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Culture Club

One of the many things we have enjoyed about being missionaries is we get to experience so many wonderful cultures. When we lived in Ireland we would take trips to Europe where we met so many artisans that shared their craft with us. I remember visiting a beekeeper in Provence that had us close our eyes and smell all of his honey. He had us try to imagine the season of the honey by the fragrant blossoms that infused the golden nectar. In our household we enjoy many different homemade cultured foods. I am always fermenting something in the kitchen, from delicious continuous brew Kombucha, to a variety of vegetables. 

There are a great many health benefits to fermenting your own food, and for a fraction of the price of what it would cost at the health food store. Seriously if you are anything like me, you do whatever you can to give your family the very best without breaking the bank. Paying pennies on the dollar for delicious, healthy food for you and you family is not only practical and wise but it is an art form that recognizes the importance of culture. According to health expert, Dr Mercola, who has the most visited natural health site in the world,  fermented vegetables are the single most important health pattern you can introduce into your life to optimize your health. Many health experts agree, fermented vegetables are the ultimate superfood. Fermented foods have a long history and can be found throughout the world in many cultures. Some of my favorite fermented foods include, Raw Cheese, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Pickles, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Salami, Miso, Tempeh, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Yogurt, Kefir and Kombucha. Captain James Cook, the great explorer from the eighteenth century, was recognized as having conquered scurvy (a deficiency in vitamin C) In the 1770’s he sailed with large quantities of sauerkraut on his ships not loosing a single crew member to scurvy which previously had killed large numbers of crews of long sea voyages. Making fermented vegetables is so easy. There is no cooking involved and you can make a batch big enough to keep a large family in cultured heaven for months. Try some of these recipes below and get your family in the habit of enjoying some great cultured foods, that will tantalize your taste buds and, improve your health.   The easiest way to ferment vegetables is to use wide-mouthed quart mason jars. Make sure they are wide-mouthed so that you can push down the vegetables with your fist and squeeze out all of the oxygen. Check out AceHardware or Walmart for a selection. For more information about the health benefits of fermented foods visit www.mercola.com Check out my good reads list for more on the art of fermenting food.

Here are some helpful tips Cabbage should comprise at least 80 percent of your vegetable blend. This will keep your cost down.   3 medium-sized heads of cabbage will yield about 5 quart-size (32 oz) jars of fermented veggies. Look for heavy red or green cabbage, with densely packed leaves. They make a crunchier kraut.

Add in other vegetables to suit your taste, such as: red, yellow or orange bell pepper, butter nut squash, dill, parsley, kale, collards and red or golden beets.If you use onion or garlic, remember, a little goes a long way! Always use ORGANIC vegetables! Peel your vegetables. Your kraut will taste sweeter Add a small amount of your favorite herbs for flavor. Add sea vegetables or seaweed to increase the mineral, vitamin and fiber content. You can add pieces of whole dulse, or use flakes. Veggies are typically done in three to four days in a warmer climate like South Florida. In colder climates, they may need up to seven days. Just open up the jar and taste. Once you're happy with the flavor and consistency, move the jars into the fridge.

Sauerkraut Makes around  5 32 oz jars 5 pounds cabbage (green/purple or both) 3 tablespoons of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt 3 to 4 carrots 1 green apple 3 sticks celery 4 cloves garlic A few chili peppers or flakes depending on how spicy you like your kraut. Other additions you can add to your sauerkraut are beets,kohlrabi or other root vegetables. Method 1.Chop all of your vegetables saving several leaves and the cabbage core for the top of the jar to help submerge the vegetables under the brine. 2.Using your food processor feed all of your vegetables through the feed tube and transfer to a large bowl. If you don't have a food processor just finely chop your vegetables with a sharp knife. 3.Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables and start to mix with your hands, after a few minuits the kraut will become wet and let out its juices. 4.Add the herbs and spices. Some of our favorites are cilantro, dill and caraway seeds. If you are using lots of spice use rubber gloves to protect your hands. Don’t rub your eyes 5.Pack the vegetable mixture into the jars, pushing down with your fist or a wooden krautpounder http://krautpounder.com/   place a cabbage leaf cut to size on top of the kraut and place a piece of the cabbage core on top of the cabbage leaf. Screw on the lid forcing the cabbage core down to submerge the sauerkraut below the liquid.

