F IS FOR FERMENTED FOODS

One o f the reasons? The gu t i s the la rges t pa r t o f ou r i m m u n e s y s te m s o i t mat te r s what yo u pu t i n i t . Yo u have l i ke l y read tha t sugar and re f ined c a r b o hy d r a te s c a u s e damage bu t yo u may not know tha t fe rme nte d fo o d s hea l .

Long before probiot ics became the dar l ings of the microbia l wor ld , cu l tures throughout h istor y and across the g lobe were celebrat ing fermented foods. Born as a preser vat ion method and used for mi l lennia , the Neol i th ic t radi t ion of fermentat ion has sparked modern use of and interest in probiot ic microbes.

Most research focuses on fermented dai r y products . However, vegetables such as cabbages, carrots , gar l ic , soybeans, o l ives , cucumbers , onions, turn ips , radishes, caul i f lower and peppers , in addi t ion to f ru i ts such as lemons or berr ies , of fer novel f lavors and textures—par t ly expla in ing why home fermentat ion, and par t icu lar ly lact ic ac id fermentat ion, is becoming an increasingly popular t rend.

H i s to r y & B e nef i t s S o u rc e :h t t p : / / w w w. fo o d a n d nu t r i t i o n . o r g / W i n te r -2 01 2/ T h e - H i s to r y - a n d - H e a l th - Be n e f i t s - o f -Fe r m e n te d -Fo o d/

8 REASONS TO EAT FERMENTED FOODS

1. Fermented foods improve digestion.Fermenting our foods before we eat them is like partially digesting them before we consume them. According to Joanne Slavin, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, “…sometimes people who cannot tolerate milk can eat yogurt. That’s because the lactose (which is usually the part people can’t tolerate) in milk is broken down as the milk is fermented and turns into yogurt.”

2. Fermented foods restore the proper balance has caused many scientists to u. Do you suffer from lactose intolerance? Gluten intolerance? Constipation? Irritable bowel syndrome? Yeast infections? Allergies? Asthma? All of these conditions have been linked to a lack of good bacteria in the gut.

3. Raw, fermented foods are rich in enzymes.According to the Food Renegade blog, “Your body needs [enzymes] to properly digest, absorb, and make full use of your food. As you age, your body’s supply of enzymes decreases. This has caused many scientists to hypothesize that if you could guard against enzyme depletion, you could live a longer, healthier life.”

4. Fermenting food actually increases the vitamin content.According to the Nourished Kitchen blog, “Fermented dairy products consistently reveal an increased level of folic acid which is critical to producing healthy babies as well as pyroxidine, B vitamins, riboflavin, and biotin depending on the strains of bacteria present. [1. Vitamin Profiles of Kefirs Made from Milk of Different Species. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. 1991. Kneifel et al].

The proce s s o f j a r r ing and f e r ment ing ve ge tabl e s i s no t a new th ing. In f a c t cu l tu re s th roughout h i s to r y have been bene f i t i ng f rom the nu t r i t i on o f f e r mentat i on fo r c en tur i e s. On ly r e cen t ly has our in t e r e s t i n p rob io t i c m i c robes and d iges t i ve enzymes sparked a r enewa l o f th i s anc i en t ho l i s t i c t r ad i t i on .

Records show f e r mented foods dat e a s f a r back a s 6000 BC and in some ca se s th i s p roce s s was c r i t i c a l t o p re se r v ing har ves t dur ing w in te r months. Fer mented foods have been used by Eas t e r n cu l ture s fo r med i c ina l pur pose s and t r ad i t i on Ch inese med i c ine v i ew s r aw foods a s un f avo r abl e t o hea l th .

Secondly, p lease do not eat spoi led fermented foods. In some rare instances, fermented foods can be over taken by mold or become spoi led. In these cases, throw out the resul t and star t anew.

FOOD SAFETY & FERMENTATION

First , the process of fermentat ion is only good for you i f i t occurs outs ide of your body. What does th is mean? I t means that i f you ingest foods that prov ide an abundance of sugar and growth media for bacter ia , they wi l l ferment those foods ins ide of you.

An overgrowth of fermentat ive bacter ia in your body can cause a l l k inds of medical problems, inc luding Crohn’s Disease, Ankylos ing Spondyl i t is , candid ias is , and I r r i table Bowel Syndrome. So the key is to pre -ferment your foods, that is to say, ferment your mi lk before you eat i t .

A word of Caution:Before you get too far into fermenting your own foods, we want to emphasize two caveats of fermentation.

S o u r c e : h t t p : / / w w w . n a t u r a l l i f e m a g a z i n e . c o m / 1 1 1 2 / f e r m e n t e d _ f o o d s _ m a k i n g _ s a u e r k r a u t . h t m

Fermenting crock pots, glass jars and kits

The other ver y impor tant e lement i s the fe rmentat ion vesse l . You ’ l l want to choose a la rge ceramic o r g lass ja r where you can f i t a cap o r p late on top to be ab le to press on the vegetab les and keep them under the br ine at a l l t imes . In any case , you ’ l l p robably want to p ress on the cap or p la te by put t ing a rock or a jug o f water on top .

The sa l t w i l l keep on ex t ract ing water f rom the vegetab les severa l hour s a f te r you put them in the fe rmentat ion vesse l , but you shou ld ver i f y that the l iqu id cover s your vegetab les the fo l lowing day and add water i f i t ’ s not the case .

Some mold can a lso fo rm on the sur face af te r some t ime in the fo rm of a whi te f i lm, but i t ’ s usua l ly not a prob lem and remov ing i t as best as you can i s good enough. I t ’ s a lso a good idea to p lace the chosen fe rmentat ion pot o r ja r on a p la te or th ick towel as the fe rment usua l l y expands and sp i l l s can happen.

