Category: Ferments
Brining Vegetables
Deb
As well as showing us how to brine olives, my friend showed us how to brine vegetables. This is what she told us: Different sites online have varying recipes & methods for brining vegetables. My mother-in-law made a salt and water solution only. Brine excess garden produce such as carrots, celery, cabbage, lebanese cucumbers, capsicums, beans. Boil a 2% salt/water solution and allow to cool. Link to brine calculators here. Pour boiling water over a […]
Brining Olives
Deb
I never knew this, but olives straight off the tree are too bitter to eat. But some clever folk, back in the day, discovered that they can be cured by being soaked in salty water. Probably in sea water back then. Maybe in sea water in some places still today. After 10-12 days, they become delicious. A friend in our area has three olive trees, and she invited some of us over to show us […]
Food preservation
Deb
Hand in hand with changing a garden over to more food production comes the thought – if we grow more than we can eat, how will we preserve it? (Like how I’m thinking very positively? Or am I just being delusional?) So now might be a good time to put up a bit of a summary of some different types of food preservation, and if I’ve posted about them before, include a link. Our local […]
Feijoa recipes and preservation
Deb
It’s that time of year again – more feijoas than we can eat all in one go! But no need to waste anything. I’ve posted some of these before, but here are all my ideas in one place. Eat them fresh or put them in a smoothie Cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Save the skins for feijoa fizz. The smoothie pictured has: A cup of caspian sea yoghurt One pear, chopped Two […]
Whey and yoghurt cheese
Deb
Makes about 1 cup whey and 2 1/2 cups cheese. Refrigerated, the yoghurt cheese will keep for about 1 month and the whey for about 6 months. 1 litre good quality, full fat, natural yoghurt (If using commercial yoghurt or kefir, choose one with no sweeteners or fillers. such as Biofarm organic acidophilus) OR your own homemade yoghurt OR your own homemade kefir Place the yoghurt in a strainer lined with cheese cloth or a clean […]
How to Store Ferment starters
Deb
As well as posting recipes on this blog, I also collect links to lots of great recipes from all over the place on my Pinterest board, including most of the recipes on this blog. But sometimes I come across something that I can’t Pin, usually because there’s no pinnable picture. Yesterday, I found a great page on how to store your ferment starters when you go away, and now after blogging this page here, I can also share […]
Sauerkraut Salad
Deb
Some people love sauerkraut. And some people just don’t like it at all, but know it’s good for them. When you’re first introducing a tiny bit of kraut into your diet, you can usually hide it in something, but once you’re up to 2-3 tablespoons, it’s harder to hide. One way you can make it more interesting is to vary what goes into your sauerkraut – carrots, red cabbage instead of green, some beetroot. We’ve recently been […]
Fermented cabbage juice
Deb
If you are doing the GAPS Intro stage where you use sauerkraut juice only, this recipe is a lot easier than making the full sauerkraut recipe. It’s also easier to sip this if you don’t like eating sauerkraut. I found this recipe on a NZ website Jacqueline Organics. Here is her recipe with a couple of my own comments below: Fill a blender with chopped green cabbage and distilled water, which is available at the […]
Milk kefir
Deb
Milk kefir can be made from kefir grains, or from a powdered starter. Here’s how to make it from kefir grains. When you receive your grains: If your grains have been stored in the fridge or freezer for a while or someone has posted them to you, they’ll need some preparation before they make a good batch. Put the grains into a jar with about ¼ of the normal amount of milk (eg. if you […]
Kombucha
Deb
The kombucha starter culture or scoby (a symbiotic colony of yeast & bacteria, sometimes known as a “mushroom”) acts on sugar & tea to produce a wide variety of beneficial acids, such as acetic & lactic acid. It is a therapeutic drink, and is considered a liver tonic, but is also very refreshing as a summer drink. 1 large, uncoloured pyrex bowl 2.7 litres filtered water (3 quarts) 1 cup sugar (white sugar feeds the […]
Sauerkraut
Deb
Another important food, especially for the GAPS protocol, is sauerkraut or other fermented veges. There are a variety of different ways of making sauerkraut, but these are the basic steps: Select your veges, wash and, if necessary, peel them Chop them – with a knife, grater or in a food processor Add sea salt and give them a good squeeze with your hands, or pound with a heavy object, such as a bottle filled with […]
“Room temperature” Yoghurt
Deb
There are probably many different types of yoghurt that can be made at room temperature, but there are 4 main ones: Viili, from Finland, is thick and viscous, almost jelly-like, and is likely to fall off the spoon and down your clean T shirt. Matsoni, is from the Republic of Georgia on the Black Sea, and is sometimes called Caspian Sea Yoghurt (CSY). It is popular in Japan. It is smooth and creamy and not […]
Acidophilus Yoghurt
Deb
