Tag Archives: Fermenting Living Foods

Simple & healthy fermented Berry Coulis

Posted on by • Posted in #diet, Aging, Berries, Fermenting Living Foods • Tagged , , ,

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP – Living in Natures Love Lifestyles @insideawareness.com

Blueberry Coulis – Fermented

This 750 ml jar was filled with two cups of blueberries.  Overnight they shrank to 1/4 of the jar!  Yet look at the juice.  I can’t wait to open the lid soon to blend into a coulis.  One can use blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries.  Berries are great sources of fiber, a nutrient important for a healthy digestive system.  I have just learned that in addition to being good for the heart, berries may be good for bone health!

I chose to try blueberries as they are packed with antioxidants and I have heard they support keeping one’s memory sharp in aging.

Generally I add berries to a smoothie, however finding this recipe is exciting as it will increase the berries nutrients through the fermentation process, and improve gut health and reduce inflammation.

Recipe

Equipment:

  • Mason Jar
  • Fermenting lid or cheesecloth & an elastic
  • Weights

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups mixed berries of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • ½ teaspoon packaged starter culture  or 2 tablespoons fresh whey
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Process:

Pack two cups of berries in mason jar and press down with weight.  Set aside.  Add remaining ingredients into bowl to mix.  Pour over berries ensuring they are covered.  Cover top of jar and set aside for 1 to 2 days in cool space out of direct light.

After a couple of days strain the juice from the berries keeping both ingredients.  Blend the berries and slowly add juice back in to reach the consistency you want.

Story coulis in your favourite container in the fridge.  Will last for up to two months.

 

More Fabulous Fermenting Recipes

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Here are the lids and weights I purchased to make fermentation easier.  It came with a pump to burp the jars that makes it easy and  efficient.

Copyright 2014 – 2020  Living in Nature’s Love by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement  since 2000

 

Read more:

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/9567/the-total-body-benefits-of-berries/

Fermenting Kefir Grains @ Home

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by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP–Living in Natures Love Lifestyles insideawareness.com

Another exciting opportunity for exploring fermenting foods came my way when a  neighbour accidentally ordered two Kefir starter kits and passed one on to me instead of returning it.  This was the start of a journey to get acquainted with Kefir.   The process of culturing Kefir grains is similar to the symbiotic fermentation process of Kombucha.  The Kefir grain has live yeast that eats the sugar during fermenting making it 99% lactose free.  This makes it an alternative source of calcium for lactose intolerant people.  It is nutrient-dense, with plenty of protein, B vitamins, potassium, and calcium.

The kit came with dried kefir grains that are activated with fresh milk.  Much like a scobie used to ferment tea into kombucha, the milk kefir grains culture the milk. When  ready the kefir grains are strained out of the kefir and put into fresh milk to start a new ferment.  The process is easy and it is cheaper than buying Kefir off the grocery shelf.

Save time & money by making yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese & kefir & whey on 1-4 litres of milk

The process to activate the Kefir grains was simple. as adding them to a cup of milk.  This cup of milk was checked regularly for any changed to the texture.  When it was noticeably thicker the grains were strained out and placed into fresh milk increasing the amount of milk by 1/2 a cup.  This process continued until the milk was increased to 4 cups of milk with activated grains. The cycle between transferring  Kefir grains into fresh milk can be 24 hours.    The grains can take up to 7 days to be fully activated.

Picture by Renee Lindstrom

Kefir Grains

When activated they are white and in florets similar to cottage cheese or cauliflower florets.  Once activated future fermentation periods is usually 24 hours in a temperature of 64 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.  Summers heat can reduce  the time to 12 hours or in the cold of winter increase it to 36 hours.

Get traditional Kefir Grains to Culture

 

Kefir is a Yellow Food for balancing Solar Plexus Chakra

What I learned about the benefits of Kefir

I learned Kefir is a complex milk product that has high levels of vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, vitamin K2, biotin, folate, enzymes and probiotics.  Research suggest It is a power house for probiotics and may be a better choice than yogurt.  Kefir contains a higher number of probiotic strains than yogurt and they clean and feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut like yogurt.  Unlike yogurt, Kefir probiotic strains stay and colonize in ones gut andcan go out to attack pathogens and bad bacteria in the gut.  Yogurt strains are transient and flush out.

  • Antibacterial & Anti fungal

When tested against a series of pathogens it was found to have similarities to several antibiotics in hindering microbial growth.

  • Reduce Cholesterol Levels

Kefir grains reduce cholesterol levels in milk 41 to 84% during fermentation. 

  • Healthy Gut 

Lactobacillus found in Kefir is used for its ability to regulate the body’s immune system and inhibit the growth of bacteria and parasites pathogenic in nature.

  • Balancing Blood Sugars

My neighbour began using Kefir on a Doctors recommendation to support a diagnosis of  Diabetes

  • Contains Calcium & Vitamin K  

Vitamin K activates proteins that play a role in blood clotting, calcium metabolism and heart health.  Calcium helps to build strong bones, protein builds strong muscles, and potassium is essential for heart health.

  • Allergies & Asthma

Shown to suppress inflammatory responses related to allergies and asthma.

  • Cancer & Tumors

Believed to reduce tumor growth by stimulating your immune system and has been studied for liver and breast cancer.  

  • Healthy Skin & Scalp

Applied topically anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial has calming effect on inflammations such as acne, rosacea.

  • Anti-Aging

Lactic acid reduces appearance of wrinkles, tightens pores and improves dry and dull skin.  Contain nourishing properties that soothe sun-damaged skin.

Try replacing in Yogurt with Kefir in Dandelion Facial Mask recipe 

Get traditional Kefir Grains to Culture

Ways of using Kefir

Kefir can be used in smoothies, recipes and cosmetically!  It can be flavoured with herbs and fruits and used replace milk in pancakes, baking recipes and other dishes such as home-made cottage cheese.  Rather than add cream to the curds, I have begun to use Kefir.

Read more ways to enjoy integrating a  Kefir lifestyle

There may be an adjustment period the first couple of days while your colon integrates the healthy bacteria of Kefir.  Stools may become looser and some gas may be experienced.

Get traditional Kefir Grains to Culture

For those with Auto immune disorders check with you Doctor before integrating Kefir into a regular diet staple.

Children under one should not have Kefir

Breastfed Babies receive pro-biotics through breast milk

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Copyright 2014 – 2020  Living in Nature’s Love by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement  since 2000

Happy with glass weights for topping fermenting foods!

Posted on by • Posted in Uncategorized • Tagged , , ,

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP–Living in Natures Love Lifestyles insideawareness.com

The glass weights I ordered to put on top of the foods I was fermenting arrived!  They arrived just in time to add to two of the jars I had started pictured below.  I am impressed with the difference they made immediately.

Creating natural probiotics

Glass Weights for Fermenting Foods

Adding this weight to the jar shown with carrots pushed the carrots down so much that they are now submerged in the brine.  This will support better fermenting and slow any molds from growing.  Here is an after shot below.

Carrots weighted down with glass weights

Searching around my own local community I could not find anyone who carried weights so I went on-line to purchase.  Receiving the order there was a pleasant surprise upon opening the box.  There was a note from the supplier that explained my purchase had just supported a small family run business.  Reading this was joyful and pleasing for me.  The details of purchasing these through Amazon are below as I would like to continue supporting this family enterprise.

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4-Pack of Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jar