Food Inc...

Have you ever seen the documentary "Food Inc." ? Our family sat down to watch it recently and I have to say...it was perhaps the most thought provoking documentary that I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it...borrow it from a library and make sure you do!

****Warning**** Some parts of the documentary were kind of graphic (slaughterhouses etc.) It brought me to tears...and almost made me ill. We had our children avert their eyes a few times, but felt it was important for them to see the reality of our foods.

The Lord had already been impressing upon me that we needed to make some major changes regarding the foods we'd been eating. I've been praying about it and asking the Lord for direction.

Well...I got it....and boy was it a rude awakening...a bit of a slap in the face that my head is still spinning from.



Here are some of the changes that we are proposing to make:



-Buy all meats locally (we are blessed to have a local farm/slaughterhouse that sells grass fed/grain free meat)

-Eat more meat-less meals. (I'll try to post some of the menu's and recipes I'm planning on using.)

-Continue buying frozen vegetables instead of canned (the canned foods have concentrated amounts of bisphenol A...the toxin that can be leached from baby bottles :( )

-Grow a ginormous garden so we can freeze or can our own produce for next winter...the things we don't have room to grow, we'll buy in bulk from local produce farmers.

- Completely eradicate all processed foods from our home...we are mostly there, but there are the occasional "bad" foods that make their way in. We will not be consuming any more high fructose corn syrup etc. (Heinz ketchup....lol)

-Completely eradicate all fast foods from our diets....especially the occasional burgers. The burger "filler" is rinsed with ammonia!!!! It may be all beef...but they don't claim it's all ground meat...

-Continue buying organics whenever possible.

-Trust in the Lord to provide us with the healthy foods He's directing us to eat! :)


This is all part of the journey towards eating healthier, and being more deliberate about the choices we make each day. I'll try to keep you all posted along the way :)

Culturing Fun...

Isn't culturing fun? I remember when I got my nutrimill...I sat there, with squinted eyes, rubbing my palms together...just looking for something to grind!


Today, I made a big batch of sauerkraut and ginger carrots a la Nourishing Traditions. I have a new sourdough starter brewing as well as some water kefir, and traditional milk kefir, and a new batch of kombucha brewing...


Now, it's all about the cultures and fermenting! Hmmmm...what else can I ferment???? I'm having fun working with these different things...and what a healthy pass time it is :P

If you are making baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle, you should really consider working with some of these live cultures. They are easy to maintain, inexpensive and the health benefits are phenomenal ;) Having a "living kitchen" is a wonderful example to your family as well :)

How to Make Kombucha in Pictures...

Okay, I've been asked by several people to post a how-to on making Kombucha. So....into the kitchen!

These instructions will make 68oz of Kombucha to drink. (You'll need to hang on to 12 ounces as the starter tea for your next batch)

What you will need:

-Stainless steel pot

-Glass jar to brew in (size will depend on amount you plan on making)

-Black tea (5 tea bags)

-Plain white sugar (1 cup)

-Spring water 80 ounces + some for evaporation (tap is fine but if you live in the city like I do, you have to worry about chlorine.)

-Glass or plastic measuring cups

-Kombucha Scoby with 12 oz (or 1 1/2 cups) starter tea.

-Paper towels (or paper napkins)

-Big rubber band

-Vinegar to help sanitize utensils, jars, pan etc.

We start off by washing everything thoroughly. (Rinse really well as soap will kill the Kombucha.) Then splash some vinegar on or in each of the things that will be in contact with your Kombucha. Remember...no metal! You are going to pour at least 80oz (10 cups) of water into your pot to heat. I always add an extra few ounces to cover any evaporation.) I am doubling this whole recipe/process so I have much more water in my pot

While the water is heating, get your brewing jars ready. (I bought my jars for around 7$ a piece at Wal-mart. I have 4 so I can always have 2 jars brewing, and 2 more ready to go) You need 5 tea bags. I usually suspend them from the sides and then wrap a rubber band around the edge so they don't fall when I pour the hot water in.

Here's my assistant photographer....

If you are using spring water (or good well water) heat it until it's just about to boil. (If you are using tap water, you'll want to bring your water to a boil and leave it boiling for at least 10 minutes to get rid of the chlorine. Make sure to add plenty of water to allow for evaporation!)

Measure out your 80 ounces(10 cups). Pour the measured water into your waiting jar.

Wait 5 minutes and then pour in your sugar. (This can be a bit tricky...if you pour it in too soon, the sugar can carmelize...if you wait too long it may not dissolve. 5 minutes is usually safe!)

Let your tea steep for about 20 minutes.

Then take out the tea bags and give the sweet tea a stir. We want all of the sugar dissolved and distributed.

