Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Sharing Healthy Recipes






Sharing Healthy Recipes: Lacto-fermentation & getting good probiotics into your body
by Kate Skogen 

Lacto-fermentation!? What? Fermenting veggies is something I learned how to do this year and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s easily my favorite way to spend 20 minutes in the kitchen. And if you know me, I do not enjoy cooking. But I know that one of the best things I can do is eat well and feed my family well. Fermented foods is the next step beyond yogurt and your daily probiotic supplement. 

“It may seem strange to us that, in earlier times, people knew how to preserve vegetables for long periods without the use of freezers or canning machines. This was done through the process of lacto-fermentation. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria” -Weston A. Price Foundation,http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/lacto-fermentation/
Fermented foods are one of the greatest ways to obtain probiotics, alkalize your body, digest your foods, increase your B vitamins, and destroy bad bacteria, viruses, and yeast. Fermented foods pack a powerful punch of live cultures that many people credit for improved gut health immunity, and skin health.
This summer I’m going to delve in sauerkraut, kimchi, and I’m going to ferment every summer veg I can. My favorite easy way to start is with carrots. You can’t mess this up. They’re so easy and yummy. 

GINGER CARROTS

Fill quart jar with carrot sticks (no need to peel). Super fill the jar because you don’t want the carrots floating to the top.  Chop up some fresh ginger and place in jar (more like “shove” in jar.  Add a 1 tsp of salt and ¼ cup cultured vegetable juice.
If this is your first time, don’t worry about adding cultured veggie juice, just add an addition teaspoon of salt.
Fill with water to cover.  Leave 1 inch at top. Check the water and make sure it’s about as salty as the ocean. Add more salt if necessary.
Let sit room temp for at least 4-7 days. Check your sticks daily and when they’re yummy, stick them in the fridge. Technically, they’ll last for months in the fridge, but we eat ours in a week or so! 
Garlic Carrot Pickle Variation: Omit ginger, replace with slices of garlic.

Here’s a great recipe for pickles, too… our other favorite: http://www.johnhicksmd.com/garlic-dill-pickles/
Want more? Check out Sandor Katz’s Fresh Air interview:http://www.npr.org/2012/06/13/154914381/fermentation-when-food-goes-bad-but-stays-good

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