Almost Off Grid Blog - Brew, Make, Forage, Grow.

  • Homemade Deodorant with Coconut Oil and Shea Butter

    by Almost Off Grid
    Once I'd tried Homemade Deodorant that I'd made myself, I knew I'd never go back to buying it again. Make it tonight, use it tomorrow!
    Posted in Making

  • Beginner's Guide to Making Mead

    by Almost Off Grid
    Looking for a guide to Making Mead? If you have a few simple ingredients and sterilise all your equipment properly, then you're ready to go. Though the quality of the honey you use for making mead is the important. 
    Posted in Brewing, Making

  • Crochet a Moss Stitch Flannel

    by Almost Off Grid
    Can you make a chain, a double crochet stitch and a slip stitch? Then you can crochet a lovely, simple Cotton Moss Stitch Flannel in no time flat.
    Posted in Making

  • Pear & Vanilla Butter Recipe

    by Almost Off Grid
    Pear and Vanilla are a match made in heaven. This weekend I made this beautiful - and very easy - Pear & Vanilla Butter. You will love it.
    Posted in Recipes

  • Easy Soap Recipe - Olive Oil Soap with Shea Butter

    by Almost Off Grid
    This is the recipe for the first soap I ever made. It made me realise that making soap was so much easier and quicker than I thought it would be.
    Posted in Making

  • Basic Equipment needed for soap making at home

    by Almost Off Grid

    There's nothing quite like showering or bathing with a bar of your own handmade soap. And making handcrafted soap is much easier than you might think. Before I share my go-to soap recipe though, I wanted to talk about the equipment needed for soap making at home.

     

    Posted in Making

  • Growing Hops in the Garden

    by Almost Off Grid
    It's no secret that Home Brewing is our thing. So it seems a natural next step to start growing hops in the garden. As the chickens in our garden would decimate an entire field of hops in under 20 minutes, we are growing hops at the allotment instead.
    Posted in Growing

  • Bread Maker Oat Bread with Malt Extract

    by Almost Off Grid
    This week I made breadmaker Oat Bread using Dried Malt Extract (DME) instead of sugar. It was absolutely delicious, and here's the recipe.
    Posted in Recipes

  • What is Malt Extract?

    by Almost Off Grid

    We sell 2 kinds of Malt Extract for Home Brewing. Liquid Malt Extract (LME) and Dried Malt Extract (DME). But what is Malt Extract?

    Malt extract is derived from barley grains and water. It is packed with sugars plus some nutrients, including vitamin A and riboflavin. After the war it was popular as a dietary supplement for undernourished children. 

    Posted in Brewing

  • Homemade Whole Grain Mustard with Sauvignon Blanc

    by Almost Off Grid
    I only discovered that I liked mustard quite recently. The gentle start I needed was French Dijon Mustard, adding sparingly to the odd thing. Then we started bringing it back from France. Then I started putting it in salad dressings. Now I make it.
    Posted in Recipes

  • Raw Honey & Mustard Salad Dressing, and all about emulsifying your dressings

    by Almost Off Grid
    We don't eat salad very often in winter. But when we do, I like gorgeous dressing. This Raw Honey and Mustard Salad Dressing fits the bill, and it knocks the socks off anything you can buy.
    Posted in Recipes

  • Grow your own Wild Garlic

    by Almost Off Grid
    Spotting wild garlic on country walks is wonderful. You usually smell it before you see it, and it tells you that Spring is either here or on its w...
    Posted in Growing