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How to cycle an aquaponics system using the fishless cycling method week 1

Robert Brennan — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:54:26 +0000

In this video, I will show you what to do on week 1 of you aquaponics cycling. The hardest part in setting up your first aquaponics system is waiting for you system to cycle. Most of you are likely scratching your head and thinking “wtf is cycling?” I thought the same thing when I setup my first aquaponics system.

The best place to start is to explain the nitrogen cycle that takes place in an aquaponics system. We start with the fish. Now you might think that fish are the key to making aquaponics work, but you would be wrong. The real key is ammonia, without the ammonia there is no nitrogen cycle. Ok, ok, what about the fish right? Well as the fish go about their day, they produce a fair amount of ammonia. They breath through their gills, pee and poop, all creating ammonia. Now ammonia is toxic to fish and most other living creatures, so if the ammonia levels get too high, say 0.5 to 1 ppm or so, the the fish will die. Luckily for the fish, a bacteria called Nitrosomonas can convert ammonia into nitrites through a process called nitrification.

Nitrification is simply a conversion of ammonia to nitrates. Before you get on my back, I am fully aware that I said that Nitrosomonas converts ammonia into nitrites and not nitrates. The nitrogen cycle is a 3 step process and nitrites to nitrates is the last step, so lets not get ahead of ourselves. We need to focus on the first step, introducing ammonia into the system.

We know that in order to begin the nitrogen cycle we need ammonia. This is where the fish come in right? Well that would be one way to go. It is a method called fish cycling. This is where you add a few fish at a time to produce ammonia. If the fish are lucky, the nitrogen cycle completes before the ammonia levels become toxic. In order to reduce the toxic ammonia build up, some of the water is removed and fresh water is added to the system. In this attempt to restore balance, significant stress is placed on the fish and loss may occur. Eventually the nitrification will take place and you will end up with a balanced aquaponics system. In order to avoid fish loss, an alternative method to fish cycling is fishless cycling.

Fishless cycling is where you find a source of ammonia other than fish waste. There are many sources of ammonia that can be added to the system, I have even heard of people peeing into the fish tank. I am sure the fish really want to live there after that, gross. I just use pure ammonia from the drugstore. You have to make sure that its only pure ammonia and not ammonia mixed with detergent, because the detergent will kill the fish. Finding a nonliving source of ammonia to use for cycling offers us many advantages over using fish. In my opinion, the greatest advantage is the speed we can cycle the system. Because we can raise the levels of the ammonia quickly, we decrease the time necessary for nitrification to occur. Fish cycling can take weeks for ammonia levels to increase to a desirable amount, whereas fishless cycling allow us to raise the ammonia levels to 0.5 ppm immediately. So, with fishless cycling we are able to jump start the nitrogen cycle by raising the ammonia to toxic levels without killing any organisms. This is where we begin week 1 of cycling our aquaponics system.

Follow these simple steps for the first week of the cycling process:

Add the ammonia to the fish tank a few capfuls at a time.

After you add a dose of ammonia to the system, take a reading with the ammonia reading kit.

When you read an ammonia level of 0.5 ppm, take note of how many capfuls it took to get to that point.

Add the same amount of ammonia each day, then take a reading with the nitrite kit.

When you see a nitrite level of 0.5 ppm begin to appear, cut back the daily dose of ammonia by 50%. This will decrease the levels of ammonia in the system making it more hospitable to your future fish.

It will take about 7 to 10 day to reach this point. Stay tuned for the next video that will outline the next steps to cycling your system in week 2.

Chicken Stock Accented with Fresh Rosemary and Thyme

Robert Brennan — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:44:12 +0000

How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock: Recipe for Chicken Stock Accented with Fresh Rosemary and Thyme. In this video, I will show you my hybrid method for making a deep and rich homemade chicken stock.

I love homemade chicken stock. Its rich, flavorful, and so much better than the stuff in the store. Chicken stock is a pantry staple and used in so many recipes. Whether you are making a comforting bowl of chicken soup or creating a tasty sauce, chicken stock is indispensable in the kitchen.

It wasn't all that long ago that the only way to get chicken stock was to make it yourself. Nowadays, it’s all too easy to pick some up at the supermarket on the way home. Although convenient, store bought chicken stock is expensive and lacks in flavor. So much so that I often think of my homemade chicken stock as a secret ingredient.