THE VESSEL

Some specia l ceramic pots and

g lass jars are designed especia l ly for lacto - fermentat ion

and to keep the vegetables

submerged under the br ine. L ike these sauerkraut pots

above.Others use a gal lon

s ized g lass vessel or you can buy k i ts

which you can source onl ine. Some are equipped with an a i r lock setup to ensure that the

vegetables are under the br ine .

Can you use your c rock pot? The b ig d i f ference, however, is that

unl ike fermentat ion crocks, the l id of the crock pot does not prov ide an a i r less env i ronment for the good bacter ia & probiot ics to grow.The main point of the process (and the reason why i t works so ef fect ive ly ) , i s to make sure the cul tured veggies stay under the br ine and don’ t come in contact wi th a i r dur ing the f i r s t few days of fermentat ion.

Just make sure you can f ind a p late that f i ts n ice ly in your crock pot , or better yet , i f you know you’ l l be us ing th is technique a lot , I ’d invest in a p iece of p lexyglass and cut i t to f i t the shape of my pot (both my crock pots are oval ) . A l l you’d have to do then is add a weight to make sure the br ine covers the vegetables , and let the microbiota do i t ’s work

Check out the F ina l repor t on Tested pots a t :

h t tp ://www.nour ish ingt reasures .com/index .php/201 2/07/03/sauerkraut -sur v ivor - f ina l - repor t/

Mason jar with a white l id and an air lock instal led (you can pick air locks

up for a dol lar or three at your local hardware or home brew store)

Mason jar with a metal l id and an air lock instal led

NOW THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE GENERAL GUIDELINES TO FERMENTING , GO AHEAD AND TRY FERMENTING YOUR FAVOURITE

COMBINATION OF VEGETABLES. OR TRY OUT ONE FROM THIS BOOKLET.

RESOURCES

There are lots of book out there to source. Amazon lists the reviews so worth checking those reviews. These are just a few  you can check out: 

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live‐Culture Foods (Chelsea Green Publishing 2003)Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home: Creative Recipes for Lactic Fermented Food to Improve Your Health (Alive Books 2002)Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation (Chelsea Green Publishing 2003)Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet by Elaine Gottschall.Probiotics: Nature's Internal Healers by Natash TrenevNutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon, Mary G. Enig, and Kim Waters.Beyond Probiotics by Ann Gittleman.Acidophilus and Colon Health: How to Prevent Illness, Build Immunity, and Live a Longer, Healthier Life by David Webster.

D i s c l a i m e r : A l l m a t e r i a l i n t h i s b o o k l e t a r e p r o v i d e d f o r y o u r i n f o r m a t i o n o n l y a n d m a y n o t b e c o n s t r u e d a s m e d i c a l a d v i c e o r i n s t r u c t i o n . N o a c t i o n o r i n a c t i o n s h o u l d b e t a k e n b a s e d s o l e l y o n t h e c o n t e n t s o f t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n ; i n s t e a d , r e a d e r s s h o u l d c o n s u l t a p p r o p r i a t e h e a l t h p r o f e s s i o n a l s o n a n y m a t t e r r e l a t i n g t o t h e i r h e a l t h a n d w e l l b e i n g . T h e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d o p i n i o n s e x p r e s s e d h e r e a r e b e l i e v e d t o b e a c c u r a t e , b a s e d o n t h e b e s t j u d g e m e n t a v a i l a b l e t o t h e a u t h o r s , a n d r e a d e r s w h o f a i l t o c o n s u l t w i t h a p p r o p r i a t e h e a l t h a u t h o r i t i e s a s s u m e t h e r i s k o f a n y i n j u r i e s .I n a d d i t i o n , t h e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d o p i n i o n s e x p r e s s e d h e r e d o n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e f l e c t t h e v i e w s o f t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s . W e d o a c k n o w l e d g e d i f f e r e n c e s i n o p i n i o n a n d w e l c o m e t h e e x c h a n g e o f d i f f e r e n t v i e w p o i n t s .

Webs i te s :http : / /nour i shedk i tchen . com/http : / /www.thek i t chn . com/how ‐ to ‐make ‐beet ‐kvas s ‐cook ing ‐ l e s sons ‐ f rom ‐ the ‐k i t chn ‐193756http : / /pa leod ie t l i fe s t y l e . com/ fe rmented ‐ food ‐ re c ipes /http : / /www.we l l andgoodnyc . com/2013/08/09/7 ‐ fe rmented ‐ foods ‐you ‐ shou ld ‐be ‐eat ing /Videos :V ideo   ‐ http : / /canadaam.c tvnews . ca / fe rmented ‐ foods ‐how ‐ to ‐make ‐at ‐home ‐1 .1181880

Beet  Kvass  Sources :http : / /www.thenour i sh inggourmet .com/2014/03/beet ‐kvass ‐a ‐c leans ing ‐medic ina l ‐ton ic .htmlhttp : / /www.s implyd ixon .com/2013/03/20/ lac to ‐ fe rmented ‐beet ‐kvass/http : / /www.de l i c iousobsess ions . com/2012/04/52 ‐weeks ‐of ‐bad ‐a ‐bacter ia ‐week ‐16 ‐c i t rus ‐g inger ‐beet ‐kvass/Tutor ia l  on  Beet  Kvass   ‐ http : / /ournour i sh ingroots . com/rea l ‐ food ‐101 ‐how ‐ to ‐make ‐beet ‐kvass ‐and ‐why

The t rad i t i ona l fe rme nte d s a l s a s t ays g o o d fo r a ve r y l o ng t i me and b r i n g s a g r e a t fuzzy and pungent tas te .