This type of yoghurt is a bit more complicated to make than kefir or the room temperature yoghurts, as it is temperature sensitive. But it doesn’t require a special starter, and some people prefer the taste. This yoghurt won’t be as thick as commercial yoghurt. You’ll need a candy thermometer to make it. 0.9 litre (1 US quart) fresh, whole milk (raw is best, but pasteurised will do, as long as it’s not homogenised or […]
Cultured cream
Deb
There are several ways you can culture cream at home, depending on what you have available. 450ml (1 US pint) cream – preferably raw, organic and grass fed, but pasteurised will do. Don’t use UHT cream though One of these starters: about 4 Tbs kefired milk 3 Tbs Caspian sea yoghurt (or any of the room temperature yoghurts) 1 Tbs kefir grains 1 Tbs commercial crème fraiche 1 Tbs cultured buttermilk 1 Tbs piima (or […]
Pickled Beetroot (Beets)
Deb
A one-litre (one-quart) jar with an airtight lid 6 med beetroot (about 750 gms, or 1 lb 10oz) 2 Tbs whey ½ Tbs sea salt ½ cup filtered water Beetroot is full of vitamins and minerals, so we want to cook them in a way that will keep these in the roots. One way is to prick several times with a fork, then bake in a low oven (150C or 300F) for about 3 hours, […]
Water kefir
Deb
Water kefir is generally made from a different kind of kefir grain, a translucent water kefir grain. It feeds on sugar, where milk kefir feeds on lactose. You can convert milk kefir grains to water, though, as with coconut milk, they will stop growing. For instructions on how to convert the grains, then make water kefir, visit Dom’s “kefir insite”
Lassi
Deb
Lassi is fresh yogurt blended with warm water. Yogurt is a curd and is said to be hard to digest, creating ama (residues of inefficient digestion), but once it is transformed into lassi it becomes lighter and aids digestion. Thinning yogurt with water and blending it changes the molecular structure so it’s more easily assimilated. It makes a good after meal drink and helps eliminate gas pains. Mango: Blend 1 part yogurt, 2 parts water, […]
Apple Cider
Deb
Adapted from a recipe in Nourishing Traditions, to make a smaller quantity For each 800ml jar: 10-12 organic apples 25ml (5 tsp) whey 5ml (1 tsp) fine sea salt Wash, quarter and core the apples. Do 3 at a time and then juice. Give the juice a quick stir, then strain into a litre-sized measuring jug. Continue until there is about 750ml of juice, excluding the foam on top. Remove as much of the foam […]
Ginger Beer
Deb
From Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon 14 teaspoons ground ginger 14 teaspoons white sugar filtered water 3 cups rapadura juice of 4 lemons Genuine ginger beer begins with a “bug” made by feeding 2 teaspoons ground ginger and 2 teaspoons white sugar to a culture for seven days. White sugar is used for the small quantity needed to make the “bug,” but rapadura is used for the larger quantity that goes into the beer. Place […]
Coconut cream kefir
Deb
Coconut cream kefir is a good option for those who want the benefits of the kefir probiotics, but can’t tolerate even kefired milk. Mix together: 1 ½ cups coconut cream ¾ cup filtered water 4 tsp lemon, lime, orange or pineapple juice Add 1 Tbs milk kefir grains, and continue as for milk kefir. The grains won’t grow in coconut milk, but will keep working for some weeks. They will eventually die though, so make […]
Kefired fruit juice
Deb
You can also use your milk kefir grains to make fruit juice kefirs. Plain fruit juice is very high in sugar, so not recommended as a drink. But once kefired the sugar turns to acids and can become mildly alcoholic. Freshly pressed, organic juice is best, but commercial juice will work even if pasteurised, as long as it doesn’t have any preservatives. Acidic juices work best, as high sugar juices make a more alcoholic drink. […]
Yoghurt Cheese dips
Deb
First seperate good quality yoghurt or kefir into whey and yoghurt or kefir cheese. See recipe here. After draining off the whey, you can use the yoghurt cheese to make dips or spreads, much as you’d use sour cream. If you’re after a party dip, and the mixture is too thick, add a little sour cream, whole yoghurt or mayonnaise. Some possibilities to play with: Herb dip – Mix with chopped herbs (preferably fresh), some […]
Fermented vegetable juice
Deb
This recipe came from the Native Nutrition board. Commercial vegetable juice can be used (about 1 ½ litres/quarts), as long as it doesn’t contain preservatives, but freshly juiced is better. 6 large tomatoes 1 small beetroot (beet) 4 carrots 2 celery stalks 1/2 bunch of spinach 2 garlic cloves 2 lemons tabasco sauce to taste 1 Tbs sea salt 4 Tbs whey Juice the six vegetables and the lemons. Mix together with the rest of […]
Honey wine (T’ej)
Deb
This recipe is a “wild ferment” from Wild Fermentation, by Sandor Ellix Katz. If you enjoy this recipe and want to explore wild ferments in more depth, take a look at his website at Wild Fermentation or you can buy his book through Amazon. I’ve halved the recipe for your first experiment. 1 1/2 cups honey, preferably unheated 6 cups filtered water Stir together the honey and the water, in a large bowl or jar, […]
Kefir Pizza
Deb
I can’t take credit for this recipe. It came from Dom’s kefir in-site and is just one of a pile of interesting recipes there. This recipe makes approx. four 8″ pizzas. Step 1: Kefir sourdough starter: This step involves preparing the Kefir-sourdough-starter. This starter is used to rise the pizza base [dough]. This starter may also be used for making sourdough bread. 1 cup of kefir 1 cup of plain wheat, spelt or kamut flour Mix […]