I am in love. again.
I have re-discovered the world of fermented beverages and my newest adventure has been with water kefir. I had tried my hand at other home-brewed bevvies in the past with success. In fact, ginger beer and T'ej (Ethiopian honey wine) were staples around my house for some time.
But water kefir has really rocked my boat. I think a big factor is that it takes a fraction of the time that others take to make - and who doesn't appreciate that?
The most pleasing attributes for me though are the flavour and how great it makes me feel after drinking it. It is the cleanest crispest flavour I've experienced in a ferment. Now I'm no fermented beverage aficionado - not by any stretch of the imagination - but I have had my fair share of 'booch' (aka: kombucha).
And there is also no denying how happy my belly feels after a cool crisp glass of my homemade water kefir. When I first made it a few months ago after a workshop I took with the talented Andrea Potter, I couldn't stop!  I was hooked on the first sip and had to have more. 
I was also adequately convinced that the refined sugar (something I don't normally use at all) was metabolized in the fermentation process and so it did not create any of the ill effect it would have if it had not been fermented. The refined sugar is virtually consumed by the active bacterial cultures within the kefir 'grains' and used as fuel to make this deliciously healthy drink. Some of the nutrients within include: enzymes, probiotic / friendly bacteria, antioxidants, assorted vitamins and minerals.
Now that's some good food magic
The method is simple once you get your hands on some water kefir grains (ask around at health-food shops and organic markets - many folks have them you just need to ask around in neighborhoods where people make or grow their own food).

Basic Recipe:
Approx. 1/4 tsp. kefir grains (that's all you need for a litre!)
1 litre boiled/purified water
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
Approx. 1/4 cup fresh or dried fruit of choice
a few sprigs of herb of choice (ie: mint, thyme, basil, fennel) - optional but recommended to achieve complex flavour and higher nutrient value.

Method:
1. Place clean jar(s) on counter top and add 1/4 cup sugar to the bottom of jar.
2. Pour just under 1 litre water into jar over sugar and stir.
3. Add the herbs of choice to the hot sweet water.
4. Let cool to room temperature.
5. Add the fruit - I mash the berries to get the maximum nutrients out of them. If I'm using lemon or lime wedges I squeeze them a little first too.
6. Then add the kefir grains. I first put them into a little reusable tea sac to avoid having to strain them out of the fruity/herbal much afterwards.
7. Place a tea towel or cloth napkin over the top of the jar and fasten with an elastic band.
8. Let sit for 48 hours in a warm place away from direct sunlight and stir with a non-metal implement every           8-12 hours. (They don't like metal so I use a wooden spoon.)
9. After 48 hours, remove the little sac with the kefir grains and place it in the refrigerator in a jar with some of the liquid from the kefir to keep it moist and fed. It will be fine for a few days but feed it with a little sugar and water if you leave it for longer. Even better, use them for the next batch right away - this keeps them the healhiest.
10. Strain the rest of the fruit/herb bits and bottle the strained liquid. *Note: Bail top bottles are my favourite and they are nice and strong for holding back the sometimes powerful carbonation that builds during fermentation. Wine bottles and corks work too - put on lids tightly :)
11. Leave the bottle at room temperature for another 24 hours if you like carbonation.
12. Transfer to fridge after 24 hours in the bottle and enjoy once cooled.
*Be careful opening your fermented beverage as it can act like champagne sometimes and flow over wildly!

A few favourites: Rhubard and vanilla pod, lime & mint, summer plum, pomegranate, aumtumn pear or pineapple + coconut water.

"Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy" as my son Oskar would say!

Enjoy drinking in the goodness...

Ginger Beer - unveiled!

My ginger ale, which I brewed from a 'ginger bug' (see my last post), was ready for testing the other day so I reached up to the top of my fridge, where I store my ferments, and opened one of the bottles with a bit of angst.  I always get the last minute jitters thinking that perhaps something went wrong or I didn't put in enough of something or didn't seal it right.  It's just like gardening when you put in the seed and check back weekly to see if anything is sprouting yet.  Each time I look I ask myself; Will it sprout?  Did I give it enough water?  Were the seeds viable? And when it does - it's like no other feeling of total contentment and pride in the fact that you got that seed to sprout and, not to mention, the miracle of Mother Nature behind it all.

OK, so back to the ginger beer. It let out a tiny little 'pfst' and I wondered if it was going to be ok.  But as soon as I went to pour it it got even fizzier.  I was gitty with delight!  I called my hubby to come and test it and both he and little Oskar were up for their 'quality control' duties.  They both drank it back and finished with smiles.  "Best one yet" and "Mmmm, momma! Geen-ger Beer".  It was a hit.  I really liked this one, we made it stronger and therefore was more flavourful and full-bodied than the last one.  It had that wonderful gentle warming at the back of your throat feeling that only ginger can provide, with an earthy body, a hint of lemon and just enough sweetness; Dee-lish!

