A Little on Fermented Foods
Throughout the history of the world, people have sought for ways to preserve foods. People in various cultures experimented with fermenting everything from dairy to grains to vegetables and fruits. Today, Germans are famous for their sauerkraut — fermented cabbage. The Japanese are famous for soy sauce and miso — made with fermented soybeans. Koreans have their kimchi, the Hawaiians have poi. People in many locales made yogurt, kefir, and cheeses with fermented dairy. Ciders, ales, pickles, sourdough breads and porridges are also made through fermentation! The list could go on and on!
The technology for canning food was developed in France in the early 1800′s and soon spread to other industrialized nations. It wasn’t until WWI that canning boomed, sidelining older methods of food preservation including fermentation.
While canning foods depletes levels of enzymes and vitamins, fermentation increases the absorbability of nutrients in foods and makes the foods more easily digestible. Cultured, or fermented foods are rich in beneficial bacteria that our bodies need in order to function properly.
Everything from our digestive system, immune system, mental health, and just about everything in between is affected for better or worse by the bacteria in our guts. The GAPS Diet actually recommends that for optimal health, individuals eat some homemade fermented food at every meal! Most commercially-produced fermented foods (ie yogurt, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, etc…) are made by cooking the food and destroying the enzymes, and also have an inferior panel of beneficial bacteria. In order to enjoy the greatest benefit from fermented foods, you have to make them yourself.
The good news is as you learn to ferment your own foods, you are developing a vital self-sufficiency and preparedness skill that could greatly contribute to your health not only now, but in a disaster/collapse scenario.
How to Get Started with Sauerkraut
Homemade sauerkraut is a great place to begin.
Sauerkraut Recipe
1 medium head of cabbage
Sea salt
Filtered water
Brine from batch of sauerkraut (optional)
1-2 tsp. juniper berries or caraway seeds (optional)
A few outer, intact cabbage leaves (optional)
Supplies needed: 2 quart-sized mason jars (wide-mouthed is my personal preference)
Wash and shred the cabbage, then add to a large bowl long with the salt and caraway seeds or juniper berries and stir. Add any brine from a previous batch of sauerkraut (or you can use some from Bubbies sauerkraut — one of the only good brands available in the store).
Pack 2 clean quart-sized jars with the mixture and add purified water so it covers all the cabbage with about an inch or so to spare. At this point you can lay a few leaves of cabbage over the top, then put in an out-of-the way space for 1-6 weeks before covering with lids and relocating the jars to the refrigerator for long-term storage.
I had a batch of sauerkraut go bad last year (because I put the lids of the jars on — oops!), so I was a bit paranoid. I recently invested in a couple of air-lock lids for making fermented vegetables (pictured above) from Kyle Christensen. These help the fermenting vegetables to breathe without risking the development of nasty mold. I don’t know if he ships them, but his email address is kylesinthegarden@gmail.com if you want to ask!
Sauerkraut can be served with eggs for breakfast, on sandwiches, with blue corn tortilla chips, and of course, with various types of meats.
My First Experience with Kombucha
I’ve been eating yogurt, cultured dairy, for as long as anyone. But I had my first experience with a more exotic fermented food, beverage actually, when I was a missionary in Russia back in the late 90′s. We were sitting around the table with an old Russian babushka (grandmother) who pointed to a large glass container in her windowsill that looked like dirty dishwater with fungus growing in it. She offered to pour some out for us to try, telling us it was good for the body and helped keep her cancer-free.
Needless to say, I declined. But fast-forward several years and I have my own glass container with fungus growing on top which I regularly sample!
Kombucha 101
Some people have asked what kombucha tastes like. Kombucha is tangy and naturally fizzy, but what it actually tastes like depends on a few things! Commercially-bottled kombucha is usually flavored with fruits, berries, or herbs. You can add herbs or fruits to your home-brewed kombucha too. Just be sure to add it AFTER it brews and after removing it from the container with the scoby. My kombucha tastes quite a bit like rooibos tea since that’s what I’m making it from.
Some of of the health benefits of kombucha include:
- Detoxifying, especially of the liver,
- Good for the immune system,
- Good for digestive health,
- Good for the joints,
- Energizing,
- Anti-cancer properties (kombucha is high in glucaric acid which has been shown in studies to fight cancer)
- And more!
How to Get Started with Kombucha
Step 1. Go to the health food store and sample a bottle or two to see what it can taste like.
Step 2. Obtain a kombucha scoby (the thing that floats on top and does the fermenting). I got mine at a holistic health fair. Ask around your health-conscious friends to see if they know anybody who could give or sell you one. I bet there are places online you can buy them, but I would much rather not deal with shipping a scoby.
Step 3. Try making your own kombucha! I am currently using a gallon sun tea brewing jar with a plastic spigot (apparently any metal in spigots is a bad idea) covered completely with two kitchen towels.
Kombucha Recipe
4 c. purified water
4 tea-bags (right now I’m using rooibos tea instead of black tea)
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. or more of kombucha (scoby’s usually come floating in at least that much kombucha)
Measure out 4 c. of boiling purified water and steep 4 tea bags for 5 minutes or so. Remove the tea bags and dissolve the sugar in the tea. Cool to room temperature, then pour into a large, wide-mouthed glass container like a sun tea brewing jar. Add in the scoby and kombucha it came in. Cover with kitchen towels (you want the entire container to be covered) and secure with a rubber band. (Do NOT seal the brewing kombucha or you will be sorry.) Let sit in a warm place (mine is on the kitchen counter) for 7-10 days or so until the kombucha is tart to the taste. You can sample the kombucha by dispensing a small amount through your plastic spigot, or if your container doesn’t have a spigot you can insert a straw below the scoby to taste.
I came across this article on continuous brewing of kombucha, which I found very intriguing! I am experimenting with continuous brew using the recipe above. I’ll let you know how it goes!
After I had set up my first round of kombucha, I was alarmed to see something growing on top of the scoby! As it turns out, it was another scoby!! This is supposed to happen and is why people who make kombucha regularly are usually more than happy to give you a scoby. =)
_____________________________________________________
Learning to homemade fermented foods is kind of like learning to make bread — you’ve got to get the experience with it to feel comfortable. Once you’ve done it successfully a few times you feel much more confident. Please feel free to comment and share your adventures in making fermented foods with me!!
- Julie =)
_______________________________________________________
Julie Behling-Hovdal is a reflexologist/holistic healer and founder of Essential Survival where she teaches people how to prepare for the #1 cause of death in the event of an economic collapse — lack of access to medicines. In 2005 Julie was able to get off 4 prescription drugs and heal from a 6-year stint of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia with products from Young Living Essential Oils. Get a free copy of her report “Fast Track Survival Medicines” at http://essentialsurvival.org/fast-track-survival-medicines/.
____________________________________________________________
Statements made about the essential oils that come in the Essential Oil Survival Kit and and other products offered by Essential Survival have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician.
{ 0 comments }