I n g r e d i e n t s

1 2 cu p s f re s h to mato e s , c ho p p e d2 c u p s c h i l i e s , s e e d e d a n d c h o p p e d ( J a l a p e ñ o s a n d Se r ranos are good c ho i c e s )1 / 4 c u p d r i e d o regano2 tbsp cumin8 ga r l i c c loves , c h o p p e d ;2 o n i o n s , c h o p p e d1 / 4 c u p s e a s a l t

P r e p a r a t i o n

We a r g l ove s to h a n d l e t h e c h i l i e s a n d c o m b i n e t h e c h o p p e d to m a to e s , c h i l i e s , o r e g a n o , c u m i n , g ar l i c and on ions to ge ther.

Place the to mato mix tu re l i t t l e by l i t t l e i n yo ur fe rmenta t ion ja r, p o u n d i n g i t v i g o ro u s l y a n d s p r i n k l i n g s o m e o f t h e s e a s a l t a s yo u g o .

Make su re the mix tu re f i l l s the ja r up to 1 i n c h b e l l ow t h e to p ( b e c a u s e o f the expans ion ) , add ing more i f needed , and tha t the ex t rac te d wate r cove r s the ve ge tab les en t i re l y.

Press the mix tu re and keep i t under the b r i n e by p l a c i n g a p l a te o r a l i d o n to p we i g h te d d ow n by a ro c k o r a jug o f wate r. Cove r w i th a c lean towe l i f needed to keep ou t f ru i t f l i es .

Place the fe rmenta t ion ja r i n a warm spot i n yo u r k i t chen and a l l ow the s a l s a to fe rme nt fo r 3 to 5 d ays .

C h e c k o n i t f ro m t i m e to t i m e to be su re tha t the b r ine cove r s the mix tu re and to remove any mo ld tha t may fo rm on the su r face .

A GOOD WAY TO KNOW WHEN IT ’S READY IS TO TASTE IT DURING THE FERMENTATION PROCESS

AND MOVE IT TO THE REFRIGERATOR WHEN YOU’RE SATISFIED WITH THE TASTE.

Look for sourdough

bread instead of bread

made with commerc ia l yeast . Real

natural ly fermented

bread at the local baker y,

are good opt ions .

E a t s o m e J a p a n e s e n a t t oI t ’ s g o o d ! ) w i t h r i c e .

N a t t o i s k n o w n f o r i t s s t i c k i n e s s . I t i s t h e p o l y g l u t a m i c a c i d p r o d u c e d w h e n t h e s o y b e a n s f e r m e n t t h a t m a k e s n a t t os o s t i c k y . P o l y g l u t a m i c a c i d i s a p o l y p e p t i d e c o n t a i n i n g a l a r g e q u a n t i t y o f g l u t a m i c a c i d m o l e c u l e s . G l u t a m a t e s g i v e f o o d t h e u m a m i ( t h e s a v o r y f l a v o r t y p i c a l l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h f o o d s s u c h a s s o u p b r o t h m a d e f r o m k e l p , s h i i t a k e m u s h r o o m s , s h e l l f i s h , a n d o t h e r i n g r e d i e n t s ) t h a t m a k e s i t s o t a s t y .P o l y g l u t a m i c a c i d a l s o h e l p s t h e b o d y a b s o r b c a l c i u m . N a t t o i s a n e x t r e m e l y h e a l t h y f o o d p a c k e d f u l l o f V i t a m i n B a n d E , a l o n g w i t h f i b e r , a n d i r o n .

How to incorporate fermented foods into your diet?

Want to get creative and experiment?

Visit an Ethiopian restaurant and sample some of their delicious fermented injera bread -Ethiopian tef f flat bread!

I t ’ s e a s y p e a s y !

Serve   food  with  pick les ,  sauerkraut ,  sa l sa ,  ketchup,  sour  c ream,  k im chi ,  mayonna ise  and  other  natura l ly  fermented  condiments .

Good  star ter   rec ipes  are  yogurt  or  sauerkraut .

Ingredients 1 pint blueberries 10 fresh basil leaves 32 ounces kombucha

Instructions Put blueberries and

basil leaves in a blender or the bowl of a food processor and blend unti l l iquified

Put through a fine mesh sieve and reserve the l iquid

Divide the infusion between 2 fl ip-top bottles and add the kombucha

Seal bottles and let sit at room temperature for 1 to 3 days or up to 5 days

Refrigerate and use caution when opening bottles

With her book , Fermented : A Four Season Approach to Pa leo Prob iot ic Foods , J i l l C ic iare l l i g ives a season -by -season gu ide to ever y th ing you can fe rment .

Source : h t tp ://c iv i l i zedcavemancooking .com/s idessoupsdr inks/fermented -b lueber r y -bas i l - f i z z/

PREP TIME: 5 MINWAIT TIME: 48 HRS

Blueberry -Basil Fizz

Kimch i i s a va r y sp i cy and pungent Ko rean fe rmente d combinat ion o f Napa cabbage and rad i shes . O the r ve ge tab les , l i ke cucumber s , a re o f te n u s e d to o .

I n g r e d i e n t s

2 h e a d s N a p a c a b b a g e

2 D a i ko n r a d i s h e s , p e e l e d a n d s l i c e d

5 ca r ro ts , pee led and s l i ced

1 bunch s ca l l i ons , s l i ced

A 2 - i n c h p i e c e o f f r e s h g i n g e r minced

16 g a r l i c c l ove s , c h o p p e d

1/4 cup f i sh sauce

1 / 2 c u p c h i l i p a s te , to t a s te

1 1/4 cups sea sa l t

P r e p a r a t i o n

W a s h t h e c a b b a g e l e a v e s a n d l e t t h e m s o a k o v e r n i g h t i n a b r i n e o f 1 c u p s e a s a l t a n d 1 g a l l o n w a t e r .

