Fermentation Recipes and Resources

I'd recommend trying at least one recipe over the next week. I'll be including a soup made with sauerkraut in week 8, so you may want to try that one!

Here are two ways to ferment cabbage:
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut with whey

And a recipe for fermented bean paste:
Fermented Bean Paste

Kefir is fermented milk, as is yogurt. Learn how to make each of them at home!

Resources:
Fun with Fermentation
Wild Fermentation
Benefits of and recipe for Kimchi
Delicious Organics' Fermented Foods

Week 7 lives on...

I've fallen off the proverbial turnip truck in terms of blogging. Please forgive me. I have been cooking easy favorites, and eating lots of salads with roasted beets (I still have 8 left in the fridge from my Lambert's run last week). Grades closed this week, I got my first grad school rejection, and I've been feeling a bit of the winter blues. That said, stay encouraged, and eat real food. I will be back soon with a few fermented recipes!

Week 7: Fermentation

............................My fermented vegetable collection...........................
From left top: Red peppers, pearl onions, ketchup, ginger carrots, coconut chutney
Left bottom: Beet kvass, sauerkraut, black beans, sweet potato

I hated science class from about fifth grade on. I thought it was either irrelevant or disgusting, or both. If I could pull a Billy Madison, I'd go back in a heart beat though. Science fascinates me, and I'd love another chance to participate in a science fair to compare the effects of temperature and time (and music?!) on fermentation. Or something cool like that. But alas, I'll just have to ferment in the kitchen and hope for the best! This week's, and next week's posts most probably, will hopefully bring out the scientist in you. I'm not going to say it's easy, or you can't mess it up - because it's not, and you just may. What I will say is that fermenting foods gives me such satisfaction, that I think it's definitely worth the extra jars and uncertainty lingering around the kitchen.

What IS Fermentation?
Quite simply, it's a chemical change brought about by yeast, bacteria, and/or mold. People have used fermentation for centuries to preserve their food. Many familiar foods are, or were at one time, fermented, including wine and beer, cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, ketchup (from the Chinese word for fish brine!), and pickles!

Why Should I Ferment?
Let's face it - we spend a good deal of time focusing on our outward appearance. Some more than others, but regardless, I'd bet we all spend more energy on our outward appearance than we do considering what we look like on the inside. Our gut is home to over 200 species of bacteria - microbes help break down the food in our intestines, aiding digestion, fighting off disease (sauerkraut was given to sailors to prevent scurvy), and boosting our immune systems. Maintaining a balance in our intestinal flora is key to our health. If we feed our bodies hard to digest (read: dead and fake) items, fermentation will occur in our bodies, leading to gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and in the long term, possibly diseases and cancer. However, we can also provide our bodies with predigested foods, in the form of fermented goodies, to assist that lovely colony of microbes living under our skin.

Fermentation does more than just preserve food: it increases nutrients, including B vitamins in milk and vitamin C in fermented veggies. It also increases the bioavailability of these vitamins. You may have even heard of some of our microbial friends. Lactobacilli have gained popularity through yogurts like Activia and DanAlive, which both tout the probiotic, or "good bacteria" that the strands of lactobacilli provide. Now, you could just buy a bottle of probiotic pills and be done with it, but you know I'm not going to let you off that easily. The name of this blog is, after all, REAL food. Stay tuned for a post weighing the pros and cons of commercial probiotics, as well as some "How-Tos!"

Fermented Recipes
Coconut Chutney
Kefir
Dosas
Ginger Carrots
Fish Sauce and Ketchup
Beet Kvass
More to come!!

Resources
Wild Fermentation - Includes recipes, FAQs and more!
Fermentation is fun!
Lacto-fermentation

Week 7 News

The weeks are flying by, and I haven't been able to do as many informational postings as I would have liked. So, this coming week and next (the weeks of February 22nd and March 1st), I'm going to call "Week 7," which means no new menu. I'm already anticipating that report cards are due soon, and I want to make sure I am thorough with fermentation, (which I have been doing quite a bit of after that crazy trip to Lambert's!). Just so we are clear, there will be NO menu for the week of March 1st, but instead, I'll be trying to sneak in a few extra postings.

Also, I'd like to hear where everyone is in their work to reach their goals. Please let me know how I can best help you! We are more than half way done with the challenge, so I want to make sure your needs are met. I'll be posting a survey soon, and completion of it will be the entry for our next Free Friday Giveaway! Oh, and congratulations to NewLife who won an Empanada dinner, made and delivered today. Apparently she and her loved ones ate it right up!

Week 7: Shopping List

These weeks are flying by! Here's your list for week 7. If you're going to try to make some of the fermented foods, you may want to purchase or obtain some wide mouth mason jars with banded lids.

Meat
3 lbs ground beef (half if you aren't freezing left over meatballs)
2-3 chicken breasts


Produce
1 bag small onions (about 6)
1lb bag carrots
1 red, 2 green peppers
spinach
1 sweet potato
garlic
eggplant
3 zucchini
bananas
1 lemon
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes
1 large rutabaga
1-2 turnips
1 head lettuce
1 c peas

Canned or Dried Items
1 can coconut milk
rice (1 c)
lentils (2 c)
millet or millet flour
anchovies
2 can crushed or "kitchen ready" tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 c shredded coconut

Dairy
cage free eggs
plain yogurt (Seven Stars Farm, Hawthorne Family Farm)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
raw cheese for pizza


Other staples
coconut oil (favorite source - Mountain Rose Herbs: $41 for 1 gallon of unrefined or $22 for refined, which will last forever!)

spices: thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, basil, bay leaf, mustard seeds, cumin, coriander seeds

You'll also need, but probably have on hand -

beef stock
1/2 c red wine
bread crumbs
olive oil
whole wheat flour
milk

Week 7: Menu

This week's challenge is to incorporate some lacto-fermented foods into your diet. I'm challenging everyone to make at least one NEW fermented food this week. (If you're a kefir brewer, try something else!)

I've decided to post a list for you to choose from, rather than a weekly menu (as it seems most people are picking and choosing anyway!!) All of the meals will include enough for two nights' dinners, for two people, so you'll be preparing dinner just three evenings (or if you're like me, all in one day to minimize cooking!). Adjust recipes accordingly if you are cooking for more than two.


Features
When necessary, prepare these early in the week so you have them on hand for recipes and munching!

Bread - No Knead Bread (includes a fermentation time!)

Soup - Coconut Chicken or Chicken Rice
Snack - Dosas

Must-Make Recipe of the Week: Coconut Chutney

MENU
Breakfasts
Omlettes

Oatmeal (feel free to substitute other grains for the oats: millet, buckwheat, wheat berries, rye, or a combination!)

Blender Pancakes or Waffles (these can be easily reheated in a small toaster oven)


Lunches
Caesar Salad with sauteed or baked chicken strips

Tuna sandwich on sourdough with a cup of soup

Yogurt Dough Pizza - use a few cups of the sauce from the Meatball dinner, raw cheese, and whatever toppings you can find! You can make this over the weekend and take slices for lunch throughout the week.

Dinner
Indian Vegetable Medley with dosas

Root Vegetable Cobbler with Millet Dumplings

Meatballs and Tomato Sauce (goes perfectly with no knead bread!)


Snacks
Butternut Squash fries

Peanut Butter Cups (Mark and I have eaten about a dozen of these...each...in two days!)

Power Bars

Crispy or sprouted nuts


Natural yogurt (no added sugars or "vitamins") with unsweetened coconut, soaked nuts, and cocoa powder

Hummus with veggies or crackers

Homemade popcorn, popped on stove in coconut oil

celery with all natural peanut butter and raisins