People think I am crazy when I say that I make homemade chicken stock. They say things like, “doesn't it take all day to make that?” or “I don’t have the time for stuff like that.” So then I explain to them that using the pressure cooker method, you can get chicken stock in under 2 hours. Now, some would argue that the pressure cooker method will not produce the same depth of flavour as a slow 12 hour simmered stock, and they are correct. I believe that by using a hybrid pressure cooker/simmer method, we can significantly reduce the time without sacrificing the richness or the flavor. But for arguments sake, lets make it the slow way, the fast way, and then my way.

First, we start with the ingredients. I created this recipe to work with 1 pound of chicken, so all you need to do is double or triple this recipe to make even more chicken stock.

Ingredients per 1 pound of chicken:

1 pound of chicken bones and meat
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 pinch of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
5-10 peppercorns
5 cups of water

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit on broil. Place all of the ingredients, except for the water, in a parchment lined roasting pan. Place the roasting pan into the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, carefully stir to expose all of the bits that are unbrowned. Repeat this 3 more times for a total of 1 hour. This step is going to brown and caramelize the chicken and vegetables, helping us develop a rich flavor in the final product. It also makes your house smell like roast chicken, yum.

Step 2:
Transfer all of the ingredients from the roasting tray to your pressure cooker or canner and add the water. I used a pressure canner in this video, but a pressure cooker will work fine. As all pressure canners or cookers are different, you need to consult your manual for appropriate timing. These instructions are for the Presto 22 quart pressure canner that I used in the video. Place the pressure canner on the stovetop on medium high heat and latch the lid. When a steady stream of steam escapes from the stove pipe, cover with the weight. Allow the pressure canner to come up to 15 psi and then turn the heat down to medium. You may need to adjust the heat depending on your stove to keep it at a consistent 15 psi. Set a timer for 20 minutes and take a break. This step is going to extract all of the flavors from the bones, meat, and vegetables.

Step 3:
When the timer goes off, turn off the heat, and let it sit until the pressure lock releases. At this point, you can open the lid and you have stock. Like I said, this is a perfectly good stock and you can stop here, but if you want something even better then continue on. Turn the heat back on the stovetop to medium low and simmer uncovered for 4 hours.

Step 4:
Strain the chicken broth with a fine screen strainer or cheesecloth. You should allow the chicken stock to cool on a cold stovetop until it’s cool enough to place in the fridge. Leave the chicken stock in the fridge overnight. The next day, all of the chicken fat will solidify on the surface. You can remove it for a fat free chicken stock or leave it, your call.

Step 5:
Transfer the cooled chicken stock to storage containers and keep in the fridge for 1 week or freeze for 3 months. If you want to can your newly created chicken stock, check out my video on canning here.

If you still wish to use the long and slow method, perform the step 2 and 3 modification shown below:

Step 2 and 3 modification:
Transfer all of the ingredients from the roasting tray to your slow cooker. Set heat to low and let simmer for 12 hours.

I hope you enjoy this homemade chicken stock and feel free to let me know what you used it for in the comments below.

Pickling and canning yellow or green dilly beans

Robert Brennan — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:13:06 +0000

Pickling and canning yellow or green beans: how to make dilly yellow or green beans with recipe. In this video, I will show you how to make a classic canning recipe of dilly yellow beans.
Harvest time is finally in full swing and I have managed to bring something back from the garden every other day. My wife’s grandfather would be so proud. Hard work and dirty hands is the name of the game. While I agree that seeing all of my hard work come to fruition is like nothing else, Dire Straits had a good point. Money for nothing and the food for free is also pretty cool. Keep your ears open and someone will be willing to give you fresh fruits and vegetables from their garden. Why would anyone do this you might ask? Well some people are just kind-hearted, but most just don’t know what to do with their bounty. But we do! Right? Damn skippy, time for canning.

This year I received a large bag of yellow beans from a family friend, which was good because my yellow beans are not producing. Unfortunately my wife is not a fan of yellow beans, but then again she has never tried my Granny’s homemade dilled green beans right out of the jar. I wager that this garlicky snack will turn my wife into a bean believer. I figured that yellow beans would work just as well, so here is my take on the classic. Feel free to modify my recipe and make it your own.