It's amazing the pride you get from 'raising your own ferments' just as when you sprout your seeds. So, if you don't have the means for a garden, create one in your kitchen by way of fermented food projects.  You can always go outside to enjoy them once they are finished and relish in the 'harvest' whilst getting your vitamin D form the sun. 
*And don't forget to enjoy the many benefits of your ginger beer; plenty of beneficial bacteria, lively enzymes, the many powerful healing components of ginger, and the additional alkalinity and freshness of lemon (yes, its alkaline once ingested).  This is a healthy and alkaline drink, unlike commercial 'soft-drinks'.

Note: Start saving old wine bottles and, even better, clip-top beer bottles (Like Grolsch brand).  They're great for home ferments.

(I just picked several pounds of gorgeous yellow-orange plums today...perhaps a Plum T'ej is in my future...stay tuned...)

Be well-nourished, Lisa Marie

Ferment Fervour

Have you ever fermented food? On purpose?

Well ever since I picked up a copy of Wild Fermentation several years ago I've been intrigued by fermenting and have done several ferments now, namely honey wine (I gave it as Christmas presents for family and friends in the past) and, most recently I made ginger beer.

The author, Sandor Ellix Katz, says, "Microscopic organisms - our ancestors and allies - transform food and extend its usefulness. Fermentation is found throughout human cultures. Hundreds of medical and scientific studies confirm what folklore has always known: Fermented foods help people stay healthy."

As a nutritionist I agree with this statement and that is one of the reasons why I loved this book so much. I believe that one of the commonalities between the most healthful societies of the world (ie: Japan) is the ‘living foods’ they consume (ie: fermented pastes such a miso). North Americans don’t really have a staple food that is traditionally fermented, other than perhaps yogourt, which is so highly processed and contains little of the vitality it does when homemade with fresh milk/cream. Pickles and sauerkraut are now fast-food processed with vinegar and not really fermented at all.

Another aspect of this book I love is that the author is humorous, very knowledgeable and provides great practical tips and creative ideas for those of us who like to 'cook outside of the box'.

So this is the first post in what I plan to be a series of posts on fermenting foods (note: not consecutive posts). I hope that they will be informative and inspiring enough for you to try for yourself and see if you get hooked on the flavour and vigour that you get from these living foods!

Ginger Beer (aka Ginger Ale) - from Wild Fermentation

*Note this is a (healthy) ‘soft drink’ not an alcoholic drink, the fermentation creates enough carbonation for a bubbly beverage but not enough to contribute an ‘appreciable’ amount of alcohol.

*You’ll notice that the recipe calls for sugar (or honey) and because during the fermentation process the microorganisms fully metabolize the sugar, it is considered not the same as consuming refined white sugar in its usual form (On pg. 7 of Wild Fermentation, it states; “Fermentation also removes toxins from foods. This is vividly illustrated by the case of cassava, an enormous tuber native to the equatorial regions of Africa and Asia. Certain varieties contain high levels of cyanide and are poisonous until they have undergone a soaking fermentation. The fermentation process eliminates the cyanide, rendering the cassava edible and nutritious.”)

Timeframe: 2-3 weeks

Ingredients:
3 inches or more of fresh ginger root
2 cups sugar or raw honey (I prefer honey)
2 lemons
Water

Process:

1.) First you need to start the 'ginger bug': Add 2 teaspoons grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 tsp. sugar/honey to one cup water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air while keeping flies out. Add this amount of ginger and sugar/honey every day or two and stir, until the bug starts bubbling, in 2 days to about a week.

2.) Make the ginger beer any time after the bug becomes active. (if you wait more than a couple of days, keep feeding the bug fresh ginger and sugar/honey every 2 days). Boil 2 litres of water. Add about 2 inches of gingerroot, grated, for a mild ginger flavour (up to 6 inches for an intense ginger flavour) and 1 ½ cups sugar. Boil this mixture for about 15 minutes. Cool.

3.) Once the ginger/sugar/water mixture has cooled, strain the ginger out and ass the juice of the lemons and the strained ginger bug. (If you intend to make this process an ongoing rhythm, reserve a few tablespoons of the active bug as a starter and replenish it with additional water, grated ginger and sugar.)

4.) Add enough water to make 4 litres (one gallon).

5.) Bottle in sealable bottles; rubber gasket “bail top” bottles are great or capped beer or wine bottles. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks.

6.) Cool before opening. When you open a ginger beer, be prepared with a glass, since carbonation can be strong and force liquid rushing out of the bottle.

This is a family favourite in my house and does not last. Consider making a double batch once you get the ‘feel’ for fermenting.

ENJOY!