Cover your tea and let it sit until cooled to room temp. (Feel the jar, if it feels cool, it's probably okay...if it's still warm, leave it alone! This usually takes several hours.)

The realtor called while I was waiting for the tea to cool and my lovely photographer thought it would be funny to take a picture.....

While the camera's out.....here's my little monkeys!

And me....

The tea has cooled and now it's time to transfer my scoby's to their new home. This is where they "live". I keep one corner of my pantry for brewing and fermenting (As you can see...there's also some kefir in there right now...)

Your next step will be to remove 12 ounces (or 1 1/2 cups) of sweet tea from your jar. (This will allow room for the starter tea and keep the total amount the same so you have the same ratio...more on that at the end) You can drink this tea if you want...I personally dump it down the drain as I don't care for sweet tea

Now you are going to take 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups ) of starter tea....

and put it in your fresh batch of sweet tea.

(The starter tea is put in to get the ph level of the tea off to a good start....which is necessary to avoid mold. A note on mold...if after watching for several days and you are sure your kombucha scoby is growing mold...looks like what you'd see on bread....throw it out, sanitize your jars and start over. Mold isn't anything to mess around with in this case. I try to keep a backup scoby with starter tea in the fridge...just in case!)

Next you're going to go remove all jewelry/watches and wash your hands again...rinse them very well (I even splash vinegar on my hands) Carefully take your scoby....

and slip it into it's new home of sweet tea.

Here they are in their new homes! The one on the right shows the layers of babies on the scoby. Also, note how they can go sideways....it's totally normal for them to float on the top, on their sides or even rest on the bottom. Mine usually make their way back to the top (They actually have now...24 hrs later)

Now it's time to strain this past weeks brew into the pitcher. (I always strain it as I pour it into the pitcher and then again as it goes into the glass. There are little brown globs of spent yeast etc. and though it wouldn't hurt you ...might even be good....I personally don't care for texture in my drinks. Just remember you want a plastic or nylon strainer....no metal! :o)

You'll notice the bubbles...that's normal....kombucha is naturally carbonated!

And here it is ready to go into the fridge. But before that.....

Salute!

Now for some more info...I us a 10-10-15% ratio when I make k-tea. Meaning 80 ounces of water-8 ounces of sugar-12 ounces of starter tea. Once you are experienced at making kombucha, you can play with these numbers a bit but this is what I use. If you are starting out with for the first time, you can start with 32 ounces of water-2 tea bags-3.2 ounces of sugar and-4.7 ounces of starter tea. If you want to make a bigger batch than you have starter tea for, you can add distilled vinegar (white, apple cider or white wine), to make the amount needed. (Some people say you can use just vinegar on occasion as a starter if you have somehow run out of regular starter tea.)

Places to get scoby's and starter tea...from friends or family if possible! With every brew you'll have a new baby that can either be kept together or passed along (I've already gotten several family members going on k-tea from my "babies") If you need to purchase them, there are several places on-line you can buy from and there's several sellers on E-bay. I have had excellent luck with this seller and you can also purchase strainers etc. from him. (Hi Mike!) He also has a wonderful website with additional info here.

I hope you've enjoyed this how-to on making kombucha and though I am by no means an expert, please feel free to ask any questions you may have! Kombucha is such a wonderfl, healthy and frugal (when made at home) drink for your family...it's worth the time and trial & errors!

Kombucha...a wonderful gift!

If you've never heard of Kombucha...let me just fill you in! Here is a link to some basic info on kombucha, but bottom line, there are sooo many health benefits. I drink kombucha tea (or k-tea) for several reasons....

-metabolism, appetite control, weight-loss

-digestion

-liver function, detoxification

-immune system booster

-sleep better

-much less painful menstrual cramps

to name a few.

It's so simple to make, inexpensive and it tastes good (kind of like sparkling cider) All you need is plain old black tea and white sugar! Now we don't usually use white sugar in our home, but the kombucha seems to like it best so I do buy it just for this.

Though it's often referred to as a mushroom, kombucha is actually grown with something called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and with each brew, a new scoby is "born". You can keep these babies or give them away to friends and family (which I've been doing a lot lately!) Then each of those babies will produce new scoby's that can be passed on! So it really is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only giving continual health benefits, but giving new cultures to be passed on. How cool is that!

Now, I am by no means a doctor and kombucha tea is potent stuff....it may not be for everyone. I urge you to take the time and do the research (the internet is a wealth of knowledge.) There are so many testimonies out there of kombucha curing ailments from cancer to eczema.....but you know your own body and it's conditions. You are the best judge as to what will benefit your families health. Personally, I plan on this being part of our daily healthcare regiment from now on!

The next time I make it (Tuesday) I'll try to take pictures of the process to share with all of you.