Before we start:
Even though it is rare, improper food preservation can lead to sickness or even death. This video is meant only as a guide so ensure that you consult with your canner manufacturer’s manual.

Ingredients:

Pickling brine:

1 cup distilled vinegar

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 ¼ cup of soft wafer

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of pickling salt

Add to each jar:

5 cloves of garlic

1 handful of dill

¼ of a large onion

1 tablespoon of tarragon

5-10 peppercorns

1 teaspoon of red chili flakes (or more, the cooler you are the more you put in)

1 ½ pounds of yellow beans divided between the jars

Equipment List:

Canner or large deep pot (I used my pressure canner)

Canning jars and lids

Canning tongs

Canning funnel

Step-By-Step:

Start by sterilizing all of your equipment and the work area. Proper sterilization is an extremely important step, so be sure to read your canner’s manual.

After sterilization, fill each jar with the raw ingredients.

Sprinkle in the peppercorns and the chili flakes.

In a pot, bring the pickling brine to a boil.

Use the canning funnel to fill each jar with pickling brine, leaving a 1 inch space at the top.

Place a lid and ring on each jar and lower them into the canner.

Using cold water fill the canner so there is 1 inch of water above the tops of the jars, then remove the jars.

Bring the water in the canner to a simmer.

Lower the filled jars back into the canner.

Following your canner’s manual, process for the appropriate time (in my case 10 minutes).

At the end of the processing time, remove the jars from the canner using canning tongs.

Once cool, check that each of the jars is fully sealed but pressing on the tops of the lids. If you can feel give or hear clicking, the jar did not seal. You can reprocess the unsealed jar or keep it in the refrigerator.

Let the jars sit for 3 weeks for proper pickling to occur.

Sealed jars can be stored in a cool dark space for 6 months to 1 year. If any mold or unpleasant smells are present in or around the jars, this is an indication of food spoilage and the jars should be disposed of.

For more tips and projects visit my youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cable24601?feature=mhee

Also check out my video on canning chicken stock
http://youtu.be/un7cp0g8FYQ

How to build a desktop aquaponics system for indoor gardening.

Robert Brennan — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:29:13 +0000

Aquaponics system: How to build a desktop aquaponics system for indoor gardening. Aquaponics guide.

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, we can no longer deny that fall is on the way and winter is around the corner. For me this means that hot summer days toiling around the garden will soon end. Last year, I started to experiment with hydroponics so I could continue to grow fresh food during the winter months. I learned that with a little know-how, growing fresh fruits and vegetables is not only possible but easy to do. For the past year I have been researching alternative methods for indoor growing and really gravitated towards aquaponics.

What is aquaponics you might ask. Those of you familiar with hydroponics would recognize the system built in this video as a simple flood and drain or ebb and flow unit. In fact, you could just use this system for hydroponics, just delete the fish out of the equation. That said, what is aquaponics?

Remember when those lions were singing about the circle of life? Well aquaponics is kind of the same thing. Nature has a way of working things out for herself, take a pond for example. Fish eat bugs, fish, and plants. The fish create waste in the form of ammonia. A bacteria called Nitrosomonas comes along and convert the ammonia into nitrites. Then a different bacteria called Nitrobacter converts the nitrites into nitrates. The plants in the pond and nearby banks use the nitrates as food therefore keeping the water fresh for the fish. This is known as the nitrogen cycle and is what makes aquaponics possible (insert singing lions here).

The flood and drain or ebb and flow aquaponics system built in this video emulates what happens in nature. We feed the fish in the totes below the desk. The fish produce ammonia that gets pumped up to the totes on the desktop. These desktop totes hold the plants and thus are appropriately called the grow bed. The hydroton and plants in the grow bed act as a biological filter and breeding ground for beneficial bacteria. The bacteria converts the ammonia to nitrates and the plants chow down. Clean fresh water returns to the fish and restarts the cycle. This creates a green and sustainable way to grow food.

This video is intended to be the first of a series that will outline step by step how to setup and run an aquaponics system. I truly believe that we can all enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables year round no matter how much space you have.

