Saturday, June 26, 2010

Cultured Vegetables

Alright. Let's get in an afternoon quickie, shall we? My last two posts were pretty long-winded! I'm about to do something I rarely do on this site, tell you about something healthy! You may have noticed that I gravitate to comfort foods and foods that aren't so good for you! Truthfully, with all of this love for foods that don't always love me I've had to pause and evaluate my health. Look into the business of balance. The culinary school I went to was big into the idea of acid and alkaline balancing. Since then, I've always believed in its validity but never made it a priority in my diet or in my stomach! After reading a book called the Body Ecology Diet, I have become aware of the value of cultured vegetables. They do wonders in aiding with the digestion of protein and help to create a overall balance with your internal flora. The standard American diet isn't dotted with many bitter foods. The taste is not something we gravitate to and is not usually present in our favorite foods. Other cultures, especially Asian, are much better in the department of consuming alkalizing, bitter, and fermented foods. Yogurt is a good start but there is really so much more you can do! Kefir, raw apple cider vinegar, and cultured vegetables!



I have to be honest. These are funky. Think sauerkraut only quite a bit more funky. I think they are most palatable tossed into a green salad. You hardly notice them there and are in fact a nice addition in flavor to a basic green salad. Throw some avocado, croutons, or anything else delicious into the salad and then you really don't even notice their presence. The photo of above is day one of the process. They don't look quite that beautiful on day four. Here's how make them...

Basically, you just need to buy a good amount of organic vegetables. I used red and green cabbage, yellow beets, carrots, kale, and a bit of arame. You wash and put all of the veggies through the shredder on your food processor. It's a very healthy process, you will feel so wonderful going through all of these veggies and creating a colorful shredded pile. Then, you take a few handfuls of the mixture and put it into a blender with enough purified water to make a liquidy brine. You can also add dill, caraway , mustard, or cumin seeds or whatever else to flavor if you'd like. Then you just pack the mixture into a large glass and pour the brine over the top. You want to leave room in the top for the expansion that will take place through out the process. Then you roll up some cabbage leaves and stuff them on the very top, seal it up, and leave it out on your counter for 4-6 days at room temperature, make sure your home is 70 degrees or higher. I had to take mine to work where I know it is always quite warm. You will start to notice little changes day by day, bubbles form, the liquid moves to different areas, the color changes, the mixture grows. When you open the jar at the end a large popping sound will occur. You can salt the mixture if you'd like afterwards. It keeps in the refrigerator for months. Cultured vegetables take some getting used to! But eating them is something you can feel really good and proactive about! Your stomach will thank you!

4 comments:

tina said...

Oh friend.... I love you but this looks GROSS!!!!!

RachelleLouise said...

I know, I know... actually, the picture itself looks lovely compared to what they look like after they ferment. They really aren't bad though! I'm sorry to report that I have not been eating them! I need to just put them on my salad and be done with it! : ) Thanks for the honesty, though! xx

Annika said...

The thought of you taking those jars to work so the veggies would stay warm just made me laugh out loud! Only you!! You are a food enthusiast to the core. Your writing is so refreshing and descriptive. When I see a new post I actually put the computer down, go make a cup of tea, then come back to get cozy on the sofa and savour every word you've written. Your passion inspires me!

RachelleLouise said...

Annika: Hey, lady! Thank you so, so, so much for your comment! What gracious and kind things you said about this humble little site! THANK YOU! I've never had such a touching comment! I'm so glad you enjoy it, I try to create that, sometimes it comes across better than others! I'll keep aspiring to make it that escape! I love escaping! : ) xx