O n c e s o a k e d , d i s c a r d t h e s o a k i n g l i q u i d a n d c o m b i n e t h e c a b b a g e w i t h t h e r a d i s h e s , c a r r o t s , s c a l l i o n s , g i n g e r , g a r l i c , f i s h s a u c e a n d c h i l i p a s t e .

A d d t h e r e m a i n i n g 1 / 4 c u p s e a s a l t t o t h e m i x t u r e a n d c o m b i n e w e l l .

P l a c e t h e m i x t u r e l i t t l e b y l i t t l e i n y o u r f e r m e n t a t i o n j a r , p o u n d i n g i t v i g o r o u s l y t o r e l e a s e t h e j u i c e s .

M a k e s u r e t h a t t h e e x t r a c t e d w a t e r c o v e r s i t e n t i r e l y . I f n o t , c r e a t e a b r i n e o f 2 t a b l e s p o o n s s e a s a l t t o 4 c u p s w a t e r a n d a d d i t t o t h e m i x t u r e .

P r e s s t h e m i x t u r e a n d k e e p i t u n d e r t h e b r i n e b y p l a c i n g a p l a t e o r a l i d o n t o p w e i g h t e d d o w n b y a r o c k o r a j u g o f w a t e r . C o v e r w i t h a c l e a n t o w e l i f n e e d e d t o k e e p o u t f r u i t f l i e s .

P l a c e t h e f e r m e n t a t i o n j a r i n a w a r m s p o t i n y o u r k i t c h e n a n d a l l o w t h e K i m c h i t o f e r m e n t f o r 5 t o 7 d a y s .

C h e c k o n i t f r o m t i m e t o t i m e t o b e s u r e t h a t t h e b r i n e c o v e r s t h e m i x t u r e a n d t o r e m o v e a n y m o l d t h a t m a y f o r m o n t h e s u r f a c e .

A g o o d w a y t o k n o w w h e n i t ’ s r e a d y i s t o t a s t e i t d u r i n g t h e f e r m e n t a t i o n p r o c e s s . I t ’ s r e a d y w h e n y o u ’ r e s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e t a s t e .

KIMCHI

S te p 1 : H e a t d e s i r e d a m o u n t o f m i l k to 1 80 degrees . Le t coo l to 100 degrees then add in yo ur s ta r te r. Use a scant 1/4 c u p o f s t a r te r ( yo g u r t f ro m a p r ev i o u s ba tch ) pe r quar t o f mi lk . S t i r un t i l we l l c o m b i n e d

S te p 2 : Po u r m i l k a n d yo g u r t m i x t u r e i n to j a r s o r a fe r m e n t i n g ve s s e l . S o m e p e o p l e p re fe r quar t j a r s l i ke the ones in the p i c tu re .

S te p 3 : Cove r l oose l y w i th l i ds (do no t t i gh te n , j us t p lace the m o n t h e r e o r c ove r w i th a te a towe l .

S te p 4 : P lace yo gur t i n a fe rment ing c hamber to fe rment the yo gur t . S u g g e s t i o n s : - U s e a h e a t i n g p a d s e t to l ow c ove r e d

w i th towe ls- U s e a d e hyd r a to r s e t to 10 5 d e g r e e s -p lac ing the ja r s i n the oven w i th the oven l i gh t on , door c losed . Do no t tu rn the oven on , j us t the oven l i gh t , - U se the coo le r method - p lace the ja r s o f mi lk/yogur t i n to a coo le r and f i l l i ng w i th ho t tap wate r, sea l ing the coo le r and le t t ing s i t fo r 24 hour s to fe rment .

P i ck a method and le t yo u r yo gur t fe rment fo r 24 s t ra igh t hour s .

S te p 5 : A f te r yo u r mi lk/yogur t mix tu re h a s fe r m e n te d fo r 24 h o u r s yo u s h o u l d have th i c k and c reamy yo gur t .

Source: http://www.simplefoody.org/diy -homemade-yogur t - thick-and-creamy/

NOURISHING HOMEMADE YOGURT

Re ad M o r e

W h a t i s Ke f i r : h t tp : //www.scd ie t .ne t/hea l ingc row/Hea l ingCrow/www.hea l ingc row.co m/fe r fun/ fe r fun .h tml

h t tp : //www.c rea t i ves imp le l i fe . com/homemade -mi lk -ke f i r - i s -be t te r/

h t t p : / / c a n a d a a m . c t v n ew s . c a / fe r m e n te d - fo o d s - h ow - to - m a ke - a t - h o me -1 .11 81 880#ixzz2 lAbmI5XS

M a ke yo u r ow n : 2 cups f resh mi lk –

recommend fu l l fa t 1 tbsp ke f i r g ra ins o r

1 pac kage ke f i r p ow d e r *

Put mi lk in a la rge mouth g lass ja r. I f co ld l e t s i t un t i l i t r e a c h e s ro o m te mpera tu re (o r pu t i n a saucepan w i th s immer ing wate r as in yo g u r t ) .

Add ke f i r g ra ins o r p ow d e r, s t i r we l l a n d cove r w i th a c lo th .

Leave in a warm a rea fo r 24 hour s , s t i r r i ng eve r y s i x h o u r s o r s o .

Tas te the ke f i r ove r the 24 hour s and s t ra in when the tas te i s to yo u r l i k i n g .

Po ur ke f i r th ro ugh a s t ra ine r i n to another ja r to ga ther the g ra ins be fo re yo u s to re the ke f i r i n the f r i d g e fo r u p to a we e k .