Tools and supplies list:

Tools:

Drill

1 ½ inch hole saw

Assorted drill bits

Miter saw

Supplies:

2 totes 8 to 12 inch deep (Ikea $16 each)

6 ½ inch bulkheads (eBay $1 each)

2 ¾ inch PVC threaded pipe (Home Depot $6 each)

2 inch ABS pipe 3 feet long (Home Depot $7)

2 120 liter totes (Home Depot $13 each)

½ inch tubing 10 feet (Home Depot $4)

½ inch clear tubing 10 feet (Home Depot $9)

½ inch threaded ball valve (Home Depot $5)

2 ½ inch threaded to pressure fit connector (Home Depot $1)

½ inch reducer (Home Depot $1)

1400 liter per hour submersible pump (ebay $6)

½ inch pressure fit T-joint connector (Home Depot $1)

2 x 50 liters of Hydroton (Hydroponics supply $36 each)

Total = $183

Canning chicken stock: How to guide for pressure canning homemade chicken stock.

Robert Brennan — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:59:01 +0000

Canning chicken stock: How to guide for pressure canning homemade chicken stock. Food preservation techniques we should all know, great for preppers. Canning your own homemade food, such as chicken stock, is a great way to ensure that you know what you’re eating. Sure, walking down aisle 2 of the grocery store and picking up a tin of chicken stock makes life simpler, but what is in that chicken stock? Often, the ingredient list shows that very little chicken is actually in your chicken stock, in fact, it's mostly salty water. And what’s up with those dried cubes thingies? Yuck. I want my chicken stock to actually taste like chicken. By making my own homemade chicken stock and pressure canning it, I ensure that I have a steady supply of real food.

Canning or preserving your own food is one of those arts lost to the convenience of the super market. Homesteaders would have to find ways of storing their harvest for future use. Canning was an obvious choice for food preservation as food, such as chicken stock, could be stored for years without the need for refrigeration. That said, recently there has been a resurgence of those that want to take back control of what they eat by making and preserving their own food. I am one of those people that have discovered the joy of preserving my own food. Join me in this video and I will show you how to get started.

This video is meant to be a basic guide to get you started with canning and preserving. As an example, in this video I will show you how to can your own chicken stock. I used the Presto 23 quart pressure canner, however, each brand or model of pressure canner is different. This means that the techniques learned here can be used in just about any canning or preserving project, but make sure you follow your pressure canner manual’s recommended settings.

Disclaimer
Even though it is rare, improper food preservation can lead to sickness or even death. This video is meant only as a guide so ensure that you consult with your pressure canner manufacturer’s manual.

There is nothing more rewarding than opening your own jar of chicken stock and making a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup, so lets get started.

Equipment List:

Pressure canner

Canning jars and lids

Canning tongs

Canning funnel

Chicken stock

Step-By-Step:

Start by sterilizing all of your equipment and work area. Proper sterilization is an extremely important step, so be sure to read your pressure canner’s manual.

After sterilization, use the canning funnel to fill each jar leaving a 1 inch space at the top.

Place a lid and ring on each jar and lower them into the pressure canner.

Following your pressure canner’s manual, process your chicken stock at the appropriate psi for your elevation.

At the end of the processing time, remove the jars from the pressure canner with the canning tongs.

Once cool, check that each of the jars is fully sealed but pressing on the tops of the lids. If you hear any clicking then the jar did not seal. You can reprocess the unsealed jars or keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Sealed jars can be stored in a cool dark space for 6 months to 2 years. If any mold or unpleasant smells are present in or around the jars, this is an indication of food spoilage and the jars should be disposed of.

How to hand pollinate tomatoes for larger production and harvest

Robert Brennan — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:30:05 +0000

Gardening tips: how to hand pollinate tomatoes for larger production of your container garden. Many gardeners leave pollination to the bees, but if you want to see the best harvests, you can take matters into your own hands.

In this video I am going to show you the best way to hand pollinate your tomatoes. All you need is a electric toothbrush and a few minutes of your time.

Many edible plants such as tomatoes are self-fertilizing or self-pollinating. This means that you only need one plant in the garden for fruit to set. In the case of tomatoes, the male and female parts are contained in the same flower. This truly makes tomato plants a top contender for container gardening.

Self-pollinating plants will produce without any intervention on your part, but you can help nature along to really reap the rewards. Wind and bees normally move the pollen around the plants, letting pollination occur, but what happens when nature doesn't cooperate? Poor pollination happens all too often. High temperatures, humidity, and too much moisture can severely hinder your crop. So why not take matters into your own hands?

