Fermented Foods….Nature’s Gift of Life

Not feeling well? Dodgy tummy? Down with the flu? Sniffles coming on? Feeling moody, hormonal, unbalanced, unnatural, ungrounded, lack of energy, aches and pains….or just plain not with it? Weeelllll…..

Any of these (and perhaps all of these!) just may have a little to do with a complete and utter lack of (enough) living organisms within (your gut) and without (your skin) to see you through proper digestive processes, immune function, detox pathways and all else that needs to go on in our bodies.

So without further ado – here is some more of what I have been up to for these past few months but this time, with an added dimension. I wasn’t satisfied to just have the usual fermented foods….I wanted something with a twist LOL.

A few weeks ago I placed some veggies into one of my trusty demi-johns (it has a wide mouth – perfect to work with vegetables and fruits) along with some of my goat’s whey and water to see what I would get.

To be honest it was a pure experiment in taste. For years I have not really been all that ‘gone’ on some of the fermented foods, (I really love some things, but dislike the taste of others) so I really just wanted something that tasted, well, nice enough to eat.

The vegetables I used were beetroot, carrot, courgette, red onion, garlic and dulse seaweed….these were all grated and then placed in the glass jar along with ¾ cup of goat’s yogurt whey, a little sea salt and water.

That’s it.

I left them covered (sealed with the cap for the demi-john) for more then 2 weeks or so – but I tasted them every couple of days to see how they were progressing. And with each taste, they changed a little bit more – until the day arrived when I was happy with the taste.

Then I scooped them out and placed them into jars for the fridge. Right now the vegetable mix tastes sort of fresh, a tiny bit salty, a little sour/tangy/vinegary and lovely! I hope to have a couple of tablespoons on my plate each day with my meals.

My digestion feels better already! LOL

April

Fermented vegetables - ready for the fridge

Living Local - Beneficial Soil Bacteria

Today I was taking some homemade cheese out of the fridge (making Lasagne!) and noticed a bit of reddish mold had started to grow on it…..of course my mind immediately went to – I wonder what kind of mold that is? Would it make a nice rind on a cheese and how would I cultivate it!!!!

To be honest I have caught myself thinking like this over and over lately in all kinds of situations and realized that is fairly close to the mindset I would have had when I was growing up.

I don’t know about you, but if there was mold on cheese in my house….well, it was cut off and the rest was eaten. Then, there was a relative or two who would also eat the mold….but that’s another post!

Likewise, if there was a bit of mold growth on the jam…it might be stirred in as much as scooped out….most food was generally fresh and eaten fairly quickly, however, nothing went to waste, under any circumstances.

Milk that had gone 'off' was used in breads, baking and given to animals as feed. Wilting vegetables were used in soups and stews. Old, stale bread went into puddings, toast and bread crumbs. 

Our bodies should be able to tolerate low levels of naturally occurring organisms that grow in, around and on our food. But, one thing that must be pointed out here is these days most food is so far removed from ‘normal’ the organisms we might find on it are in themselves a disaster.

When we go to a modern day supermarket to get our carrots….they are all neatly lined up in a bin looking nearly identical to each other, as clean as a whistle with nothing to distinguish them from any other carrot. The same goes for pretty well all other vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh produce.

Sterilized food. There is nothing living in there and the vegetables themselves are lacking in nutrients mostly because they are depleted of these beneficial organisms every step (from soil, water and lack of direct sunlight) along the way of this mass production.

This is why I spend my time in the garden, wild foraging and shopping in local farmers markets – my body requires real, living food in order to function at optimum levels. Not to mention just for basic health and survival.

One of the things I love about market shopping….we get as much as we possibly can from our local markets and of course, I am equally participating in this local community endeavor – is the lack of packaging, the variety and the life to be found there.

Our food is meant to be alive inside and out….which includes healthy, normal soil bacteria. Start getting your fruit, veg and some of your foods at your local farmers market….you will notice a difference in your digestion and your social interaction!

April

Sauted chanterelles with garlic & onions.....wild foraging in West Cork!

