In A Pickle

Newly made sauerkraut needs 4 days to ferment

A few of my friends and I have been in a pickle lately. It’s been a lot of fun! My third pickling class using the perfect pickler was another success, with seven new batches of sauerkraut made and currently fermenting in the attendees’ respective kitchens. Why the new craze? People are realizing more and more the dire straits Americans are in when it comes to digestive health. Our guts are in the proverbial pickle and need restoration! Thanks to the folks at www.perfectpickler.com help is on the way.

The following ingredients went into each jar: 2 lbs. shredded cabbage, 1 tablespoon each Celtic sea salt, chopped fresh ginger and garlic, and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds. Yum!

FERMENTING is what I brief each class on before we begin.

Preparing the cabbage

Step Two: Shredding

Gatorade vs. SueroViv

Ingredients:                                                         

Orange Gatorade                                                       Orange-Cinnamon SueroViv

Water                                                                           Green-fed Cultured Whey
Sucrose                                                                        Mountain Spring Water
Dextrose                                                                      Organic Honey
Citric Acid                                                                   Organic Lemon Juice
“Natural” Orange Flavor                                          Organic Orange Essential Oil
Salt                                                                                Organic Cinnamon Essential Oil
Sodium Citrate                                                           Probiotic Cultures
Monopotassium Phosphate
Gum Arabic
Yellow #6 Dye
Glycerol Ester of Rosin
Brominated Vegetable Oil

Does the above ingredient list compel you to desire one of these drinks over the other? If you are still undecided, let’s take a look at each of them.

Water. In Gatorade, who has ever revealed the water source and does it really matter? Jordan Rubin, founder and CEO of Beyond Organic, believes it does. That’s why he traveled far and wide searching for just the right mountain springs to serve as the basis for all the Beyond Organic beverages. He found pure water not laden with extra ingredients that bog our cells, tissues and organs. Total dissolved solids (TDS) is the term that defines the amount of inorganic minerals and substances not seen in water which impede our bodies’ functions. Compare that with the source of water for Gatorade which is anybody’s guess what is contained therein. After all, water is the main ingredient in Gatorade.

Sucrose and dextrose. These two sugars each possess a disaccharide chain of two carbohydrate molecules linked together and not easily passed through the small intestine. This leads to trouble in the gut, slow digestion, increased toxicity in the body, and other woes. They are energy robbers. On the other hand, organic honey found in SueroViv is a monosaccharide with a single molecule which is readily absorbed in the gut for quick, healthful energy. Honey is also a natural antibiotic.

Citric Acid. Known as a natural preservative and derived from citrus fruits, this additive is necessary in Gatorade but can lead to tooth decay the more it is consumed.

Natural Flavor. The makers of Gatorade are vague on this. They claim there is no added fruit juice in their product and that the natural flavors come from “natural” sources, not synthetic, but that chemists extract these. Say what?

Salt. This ingredient really matters. Are we talking toxic, refined, bleached table salt? If so, this chemical, sodium chloride, is bad news. It only serves to make you crave water but instead you may drink another Gatorade. It’s a vicious cycle that is good news for The Gatorade Company.

Sodium Citrate. More salt with a twist. The citrate is added as a pH balancing factor so a beverage won’t strip the bones of calcium.

Monopotassium phosphate. More salt. One site said it is a soluble salt used as an additive in cigarettes, fertilizer and as a fungicide and buffering agent in vaccines. In other words, a chemical.

Gum Arabic. Dictionary.com explained it this way: A water-soluble, gummy exudate obtained from the acacia tree, especially Acacia senegal, used as an emulsifier , an adhesive, in inks, and in pharmaceuticals to keep the ingredients from separating. It is also used in mummification.

Yellow #6 dye. A coal-tar based chemical that the FDA has recognized as harmful for the past 25 years but refuses to alert the public or remove it from processed foods. Gatorade uses different dyes to distinguish the flavors by sight and for eye appeal.

Glycerol Ester of Rosin. Sounds like a good name for a queen, but actually it is a glorified chemical made from wood harvested from the stump of the longleaf pine. I’d rather the wood stay in the forest and out of my drink. Again, it is used to make the other ingredients behave and keep the flavor consistent.

Brominated vegetable oil. A flame-retardant chemical banned in over 100 countries, but of course not in the U.S. In sports drinks and colas it is used as an emulsifier. It is also used on photo paper for durability, as a gasoline additive, and an agricultural fumigant. It was banned by the FDA in 1975 from use in sedatives because of psychiatric disorders. The other adverse health effects are legion. Don’t worry, though; Gatorade only uses it to keep the other chemicals from gumming up.

