Flu Prevention: Cultured Veggies
Flu prevention cultured veggies
It was a winter afternoon eleven years ago and I was sitting in a chair, wondering how in the world I got to this place in my life. My life was filled with sickness and disease and I thought my body had betrayed me. Doctors were telling me this was normal with age. I had high blood pressure and diabetes. This ran in my family so maybe this was the reason it had showed up in my life.
I remember that day quite well, because I decided that my story was not going to end this way. From a quiet place in my soul I begged for help and told myself that the answers would come to me. The answers did come and they came in the form of food that was teeming with micro organisms. These special bacteria cultures that made probiotics in my food and increased the vitamins changed me from the inside out.
I no longer have high blood pressure or diabetes. Instead, I feel like I’m aging backwards. I need less sleep, have more energy, and can run circles around people half my age. I am 52. I credit these special cultured foods with transforming my life and taking me on a journey to discover who I really am: 100 trillion cells of bacteria that were already living inside of me. When I ate cultured foods everyday at every meal, I transformed physically. Emotionally, it was like having a new life. Cultured foods make serotonin in the gut and give you those feel-good chemicals in the brain. It is no wonder that the Turkish meaning for kefir is “To Feel Good.”
These cultured foods; kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables (I call them the Trilogy) sit on my counter day after day super charging my food. They make my food more than it is in its original state . They are my friends. They came to me when I needed them the most. They are, after all the essence of what we are; bacteria. Eat them consistently, then watch and see what happens. Cultured foods are my constant companions. They have changed the world inside of me. This change reflects on the outside and through the joy I feel.
There are many recipes on my site for all these foods. Here is a special one that I eat often during cold and flu season because of the extra Vitamin C that is in it. The vitamin C is also increased by the process of fermentation. I call this my flu prevention program. I try to have spoonfuls with each meal or often as a snack on sprouted chips or vegetables.
Take the journey and include some cultured food at every meal. It is the road less traveled, but for me it has made all the difference.
~Donna Schwenk
- 1 medium jicama
- 3 handfuls of fresh spinach
- ½ small head of cabbage
- 1 apple
- 1 small onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ tbsp Celtic sea salt
- 1 large orange zested and juiced
- 1 Caldwell cultured veggie package or 1/2 cup of kefir whey
- Shred or chop the first six ingredients and place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. You can also layer it in the jar instead of mixing.
- Firmly pack the mixture into 2 quart glass canning jars or a half gallon vessel, leaving an inch or two for the cabbage to expand when it ferments.
- Then add the orange zest juice, and culture, and cover with water, leaving an inch or two at the top.
- Seal jar tightly and let sit on the counter for 6 days and then place in the refrigerator.
Hello, I love your blog and all the great information! I made your flu prevention cultured veggies 2 days ago using Kefir whey and unfortunately I didn’t leave enough space for expansion and water started coming out of the jar I had it in so I poured everything into a larger vessel. Did I completely mess this up by changing jars or I can I continue to let the veggies ferment? Not sure if I should toss it all out and start over. If I can still use the veggies, do they need to sit for a new 6 days? Thanks so much!
NO no don’t throw them out they are still good. Just put them in a new jar and you can just put them in the fridge if they have already been out for 6 days. You did good and it’s okay to transfer them.
Wonderful! Thanks so much.
I seen you use liver tabs, can my 11 year old take them too.and how much if so. Also when fermenting vegtables with what do you cover them with? Some say sealwhat do you use for that
You can take a lot of liver tabs because they are a food supplement. I have taken up to 12 a day as have my family. This is during allergy season when I need them more. I don’t think you need to worry about it it’s just food.
At the end when I add orange zest and juice Do I mix the culture in with it or put it on top separately, then the water? Just needing some clarification.
Corry
Just add the zest and juice to the jar and ferment it. It will give the bacteria something to eat and make your veggies yummy!