My Secret Garden.....A Healthy Gut

I have been fasting this week…so not much in the way of cooking right now (except making loads of sourdough breads!) however I have been doing lots of thinking about food (what else is new?) and pondering some revamped recipes for our upcoming Mid Summer feast.

In case you have not been checking the calendar this Friday at 5:04am in Ireland is the summer solstice…the longest day of summer and a great reason to have a feast! It is also the full moon within a couple of days and is quite a magical time for us all.

We have been planning our menu over this past week or so….but this time it keeps wavering. No one is really set on exactly what they would like to have – just food and lots of it! LOL

Perhaps it’s because we have not done any really long fasts this time around – just many little ones for less then 5 days or so. Or maybe there is something else at work here….

Remember how I have been mentioning that our guts have reset, changed, altered and the internal landscape is now a completely different place? (Since our mother of all cleanses in March) Well…just maybe this has everything to do with what is taking place on the table right now, so to speak.

Our menu is changing because the gut bacteria and other internal intestinal organisms have done a complete shift – they are growing and in place now. I think of it in terms of my ‘new’ internal mother culture – only this one works with me, loves me, heals and uplifts me.

Whereas before (like for the rest of my entire life) these organisms were either not present or not in significant numbers to influence me in entirely positive, healthful ways. And most importantly – what was in place was not working with me and certainly not for my benefit.

I finally feel as if I have my gut sorted – the ground-work has been laid and my inner garden is growing. Now….the most difficult task ahead of me is to decide what to have on each of these feast days!

April

Healthy Gut Bacteria - It Should be Alive In There

I have been talking about this topic for a very long time – my own body has been working away at being ‘alive’ for sometime with a lot of help from my intuition as I learn more along the way.

To be alive means something very significant these days – there are so many out there who want to believe they are living their lives and their guts are healthy, stable and living places, because they take a probiotic or some lab produced organisms.

Life doesn’t come in a pill. Nor is it made in a lab, with resulting quality and life sustaining properties. It is difficult enough these days to encourage it, nurture it and then to maintain life on any level.

Mainly because there are so many factors working against us all, everywhere we turn an entire society has the parameters of death well organized;

Chlorine in the water

Sterile food from the shops

Poor quality soil

Anti bacterial soaps

Over washing

Highly processed food from sanitized factories

Medication

Antibiotic use

Disconnection from environment

Imbalance in bacteria

Use of fermented foods when gut is not balanced

The list goes on. And so do the general gut problems of nearly everyone in the Western world because our lives are being flushed, washed, sterilized and medicated away.

For me, it has become a mantra – I want my life back. But, what I am talking about is on the inside, I want my gut alive with healthy colonies of bacteria, working with me to digest my food and keep my immune system up and running.

However, if there is no life in here, there is equally not much life out there – perhaps there are not many of us living our potential because of some of these reasons. Imagine all we could be doing if we had our lives back on the inside as well as in the outer world….

Over the years, I have been giving each of these areas mentioned above careful thought. And working down such a list in my mind to eliminate, change or alter each area as it has been identified.

For example – if you are in a position to have some ducks or geese, you can have your own eggs (they don’t need to be sterilized, and you eat them fresh). You are in control of your food when you grow your own, cook your own and raise your own.

That way it doesn’t have to be sterile. But – there is also something more going on here too. What’s with all this sterile food? Sterile water…..then amazement over so many problems related to antibiotic use.

I don’t know what we have been thinking – if you don’t feed the good bacteria in your gut they will die. And we cannot live without life – very much longer.

April

Our goat with her 3 kids

Digestion and Hearing Voices...

Today I felt like having some fruit salad - I know it's winter, but my body just needed some extra vitamin C and the fastest way to get it is to eat some fresh herbs and fresh fruit. So, today I am doing just that. 

Fruit is also fairly easy to digest - and when you have just spent 21 days fasting, perhaps sticking with digesting fruit for the first couple of days or so is always best. This morning I put the fruit salad in my porridge - which is another food that is easy on the gut, and it was heavenly.

