Made, grown, tried, and kept
The family library.
Recipes you can cook from. Projects you can return to. Notes that help the next attempt start a little wiser.
60 records to explore.
Family collection
Kitchen
30 records
Field notes Version 2
Apple-Brine Paneer-Style Cheese
A firm, pressed fresh cheese salvaged after milk containing rennet was accidentally heated to 140°F. The batch was mild, creamy, crumbly and somewhat dry; it was later especially enjoyed on crackers with jam. Exact quantities and the final pressing details were not recorded, so this is a historical outcome with a practical reconstruction rather than a canonical formula.
Working reference
Field notes Version 2
Apple-Custard Sourdough Pudding
Heather’s first version had a great aroma, but the bread and apples were too dry. This record preserves that outcome and outlines an untested second trial with smaller bread pieces, apple-pie-style apples, more custard, a longer soak and a more controlled bake.
Working reference
Recipe Version 1
Belgian Sourdough Brussels Waffles
A completed working formula for the light, crisp, airy Brussels-style sourdough waffles Heather wanted after visiting Belgium. The source preserved the desired texture and method but not the original ingredient block or a tested result.
Working recipe
Field notes Version 2
Clabber Culture Experiment and Restart Notes
A raw-milk clabber experiment that began with unreliable setting and a strong barnyard or “moo” character, then improved after a restart and began setting consistently with a cleaner aroma. A later refrigerated batch developed pink coloration and was replaced rather than retained.
Working reference
Recipe Version 1
Claussen-Style Silver Slicer Refrigerator Pickles
A reconstructed cold-brined refrigerator pickle designed for Silver Slicer cucumbers and Heather’s preference for fresh, salty, garlicky Claussen-style flavor. The family source contains no completed or tested outcome.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Cultured Butter
Cultured butter made from heavy cream and plain yogurt culture, with optional clarification for cooking. Heather prefers freezing the finished butter because refrigeration can give it an unwanted “fridge flavor.”
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Cultured Mozzarella
A two-gallon, half-day thermophilic mozzarella intended for hands-on cheesemaking with Heather’s daughter. The family source records the chosen method and a slow rennet set, but not the finished result; standard cultured-mozzarella steps have been added for usability.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 3
Duck-Egg Angel Food Cake
A complete one-pan working recipe with weighed whites, a clear sugar split and careful cooling. This is a new reference formula, not a claim to reconstruct the uncertain double batch.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Easy Oven-Roasted Roma Tomato Sauce
A simple, low-stirring method that roasts Roma tomatoes on a sheet pan for efficient evaporation, lightly caramelized flavor, and easy skin removal.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Family Sourdough Pancakes
A completed working formula for the Williams family's much-loved sourdough pancakes. The family source calls the pancakes “amazing” but does not preserve the original ingredient amounts or method, so the practical recipe below is a clearly identified reconstruction.
Working recipe
Field notes Version 2
Fire Cider: Finished Batch Note
Heather’s first confirmed finished batch was infused for four weeks, then strained, sweetened with honey, and refrigerated. The original ingredients and amounts were not recovered, so this is a process and outcome note—not a repeatable formula.
Incomplete reference
Field notes Version 2
First Farmhouse Cheddar
Heather’s first farmhouse-style cheddar, made with about 2.5 gallons of local milk and a combination of mesophilic culture and young clabber. The curd set slowly but was successfully cut, cheddared, salted, and pressed for about 20 hours at 25 pounds. The final aging result and standalone tasting notes were not recorded.
Working reference
Recipe Version 1
Fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds for Leo
A reconstructed two-gallon recipe for fresh, squeaky cheddar-style curds. Leo loved the family’s fresh curds; another batch developed a bitter finish after about a week in the refrigerator, so these are intended to be eaten promptly.
Working recipe
Practical guide Version 2
Gouda Practice: Washed-Curd Method and Aging Notes
A revisioned family guide for Gouda made with farm-fresh milk, mesophilic culture or developing clabber, rennet, two hot-water washes, pressing and brining. The family process and batch observations are preserved, while unconfirmed temperatures and doses remain intentionally unspecified.
Working reference
Recipe Version 2
Heather’s Sourdough Fried Donuts
Light, sweet, non-sour sourdough donuts with fresh nutmeg, hand-mixed enriched dough, and a clean-tasting tallow–refined coconut oil fry. The family loved the original dough; because its full formula was lost, the measurements below are a practical reconstruction from the surviving notes and require confirmation in Heather’s kitchen.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Homemade Onion Powder
Low-temperature dehydrated onion flakes ground in small batches for a fresh, pungent powder. An optional butter-caramelized onion fraction adds sweetness but should be stored cold rather than treated as shelf-stable powder.
Working recipe
Field notes Version 2
Honey-Fermented Peaches That Became Alcoholic
A Williams-family experiment in which peaches covered with raw honey fermented vigorously, produced enough pressure for one jar to spew when opened, smelled exceptionally sweet and peachy, and became strongly alcoholic within a few weeks. Preserve as fermentation history, not as a canonical recipe.
