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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

F is for Fermented Food

My theme for the
A-Z Challenge is
Aging into Longevity

During the past 2 years,
I've really become serious
about fermented food.

My gut feels peaceful after
a meal of mostly fermented
food.  I began to experiment
fermenting different vegetables,
thus nourishing my organs
by adding the good guys to fight the bad.  I also took pleasure in
all the fermented drinks, such as kefir and kombucha.
My favorite is a kvass.  Beet kvass is a "toofer" (like at my dry
cleaners, 2 items for the price of one) because the benefits
include healing the liver with the powerful beet juice, while
adding good bacteria to a depleted gut.

Here's a drink you'll love........fermented lemonade. This one
you'll have to try.  And it's sooo simple to make.
2 C fresh lemon juice (or limes or a mix of both)
1/2 to 3/4 C sugar
1/2 C whey
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 qt. water
Mix and put in a 1-gal glass jar with cover. Use a wooden
spoon to stir......not metal.
Leave on counter for 2 days as the sugar gets eaten up,
 then refrigerate and begin drinking after a week. If it's
too tart for your taste, add up to 5 drops of stevia as
you drink it.

How to make whey from plain commercial yogurt
Put the yogurt in layers of cheese cloth or a dish towel.
Let drip (maybe overnight) into a bowl
You can hang it like a bag from a cupboard door knob (or)
Tie the bag around a wooden spoon handle and place
across a tall pitcher.

The more good bacteria you put in the gut, the better you
are able to fight off the bad bacteria, virus and fungi.  Killing
the pathogens may cause symptoms of die-off, such as headaches
and a flu feeling. That is when many people blame the
fermentation and quit. Wrong.
At that time just buck up because it will end in a couple days
and you'll feel a sudden rush of good health.

I truly cannot recommend a greater boon to good health and
 longevity than eating fermented foods.

37 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever had any fermented food, unless yoghurt is a fermented food? I eat that all summer, less often in winter. So far I'm doing okay on all the regular foods I eat. I don't think I'd like fermented things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River
      As long as you have a strong gut and are not in need of probiotics, I'd say you're doing great as you are. Yogurt is a fermentation.

      Delete
  2. Never tried fermented food or heard of it

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    1. Holy Ghost
      It's just kind of the poor man's probiotic but taken naturally. I actually grew up with fermentation......way way before probiotics were probably thought of. lol

      Delete
  3. Some people have told me about the beet juice, I haven't gave that a go as God only knows what that would do to me haha

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    Replies
    1. Pat
      Mary Jo has been wanting me to eat 3 fresh beets a day. I did that for as long as I could get the last beet down Haha. That went on for a long time and then I started doing the kvass and that's helping the liver and buildin the gut. And I can get it down easier. It sure wouldn't harm you. Some recipes on YT and it's very easy to do.

      Delete
  4. Does wine count?

    I do have some plain yogurt every day. I might be the only person who likes the taste of plain. It does seem to have benefits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. joeh
      I prefer the plain too. All that stuff sweetened with who knows what? What's the jam that has racoon poop or some small animal's poop????
      Well wine just may count (in moderation, of course). All of the books I have on fermentation also have beer recipes and the beet kvass can easily turn into alcohol if the chunks of beets are cut too small. I guess if it ferments too fast it turns into wine. I recall in my younger days, I made beet wine (on purpose) and it was so deep red and had the best full-body flavor. I never had any fancy equipment either, like everyone thinks they can't make wine without. So..... maybe I've been drinking probiotics longer than I thought. lol

      Delete
  5. At first glance I thought you wrote "saliva" instead of "stevia."
    Yikes, I thought, I'll just leave it tart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Al
      You made me look..... My eyes are so bad that I never know what I write. Saliva....yipes but I don't doubt if that is what one may get in a restaurant if the cook is grumpy.

      Delete
  6. This is definitely something I should look into as I have a weak gut. I suppose if I look it up on the internet there will be recipes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bish
      I got mixed up on the comments after someone dropped by. The one below is for Susan and this for you....Ha
      Oh yes...... loads of material and recipes. My gut was devoid of the good flora but when I eat fermented food, my gut feels so peaceful. I also ferment jars and jars of veggies and eat around 3 tb. with every meal. You will really notice a difference in the way you feel after a meal.

      Delete
  7. So that's how whey comes into being! Curds and whey...I bet Little Miss Muffet did not know she was being healthy.

    How long does whey keep...in the refrigerator?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bish
      Indeed she was a healthy little mite. But what was that thing she sat on?