Rinse the ke f i r g ra ins gen t l y and s to re in a ja r w i th 1/2 cup mi lk o r wate r.

Kefi r Benefi ts

• Keeps longer than fresh milk• Of fers benefic ial bacter ia that

boosts the immune system• Helps to f ight of f bad bacter ia

l ike E. col i , campylobactor, l ister ia and parasites

• Restores benefic ial bacter ia in the gut af ter ant ibiot ic use

• Excel lent source of protein• Tolerated by those who are

lactose intolerant as the culture uses up the lactose in the milk

What i s Kef i r :

Kef i r i s a fe rmented mi lk product made f rom kef i r g ra ins . Un l ike yogur t , kef i r i s made f rom lactobac i l lus bacter ia and severa l d i f fe rent yeast o rgan isms and is fe rmented at room temperature . The most d i f f i cu l t s tep in making kef i r i s f ind ing some kef i r g ra ins .

KEFIR

S o u r c e : h t t p : / / c a p i t a l s p i c e b l o g . c o m / c o o k i n g - a t -h o m e / h o m e - m a d e - p i c k l e s - h a l f - s o u r - a l l -

a w e s o m e /

Ingred ients

1 2 K i rby p ick les -approx imate ly 4″ long , quar ter them in to spear s . Some people prefer to use f i rm smal le r cucumbers

3/4 cup p ick l ing sp ice 6 c loves o f gar l i c , cut in

ha l f 1 cup whi te v inegar 3/4 cup kosher sa l t co ld

water (not ch lor inated as tas tes yucky )

3 ce ler y s ta lks (opt iona l -can leave i t out most o f the t ime)

2 roots o f d i l l approx imate ly o r 1 tbspd i l l weed (not seed)

BIG g lass ja r -about a ga l lon s i ze or mix l iqu id and a use a bunch of smal l ja r s

The c runch and the b i te o f the p ick les are a wonder fu l reward fo r do ing i t your se l f , and the cost o f the ingred ients i s s t i l l less than

what you would pay in the s tore fo r a decent a l te rnat ive to home-made.

D i rect ions Wash p ick les and ce ler y and ar range in a ja r

in an upr ight pos i t ion a long wi th ha l f o f the p ick l ing sp ice , c loves o f gar l i c and ha l f o f the d i l l . Set as ide .

Mix 6 cups o f co ld water w i th kosher sa l t and whi te v inegar. P lace in a la rge bowl and s t i r unt i l sa l t i s mel ted . The v inegar i s what you need to ad just fo r f lavor usua l l y not the sa l t . Taste . Shou ld be sor t o f sour but not rea l l y sa l ty.

Put water and sa l t mix ture and v inegar in to the ja r unt i l the mix ture cover s the p ick les . Add the ba lance o f the p ick l ing sp ice and the d i l l .

Seal and shake l ike c razy fo r a few seconds to b lend a l l ingred ients .

Let th is s tand on the counter a t room temperature , uncovered , o r w i th the top jus t s i t t ing on the ja r but not c losed , fo r one fu l l day (24 hours ) .C

heck by tast ing and i f i t i s sat is factor y, le t i t s tand fo r an add i t iona l 2 days , uncovered . Ad just v inegar as necessar y.

When the p ick les turn dark green ish , cover and re f r igerate . They wi l l keep fo r 2 weeks in the f r ig… i f they las t that long .

HOMEMADE PICKLES: HALF SOUR, ALL DELICIOUS!

You shou ld be sure to seek out cucumbers that lend themselves to p ick l ing . Some are even named p ick l ing cucumbers to make i t that

much eas ier to ident i f y them.

These a re a favo r i te o f many and a l o t o f peop le miss t h e m w h e n g o i n g o n a Pa l e od ie t , bu t the na tu ra l l y l ac to -fe rmente d k ind i f pe r fec t l y hea l thy, c runchy and sour. Th i s ve r s ion i s f l avo red w i th g a r l i c a n d d i l l . Yo u r g a r l i c too w i l l l ac to - fe rment and can be en joye d a f te r wards as i t w i l l b e p a c ke d w i t h f l avo r.

I n g r e d i e n t s 1 g a l l o n ( 16 c u p s )

p i c k l i n g c u c u m b e r s , u nwaxe d

2 bunc hes f resh d i l l 16 c loves ga r l i c , who le

a n d p e e l e d 3 t b s p p i c k l i n g s p i c e s

( p e p p e rco r n s , m u s t a r d s e e d s , b ay l e ave s , c l ove s )

5 o r 6 t b s p s e a s a l t

P r e p a r a t i o n

S o a k t h e c u c u m b e r s i n c o l d w a t e r f o r a f e w h o u r s t h e n s c r u b t h e m t h o r o u g h l y t o p r e v e n t a n y m o l d f r o m f o r m i n g d u r i n g t h e f e r m e n t a t i o n p r o c e s s .

P l a c e t h e c u c u m b e r s , d i l l , g a r l i c a n d s p i c e s i n y o u r f e r m e n t a t i o n j a r a n d s p r i n k l e a b i t o f s e a s a l t a s y o u g o a l o n g .

P r e p a r e a b r i n e o f 5 t a b l e s p o o n s s e a s a l t t o 8 c u p s w a t e r , m a k i n g s u r e t o s t i r w e l l t o d i s s o l v e t h e s a l t a n d f i l l t h e f e r m e n t a t i o n j a r w i t h t h e b r i n e s o i t c o v e r s t h e c u c u m b e r s .

C o v e r t h e j a r p l a c e i t i n a w a r m s p o t i n y o u r k i t c h e n a n d a l l o w t h e c u c u m b e r s t o f e r m e n t f o r 5 t o 1 0 d a y s .

