well, perhaps to check up on Old Mother Hubbard and her brood.

 

The irrigation ditches have been turned off for a few days and we have been getting a lot of rain almost everyday, so it will take a couple of weeks probably before we can mow and bale the hay.

It is almost hip high in some places.

And here is the meadow mint!

I wanted to continue to gather a lot, but the mosquitoes were giving me a free blood transfusion, so I decided to turn back asap.

The house is slowly but surely getting a new roof and wood exterior.

T’Shuva thinks he knows where the ducklings are.

Yep, that sneaky mama keeps them well hidden but now it is time to take them home for some food.

There are only ten ducklings instead of the 15 she had a couple of weeks ago.   😦

The meadow mint tastes like a strong spearmint and I dried what I did not use in the kvaas in my dehydrator to use for mint tea.

All members of the mint family have square stems.

I put several large stems of mint in each jar.

Add about 10 small cloves of peeled garlic to each jar. This is my regular updated version of beet kvaas and it is really good!

I added a few slices of organic lemon and one tablespoon real sea salt goes in each jar.

Add 1/2 cup of living whey, kefir whey is best, but you can also use whey you drain off plain yogurt. This increases the probiotics in the kvaas and greatly speeds the process.

Fill the rest of the jar with clean filtered water and close the lid very tight. Leave in room temperature for three or four days and then put into the refrigerator. It is best if you wait at least another week to serve it, as it gets better with age and loses saltiness with time. It will be very effervescent like a good kombucha. To make a second batch of kvaas with the same beets and other ingredients save about one or two cups of kvaas in the jar, put one tablespoon of real salt in the jar and fill again with clean filtered water. Leave on the counter for three days or so and refrigerate for a few days. It will not be as strong as the first batch, but still quite good. If you have a lot of beets and they are big and juicy, you can get three batches out of the same jar.

Luit thinks it tastes better than champagne.

I would be lying if I told you I think it is better than champagne, but then again I never waste champagne on the man.