Years ago I would not have given as much thought to paying attention to my body, listening, watching and following it's instructions as I do now. To a certain extent as an intuitive, I have always had to listen, but not always have I followed through.

When it comes to food, this is one of the most common misconceptions on the planet. I actually have people tell me - 'my body needs sugar', or I really 'feel' like a cup of coffee. And for the most part they have convinced themselves that these voices, feelings, senses really do come from their body tissues.

Of course, they do not. Your body's first priority is to preserve life - yours. Not one single organ, tissue or cell in your body would ever request some type of poison as a fuel. Ever. 

These 'voices' or desires come entirely from the entities (aka fungus, yeast, nasty bacteria, molds, low vibration viruses) who run the show inside your gut. The worst part is they have been managing your digestion, absorption and breakdown of food as well. 

Or in the case of nearly everyone - the utter and complete lack of the above normal physiological functions. When there is an overgrowth or imbalance within the gut this results in a dysfunction and routinely affects everything. Both inside and outside of your body.

So, getting back to cravings....you are probably not craving anything more then green leaves, fresh herbs and nice vegetables. It all comes down to who you listen too....

April

Fruit Salad...Yumm!

Feeding the Children Part 2

I have learned quite a few things from my years spent in the food industry, raising children and talking to absolutely everyone about everything to do with eating, nutrition, packaging, labeling and food. 

So I wanted to say something more on children and eating because everyone keeps asking me to comment far more on this issue. But also because I feel that so many of us have every good intention and then fall back on the ways we ourselves were ‘made’ to eat. 

Of course some of these methods work – but not all of it. Perhaps it is best to pick apart what hasn’t been working and start with the basics. Children should be easy to feed – they are not complicated little humans with emotional/stress eating or at least shouldn’t be.

With a simple approach in mind – the food, eating, mealtime, the table, the setting, the menu plans and anything to do with dinner should be low key, loose and gentle.

However, one important aspect is often overlooked – many children don’t need to eat a lot, and we start the overfeeding process far too early. Not only overfeeding, but worse – offering the wrong types of foods (low nutrition) required to grow strong bodies and minds.

The meals should be kid friendly but that doesn’t mean junk, such as fish fingers and fries smothered in sugary ketchup. These items are not simple eating, this is pure rubbish – immature guts need easy to digest foods. 

Children are often slow eaters – my son used to linger over his breakfast for over an hour when he was younger. I often thought thankfully, he was not rushed off anywhere because he would never have finished his breakfast. 

That is one of the lovely things about homeschool and being at home with the children (working from home etc.). No one needs to be rushed with their meals, slow cooked, savored and enjoyed – with the children eating at their own pace.

I have also learned from my own years spent fasting, detoxing and cleansing to wait until they ask for food. In the morning my daughter usually doesn’t want to eat right away. She prefers to have a cup of herbal tea first (quite the little lady) and this gives her digestion a head start.

Of course not every day is an ideal situation and we have days where we have to rush off for dance classes and what not – so I organize their snacks ahead of time… Last week I made simple goat’s cheese and onion muffins from spelt and oat flour (organic whole grain of course).

These are filling, simple and tasty – yet cover carbohydrates, protein and fat – to give them the energy for the day. Together with an apple, some figs and a few nuts – everyone was well nourished and had their main meal when they got home. 

Another thing I have noticed when it comes to children is they often get overlooked when it comes to water. Don’t give them juice, they don’t need the sugar or sweetness. Save the juice (sugar free, natural) for a treat day such as birthdays, special occasions and what not.

Water is essential for proper digestion, not to mention every other function of the human body. We are water operated machines – provide the best water you can find for your growing little ones. 

As a general rule, children do not need;

Sugar

Caffeine

Additives

Chemicals/toxins

Processed food

Advertising!

Marketing geared towards children is probably the most damaging influence to push it’s unruly way into your home. Banish it as much as possible, talk about it and educate them about how they are being manipulated into wanting something that their bodies do not require.

When it comes to each of us and our food, get back to basics. Start with increasing vegetables, rice, beans, lentils, some fruits, a little fish and meat. Then take it from there. You will find when a child eats his dinner he most often doesn’t want or need anything more…

April 

Purple daze...