Now, which drink do you want? Sorry, but I could not provide an unbiased account or say anything nice about Gatorade. How do you think you’d feel after drinking that chemical concoction for three, seven, or more days in a row and not ingesting anything else? That is precisely what the makers of SueroViv are recommending that most people do. With SueroViv, that is!

You see, SueroViv contains whey, which is a healing water, a natural diuretic providing 7 times the potassium of common sports beverages, and wholesome salt that occurs in whey. In SueroViv, the whey is the byproduct in the cheese making process after the curds are separated. It is full of B vitamins, sodium and potassium in the right amounts.

SueroViv is further cultured with powerful probiotics that M.D.s are finally recognizing as being crucial to health. SueroViv contains other electrolyes besides sodium and potassium to keep the body’s electrical system charged and energy levels up. It is the go-to drink for athletes, and almost everyone who wants a wholesome beverage to boost waning energy levels during the day. The only potentially adverse ingredient in SueroViv would be the honey, not recommended for children under one year of age. The Suero Gold flavor does not contain honey, so it is for everyone.

Have you tried a Suero Cleanse? This is a three-day program that entails drinking six of these beverages a day, in any flavor combo so desired, but specific packages are offered tailored to suit most any individual taste. What a great way to de-toxify and rejuvenate the major organs of digestion and when these are in order, diseases are healed.

So have a SueroViv or two or six today and drink with confidence knowing you are doing yourself a big favor!

Sources:
Live Beyond Organic by Jordan S. Rubin
Livestrong.com
Gatorade.com
Dictionary.com

order SueroViv here

Getting Cultured

Bubbly, tangy brew of Kombucha

A few years ago a special friend introduced me to Kombucha Tea and its myriads of health benefits. After keeping a constant culture fermenting on my kitchen counter for 5+ years, I lost the “shroom” last summer when I neglected to make a new batch before going on vacation. Everyone I knew who kept the starter or SCOBY, had let theirs die also or had moved.

Then a few weeks ago, this same true friend called with the great news that she had secured a new SCOBY! Yay–we were back in culturing bizness! 

Some of the benefits I personally notice when regularly drinking Kombucha is less mucus production and less susceptibility to colds. My oldest daughter noticed that when she got a cold, drinking daily Kombucha lessened the duration and severity. This stands to reason since Kombucha is a good detoxing and immune-system boosting elixir teeming with probiotics.

Without further adieu, here is more info on this curious culture and instructions below for making. Of course, you’ll have to get a first SCOBY, which can be bought over the internet or started from purchased Kombucha, which I don’t have personal experience with. 

KOMBUCHA TEA

Kombucha tea is:

• An ancient drink from Manchuria
• Cultivated from the Bacterium xylinum culture.
• A slightly acidic drink that tastes similar to apple cider vinegar, slightly sweet, slightly sour.
• Made from a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) mushroom.

Therapeutic effects:

     Lactic acid in Kombucha activates cell respiration, increases oxygen in the blood and increases energy. It also balances blood pH in acidity and mildly stimulates liver function.
     Glucuronic acid acts as a liver detox, binding toxins, drugs, excess cholesterol, and hormones and flushes them from the body. 
     Mucopolysaccharides cushion and hold together organs and lubricate joints.

Mucopolysaccharides include:

1. Hyaluronic acid, which is found in expensive facial creams and in the skin where it binds cells together and water in tissues.

 2. Chondroitin Sulfate, a constituent of cartilage and connective tissue that assists in bone and soft tissue health.

3. Mucoitin Sulfuric acid, a building block of the stomach lining and vitreous humors of the eye.

4. Heparin, a blood thinner found especially in liver and lung tissue that may help to prevent blood clotting.

Kombucha tea is especially helpful in normalizing digestive function when taken at meal time. Even though it is acidic, it does not cause hyperacidity of the stomach. Acid indigestion is often a symptom of fermentation of undesirable foods eaten and caused by lack of raw foods (60%) and a lack of hydrochloric acid and other necessary digestive acid secretions.

Kombucha may relieve constipation and has been reported to have favorable results in people suffering from kidney and gall stones. Others have reported successful weight loss with daily consumption of Kombucha tea.

• Kombucha tea is not a cure all! For hundreds of years it has generated many amazing testimonials of improved health and well being. To give it a fair trial, drink Kombucha tea daily for 30 days and see what it does for you. It is suggested that you start with four ounces a day and gradually increase the amount to 12 ounces.

