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AUGUST 2004 - NEWSLETTER #2 |
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Hi everybody, This is the second in a series of occasional DietNet newsletters. Click here to read the first newsletter. Topics in this newsletter:
Starter cultures of these fermented drinks are spreading around the country now, and many of you are enjoying one or both of them. For those of you who are wondering what they’re all about, here’s some info. All of the societies studied by Weston Price ate fermented foods or drinks of some type, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh or kombucha. There are many benefits of fermented foods and drinks: they are good sources of enzymes, minerals, beneficial acids and probiotics; they are easier to digest and assimilate; and they keep for longer without spoiling. Fermented drinks are amongst the easiest to make and incorporate into your diet. Kombucha is fermented tea and sugar, and to make it you need a “scoby” – a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast – more commonly called a “mushroom”. The yeast and bacteria feed on the sugar and tea, turning them into beneficial acids. This is maybe the traditional drink we’re searching for when we feel drawn to coke or other soft drinks. Kombucha is known as a detoxifier. A small glass with meals helps digestion. Diluted, it makes a great sports drink, far superior to the commercial ones, and can help prevent stiff muscles. In summer, it makes a better thirst quencher than plain water. Some people have had amazing health benefits from adding Kombucha to their diets, though I prefer to think of it as just one part of a healthy diet. And of course, like every good food, it suits some people and not others. Try it out, starting with small amounts, and see how you feel. Further information can be found at: The Kombucha Centre - http://www.trib.com/~kombu/ or http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/kvass.htm Kefir is similar to yoghurt, but with a wider range of bacteria and yeasts, and a slightly tarter, yeastier flavour. It can be an acquired taste, but most people like it in smoothies. To make kefir, you need kefir grains, which you simply add to milk and leave to ferment for a day or two. These days, many people can’t digest dairy products, for various reasons. One of these is that it’s pasteurised and the beneficial enzymes, including lactase which digests lactose, are destroyed. If you can’t get raw milk, “kefiring” your milk will restore many of the beneficial enzymes and make it easier to digest. Those who are lactose intolerant can often drink raw or kefired milk, though if you are casein intolerant, even these may not work for you. The best source of more info is Dom’s kefir in-site: http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html Now, if you’re fired up and keen to get started fermenting, email me for your closest contact and detailed instructions on how to make them. Since we’ve been talking about fermented drinks, here’s a couple of extra things you can do with them.
For those of you with kids, they probably clamour for pizza sometimes. Here are a couple of pizza base recipes that you can give them guilt free. The first one involves soaking the flour in kefir to produce a sourdough, though it takes several days so you will have to plan ahead. When the flour is soaked this way, some people who can’t normally eat gluten can tolerate it. If not, you can try using buckwheat flour, but I haven’t tested that yet. If you can’t eat any grains, try my grain free pizza base. Kefir
pizza 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.
Mix ingredients together in a jar to form a smooth wet paste. Cover jar with cloth or paper towelling. Let sit between 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Stir once daily. When ready it should be quite bubbly with a sweet-sour yeasty aroma. It should also increase in volume. Step 2 - Le pizza:
Method: Add all the pre-made Kefir-sourdough-starter, flour, 1/3 cup olive oil, tamari and 1 cup of warm water in a mixing bowl. Mix well with a strong wooden spoon or ladle. If the dough is too thick, similar to bread-dough [firm and not sticky], keep adding warm water and mix for 2 minutes longer until it's moist, sticky with elasticity. The dough should stick to the fingers when touched and should stretch quite easily [it should be wetter than a bread-dough]. For the next step, to stop the dough from sticking to your hands, wet fingers and palms with olive oil, and pinch off 1/4 of the dough. Make round balls by rolling the dough in between the palms of hands and pat flat. Place the dough in a pre-oiled [greased] cast iron skillet or pizza baking pan. Press down on the dough with palms or fingers, forcing it evenly over the bottom of the pan, to form a thickness of no more than approx. 1.5 cm [3/4"] thick. Do this with the rest of the dough to fill the other pans. Add your choice of topping. Pour 1 - 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil evenly over each pizza with a tablespoon, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a warm spot and leave to rise for approx. 4 to 6 hours, or until the base is almost double in size. Bake in a hot oven set on high [450° F or 250° C], and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. To determine when the pizza is cooked, lift an edge of the pizza to reveal the base. The base of the dough should be golden brown right through. Grain
free Pizza base
Grind seeds. Mix dry ingredients together well. Beat eggs and oil together till thick and creamy. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Line an 11” pizza tray with baking paper. Pour batter into tray and spread evenly. Bake at 325F (163C) for 10-15 mins till base is firm enough to spread topping on. Spread your favourite toppings on and bake for another 10-15 mins depending on how crisp you like the base. As it doesn’t have a long cook time and is a cool oven, precooked toppings are best. My favourite is a layer of plain tomato paste, a sprinkling of dried herbs, some chopped up salami, a sprinkling of grated Tasty cheese. Or try tomato paste, chicken, pan fried mushrooms and onions, and cheese. [Click here for printable version] I believe that we are part of a groundswell, and as more people become aware of what we know, things will start to change. There are lots of small ways we can protect our food supply – by providing good food in our own homes, by buying organic, by supporting local farmers, by growing our own food, and by talking to other people about the importance of eating real food. For those who have the time and inclination, letters to magazines and papers who print bad nutritional information are helpful. As Weston Price said “We teach, we teach, we teach”. For those of you who want to get a bit more stroppy, there’s emailing or writing to food manufacturers and telling them why you’re buying their product – or, more likely, why you’re not. There are lots of other groups of people out there doing battle as well, and sometimes we can support them. Some current actions that we can take:
If you know of other action plans we can support, email me with suggestions for the next newsletter. This newsletter is now going out to over 100 people in Whangarei, Hibiscus Coast, Helensville, many suburbs in Auckland, Pukekohe, Meremere, Hamilton, Cambridge, Matamata, Pirongia, Rotorua, Eltham, Coromandel, Tauranga, Hawkes Bay, Masterton, Martinborough, Otaihanga, Palmerston North, Lower Hutt, many suburbs in Wellington, Greymouth, Takaka, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch, Oamaru, Dunedin, Mosgiel and Invercargill. I don’t know where some of you live, so if your area is missing, let me know. You may remember that in the last newsletter I talked about my dream of local and national support networks, so we don't all feel like we’re battling on alone. Now I want to talk a bit more about the idea of a Yahoo group, and how it would help us support each other. Some of you may not know what such a group is all about, so I’d encourage you to visit one of these groups and see how they work. You will need to join the Yahoo network, which in my experience doesn’t seem to have any drawbacks.
If you prefer, you can elect to receive a daily email from each group, so you can view posts without having to go to Yahoo. My idea is for
a group similar to native nutrition, just for NZers - a forum where
we can ask questions, and share discoveries*, ideas, dreams and
resources. Although posts wouldn’t be moderated (censored),
membership would be, to limit any spam. So if you’d like to
join a group, please email me.
If anyone is keen to help me set it up and moderate it, that would
be appreciated.
For those new to whole foods Other useful pages Other resources The Weston A Price foundation website To contact your nearest WAPF chapter leader: click here for the latest list A reminder about Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. For those who don't know it, it's not only a superb whole food recipe book, but is also packed with a wide range of nutritional information. Some local libraries have it now and it's also available for sale around the country. Golden Bay Organics in Takaka gborganics@excite.com and Tall Poppy Books in Invercargill service@tallpoppybooks.co.nz are stocking it. And if both are out of stock, I usually have a spare copy or two. Other recommended reading:
To your continued good health, and until next time, Deb |
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