A g o o d w a y t o k n o w w h e n i t ’ s r e a d y i s t o t a s t e i t d u r i n g t h e f e r m e n t a t i o n p r o c e s s . I t ’ s r e a d y w h e n y o u ’ r e s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e t a s t e

SOUR PICKLES

R e a d m o r e :

P i c k l e s : T h e S w e e t a n d S o u r T r e a t | M e d i n d i a

h t t p : / / w w w . m e d i n d i a . n e t / p a t i e n t s / l i f e s t y l e a n d w e l l n e s s / p i c k l e s -t h e - s w e e t - a n d - s o u r - t r e a t . h t m # i x z z 2 l j g R 4 g A 8

People s ince ages c la imed al l k inds of benef i ts f rom pickles . C leopatra said that eat ing food that were p ickled helped maintain her beauty. Ar is tot le ta lked about the posi t ive ef fects of p ick led cucumbers .

Ingredients

16 pears, cored and chopped coarsely

2 cups rais ins 2 cups pecans,

chopped 2 1/2 tbsp sea salt Juice of 5 lemons 4 onions, f inely

chopped 4 tbsp grated fresh

ginger 4 hot peppers, f resh

or dr ied, chopped

P r e p a r a t i o n

C o m b i n e t h e c h o p p e d p e a r s w i t h t h e ra i s ins , pecans , sea sa l t , l emon ju i ce , on ions , g inge r and hot pepper s to g ethe r.

Place the mix tu re l i t t l e by l i t t l e i n yo u r fe r m e n t a t i o n j a r, p o u n d i n g i t v i g o ro u s l y to r e l e a s e t h e j u i c e s .

Make su re the mix tu re f i l l s the ja r u p to 1 i n c h b e l l ow t h e to p ( b e c a u s e o f the expans ion ) and tha t the ex t rac te d wate r cove r s the mi x tu re . I f no t , c rea te a b r ine o f 2 t a b l e s p o o n s s e a s a l t to 4 c u p s wate r and add i t to the mix tu re .

Press the f ru i t and keep them under the b r ine by p lac ing a p la te o r a l i d o n to p we i g h te d d ow n by a ro c k o r a jug o f wate r. Cove r w i th a c lean towe l i f n e e d e d to ke e p o u t f r u i t f l i es .

Place the fe rmenta t ion ja r i n a warm spot i n yo u r k i t chen and a l l ow the c hutney to fe rment fo r 2 to 4 days .

C h e c k o n i t f ro m t i m e to t i m e to b e su re tha t the b r ine cove r s the f ru i t and to remove any mo ld tha t may fo rm on the su r face .

A good way to know when i t ’ s ready i s to tas te i t du r ing the fe rmenta t ion p ro c e s s a n d m ove i t to t h e r e f r i g e r a to r w h e n yo u ’ r e s a t i s f i e d w i th the tas te .

Peach Chutney

Do you love sauerkraut?I l o v e i t w i t h h o t d o g s , k i e l b a s a , a s a s i d e d i s h , o r b y i t s e l f . M o s t p e o p l e

t h i n k o f s a u e r k r a u t a s a p i c k l e d c a b b a g e d i s h , w h e n i t ' s a c t u a l l y a F E R M E N T E D c a b b a g e d i s h . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , m o s t s t o r e b o u g h t s a u e r k r a u t h a s

b e e n h e a t - p r o c e s s e d a n d c a n n e d , k i l l i n g o f f t h e " g o o d " b a c t e r i a s o e s s e n t i a l t o o u r d i g e s t i v e h e a l t h .

S o u r c e :h t t p : / / w w w . i b e l i e v e i c a n f r y . c o m / 2 0 1 0 / 1 2 / h o m e m a d e - s a u e r k r a u t . h t m lh t t p : / / w w w . y o u n g a n d r a w . c o m / f e r m e n t e d - f o o d s - c a n - h e a l - y o u r - g u t - a n d -

m a k e - y o u r - s k i n - g l o w /

D i r e c t i o n s

1 . S h r e d t h e c a b b a g e i n t h e f o o d p r o c e s s o r o r s l i c e i t f i n e l y w i t h a k n i f e . A d d t h i s m i x t u r e t o a b o w l a n d s t a r t t o m a s s a g e t h e c a b b a g e w i t h y o u r h a n d s . I f t h e r e i s s o m e l i q u i d t h a t a p p e a r s t h i s i s g o o d !

2 . M a k e b r i n e f r o m b l e n d i n g w a t e r a n d u n p a s t e u r i z e d m i s o p a s t e . U s e a b o u t 4 c u p s o f w a t e r a n d 1 t a b l e s p o o n o f m i s o a s a g o o d q u a n t i t y f o r a m e d i u m - s i z e d c a b b a g e . P o u r t h e b r i n e o v e r t h e c a b b a g e a n d m i x w e l l .

3 . F i l l t h e m i x t u r e i n t o a j a r , a n d s q u a s h i t d o w n s o t h a t t h e c a b b a g e i s t i g h t l y p a c k e d . L e a v e s o m e s p a c e a t t h e t o p o f t h e j a r , a s t h e c a b b a g e m i x t u r e w i l l e x p a n d . F i l l t h e s p a c e b e t w e e n t h e t o p o f t h e m i x t u r e a n d t h e r i m o f t h e j a r w i t h r o l l e d o u t e r c a b b a g e l e a v e s . N o w s e a l t h e j a r a n d l e a v e a t r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e f o r 5 d a y s .

