December 15, 2016
December is such a busy month for everyone…holiday parties, get-togethers
at work, present exchanges with neighbors, and other types of
celebrations. As we have gotten older,
Charming and I have found that we prefer low key celebrations. Because both our birthdays are in December,
we have found that going out for a simple supper is the best way for us to
celebrate. That way, we each get a
special meal, nobody has to cook or clean up, and (best of all) you don’t have
to find a place in the house to store the birthday gift because it’s already in
our tummies! We celebrate Christmas in
the same way. After all, we already have
the best presents that we could possibly ever get…each other!
One thing that we do not skip is the feast on Christmas Day. I always bake a turkey or ham and cook the
customary foods that usually accompany the feast…mashed potatoes, green beans,
dressing, gravy, etc. Although this year
the December holiday and birthday celebrations are in direct conflict with our current
vegetarian diet, we will break that diet in favor of tradition. (In between the celebratory meals, we continue
to eat vegetarian meals.)
Because December seems to revolve around food, I’ve spent a lot of
time in the kitchen recently. I came
across a recipe for gluten-free sourdough bread and it has rapidly become my
favorite bread. I’ve read that sourdough
bread is better for the digestive tract than regular bread and, since I have gluten
issues, my digestive tract needs all the help it can possibly get. Sourdough “starter” is made from almost any
flour (I use white rice flour) and warm water and “fed” over the course of several
days. (Remember the “Friendship Cakes”
that were all the rage years ago…someone made the “starter” and fed it for
about 10 days, then passed a cup of the starter on to several friends. Those friends then fed their starter for 10
days and passed a cup on to their friends.
As I recall it was a very good cake.)
As the starter sits on the kitchen counter and ferments, it attracts the
yeast that naturally floats through the air.
The fermenting starter also generates healthy microbes called
lactobacilli that help promote digestion and, thereby boost the immune system.
As one might guess, the typical American diet of highly processed
food is extremely hard on the digestive tract and can do a lot of damage over
time. This, in turn, can weaken the
immune system. To counteract this damage,
fermented foods can help to ease digestive problems and strengthen the immune
system. You may not realize it, but many
foods that you may already have in your kitchen are fermented…coffee, cocoa, and
wine for example. You can also whip up
other fermented foods like sourdough bread and fermented vegetables easily and
economically right in your own kitchen.
As you may remember from a previous post, I made sauerkraut and it
turned out great. A couple of weeks ago,
I also experimented with other fermented vegetables. I sliced up a small head of cabbage, finely
chopped a few small pieces of fresh broccoli, and grated a few fresh radishes, carrots,
red onion, and a bit of ginger. To that
mixture, I also added a very small amount of caraway seeds. I put it all in a really big bowl with some unrefined
sea salt and started smashing it. (My “smasher”
is a pint jar, filled with water, with the top tightly screwed onto it...this
makes quick work of bringing the juices out of the vegetable…or you can simply
massage the vegetables with your hands.)
The rule of thumb for salt is about 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt per pound
of vegetables. Charming (who is my
taste-testing guinea pig) said the vegetable mixture tasted great even before it
had started the fermentation process. We
have since taste-tested it every four to five days and it is really starting to
taste nice and tangy. The tummy-taming
type of sauerkraut is not the same as what you purchase in jars at the grocery
store. The canning process destroys the
beneficial microbes. So if you
absolutely cannot make your own sauerkraut or fermented vegetables, purchase
the type that is kept in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (usually
alongside the smoked sausages).
I would encourage anyone with any kind of stomach issues to read several
books on fermentation and to at least try a few recipes. It is one of the easiest, cheapest, and best
things you can do for your health.
I wish you all a merry, happy, and healthy Christmas!
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| My sourdough starter...I now cover it with a coffee filter for better yeast collection. |
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| I bake the dough in my biggest, heaviest sauce pan (from Costco). |
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| As you see, the bread turned out tall & lovely! |
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| Lovely browned crust & light on the inside...YUM! |
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| My fermented vegetables weighted down with a small container of water. |
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| Holiday decorating idea! Use computer to type a Christmas message in large font & color. |
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| Cut letters out in a circle, oval, square or whatever shape. |
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| Showcase your letters on your favorite containers (mine are crocks), paired with festive ribbon. |
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| Add poinsettias, as I did, or another favorite greenery | . |