We all spend hours in the garden planting and caring for our little green friends, so I say lets go the extra step and pollinate by hand. Hand pollination of self-fertile plants is easy and does not require much time or money. All you need is an electric toothbrush and you are ready to hand pollinate. Just like the wind or a bee, the vibrations from the toothbrush loosen the pollen from the flower and allow pollination to occur. Simply turn on the toothbrush and gently place it behind the open flower. This will distribute the pollen to the flowers stigma. You will often see puffs of pollen shoot out of the flower when you do this. You should see the results of your hand pollination in a day or two. I like to repeat this process every other day for the best results.

If you are like me and you want to get the most out of your garden, then try to hand pollinate your tomatoes. I am sure that once you try it you will never go back.

How to build a self-watering planter

Robert Brennan — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:32:26 +0000

In this DIY project, I will show you how to build a self-watering container for your summer planting. There are many benefits to container gardening and this project takes it one step further. An internal reservoir allows the soil to naturally wick up water to the roots of the plant. This reservoir, combined with a weed shield, really reduces the maintenance needs of your container garden.

This is an inexpensive project and you may have most of the materials you need on-site. Here is a list if you are going to start from scratch.

Tools:

Drill and drill bits

Hose cutter

7/8th hole saw

Knife

Parts:

Zip ties

Clear hose with ½ inch internal diameter

½ inch rubber grommet

½ inch 90 degree pressure fit irrigation connector

3, 5, or 7 gallon bucket and lid (in this case I used a 7 gallon bucket)

4 inch net pot (You can find these anywhere they sell pond supplies or from a hydroponics supply store)

Sharpie

Black garbage bag

Compost

Perlite

Peat moss

Fertaliser

Seedling

Happy days this week as my half a pig finally arrives.

Robert Brennan — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:51:45 +0000

I have been eating Berkshire pork from Irving Farms exclusively for about 7 months and will never look back. This heirloom pig is about as good as it gets, though slightly expensive. I was determined to keep my freezer full of this delectable meat, but started to feel the need to keep my cost down.

It’s actually a lot less complicated then it seems to get a good price from your local farmer. Most producers will offer you a wholesale price if you order large quantities, such as ordering a half or a whole pig. At first this idea seemed a little foreign to me. I really had no concept of how much a half or a whole pig would cost. I didn’t even know what sorts of cuts to expect. I certainly did not have the freezer space to hold such a beast. However, I was still determined so I began my research.

It made sense to me to start with half a pig. This way I would not need to make that much of a finical investment up front if I did not want to continue buying this way. First off, I needed to consider storage. One cubic foot of freezer space will hold approximately 22-28 pounds of meat. I would end up with about 60 pounds of freezer ready meat, so 2-3 cubic feet of freezer space would suit me. However I also had some thoughts on freezing some beef and poultry. When an 8 cubic foot chest freezer went on sale at Sears, I took the plunge.

The next consideration was the cuts of pork. This wasn’t really that hard but did take some thought. Irving farms provided me with a cut sheet. This indicated all of the cuts you could get and how you want it packed. If you are unsure what cuts are what, I say go to the supermarket and get a first-hand view. You will have to remember that there is only one of each leg, rib cage, loin, and so on in a half a pig. This means if you want the bone left on your pork chop then you don’t get ribs for the bbq. In regards to packing, I requested most items to be packed in 1 pound packages. This way when I take something out for supper, I am only defrosting what I plan to eat that night. This is fine for 2 people with lunch the next day and if you were to have guests, just take out 2 packs.

The last step is to place the order and pick it up. One thing to keep in mind here is that you may need to wait a few months before you pig is ready. Farm fresh pigs don’t go to slaughter everyday and this is a personalized order so order early.

Here is what a freezer ready half a pig looks like.

Here are the costs.

I saved the best piece for last. It turns out it is cheaper to buy healthy heritage local pork than mass-produced supermarket pork.

Give Heritage Pigs a Chance

Robert Brennan — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:00:24 +0000

Give Heritage Pigs a Chance

One of the most enjoyable aspects of knowing where your food comes from, is discovering that there is more out there to taste other than the supermarket breed. The most popular commercially raised pigs in Canada are a crossbreed descended from Landrace & Yorkshire lines. Over the years the supermarket pig has been bread for the characteristic needs of the marketplace. I blame the diet industry for most of the state of the supermarket pig.

