Next week on Thursday and Saturday (same class, different days), July 12th and 14th, I will be having a fermented foods class.  It will be from 9:30am-12noon.  We will be tasting and making a few different fermented vegetables, including cabbage, carrots and daikon radish.  We will talk about how to "personalize" them with what you have on hand and with what you like to taste.  

Fermented foods are a part of many traditional cultures.  Prior to refrigeration there was really no other way to preserve food for winter use other than drying.  OK, there are other traditional methods prior to the more modern methods of canning and freezing, such as cold storage and using salt, oil, sugar, alcohol or vinegar and each has its own specific uses, but fermentation actually enhances the bioavailability of the nutrients in the food, unlike the other methods.  

A true fermented staple is cabbage.  Many different cultures have their versions of fermented cabbage, or sauerkraut.  In some parts of Germany, apples and/or juniper berries are added.  A typical eastern European way is to use caraway seeds.  In Korea, each family has their own version of kim chi.  It is a spicy combination of chiles, garlic, radish or turnip, Asian cabbage such as Napa and personal touches.  The kim chi is prepared in the fall for the entire year.  The crocks of fermented kim chi are often buried in they yard in various places to store it more easily.  In Latin America, there is a version called cortido and this is a combination of onions, carrots and cabbage.  

As was discussed in the fermented drinks class, gut health is extremely important and fermented foods are a significant part of it.  So it bears saying again....

"Beverages and foods that are cultured are full of live bacteria and yeasts that repopulate our guts and help to create the proper balance between the bad bacteria and yeasts and the good bacteria and yeasts.  Our guts are FILLED with bacteria.  We have 3-5 pounds of bacteria in our guts.....and yes, it does belong there.  That is really amazing when you think about it.  Bacteria are smaller than cells......and there are 3-5 pounds of them.  We have more bacteria in our guts than we have cells in our bodies!  So to say that they are important to our health and wellness is an understatement.  And when you understand that the gut is the seat of our immune system, as well as our second brain, you see that gut health is of utmost importance for our wellness." ~ NKS  

So I hope to see some of you at the next class.  I am in the process of putting together a calendar for the year so if you miss a class, you will be able to attend another one.  For those of you at a distance, my goal is to put together a video series so that you, too, can benefit from demonstration.  I hope to see you soon!  Be well!

Welcome here!  This is a place where you can get inspired and empowered to create and eat REAL food.  And a place where you can make your own decisions on what works for you.  I feel very strongly that everyone should get the facts, ALL the facts.  Then you can make your own decisions based on what resonates for you ~ balanced, individualized decisions based on what is important to you, what makes sense to you, and what you are able or willing to do.  

I'll start the discussion by talking about what food is and what it isn't.  Food is something that you put into your body that nourishes you.  It gives you energy.  It builds strong cells, tissues and organs.  It provides your body with the tools to effectively communicate within itself.  It is really amazing.  

Unfortunately, we have come to see food products as real food.  Food products are things that we can eat, but don't really nourish us.  Sure, they provide the building blocks for our bodies, but they are not the building blocks we need.  It is like using improperly made bricks to build a house.  Sure you'll get the house up, but when is it going to start to deteriorate?  That depends on where the bad bricks are, how many bad bricks there are, how the builder put them up and what kind of stresses the house is exposed to over its lifetime.  Do you see the parallel?  Some people do better longer with poor food but maybe they have different resources, different stressors, a different strength when they were born, etc.  

And food products often interfere with proper communication in the body.  Our bodies need good fats and proteins to produce the hormones and neurotransmitters that we need for our cells to communicate with each other.  Cells tell each other what to do, depending on what cell it is.  Without proper fats and proteins, our cells can't communicate effectively.  And to top it off, many of the additives in foods are excitotoxins that stimulate our brains and nervous systems inappropriately and send excess and/or wrong messages.  In short, food products are messing us up.  The extent varies from individual to individual, but it affects us all.

So, food is important.  There is no question about that.  And the way we prepare it can enhance or detract from its nourishment.  It is important to prepare food with care and consideration, paying attention to proper techniques, as well as to prepare it with love ~ to be mindful and fully aware of what you are doing and how you are feeling.  Get the whole family involved in the food preparation ~ from planning, purchasing and preparing to cleaning up and putting away.  It is just you?  Then focus on each step involved and don't dismiss it because it is "only" you.  It is a great time to recenter and refocus, as an individual and as a family ~ to balance your day with nourishment.  So as we move ahead, let's focus on REAL food, exactly what we are eating and how we feel about it, and how we nourish ourselves.  Buon appetito!