Sometimes we forget that many of the foods we’re accustomed to were actually made from scratch by our great grandmothers and abuelas. It’s easy to because everything is so easy for us now – things are in tidy, neat packages that you can store in your refrigerator. Even the most basic foods are now pre-packaged.
Our Latin American great-grandmothers, las verdaderas señoras de la casa, didn’t rely on store shelves for the essentials; they were the shelves. In their kitchens, they brewed their own teas from garden herbs, ground spices by hand, made tortillas fresh each morning, fermented vinegars and pickled vegetables, and even whipped up their own tonics, syrups, and beauty balms. What we now buy in neatly packaged jars or bottles; bone broths, salsas, hair oils, cleaning vinegar—they created from memory, instinct, and the rhythm of tradition. Their kitchens weren’t just for cooking; they were sacred laboratories of nourishment, healing, and generational wisdom.
For example, did you know that you can make your own cottage cheese and not have to rely on buying a tub every week? (because, yes, it runs out quick!). All you need are two things: milk and vinegar. You can’t get any more easy than this recipe. You’ll be wishing you had learned how to do this long ago – you would have saved yourself a lot of cottage cheese money!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat 2L of milk to 120F
Add a quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons white vinegar
Stir and cover the pot.
Let it sit for 30 min