Posted in Traditional Nutrition
Hello all! I have been at the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group's conference this weekend in Louisville, KY. I have had such an incredible and exciting time that I can't wait to post my blog! My first blog, Easy Fermentation, explained a simple way to make traditionally fermented saurkraut. After a little practice with the recipe, most people find a combination of cabbage and other spices that they can ferment for a few days and enjoy as a small savory serving with meals. A small amount of fermented vegetables, or some other lacto-fermented food or drink along with meals, introduces digestive enhancing bacteria to our bodies. Another step in preparing lacto-fermented vegetables is the introduction of whey to your vegetable mixture. Whey is a highly nutritious and multi-functional by-product of milk after cheese is made. Whey can be bought from a local provider, such as a farmer who makes homemade cheese (preferably from raw whole grass fed milk) or ordered from a whole food farmer near your home. I will cover some simple ways to make cheese in another blog, but for now let's assume that you are able to obtain whey without undertaking the task of making your own cheese. By introducing just a few tablespoons of whey into your fermented vegetables you are inocculating the mix with the lactic acid already present in the whey. Using whey will allow you to obtain a more predictable food, rather than relying on the unknown bacterias present in your vegetables and fermenting container. One of my all time favorite foods is shredded and pounded carrots, ginger and sea salt with an innoculation of whey obtained from making goat cheese. The flavor obtained from adding the whey is fantastic!
Posted by Kristin Hoffman
