The idea that bacteria could be both tasty and good might sound crazy especially with all the anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers that are encouraged in most public places. But plant, animal, and human life wouldn't exist without bacteria. Bacteria are good! God created all plants, animals, and humans to be supported by these bacteria. Without bacteria surrounding the roots, plants can't pull in the needed nutrients to grow. Although we don't see them, our skin is covered with bacteria and our bodies are filled with bacteria. Our bodies are a mix of the good bacteria with some bad bacteria, too. One of the many jobs of the immune system (which is largely contained in the gut) is to keep a healthy balance of the good and bad bacteria. There are about 9 times as many bacteria in our bodies as there are cells. That's a 9:1 ratio we were created with.....and we need those bacteria to sustain life!
Long ago, salt was valuable because it was the mineral that was used to preserve food. Unlike today, there was no refrigeration to extend the "shelf life" of foods. In the Bible, Jesus tells us in the book of Matthew chapter 5 that, "You are the salt of the earth" and "You are the light of the world." Salt and light had great value then and they are valuable still today.....both in a spiritual sense but also physically. In the time of Jesus, salt had two purposes: to preserve food and to enhance the flavor of food. Those two purposes still apply today.
Although I was never a part of the process because I was a very young child, I remember my mom later reminiscing about making sauerkraut in a large crock at her brother's home in Louisville. After chopping the cabbage and covering it with a salt brine, her brother put the crock in his cellar until the cabbage fermented into raw sauerkraut. Then the two of them put the raw sauerkraut in jars and refrigerated it so they could enjoy it in the upcoming months. The sauerkraut that they made together was a fermented food that was rich in good bacteria and a great food for gut health. Our bodies long for fermented foods!
In the past 100 years in our country, we've moved away from some of these fermenting food traditions. Eating fermented foods and drinking kombucha (which is fermented tea) have been a part of my nutrient dense diet. Making fermented foods and drinks yourself is definitely a great option and there are many recipes available in fermenting books and on-line. There are many websites that contain fermenting ideas and the preparation steps for fermenting foods. Below are a few websites to check out:
-WildFermentation.com
-Earthmother-intheraw.com
-Culturesforhealth.com
When I first saw a large glass jug of kombucha on my sister, Maggie's kitchen counter, I was both intrigued and "grossed out" by the large layer of bacteria and yeast floating on the top. That floating bacteria and yeast layer is known by the acronym SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). Just as bacteria has gotten a bad name, yeast has too! Yeast is good and needed in our body but it becomes a bad condition when we have yeast overgrowth. Bacteria and yeast are both needed but in the correct balance.
My first sip of home-brewed kombucha turned up my nose because it tasted a lot like vinegar to me. I was not at all accustomed to eating or drinking fermented foods. Fast forward from December 2016 and today, I drink my own home-brewed kombucha and love it! It's a fermented drink that's a part of my daily diet and my body gets many benefits including a rich source of B vitamins, enzymes, and it helps bring the gut into balance.
You can buy kombucha in so many stores today but personally, I prefer home-brewed kombucha for two reasons:
1) Most store bought kombucha has been pasteurized which means it was heated. Anytime you heat a fermented food or drink, you kill off some of the naturally occurring good bacteria.
2) It's significantly CHEAPER to brew kombucha at home. If you can make sweet tea, you can brew kombucha in your home! It requires 4 ingredients: loose tea or tea bags, organic sugar, SCOBY, and some starter kombucha.
If you're ready to start brewing kombucha, I would be delighted to supply you with a SCOBY and some starter kombucha. If you don't live near me in southern Indiana, there's a whole network of kombucha brewers around the country that would love to help you get started! A great website to check out regarding everything kombucha is: kombuchakamp.com (Hannah Crum, The Kombucha Mamma).
Vegetables and fruits can be fermented because they are created with the lactobacillus strain of bacteria on their skins. These lactobacillus bacteria have the ability to convert sugars into lactic acid. On the CulturesforHealth.com website it states, "Lactobacillus strain of bacteria is so named because it was first studied in milk ferments." They go on to say, "Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. Beyond preservation advantages, lacto-fermentation also increases or preserves the vitamin and enzyme levels, as well as digestibility, of the fermented food." Along with the good bacteria, fermented foods are great sources of vitamins and enzymes and all fermented foods are more easily digested. A healthy, healing diet includes a variety of fermented foods that are great sources of these beneficial good bacteria.
We all have a limited amount of time, talent, and treasure and we are called to use those gifts wisely. As much as I enjoy tinkering in the kitchen, making fermented vegetables is not one of my favorite foods to prepare. Having fermented foods in my diet is very important to me so I seek out good sources for some of those fermented foods. Buying some fermented foods also allows me to have more variety than I might have otherwise.
Below are a few fermented foods and the brands I've been buying recently:
-Coconut Yogurt (CoCoYo brand)
-Mild Kimchi (Wildbrine brand)
-Red Beet & Red Cabbage Kraut (Wildbrine brand)
-Garden Kraut (Fermenti Artisan - I haven't found it lately though.)
-Organic Olives (Alive & Well)
-Garlic Dill Pickle Kraut (Farmhouse Culture)
All fermented foods are stored in the refrigerated section of a store. Any fermented food you buy or make at home will be probiotic rich. Because fermented foods are full of live bacteria (probiotics), they are heat sensitive. If you heat any of these foods, you will kill the good bacteria so just enjoy them as a side dish or include them in a salad.
The Garlic Dill Pickle Kraut is a great addition to tuna salad, egg salad, or potato salad. Since blueberries have been in season and growing on the bushes in my yard, I've been enjoying a spoonful of the coconut yogurt with some blueberries and a small sprinkle of unsweetened coconut. It's tasty and gut healthy! A large spoonful of the Red Beet & Red Cabbage Kraut on a sliced avocado makes a great combo and is perfect to take in a lunch bag.
There are so many ways to include fermented foods in your diet daily and that's a great way to increase easy-to-digest foods that are fabulous nutrition. Fermented foods are one of the absolute best "fast foods" available!
Below is my Egg Salad recipe and my Homemade Mayonnaise that I use in the Egg Salad. This Egg Salad is nutrient dense because of the pasture-raised eggs, fermented Garlic Dill Pickle Kraut, and the great oils. In place of eggs, this recipe works well with tuna, sardines, or salmon. God gave us the perfect "fast food" for a tasty good lunch or dinner!
