Do you have
questions about supplements? You might find answers about supplement safety,
nutrient recommendations, and other resources at the government website www.ods.od.nih.gov.Another place to check is in the Nutrisearch
Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam
(Northern dimensions, 2007).
Food Focus: Lacto-Fermentation
Why is lacto-fermented
food particularly good for you?Besides
preserving food, fermentation starts the digestion process, making the inherent
nutrients more easily available.Furthermore, the microbes involved produce a number of B vitamins, some
antioxidants, some omega-3 fatty acids, and some digestive enzymes.Fermented food that is commercially available
may well be pasteurized, a process that kills off microbes, and may well have been
made with vinegar as a short cut instead of fermentation.So read labels carefully.Real Pickles, a small business in Massachusetts, makes and
sells pickles, sauerkraut, and other lacto-fermented vegetables made in the
traditional way.
Recipe of the Month:
Easy To Make Sauerkraut
Ingredients:
Cabbage, chopped as for coleslaw
Seaweed (optional)
Other chopped vegetables, e.g.,
carrots, onions, garlic (optional)
Herbs and spices, e.g., caraway
seeds, chopped ginger (optional)
Sea salt
A glass or ceramic jar (never
metal, "good" plastic, if necessary), preferably cylindrical or at least
very wide-mouthed.
Directions:
If using municipal tap water, boil
it ahead of time to release chlorine, then let it cool.
Chop and then soak the seaweed
while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Mix the ingredients and stuff them
into your jar or crock, pressing down as you go.
Make the brine: one tablespoon of
sea salt for one cup of water.
Weigh the kraut down so that all
is covered by brine.Use a slightly
smaller jar or other receptacle, full of something to make it heavy.Cover the whole thing with a dishcloth
to keep flies off.
Let stand at room temperature for
three or four days, skimming off any scum that forms, and adding more salt
water if the level drops below the kraut.
Transfer it to a cool (in the
50-60 F. range) basement, where it can go on fermenting and last for
months, making sure it's all submerged in brine.
Put it in the fridge to stop the
fermentation.
Principal
source: Wild Fermentation, Sandor
Ellix Katz, Chelsea Green, 2003.