Sterile Food, Means Dead Food

Yesterday turned out to be a fairly busy day with our goat's arriving we had a lot to get prepared, secure the fencing and shift into goat owner mode. Right now our little barn is filling up with all of these animals some of which will be invited for Christmas dinner....LOL.

Right now we are all adjusting to having some new animals around as well as something very different from what we are used to with all the birds. It turns out that while goats tend to be quite stubborn, they are also very friendly, easy to handle and gentle creatures. 

These 2 we have acquired are brother and sister (twins) who have never been separated having spent the last 4 or 5 years of their lives side by side. And treated very well I might add. Perhaps that is part of the reason they have such a nice temperament...

My hope is to be able to at the very least have fresh milk year round - and perhaps to breed the female so that we can grow our own little goat herd. But right now, a little real milk is great! The reason I use the word real is because of the taste...

I don't know if you have ever tasted shop bought pasteurized milk and then taken some fresh from a goat. It is actually quite remarkable because the difference is huge. Of course I could never help but wonder if all those things said about the negatives of pasteurization are true.

When you do the least amount of research on this topic one of the first statements to be found is this: 'Farms are not sterile environments' ; therefore they cannot be trusted as far as providing fresh milk that would be bacteria free.

That for me as as far as I need to go with this issue. Perhaps the main problem with our guts, digestion, immune system and health right now on this planet, is the fact that there are those who are determined to eradicate every living thing from our bodies....

We are meant to be living. Inside and out - with teams of healthy bacteria working together especially within our guts helping us to digest our food, make vitamins and synthesize useful nutrients. They also have a huge role to play with our immune function.

Or basically, we cannot function without them. This constant eating and drinking sterile food is killing us inside - because sterile food means dead food. 

Of course, drinking raw milk would only be something I would do from my own animals (I know their care, feed and habits). And this needs to be part of the larger picture here of healthy eating and living. 

Personally, I feel it has taken us a few years to get our immune systems back to where they should be to function in this world. I can only imagine how people are faring who take medication regularly, eat rubbish foods and otherwise do nothing to support these vital processes. 

It is time to get back to health everyone!

April 

Welcome to the goats! 

Warm bread, Pumpkin soup and Date squares...

Today we are slowly getting back to some soft foods after fasting for 10 days during our Master Cleanse - this is always a lovely day for me because right now my senses are still really sharp from the all the detoxing.

I can smell, taste and feel each food more deeply, all the subtle notes and flavours roll around with each bite - it is a great feeling to enjoy good homemade food knowing everything I am eating is good for me and nourishing.

Late last night I had dates on my mind so much, I decided to finally listen to them calling - I ended up making some great smelling date squares, which of course I couldn't eat until just now, I had a small bite of one. It is divine. There is something decadent about dates, combine them with the subtle tastes of toasted oats, butter and spices and this is close to heaven for me! 

Date squares piled on a plate - calling my name! 

I actually hadn't made them in quite a while, but now have my orders to make them far more often. Perhaps I will make another batch this week with a little twist of orange flavours for something different.

Early this morning I also made my bread, this is something I do most days, I even make honey oat spelt bread fairly regularly, however, once again tonight as everyone had a slice of the bread, it was as if it tasted so wonderful. Even better than usual.

It has not got me wondering if perhaps our taste buds have been extra cleaned out or something from this last 10 days, more so than usual for us after a detox. Something is different and this food tastes great! Just as I wrote this I realized the one thing now different! LOL

The last few vestiges of processed foods such as mustard, mayonnaise, jams etc. which were getting into our diets have been gone for some weeks now. Might this be making such a dramatic difference to our palates? Possibly.

For our soft, easily digested dinner tonight, I had soaked azduki beans, added lots of vegetables but mostly pumpkin, spiced it a little as this gently cooked - and then we all really enjoyed a nourishing bowl of pumpkin soup. 

All the food today tasted fabulous - can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Have a healthy day,

April

Pumpkin and azduki bean soup - lovely flavours and tastes