Working reference
Recipe Version 2
Natural Pink Berry Cake with Berry Ermine Frosting
A high-altitude, oil-based pink layer cake created for Gia’s third birthday, colored and flavored with freeze-dried berries. The family-approved berry ermine frosting is light and cloudlike; the recovered cake formula includes a documented adjustment for berry-thickened batter.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Organic Dry Lemonade Mix
A scoop-and-stir lemonade powder made with organic cane sugar, fresh lemon zest and citric acid. The family method separates lemon aroma, sweetness and tartness; this recovered version includes a milder-lemon completion because the exact V2 quantities were not preserved.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Overnight Sourdough Biscuits
Flaky, tangy sourdough biscuits prepared in cups, refrigerated overnight, folded for distinct layers, and baked the next morning.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Pectin-Free Peach Jam
Heather’s soft-set peach jam method preserves fresh peach flavor by briefly macerating the fruit, concentrating the syrup separately, and returning the peaches for a short final boil. The family batch was described as incredible; because its exact formula was missing, the cup-based quantities below are a practical completion for refrigerator or freezer jam.
Working recipe
Recipe Living record
Pineapple Tepache & the Vinegar Experiment
A complete recovered pineapple-rind recipe, with cinnamon and cloves. The family's maple-syrup and continuing-vinegar experiments are kept as separate variations, not silently substituted for the written base.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Plain Sauerkraut for Kriss
A classic, plain cabbage ferment for a half-gallon jar, using 2% salt by weight and no spices or added water unless extra brine is needed.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Raw-Pack Canned Peaches
An actionable boiling-water canning method completed from current NCHFP guidance for the Williams-family elevation range. Heather processed seven jars in the family session, but jar size, final yield, seals and eating quality were not recorded. Her aunt’s direct-sugar method is preserved only as family history.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 2
Russian-Style Fermented Apple Brine
Heather’s apple ferment for eating and for adding to sourdough: approximately six organic whole apples fermented with salt, maple syrup, fresh water and mullein leaf for about 10 days, then refrigerated. Later batches retained the brine while replacing the fruit roughly every two weeks.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Slavic Cranberry Sauerkraut
A half-gallon self-brining cabbage ferment with carrot, whole cranberries, and caraway. The family source documents the chosen ingredients and that the first batch was packed, but not its exact formula or finished outcome; quantities and timing below are practical completions.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Soft, Mild Sourdough Milk Bread
An easy sourdough sandwich loaf designed to be soft and mild rather than sour. Milk, butter, and honey tenderize the crumb; optional apple brine may replace a small portion of the milk. The recovered family source did not retain the complete formula, so practical quantities and baking instructions have been supplied but are not presented as family-tested.
Working recipe
Recipe Version 1
Sourdough Deep-Dish Pizza in a Cake Pan
A buttery, pastry-tender sourdough crust with cornmeal, baked in a generously buttered and oiled cake pan for a crisp, almost fried bottom. Mozzarella goes directly on the dough as a moisture barrier, with seasoned tomato sauce on top. This family-requested formula has no confirmed family bake outcome.
Working recipe
Field notes Version 2
Sourdough Flour and Sweetener Experiments
Historical sourdough observations covering whole-grain flour changes, an accidental maple-sugar batch, and a flavorful but under-salted conversion. These trials are useful for comparison but do not contain enough measured detail to serve as a canonical formula.
Incomplete reference
Recipe Version 2
Sourdough Naan
Soft sourdough naan made with unfed starter, milk, plain yogurt, olive oil and Heather’s confirmed addition of sugar. The cooking method has been completed for usability and is not documented as family-tested.
Working recipeFamily collection
Home
12 records
Practical guide Version 2
Cleaning the Old Top-Bar Hive
The completed family cleaning practice for the old top-bar hive: washing soda, a stiff brush, thorough rinsing and full air-drying before reuse.
Family record
Home formula Version 1
Coarse Silver Hair Shampoo and Conditioner System
An untested, planned shampoo-and-conditioner system for a clean scalp and softer coarse silver or grey hair. It uses gentle surfactants, an acidic pH, botanical decoction, conditioning emulsifier, oils, and optional weekly vinegar rinse.
Working reference
Home formula Version 3
Dry Dishwasher Detergent: Recorded Recipe & Results
The original written recipe is confirmed: washing soda, borax, citric acid, salt and sodium percarbonate. An early family batch cleaned very well; a later altered batch left white film, and its exact contents were uncertain.
Incomplete reference
Practical guide Living record
Espresso Dial-In for the Breville
A living guide for dialing in organic espresso on the Breville, based on Heather’s established settings, Café Mam trials, coffee-shop experience, and practical adjustments for bitterness, fresh beans, and pre-ground coffee.
Working reference
Home formula Version 3
Liquid Castile Dish Soap: Recipes & Batch History
A family-made liquid dish soap once removed all grease from a heavily coated pot in one wash. The exact successful ratios were not preserved. Later batches became tacky, low-lather, greasy when enlarged, or too thin, so the versions must remain separate.
