Fermented Foods?

Just what is a condiment?  Historically condiments on the table were some type of pickled or fermented food..........




There are a variety of different fermented foods available to supplement our daily diet. Why should we seek to supplement our daily diet with fermented foods?

 

Simply speaking,  supplementing our diet with fermented foods can help to reduce high cholesterol levels in our blood, it strengthens and supports our digestive by adding pre and probiotics plus fermented foods enhance our immune systems---by helping our bodies to fight off and prevent diseases.

 

Some of the most familiar fermented foods are pickles, sauerkraut and yogurt.  The basic problem is that all of these products when mass produced are woefully lacking in all the the above benefits of the very foods you think will be helping.  They cannot be made the same and have the same benefits when they are mass produced with extra ingredients to rush the process and/or loaded with sugar or sugar products.  All are heated to the point that the pre and probiotics have all but disappeared.

 

What Is a Fermented Food?

Technically speaking, anything that is "brined" in a salt stock is considered to be a "fermented" food, but that is where the similarity ends. Each type of fermented food has specific and unique requirements and is produced using specific methods for that unique type of food.

Most of us are probably not surprised that the modern day food manufacturing companies have traded the health benefits that these naturally fermented foods provide for the more convenient "mass-produced" food methods (chemicals) to produce the foods that we are more familiar with.  

 

It's easier than you think!

 

 

Making yogurt at home is a very easy, and rewarding! I have made kefir (a fermented milk product) and enjoyed it.  Both are so easy to do.  There are still more areas to explore!

 

If you can chop vegetables you can make Fresh Fermented Salsa, Pickled Refrigerator Pickles, and even Sauerkraut. 

 

Recently a guest in my home said, "Why do you have two refrigerators?" I smiled and proceeded to open the door to my 'second' refrigerator.  The one holding all my 'ferments', my raw grains, raw nuts and seeds and more.  Don't have a way to have two refrigerators?  Simply make your ferments in smaller quantities, more often.

 

For the next three days I'm going to be making three of our favorite 'ferments' and giving you the recipes.  I think you'll enjoy them more than their mass produced counter-parts.  Then several times a month I'll introduce you to more new experiences in....

 

FERMENTING FOODS!