Sauerkraut No Salt Version Don’t want to eat salt ? No problem! If you have a juicer you can juice some celery to make up around a cup, toss it into the cabbage mixture and follow the directions above. Make sure to pack it firmly into the jar, kept it under that celery juice, and you should get a perfect ferment. Enjoy your sauerkraut as a condiment with breakfast lunch and dinner.

Here is a fabulous German sauerkraut made from turnips, kohlrabi or rutabaga. Our whole family loves this recipe. Sauerruben Time frame 1-3 weeks. Makes 2 16 oz jars 5 pounds of turnips,kohlrabi or rutabaga 3 tablespoons of salt Method 1.Peal and grate the turnip by hand or with your food processor. Sprinkle with salt. You may add herbs if you wish.( I don’t) Working with your hands mix and squeeze the turnip Pack into wide-mouthed mason jars Check every day pushing down as necessary to submerge under the liquid.

Kimchi Time frame: 1 week Ingredients (Makes about 1 quart/1 liter) Sea salt 1LB Chinese cabbage (napa or bok choi) 1 daikon radish or a few red radishes 2 carrots 1 to 2 onions 4 cloves garlic 3 to 4 red chillies or more if you like it hot (fresh or dried without any chemical preservatives) 3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger-root Method 1. Mix a brine of 4 cups of water with 4 tablespoons salt. 2. Coarsely chop the cabbage, ( save a layer of cabbage and some of the core)slice the radish and carrots, and let the vegetables soak in the brine for a few hours. 3. Grate the ginger; chop the garlic and onion; remove the seeds from the chilies and chop,crush or add them whole. 4.Drain vegetables. Save some of the brine for later in case you need to add to cover the veg. Taste vegetables for saltiness. They should taste salty, but if they are too salty, give them a rinse. 5. Mix in all the rest of the ingredients and pack into a quart size jar. If necessary add brine to submerge the vegetables. Put the layer of cabbage on top of the submerged vegetables and add the core of the cabbage so that it stands above the rim of the jar. Screw on top of jar. The cabbage core will help keep the vegetables submerged under the brine. 6. Ferment in a warm place for about a week. Check each day to until it tastes ripe. When ready, refrigerate. Enjoy your healthy fermented kimchi.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huqL326aTuY)

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The Hope of Spring!

Happy first day of Spring everyone. I love this time of year when every thing starts to burst forth in the garden and bloom.I am excited to get outside and plant some seeds. I bought some different varieties to try. They are all heirloom seeds and include papaya.Yum! I did an experiment once a few years back where I spoke life over one pot of seeds and death over the other to see if there would be a difference in their growth. Well amazingly the difference was overwhelming. The life seeds flourished while the death seeds hardly developed at all and were toxic.

This is me sharing on the power of our words at our friends Valerio and Rosemarie Nigro’s church in Potenza Italy.

Our words have power and they effect not only our own hearts but also those we speak them to In Colossians 3:4 it says  "do not provoke your children, least they become discouraged." That word provoke means to irritate or discourage by harsh yelling,nagging, or deriding their efforts. Such provocations wound their spirits and make them timid. Proverbs 18:21 says "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." A person's life largely reflects the fruit of his tongue. To speak life is to speak God's perspective on any issue of life; to speak death is to declare life's negatives, to declare defeat,or complain constantly. When we face daily challenges we do have a choice in how we respond. If we are overwhelmed we can ask God to help us. Jesus told the disciples before He left that He would not leave them helpless John 16:13 says "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

I have opportunities all day long to make course corrections. I am so thankful that I have the comforter that is the Holy Spirit to help and guide me. Spring is a great reminder to me of life bursting forth from what appears to be dead. Seeing a bud on a tree getting ready to bloom is a great reminder that I can turn around any situation and speak life over it. As Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Here's to a bumper crop of abundant life. Happy Spring!!

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So here it is.Home made kombuchaThis is a large batch for a big family I have included a recipie for a smaller batch at the bottom of the page. I use old kombucha glass containers along with some...

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Here is my recipe for home made kombucha This is a large batch for a big family I have included a recipie for a smaller batch at the bottom of the page. I use old kombucha glass containers along with some...

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#picstitch#lovetheineyourwithtour#roadtrip2014#shine

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Homemade Kombucha

So here it is.Home made kombucha

This is a large batch for a big family 

I have included a recipie for a smaller batch at the bottom of the page.  

I use old kombucha glass containers along with some larger glass bottles from Ikea that cost $3 each. Do not use metal top canning jars. Plastic screw top or the rubber stopper clamp tops are best.