Working reference
Home formula Version 3
Liquid Laundry Soap: Recovered Baseline & Fabric-Wear Notes
The two-gallon written baseline is recovered. The exact preferred family variant and the later fabric-wear problem remain unresolved; this is a source record, not approval to resume the formula.
Incomplete reference
Home formula Version 2
Men’s Natural Body Wash — Failed Castile Formula
A castile-based body wash made for Kriss, with an unscented split intended for Leo. Family testing found it far too watery, with almost no lather and a rubbery or sticky feel after use. This version should be retained as failed history, not presented as a successful body-wash formula.
Family record
Practical guide Living record
Natural Pantry Storage for Potatoes, Onions, and Whole-Grain Flour
An unconfirmed pantry plan using separate breathable baskets for potatoes and onions, plus sealed, cool storage for whole-grain wheat flour. Heather explored the options but did not report a final setup or tested storage outcome.
Working reference
Practical guide Living record
Operating the Mini-Split in the Insulated Metal-Building Home
A practical cooling guide for deciding between temperature maintenance and setback while the family is home or away. The family discussed an approximately five-hour absence during hot weather, but no operating rule was tested or finalized.
Working reference
Home formula Version 2
Pine Resin and Beeswax Canvas Bars
Solid bars Heather made for waxing cotton canvas. The family-used beeswax-to-pine-resin ratio was not recorded. Heather later preferred the fresh pine-resin finish to the tackier Otter Wax result. Keep this workshop formula separate from medicinal salves.
Working reference
Project Living record
Warehouse Home Kitchen and Property Build Notes
Living project record for the converted mechanic-shop home, including the family-described layout and a proposed method for building a 12-foot butcher-block island from two 6-foot countertops. Cabinetry, quartz, insulation, and installed-door details still require family documentation.
Working reference
Project Living record
Waxed Canvas Cowboy Bedroll
A living project for four 9 × 12 ft cotton-canvas cowboy bedrolls with wool blanket fill and thrifted leather straps. Two rolls were completed. Heather found the homemade beeswax–pine-resin finish cleaner and less tacky than Otter Wax, but water resistance and a standardized closure remain untested.
Working referenceFamily collection
Flock
1 record
Family collection
Garden & Land
12 records
Growing journal Living record
Ashitaba: From Seeds to New Growth
An unsuccessful seed-storage attempt followed by a live plant and a confirmed new stem indoors.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Bacopa: Indoor Growing & Rooted Cuttings
The indoor water-basin setup, strong growth and flowering, followed by a cutting that actually formed roots.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Comfrey: The Mother Plant & Outdoor Trials
A protected Bocking 14 mother plant, transplant setbacks, replacement starts, and September duck damage.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Peach Trees: Recovery & Propagation
The ice-damaged tree, a separate snapped tree, three cutting trials, and the observations that followed.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Peonies
The Williams family's roughly 700-plant white peony field: varieties, current setup, irrigation history, frost lessons, organic inputs, cover-crop work, and the experiments still in progress.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Raspberries: Establishing the New Patch
About twenty neighbor-gifted root balls were planted; establishment and bearing type still need a recorded result.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Saffron: Indoor Corm Journal
Spring-planted indoor corms, summer uncertainty, and the September sorting check without an invented flowering result.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Strawberries: Harvest & Bed Notes
A strong reported harvest, borage in the bed, and a later leaf-damage check.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Sweetgrass: A Container Growing Journal
Hot-weather arrival, indoor planting, a possible new shoot, and the questions carried into winter.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
The Growing Notebook
The wider indoor and outdoor plant project: planter setup, replacement starts, and ideas not yet planted.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
The Rocky Entrance & Ground-Cover Trials
The actual rock-garden planting, early setbacks, and a no-herbicide ground-cover search.
Family record
Growing journal Living record
Tulsi & Holy Basil: Establishment Attempts
Repeated indoor starts and losses, with the conditions that were actually recorded kept separate from guesses.
Family recordFamily collection
How We Do Things
5 records
Practical guide Living record
Observe Before Declaring Cause
Keep observation separate from explanation. Record what changed, what happened, and why we think it happened without turning a theory into fact.
Family record
Practical guide Living record
Sensory Notes Matter
Measurements tell part of the story. Smell, taste, texture, tackiness, lather, set, plant appearance, and animal behavior are family data too.
Family record
Practical guide Living record
Small Batch Before Scaling
Test formulations small before multiplying them. The dish-soap and canvas-wax history shows why a promising formula should earn the right to scale.
Family record
Practical guide Living record
Use the Measure That Fits the Job
Heather often prefers cups and spoons for household baking. Keep weights too when they are recovered, and use precision where precision materially matters.
Family record
Practical guide Living record
Version Before Replacement
Keep the thing that worked before replacing it. Every meaningful change should say what changed, why, and what happened next.
Family record