What are you fermenting today?

[TanksHill]

Ok I am all caught up. I gues I have a couple questions,

......Is yogurt the only source for whey??? I mean I know when you make cheese you get curds and whey but I don't make cheese. I do make yogurt. Would straining it be the way to get whey? Then just use the yo-cheese in another recipe?

I checked my sprouting book ,the liquid that comes off of the wheat is Rejuvelac. Do you have any experience with this? They make seed cheese and and use it in other recipes. Is it fermentation as well?

Oh, does sprouted wheat have the same texture as cooked wheat berries? I have to check on that.

I think I a going to check Amazon for that book you guys are talking about.

Thanks Free.

 

[freemotion]

For the tummies, give them the yogurt cold.....the cooking of the oatmeal will destroy the good bacteria. Fermenting of grains is more about unlocking nutrients and preventing digestive trouble than it is about getting good bacteria into us, since the cooking kills them.

So the fermented veggies and milk and kombucha and such, taken in raw, will do it. Get as many different ones into them as you can. Hide them in stuff, like shakes made with frozen berries. If you can get kefir grains, make some kefir. It has something like 300 beneficial things in it! It is yogurt on steroids!

As for the oatmeal, hmmm.....maybe a good dollop per serving, and yes, add the water, filtered (chlorine will kill the good beasties) the night before. You won't taste the oatmeal. Try to find a plain one that doesn't have junk in it, it is getting harder to find.

Of course, if you can get raw milk and make yogurt or kefir, that is the best. Even plain raw milk has wonderful good bacteria in it.

 

[freemotion]

Tanks, you want to get live whey, so the best source for the average person is to strain the yogurt. You can also strain kefir, that will have even more good beasties. I save the whey from cheesemaking, as long as it is a cool process cheese, which most of mine are, not more than body temperature.

Strained yogurt is delicious!

I haven't done much with sprouted wheat yet, I sprout for my animals all winter, but not for us. I just made my first batch of sprouted wheat and dried it for grinding. I remember reading about rejuvelac online, but not sure. I'll have to look that one up later and get more info.

I don't think you will find the book second hand, the updated version is too new, and you want the updated one. I was able to order it through my library to see if I wanted to buy it. Now it is my most-used book, the one I look at several times a week. I won't lend it out, even for a day!

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks Free. I am not new to raw milk. My girls drank raw milk when they were young. They could not digest the pasteurized stuff.

We just had yogurt for lunch, two out of the three ate some. My ds likes it like I do with the cooked wheat berries mixed in.

I will have to go to my health food store and explore the kiefer section. I have heard of it before but never used it.

I did see a bunch of the books on amazon. They even have the new hard back with cd rom. A bit more than I want to spend. The paperback used but in excellent condition runs about 15 dollars. sound good????

Oh, after you drain the whey from the yogurt does the yocheese still have good bacteria? Just wondering. I have used the yo cheese mixed with seasonings as a veggie dip. The kids love it.

Thanks , G

the sprouting book I have is by Ann Wigmore it has a ton of great info.

 

[FarmerDenise]

BTW kefir doesn't taste any different than milk. I've even put it in my coffee. So that is a real easy way to get those good bacteria into a body.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I have one for you all to try: it's borscht made with "Kvas", I mean real Polish borscht. My grandmother would make this in the summer. We loved it!
I found some recipes for Kvas in a Polish cookbook and was able to get my grandmother's opinion as to authenticity before she died. You see I had been bugging her for the recipe for years. Well my grandmother used a handfull of this and a pinch of that. So unless you watched her make something, you would never really be able to duplicate it.
She would usually make borscht in the summer adding my great grandmothers dried mushrooms. It was served cold and soo refreshing. It took at least two days to prepare and took us about an afternoon to finish it off
According to my grandmother, the recipes in this book were pretty close to how she made stuff. "Polish Cookbook" published by the Culinary Arts Institute
BTW I have never made it, since I haven't had anyone around who would be willing to eat it with me.
Bread Kvas
1 quart hot water
1 pound beets, pared and sliced
1 rye bread crust
1. Pour hot water over beets in a casserole. Add Bread. Cover with a cloth. Let stand 3 to 4 days.
2. Drain off clear juice and use as a base for soup.
About 3 cups

Beet Kvas
5 to 6 cups boiling water
3 cooked beets, sliced
1/2 cup vinegar
1. Pour boiling water ofer beets; add vinegar. Let stand at room temperature 2 to 4 days.
2. Drain off juice and use as a base for soup.
About 4 cups

Rye Flour Kvas
4 cups rye flour
6 to 8 cups lukewarm water
1. Put flour into a crock and gradually mix water into flour until smooth and the consistency of pacake bater. Cover with a cloth.
2. Keep in a warm place 48 hours. Mixture will bubble. When brown liquid comes to top and bubbling stops, it is done. Skim off foam.
3. Fill crock with cold water; stir. Flour settles to bottom in a few hours. Pour off clear liquid and refrigerate in jars.
About 6 cups

My grandmother usually made the rye flour kvas, I think because she had sour dough starter on the stove anyway. She added cooked potatoes and mushrooms to the kvas and I think parsley. It was thickened with flour. On a cold day this would be served hot. Sometimes she would add cooked crumbled bacon just before serving. Some people add sour cream to the bowl, but I don't remember doing that.
I'll see if I can find some better recipes for using the kvas.

 

[ORChick]

BTW kefir doesn't taste any different than milk. I've even put it in my coffee. So that is a real easy way to get those good bacteria into a body.

I need to differ with you on this. Maybe the storebought kefir tastes just like milk, but the homemade stuff does not. I've been making kefir from kefir grains for about 2 years now. I would liken the smell and consistancy more to cultured buttermilk. The flavor is similar to buttermilk, but I don't particularly like it (though I love buttermilk) - it is just that little bit different. However it is very healthy for you - moreso I have heard than the kind you buy in the store. I give some to the chickens every morning - they love it! - and in the summer I mix up fruit smoothies for me; its fine if it is mixed with something IMO. I also use it in place of buttermilk in some of my baking - though of course the good bacteria don't survive the heat. I keep trying to find ways to fit it into our diet in its uncooked state - I am willing to try different things as I know the health benefits, however I have to be sneaky with DH, as he doesn't like cultured milk products at all.

 

[ORChick]

BTW I have never made it, since I haven't had anyone around who would be willing to eat it with me.

FD, the next time I drive south to the Sf Bay Area may I stop at your house, and share some of this with you ? This looks like something that I would quite like - and also like something that my DH wouldn't go near . Maybe I can work out how to make a small quantity. Thanks for posting this.

 

[FarmerDenise]

FD, the next time I drive south to the Sf Bay Area may I stop at your house, and share some of this with you ? This looks like something that I would quite like - and also like something that my DH wouldn't go near . Maybe I can work out how to make a small quantity. Thanks for posting this.

It's a deal! I am sure we could make a smaller quantity, but why bother. We can refrigerate the leftovers or feed them to the chickens, I'm sure they'll love it too.
I've never had anything, but store bought kefir. I guess I should try some homemade stuff. Considering I haven't made my yogurt yet, ...
Well, it'll be something to think about for the future, when I have some spare time maybe?

 

[Dace]

I bought some kefir in hopes of getting some into my kids in smoothies. But the kind I have a sweetened and fruit flavored.....please tell me that is better than nothing!

Oh and I tried the kombucha....oh man! Free, you are right about the taste! I am so glad you told me how to make it palatable. I added a lot of water, a little sweetened fruity tea and some ice. Was not bad at all, but certainly an acquired taste!