4 . A f t e r 5 d a y s , r e m o v e t h e t o p c a b b a g e l e a v e s a n d t h r o w t h e m a w a y . T h e n p u t t h e j a r i n t o t h e f r i d g e . I f y o u h a v e a s c u m o r b u b b l e s a t t h e t o p , t h i s i s g r e a t ! T h e s e a r e a s i g n o f t h e h e a l t h y p r o b i o t i c s b e i n g p r e s e n t i n t h e f e r m e n t .

Y o u c a n s t a r t e a t i n g s o m e o f t h e f e r m e n t e d c a b b a g e o n c e y o u p u t t h e j a r i n t o t h e f r i d g e a n d d o n ’ t f o r g e t t o e n j o y i t d a i l y !

SAUERKRAUT

CITRUS GINGER BEET KVASS

I n g r e d i e n t s2 la rge bee ts ( about the s i z e o f a s o f tb a l l )1 o range2 lemons2 t b s p g r a te d g i n g e r ( d e p e n d i n g o n h ow g i n g e r y yo u l i ke i t )1 t b s p . s e a s a l t1/8 cup whey

I t ’ s v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o u s e f i l t e r e d w a t e r , f r e e f r o m c h e m i c a l s l i k e c h l o r i n e a n d f l u o r i d e . T h e s e c h e m i c a l s a r e t y p i c a l l y p r e s e n t i n t a p w a t e r a n d c a n p r e v e n t y o u r k v a s s f r o m f e r m e n t i n g p r o p e r l y .

D o n ’ t k n ow w h a t B e et K va s s i s ?

Don ’ t wo r r y, mos t peop le don ’ t e i the r. Beet kvass comes f rom the count r y o f L i thuan ia where they take t h e j u i c e f ro m a b e e t ro o t a n d fe rment i t . I t has many hea l th ben e f i t s i n c l u d i n g b e i n g h i g h i n v i tamins and minera l s l i ke po tass ium, magnes ium, i ron , v i tamins A , B6 and C , fo l i c ac id , ca rbohydra te s , p ro te in , an t iox idants and s o l u b l e f i b e r. A l s o , s i n c e i t i s fe rmente d i t con ta ins a bunc h o f p rob io t i cs wh ich a re fan tas t i c fo r yo u r d iges t i ve hea l th .

Beet kvass has long been known as a natural heal th tonic .

D i r e c t i o n s :

1 . C l e a n & C h o p B e e t s , O r a n g e s , L e m o n s a n d G i n g e r

2 . J u i c e B e e t s , O r a n g e s , L e m o n s a n d G i n g e r ( Y o u c a n s k i p t h i s i f y o u d o n ’ t h a v e a j u i c e r , j u s t p u t t h e p i e c e s d i r e c t l y i n t h e m a s o n j a r . )P o u r l i q u i d i n t o m a s o n j a r

3 . A d d S a l t a n d W h e y t o j a r

4 . S c r e w o n l i d w i t h o u t a i r l o c k

5 . C o v e r h o l e i n l i d w i t h f i n g e r a n d s h a k e w e l l

6 . A d d a i r l o c k w i t h w a t e r ( m a k e s u r e t h e w a t e r l e v e l i s b e l o w m a x f i l l l i n e )7 . S e t f o r 2 - 3 d a y s i n a 7 0 F a r e a ( I f i t i s f e r m e n t i n g a n d y o u h a v e a g o o d

s e a l o n t h e l i d , y o u w i l l s e e t h e a i r l o c k b u b b l e )8 . F i l t e r t h r o u g h c h e e s e c l o t h o r m u s l i n i n t o a n o t h e r j a r t o g e t r i d o f

s e d i m e n t ( o p t i o n a l : y o u c a n k e e p t h e s e d i m e n t i n t h e r e , b u t f i l t e r i n g h e l p s c l e a r i t u p )

9 . P l a c e r e g u l a r l i d o n j a r a n d a l l o w t o s e t f o r 1 o r 2 d a y s a t 7 0 F t o C a r b o n a t e

1 0 . P l a c e j a r s i n f r i d g e t o s t o p f e r m e n t a t i o n a n d c a r b o n a t i o n ( I m p o r t a n t : o r y o u m a y h a v e e x p l o d i n g j a r s a s p r e s s u r e c o n t i n u e s t o b u i l d u p )

1 1 . D r i n k a s h o t d a i l y i n t h e m o r n i n g o n a n e m p t y s t o m a c h f o r b e s t r e s u l t s

T h e o n l y t h i n g y o u m a y h a v e t r o u b l e f i n d i n g o r m a k i n g i s w h e y .