      I know it keeps 2 months and when it "goes bad" it's just mold and it's already fermented.. I rememer the NW air flights to Japan "used" to serve the clabbered cream and that was such a big deal. My grandmother always kept a pan of clabbered milk on the back of the old cook stove and it was thick and yummy. God, I grew up healthy and like Miss Muffet, I didn't know it. LOL

      Delete
    2. Susan
      the above comment is for you. I started writing Bish's and someone popped in and distracted me. Easy to do with my pea brain

      Delete
  8. Last year I tried making fermented pickles. My technique needs some work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ruth
      I'm also working on the sourdough bread and there, my technique REALLY needs some work. But I eat the flops too as they taste just as good but look a little weird. I am really enjoying this whole fermentation thing and my gut thanks me.

      Delete
  9. Hello,

    My repertoire of fermented foods is limited to yoghurt mostly, don't know if that counts. Your post definitely an eye-opener.

    Here from the A-Z.

    Best wishes,
    Nilanjana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nilanjana
      I think yoghurt would be a good fermentation. I just am trying to stay away from commercial anything........back to my childhood. Hahahaha

      Delete
  10. I think that I need to add more fermented foods into my diet. Seems like I bought a bottle of kefir a while back and then promptly forgot to drink it. It's tough to establish new habits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robin
      I'm laughing because I also buy food and forget to eat it. What does that say about my memory. I have a gallon jug of kefir that I just made .... now if I only remember to eat it. It's so thick and creamy and tastes like my grandmother's pantry. (Where she kept the fermenting jugs)

      We should remind each other with.... "Have you had your kefir today?" LOL

      Delete
  11. I'm definitely going to make the whey and then the fermented lemonade. Thanks, Manzi!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susie
      Great. So good for you. You'll probably have to play around with it a little to get it to your taste. I leave it out to fermet 2 days but last batch it was a ittle too tart because the weather is getting warmer and the sugar is eaten up faster, Your climate will be even warmer. I'm glad you are going to try it.

      Delete
  12. I have no idea what foods are or are not fermented

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    Replies
    1. Adam
      The fermentation leaves a tart, pickle-llke taste.

      Delete
  13. Hi, I don't know much about fermented foods... I do know that the process is used when making certain alcoholic beverages. I do eat lots of Greek Yogurt (plain) and LOVE it... Haven't tried anything else. Maybe I should.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betsy
      Yoghurt is so good for youl Now that I think about it, I was lucky to grow up eating heallthy food but I guess we all did. We didn't have the chemicals and GMO's

      Delete
  14. Isn't tofu fermented as well? Thought I read that somewhere. A doctor recommended over the counter probiotics for me (the kind refrigerated), which I faithfully took for awhile, then stopped. Tried it again, and just as you said, I got flu symptoms for three days. Yeesh. Did not realize the connection!!

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  15. Had taken fermented food before without realizing their goodness. The fermented lemonade is quite a simple thing to do. Thanks for highlighting it Manzi. Got to keep a lookout for other choices as well!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Hank
      The lemonade is very easy to make and all that sugar is eaten up. If your weather if warm, 2 days out on the counter make be too much. I live in Montana where it's really usually cold. Our weather is getting warmer too. You may have to adjust it a little or it gets too tart.

      Delete
  16. Had taken fermented food before without realizing their goodness. The fermented lemonade is quite a simple thing to do. Thanks for highlighting it Manzi. Got to keep a lookout for other choices as well!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Manzanita .. I'm lucky I think with a good gut - and I eat plenty of fresh veg and fruit ... I do enjoy pickles ... but don't eat many now. It's great your experimenting to do the best for a long life and more importantly letting us know about things... I haven't heard of half those K products! I don't eat much yoghurt, but on occasions ...

    Cheers - these are fascinating posts ... Hilary

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    Replies
    1. Hilary
      I'm not trying to live a long life but it seems to have been granted to me and I want to make the best use of that prize. Probably nothing worse than having to live a long life and be sick the whole time. LOL

      I think you too are destined to live a long life with your naturally robust health.

      Delete
  18. Hmmmmm I haven't tried that. But too much sugar for me. I know the fermenting eats up the sugar, but I know it would make my tongue burn.

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  19. I've tried Kimchi, but that's it. :)

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  20. Um... I'm not an expert in that particular field. For some reason it doesn't sound too appealing.

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  21. Thank you, Manzi, for the Lemonade recipe. I'll do it! We eat yogurt daily and i can't imagine now how to live without it. We make yogurt even more healthy putting there some milk thistle with topinambur in powder (1 tsp a day) or amaranth bran. May be you'd love to give it a try too...
    Oh, you know about Kvass! When i Russia, i was quite indifferent to the black kvass made of rye bread. But one day i tried a white, wheat Belarusian kvass - that was super tasty, also accompanied by freshly-baked buns... mmm!
    Enjoyed your healthy A to Z very much! :)

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