I use organic white or green tea. You may also use black tea.

I use I use a very large glass jar I purchased from Wallmart with a loose glass lid. They cost around $10 and are easier to handle than cheesecloth and a rubber band. 

 I make my tea with around 12 teabags and pure cold filtered water. I allow it to steep over night.

The glass container on the right contains the mother or as some call it the scoby. You can buy dehydrated scobys online. I just purchased a bottle of plain raw unpasteurised kombucha from Wholefoods and added it to my first batch of tea. It takes around 2 weeks to grow. There is no need to add a new bottle of kombucha every time you make a new brew as you will have your scoby to add each time you make a new batch. Each time you make a batch another scoby forms. You can peel it off from the original and pass it on to a friend and they can join in the fun.

Always keep a little of your kombucha aside once you bottle your brew to keep your scoby going. You will add this to your next batch once your tea is brewed. 

This is what the tea looks like after you let it steep over night

  Now it’s time to add organic pure cane organic sugar to your tea. I use 4 cups of sugar for a batch this size. This is what the scoby feeds off causing the kombucha to ferment. Make sure you stir it well with a wooden spoon.

Gently slip the scoby and fermented kombucha(about 1 cup) you have saved to your brew.

Cover up the kombucha with cloth and let it ferment in a dark place for around 2 weeks.

Your brew will look something like this

Bottle the kombucha and remember to add any flavourings to each bottle at this time.You can make it plain or add what ever flavour you like. My favourite is fresh juiced lemon & ginger

Make sure the lid is on tight. Keep these in a dark place for a few days. Test to make sure they are fizzy.

Chill and keep refrigerated. 

Enjoy your delicious homemade kombucha

To your health!

Basic Kombucha

Makes 1 gallon

Ingredients

1 kombucha scoby or bottle of raw kombucha (if this is your first batch)

Black, Green, White Tea (2 Tbsp. loose leaf or 6 teabags total)

1 cup brewed kombucha from a prior batch (otherwise known as starter tea)

1 cup of organic cane sugar 

Supplies

Gallon glass jar

Cheesecloth

Rubber band

Stainless steel pot

Long handled spoon

Directions

Wash your jar with hot water, dish soap and a little bit of vinegar. Rinse well and set aside.

Boil 1 quart of filtered water in a stainless steel pan. Remove from heat. Add your tea and steep for 10 minutes.

Remove the teabags and add 1 cup of sugar. Stir until dissolved.

Pour this sweet tea into your glass jar. Fill the rest of the way with cold filtered water, leaving a few inches of room at the top. Stir to blend and then test the temperature. It needs to be 80 degrees or lower before going onto the next step.

Add the starter tea, and then with clean hands, place the SCOBY on top.

Set your kombucha in a good location. You want the temperature to be between 72-85 degrees, out of direct sunlight, with good air flow (not in a cupboard).

Cover the top of the jar with a piece of tightly woven cloth, secured with a rubber band.

Place out of sunlight in a dark place

In 7 days, start tasting your kombucha. You want it to be sour/tangy with a touch of sweet remaining. Alternatively, you can brew it longer until it is 100% sour, and then combine it with juice to drink. Just don’t brew it longer than 30 days. Generally, kombucha is “ready” somewhere between 7 and 15 days.

When your kombucha is done, wash your hands and get a clean bowl. Put the SCOBY in the bowl, along with 1 cup of the kombucha (also known as starter tea). Ideally gather it from the top of the jar, because this is where the beneficial bacteria live. Beneficial yeast exist throughout the liquid, but are especially thick at the bottom of the jar. So, if you pull from the top, you’re getting both the good yeast and good bacteria, but if you pull from the bottom, you’re getting a yeast-dominant kombucha. You want your starter tea to be balanced.

Once you’ve removed the SCOBY and starter tea, stir the remaining kombucha and pour it into a large pitcher and put it in the fridge. Or separate it into airtight containers for a second fermentation (described below). Straining the kombucha is optional.

To start your next batch of kombucha, go back to step 2 and repeat.

Usually, a new baby SCOBY forms with every batch of kombucha, although when you first start brewing, it might take a few batches for this to happen. You can let your SCOBY grow up to 2 inches thick, but after that, you need to split it. Keep the healthiest looking SCOBY for your next brew.

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I put text on this photo with an app called @Over #madewithOver #morninghasbroken

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