B u t i f y o u a l r e a d y b u y r a w m i l k i t ’ s s i m p l e t o m a k e : y o u s i m p l y l e a v e y o u r m i l k o u t a t r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e , c o v e r e d , a n d l e t i t s e p a r a t e . T h e n w h e n y o u l e t t h e s o l i d s d r a i n t h r o u g h a s i e v e , t h e l i q u i d t h a t d r i p s o f f i s w h e y . S e p a r a t e d m i l k i s a b o u t h a l f w h e y a n d h a l f c u r d s , s o a g a l l o n o f m i l k w o u l d g i v e y o u a h a l f a g a l l o n o f w h e y .I f y o u d o n ’ t h a v e r a w m i l k y e t , t h e n y o u c a n g e t o r g a n i c , p l a i n , w h o l e m i l k y o g u r t . T h e n y o u c a n e i t h e r p o u r t h e l i q u i d o f f t h e t o p o f i t , w h i c h i s w h e y , o r y o u c a n s t r a i n t h e y o g u r t o v e r n i g h t i n a s i e v e p l a c e d o v e r a b o w l a n d t h e w h e y w i l l d r i p t h r o u g h . T h i s i s m y p r e f e r r e d w a y t o m a k e w h e y m y s e l f , a l t h o u g h I u s e h o m e m a d e r a w m i l k y o g u r t w h e n I d o .I p r e f e r t h e e a s e o f s t r a i n i n g y o g u r t t o m a k e w h e y f o r s e v e r a l r e a s o n s : i t d o e s n ’ t t a k e a s l o n g a s s e p a r a t i n g r a w m i l k , i t s e p a r a t e s b e t t e r a n d c l e a n e r , a n d i t t a s t e s b e t t e r . P l u s y o u c a n u s e t h e s t r a i n e d s o l i d s f r o m t h e y o g u r t t o m a k e s a v o r y y o g u r t c h e e s e , o r a s w e e t b a s e f o r a f r u i t t a r t i f y o u m i x i t w i t h h o n e y a n d v a n i l l a . R e m e m b e r t h a t t h e r e i s a r e a s o n n a t u r e m a d e o u r f o o d s t h i s w a y . W e h a v e u s e f o r e a c h p a r t !I f y o u h a v e a d a i r y a l l e r g y a n d c a n n o t u s e w h e y , t h e n y o u c a n s i m p l y s u b s t i t u t e w i t h m o r e s a l t i n t h e r e c i p e . I t w i l l b e s a l t y , b u t t h e l a c t o -f e r m e n t a t i o n p r o c e s s w i l l s t i l l t a k e p l a c e p r o p e r l y w i t h a l l s a l t . F o r t h i s r e c i p e , y o u c a n s u b s t i t u t e 1 t a b l e s p o o n s e a s a l t f o r t h e 1 / 2 c u p o f w h e y .

AND THE BEET GOES ON…

Whey is incredibly useful

when making lacto- fermented dr inks (such as

beet kvass) , condiments (such as mayonnaise) , and vegetables (such as these

di l ly carrot st icks) at home.

Y o u n e e d t o d r i n k o n l y a b o u t 4 o u n c e s o f b e e t k v a s s i n t h e m o r n i n g o n a n e m p t y s t o m a c h t o g e t a c o n c e n t r a t e d b e n e f i t .

Don ’ t have t ime to make your own?

I f you ’ re s t i l l uncomfor tab le wi th the idea of making your

own fe rmented foods and dr inks , o r you haven ’ t the

t ime, you can a lso purchase organic fe rmented beet ju ice

(as we l l as o ther ton ics ) on l ine and s t i l l reap the same benef i ts o f making your own.

Ingredients2 large, or 3 -4 medium beets (preferably organic )1 tablespoon of sea sal tF i l tered waterInstruct ionsPeel your beets , and chop them up coarsely (1 -2 inch chunks) . Do not grate your beets ! Th is wi l l cause your kvass to ferment too rapid ly, producing a lcohol rather than lact ic -ac id (Sal ly Fal lon, Nour ish ing Tradi t ions , page 610)Put your chopped beets in your jar, or d iv ide them equal ly between two quar t s ized jarsSpr inkle the sea sal t on top of your beetsFi l l your jar wi th f i l tered water, leav ing about an inch at the top for headspace, and st i r the contents wel lSecure the l id , and leave i t on your counter for 2 -7 days before moving i t to the ref r igerator.

BEET KVASS AS A DRESSING

Other Uses

You can use your kvass in p lace of v inegar for sa lad dress ings , or as a tangy addi t ion to soups. Be sure to reduce any addi t ional sa l t in your rec ipe!

PICKLED GINGER

I n g r e d i e n t s

F r e s h y o u n g g i n g e r 2 l b sR i c e V i n e g a r 3 c u p sS u g a r 2 c u p sS a l t 2 t s p

P r e p a r a t i o n• W a s h g i n g e r r o o t a n d r u b t h e

s k i n o f f .N o w t h i n l y s l i c e t h e g i n g e r a n d s p r i n k l e s a l t o v e r i t a n d k e e p i t a s i d e f o r a n h o u r .T h e n p l a c e t h e s a l t e d g i n g e r s l i c e s o n p a p e r t o w e l s .D r y t h e s l i c e s a n d p u t t h e m i n a s t e r i l i z e d j a r .

• I n a p a n b r i n g r i c e v i n e g a r a n d s u g a r t o a b o i l .

• P o u r t h e h o t v i n e g a r a n d s u g a r m i x t u r e o v e r t h e g i n g e r s l i c e s .

• L e t i t c o o l a n d t h e n t i g h t l y c o v e r t h e j a r .

• S t o r e t h e j a r i n t h e r e f r i g e r a t o r .

I f y o u a r e u s i n g o l d g i n g e r t h e c o l o r o f t h e p i c k l e d g i n g e r w i l l n o t t u r n t o p i n k , b u t i f y o u a r e u s i n g y o u n g g i n g e r i t w i l l c h a n g e t o p i n k .

P i c k l e d g i n g e r i s sweet , th in l y s l i c e d yo u n g g inger, wh ich i s mar ina te d in a so lu t ion o f sugar and v inegar. I t i s known as “ga r i ” a n d i s s e r ve d a n d e a te n a f te r s u s h i .

I n some p laces i t i s a l so known as s u s h i g i n g e r. T h e commerc ia l l y m a d e o n e i s a r t i f i c i a l l y c o l o r e d p i n k to p ro m ote sa les , howeve r, the na tu ra l l y m a d e p ro d u c t i s t yp i ca l l y pa le ye l l ow to s l i gh t l y p ink hue f rom the p i c k l i n g p ro c e s s .

I t i s ea te n between sush i to he lp c leanse the p a l a te .

R e a d m o r e a t : h t t p : / / w w w . b u z z l e . c o m / a r t i c l e s / p i c k l e d - g i n g e r . h t m l