HOW TO MAKE BASIC KOMBUCHA

Use clean glass/ceramic/plastic cooking vessels and utensils when handling the SCOBY, as metal can adversely affect the quality and purity of the tea.

Make sure hands and everything that comes into contact with the SCOBY are clean, as no harmful bacteria are needed in this culture!

To make one gallon of tea, boil 60 ounces of pure, filtered water in each of two vessels (ceramic or glass pots). 

Steep five black or green tea bags in one covered vessel until tea is cool. Mix one cup pure cane sugar, brown sugar, or Turbinado raw sugar in second vessel, covered, until cool.

When tea is room temperature, pour the liquids in the two vessels into a gallon jar to mix. Gently drop in SCOBY. If it sinks for a couple of days, it will slowly rise to the surface if alive and well. If it does not float and acid bubbles do not form, the SCOBY is likely dead and the tea unfit to drink.

Place a piece of tightly woven linen cloth, or a coffee filter, on top of jar and secure with a rubber band as the culture must have oxygen. This also keeps the fruit flies out. Set the Kombucha in an undisturbed place away from heat sources in your kitchen.

As you become more experienced with this healthful hobby, you will know when the flavor is “peak” (usually 5-7 days) and most enjoyable to consume. It has a delightfully fizzy “bite” to it. Kombucha continues to get a stronger flavor each day past the 7 days needed to reach peak. It develops a strong apple cider vinegar resemblance which some people enjoy. If the tea ever smells or tastes “off” or chemically unpleasant, DO NOT CONSUME!

After 7 days or when you deem the culture at its peak taste, remove the SCOBY with a non-metal utensil and separate the newly formed layer or “baby” to make your next mixture or share with a friend. You can still use the original SCOBY too. Store the tea in the refrigerator at this point tightly capped.

To speed up the fermentation process, use some liquid from the last batch of Kombucha and 2 or more layers of the SCOBY.

This is the basic recipe; you can experiment with other teas and sugars but these are the recommended ones for optimal success. Never use sugar substitutes as these will very quickly kill the SCOBY. Visit the web for ideas on adding fruit and fruit juices and spices to make fun and unique cultures of Kombucha.

You may refrigerate the SCOBY in a glass container submerged in Kombucha for several weeks if you need to put production on hold. 

Please contact me with any questions about these instructions.

Happy Culturing!

Pumpkin Bliss

This past weekend, two of my four children flew back to the nest (one still lives here and one couldn’t come home) and the eldest requested pumpkin pancakes. So I surveyed my recipe collection and converted the ingredients in one to yield a more healthful meal. I used frozen pumpkin purée from those that I had baked this past Autumn, using small-sized pie pumpkins. I also knew I wanted to incorporate the very good and nutritious plain Amasai smoothie drink from Beyond Organic. So here is what I came up with.  Note: All ingredients are organic, so I won’t have to keep indicating that point.

Pumpkin Pancakes

 2 eggs
1-3/4 cup Amasai (either plain or milk n’ honey)
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 tbsp. honey or pure maple syrup
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup barley flour
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp. aluminum-free baking soda
1 tsp. RealSalt (sea salt)
*1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Combine wet ingredients, combine dry ingredients, then stir all together. On a hot griddle, fry and flip pancakes according to your style. Makes enough for 4-6 hungry eaters.

*Pumpkin Pie Spice
4 tbsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. nutmeg
4 tsp. ground ginger
2-1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves

Mix all together and keep in a small glass jar (empty spice jar.)

I used a well-seasoned iron skillet and these pancakes turned out wonderfully crisp on the outside yet moist and yummy inside. They were a hit!

That same evening I thought about the rest of that unused Amasai in the fridge and got the thought of making what else but pumpkin smoothies! When you heat the probiotic and nutrient-rich Amasai it goes without saying that you will kill some of the beneficial cultures that make it so valuable. But not so with smoothies! So, at two for the price of one, here is how I made my delectable concoction. I put the first three items in the freezer about a half hour before blending them.

Pumpkin Smoothie

1 cup slushy (partially frozen) pumpkin purée
1 cup icy Amasai (plain or milk n’ honey)
1 cup slushy apple cider
honey or real maple syrup to taste (adjust for the plain or sweetened Amasai you use)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (recipe above)
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 banana (optional, for a thicker smoothie)

Process all ingredients in blender until smooth. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and serve immediately. You may have to make another batch if this goes over like it did at my house!

Experiment with ingredients. You can substitute orange juice for the cider and the sky’s the limit when choosing healthful sweeteners. Consider agave nectar, rapadura, stevia, etc.

Bon appetit!

To order Amasai go to:  http://tammyschack.mybeyondorganic.com