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Things have been quiet here on the blog the last few weeks, but we've been very busy behind the scenes.  We spent August researching, sourcing and deciding on new products to offer for the holiday season!  Now all those lovely new products are "swimming" their way across the ocean and should be here by the beginning of October!

We're very excited about some of our new offerings, as well as restocking some favorites that have sold out on the website.  Our popular Extra Large Cabbage Shredders will be back in stock very soon! 

We will also be restocking the Fruit Bowl, which makes an excellent hostess gift for any upcoming holiday parties.  The fruit bowl also works great for displaying Christmas tree ornaments or other decorations.

Especially for the holidays, we are adding a selection of handmade nativity sets. When I first visited Poland, I fell in love with carved wood nativity sets with natural mangers.  They are such a beautiful, unique product that I have been unable to find here in the US.  When we started talking about Christmas products, this is the first item we needed to have! 

In addition to sets which include the figures and manger, we will also be offering stand alone mangers/creche.  Many families already have a special set of nativity figurines, and these mangers will be the perfect way to complete your holiday display.

We will also be featuring another holiday favorite in my family - a nutcracker.  Growing up, I always remember my grandparents having a bowl of nuts & a nutcracker out during the holidays.  While we already offer the wood mushroom shaped nut cracker, we are expanding on this by adding a gift set which will include the nutcracker and a solid wood bowl.  This is another item that makes a great hostess gift!

Finally, we have been working behind the scenes to get everything in place to start offering the DABO block sets online.  These uniquely shaped block sets have received an enthusiastic response at our market booths.  We have been playing with these castle, farm & house block sets constantly at our house ever since we got the first sample set!  You will be amazed at the number of blocks that come in these sets for the price, from 140 up to 220 pieces. 

We will be offering both a natural wood set and dyed (colored) sets.  We have a limited number of these coming, and once they're gone, we might not be able to get anymore before Christmas.  We are the exclusive distributors of these blocks in the United States - so if you want one, order soon!  We'll be sure to announce once they are available so you can grab one while they are still in stock.

I'm sure you'll agree that at least one of these products belong on your Christmas list this year!  Look for them to start showing up on the website in October.  And as always, if you have any questions about these items please feel free to email me at emily@stonecreektrading.com!

Are you looking for more information about fermenting?  If so, the latest podcast from Cultivate Simple - Further Fermentation, provides some great information.  They also did an Intro to Lacto-Fermentation podcast that answers a lot of questions that our customers might have. 

This podcast by the bloggers behind Chiot's Run, is a wonderful resource for those who want to live a natural, simple & sustainable life.  We have been reading their blog for the past few years and have integrated many of their ideas into our lifestyle.  If you are interested in gardening, I highly suggest checking out this blog!

If you happen to listen to the Further Fermentation episode, be sure to listen carefully.  They mention Stone Creek Trading as a source for fermenting crocks and have a great offer for their listeners (and you)!  We hope you'll tune in!

We have also sent them a fermentation crock to try out.  Once they've had a chance to use it, we'll post a link of their experience with a Stone Creek Trading fermenting crock.  We're looking forward to seeing what they make!

We have another market this weekend, and we'll be back at the location of our first market!  Check us out this Saturday, August 24th from 8am - 2pm at the Chicago Nettelhorst French Market.

We had a great response in June when we last had a booth at this market, and are looking forward to another great day.  The weather looks like it should cooperate a little better for us this weekend as well,

If you're in the Chicago area and have been thinking about purchasing something from our website, the market is a great opportunity to come pick up your item and avoid paying shipping fees.  This also gives you the chance to see some of our products in person before you buy!  If you do have a specific item you have been eying, please let us know in advance so we can make sure we bring plenty of stock with us!

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What good is a fermentation crock without a good fermenting recipe?  We know how frustrating it can be when you first start fermenting to track down a recipe to try, especially a recipe that is sized for a 5 liter or 10 liter fermenting crock.  That's why we include a recipe for both pickles & sauerkraut with every crock we ship!  These recipes are translations of the traditional Polish fermenting recipes that Kryz's family would make when he was growing up.

Because we know how hard it can be to keep track of those two little recipe cards, we wanted to share those recipes here on the blog as well.  This week we are featuring our Polish Dill Pickle Recipe.  If you've misplaced your recipe card, or if you're just visiting our website and looking for a new recipe to try, here it is!

Polish Dill Pickles (Ogorki Kiszone)

(recipe fits 5 liter crock, for 10 liter just double it)

5-6 lbs of small cucumbers                           1 Tbsp mustard seeds
3 qt. of brine (2 Tbsp salt/quart water)         1 tsp allspice (whole)
6 cloves of garlic (sliced)                              1 Tbsp fresh horseradish root (sliced)    
1/3 bunch of fresh dill (whole)                       a few grape or cherry leafs (optional)                     

Wash the cucumbers and poke a few holes at both ends with a fork or knife.  Prepare the brine by boiling the water and letting it cool, then dissolving the salt in it.  Place the cucumbers in the crock, adding dill, garlic, and spices in between layers of cucumbers.  To help preserve crispness, a few grape or cherry leaves can be added to the crock.  Cover everything with the stone weights and add the brine until it covers the weights.  Fill water seal groove with water and cover with the lid. Keep crock at room temperature for 3-4 days, then move to cooler place.  Pickles can be eaten at any point in the fermentation process.  When desired sourness is reached, remove from crock & refrigerate.  Enjoy!

Remember, that fermentation is natural process, and every batch will vary.  This is the standard recipe that we start with, making tweaks and changes to it every time.  Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste and develop your own family recipe!

Bonjour mes amis!

Come join us this Sunday, August 11, from 9am - 3pm at the French Market at French Connection Day at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL. Stone Creek Trading will have a booth and look forward to celebrating everything French for the day!

This will be a great event for all you francophiles out there with lots of fun french food and activities! It's also great for families! If you live in the Chicago area and have never been to Cantigny, this is also a great opportunity to check out this amazing park.

Find out more about the French Connection day at Cantigny Park.

We hope to see you there!