When high fat food became the scapegoat for why we are all getting fatter, the rise of lean chicken cuts for supper put the pork industry into a tight spot. I mean think about it, if you are really trying to shave off a few pounds the last thing that should be on your shopping list is bacon. Even loin chops and other leaner cuts still carried far more fat content per serving that chicken. At the same time that pork was taking blows from the diet industry, a new threat from the Medical Community was taking hold. It was now being said that eating too much red meat was bad for your health.

This was a big win for chicken, but pork, being a nice shade of pink, got lumped into the red meat category. So the pork producers had to adapt their product to meet the demands off the current market. Pigs were now bread to be leaner and paler. I can still remember the mass marketing campaigns of “Pork, the Other White Meat.” With this we lost much of the porky flavor that makes pork… pork.

In fact, I believe that up until the time I ate family farm raised Berkshire pigs, I have never tasted true pork. Some say Berkshire is to pork as Kobe is to beef. I just say it’s delicious and is quickly becoming my go to main course, even replacing beef. I think you owe it to yourself to buy a quality piece of pork at least once in your life and really draw your own conclusions.

When you are ready to buy your first quality cut, there are a few things you should consider.

First and foremost, in my opinion, is the source. Buy local! There are many reasons to support local growers but for me it’s all about contact. You can talk to the people that farmed your food. You can find out what the pigs ate, how they were cared for, and if you like, you can even see where they lived. The best way to connect with local producers is at the farmers market.

Secondly, you want to decide on what type of breed you want to try. For this you are going to have to ask around a bit. For the most part it’s not going to be apparent what breed is sitting on display. This is where asking questions and knowing your producer comes into play. If the person selling the pork can’t tell you what breed it is, then move on. Try a heritage or heirloom pig. I like Berkshire, but there are many other breeds that you can only get right from the source and you would never find at the supermarket. Organic or not is your choice, but make sure it’s free range.

Lastly is cost. This will be a big factor at first for many people. If you go into the farmer’s market expecting supermarket prices then don’t even bother. It does cost more to raise a free run, happy, and healthy pig. That said if you buy in bulk then you can break even or pay less than typical supermarket prices. I will talk about this more in an upcoming post when my half a pig arrives. Until then however, just consider buying heirloom pork a taste test or indulgence. I am sure you will be impressed.

Back to Basics: Homemade Butter

Robert Brennan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:30:13 +0000

Back to Basics

I think that it is easy to lose sight of where food comes from or how it is made. I mean think about it, if you want milk you stop at the corner store. You need some hamburger, supermarket. If pizza turns your crank then all you got to do is order out. Easy, quick, and affordable right? Well yes, and I am not going to try and say otherwise, but where's the love? I'm talking about flavour and pride. Knowing that you created something from scratch. Having you friends and family say "this is the best [insert food name] that I have ever tasted". Can't beat that kind of satisfaction.

I want to challenge you to get Back to Basics in the kitchen and try each one of the recipes in this series. The first few recipes are going to seem somewhat odd, but they are the building blocks to future recipes. That said we start with butter.

I can almost hear you yelling at me now "Can't I just buy butter?" The answer is sure but you would be missing out big time. We are starting with sweet butter which is the North American standard. In a future post we will get into the European cultured butter counterpart, but for now just unsalted goodness.

What you’re going to need:

1. 1L of heavy cream
2. Cheesecloth
3. Strainer
4. Your food processor

Seriously that's it! Like me, you probably expected some kind of old school butter churn and hours of manual labour. I guess you could still do that kind of thing if you wanted to be really connected to your food but I am not that hardcore.

Ok let’s make butter. First pour the heavy cream into you food processor.

Now let her rip.

This will take a few minutes and you will know when you are done when you see a pale white liquid and globs of butter. The pale white liquid is buttermilk, which is useful stuff so keep it.

You can do this next step with your hands or a clean cloth but I think cheesecloth does the best job. Place the cheese cloth in a strainer and pour in the contents of the food processor.

Fold up the ends of the cheesecloth making a small bag and squeeze out as much of the buttermilk as possible.

And there you have it, fresh homemade butter.

In the end you will have 2 cups of butter and 2 cups of butter milk. For less then the cost of store bought. You can add salt if you like. I like mine without the salt. It will keep in your fridge for about 2 weeks.