Do-It-Yourself Fruit Fly Trap

I have a confession to make: I've got a fruit fly problem.  Yes, the weather is warming up, and I forgot to take the kitchen scrap bucket out to the compost bin, so now I have fruit flies.  Lots and lots of annoying little buggies.

Last spring, I bought a fruit fly trap from the store.  I opened the package, set it up, and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Oh, the fruit flies were definitely interested.  But there was a big problem: the buggies were too gigantic to fit into the narrow openings in the trap.  (Is this a Texas problem?)

I decided to take a look at the ingredients list on the packaging, and I discovered that the trap solution would be very simple to make at home with ingredients that almost everyone has in their kitchens.

So I gave it a try, but instead of putting the solution in the trap with the tiny openings, I just poured it in a small custard dish.  Success!  So many drowned buggies, so much happy!

Simple ingredients do some hardcore killing

Supplies needed:

Small bowl
Apple cider vinegar
Dish detergent

Place about 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar in the small bowl.  Add a squirt of dish detergent.  Stir.  Viola, instant fruit fly trap!  The buggies are attracted to the apple cider vinegar, and the dish detergent acts to break the surface tension of the liquid so that fruit flies can't escape once they've landed.  Let the killing commence!

I like to place the trap within the fruit bowl in the kitchen so that the fruit flies can't miss it.

Come on, little guy, hop on into the bowl!

Let me know if you've got a great recipe for a do-it-yourself bug trap! 

Recipe: Spreadable Kefir Cheese

So, here's another idea for something to do with all that milk kefir: make a delicious, soft, spreadable, cheesy snack to top crackers or veggies.  You could even get creative and develop a honey-sweetened version to dip fruit in!

This recipe below--made in savory form--most closely resembles goat cheese in flavor, since I used a strong 48-hour fermented kefir.  Yum!

Herby Spreadable Kefir Cheese

 

Spreadable Kefir Cheese

(recipe credit: culturesforhealth.com)

You will need a batch of finished milk kefir, some cheese muslin or several layers of cheese cloth, a strainer, a bowl to put underneath the strainer to catch the whey, and dried or fresh herbs (salt optional).  For a super tangy version that resembles soft goat cheese spread, use milk kefir that has fermented for 48 hours.  For a less potent taste, try a 12- or 24-hour ferment.

1. Place the cheese cloth in the strainer.  Place the strainer on the bowl.  Pour the milk kefir into the strainer.  Put the whole mess in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
2. Come back to check its progress.  If it's still too runny, leave it for a few more hours.  The consistency of the strained kefir is dependent on how long it sits and strains for.  Save the whey, just in case you want to thin it out a bit. 
3. Otherwise, if it's ready to go, remove the strained kefir to a bowl, and stir in herbs (and a few dashes of salt, if you desire).  Why not try some snipped chives?
4. Eat it up!  It's delicious on crackers and veggies, or even as a spread on sandwiches.

Please tell me what you added to your spreadable kefir cheese!  Have fun experimenting!
--Joy

Soft kefir cheese caressing a slice of homemade bread

P.S.  Curious about how my kefir grains are doing?  Look at this beast!

Kefir grain gone wild

Recipe: Vanilla Raspberry Chia Kefir Pudding

Let's just call it what it is, shall we?

Sometimes you just have too much Milk Kefir.

Here is the latest development of what to do with it all based on this yogurt chia pudding from Super Healthy Kids.

Vanilla Raspberry Chia Kefir Pudding

Ingredients:
- 4 cups milk kefir
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen, well mushed raspberries
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- honey to taste
- 1/4 ground golden flax (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Enjoy!

Please comment and let us know how you like to use your milk kefir :)

Stephanie

Episode 1: Milk Kefir

Thank you for joining us for episode 1! Our lighting and sound is still a work in progress, and our captions went crazy... but we would love to hear your feedback on how you like episode.

Watch EPISODE 1 on You Tube

Who we are:

Two friends that enjoy fiber arts and kitchen chemistry projects.
Find us on Instagram, Ravelry, and Pinterest

Stephanie
- Instagram dfwknitter
- Pinterest dfwknitter
- Ravelry lonestarknits
- Email lonestar (dot) knits (at) yahoo (dot) com

Joy
- Instagram jaguilar927
- Ravelry jaguilar27
- Email joyknits27 (at) gmail (dot) com

What we are knitting:

Stephanie
- Wearing Multnomah Shawl out of Into the Whirled Handspun,
- FO Neighborly Vest Ella Rae Classic Superwash
- Fish Lips Kiss heel socks out of Daybreak Dyeworks (closed) Handspun
- Spinning Two If By Hand, Grab Bags from DFW Fiber Fest 2015
- Acquired: Miss Babs Kilimanjaro in Soul Food

Joy
- FO Neighborly Vest Lion Brand Wool-Ease
-Shibui Baby Hat and Socks out of KnitPicks Stroll Handpainted (Sweetie) from

Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Patterns That Go Way Beyond Socks!

-Starshower Cowl is in the blocking process, out of Western Sky Knits Magnolia Luxe (Pebble)
- Acquired: Miss Babs Kilimanjaro in Celebration

What's cooking:

MILK KEFIR!

Resources:

Cultures for Health - Articles and Purchasing Kefir Grains (If you can't find someone with some to share!)

True Brews: How to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead, Kefir, and Kombucha at Home by Emma Christensen
















Recipes for using your milk kefir on Stephanie's Kefir Pinterest Board.

Welcome to Knitters Gotta Eat!

Knitters Gotta Eat is a collaborative knitting/domestic arts video podcast. It all began because we love sharing our love of doing. We know that many of our viewers will share our enthusiasm for learning the arts of running a multifaceted household, cooking, baking, fermenting, keeping chickens, and gardening, as well as the fiber arts! Look for our first episode to be uploaded to You Tube later this week.

Please let us know in the comments what types of domestic arts interest you, and thank you for watching.

Stephanie & Joy