Hi! I was fascinated, to say the least, when I read your blog at the nourished kitchen regarding cultured vegetables. I then came to your website, watched your video and also read your article regarding kefir and diabetes. I want to thank you for posting that information. I have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I have been driving myself insane trying to follow a vegan diet which was recommended to me and I have been following Dr. Neal Bernard and Dr. Joel Fuhrman who promote the vegan way for the elimination of diabetes. I have to tell you that it has been extremely difficult following a vegan program and I am hoping that I can return to sensible eating now with the addition of cultured foods in my life. Would you be so kind as to tell me what type of “diet” you follow? I would very much appreciate any information you can provide regarding every day foods, etc. Of course, I know you’re not a physician and I would not hold you accountable for anything recommended, however, I would value your opinion so that I can get back to a more reasonable way of living each day. Thank you so much! Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
I tried so many diets through the years and about 11 years ago settle with Weston price diet as described in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. So helpful was this that I volunteered to be a chapter leader for the foundation. This as what transformed my life and it was here I learned about cultured foods. I highly recommend her book!
is it okay to use the metal lid my jars came with I see you had a plastic one? also I am dairy sensitive (not lactose) Will the veggie culture have a negative effect on me in your experience? I am enjoying your blog tremendously and find myself running to the public market to start one of your recipes weekly thank you so much!
It is okay to use the metal lids. And I do not think the veggie culture will effect you at all.It is a tiny amount used to keep the culture alive before you use it.
my jicama was rotten so I just used extra cabbage. I’m new to this fermented food process and I was Pleasantly Surprised at how much I like this recipe. It is super easy and tastes good too! Thank you for posting this free of charge.
Oh, I forgot to ask also, the caldwells veggie starter has dairy in it as does the kefir whey (obviously). If I want to make cultured veggies for my dairy-allergic daughter, can’t I just ferment veggies with salt water brine, like when I made my homemade sauerkraut last year (with pounding the cabbage with some salt to release the natural juices/water in the cabbage)? Or, do I need to make another batch of sauerkraut and then use some of the liquid from that to start a batch of this veggie recipe? I guess I’m wondering how necessary it is to add the whey or starter at all. Is the purpose of the starter or whey simply just to speed up the process of fermentation? Thanks!
You can do it with just a salt brine. It will not have as many benefits and the probiotics won’t last as long but there are still a ton of benefits in this. I would recommend making it in smaller jars and consuming it quickly to receive the most benefits.
I have tried making soda using kefir whey, and it never got fizzy–even though my kefir gets fizzy! I had the juice and whey in the bottles with the pop-top lids, like the ones you use. I have great success, though, using water kefir with juice to make soda. I am wondering if using my kefir whey will work with this veggie recipe, or should I use water kefir? Either way, I don’t think I want my veggies to be fizzy. Will they get fizzy? One last thing, my youngest daughter has gone from being “sensitive” to dairy to now being very allergic to dairy, breaking out in hives and rashes whenever exposed to it. I had stopped doing the kefir back in June when we had a death in the family, but I just re-found your site and am going to try it again. I really miss it. I had just gotten out of the habit of it with a lot of life changes that took place in the last year.
How long did you leave your kefir soda? Was the whey fresh? It is best to use it within a few day for it to culture your soda and make it fizzy. I would not use water kefir to ferment with I would use kefir whey but make sure if is fresh kefir whey. Your vegetables won’t be fizzy but a little bubbly the first few days.
Hi,
Loving Your blog, what could I use instead of jicama? It’s not something I can get in rural Western Australia….
Thank you
You can add daikon radish or just leave it out and it will still taste good.
My friend works at a doc office. He always tells me.
.. Many people who stuffer from stress, and anxiety are not taking the time to relax, and
chill out. Take some time every day to just kick back, and relax with a good book, or a cup of tea.
If you practice this relaxation for 20 minutes every day,
you will notice your anxiety levels decrease over time.
Also visit my website – http://www.waagg.com/blog/578531/keep-fighting-the-good-fight-tips-for-winning-against-bph
Just needing some clarification. In the Flu Prevention: Cultured Veggies recipe, the ingredients list an orange zested and Juiced. Mixing instructions say to add ‘orange Zest Juice’. Does this mean add the zest and the juice…can’t figure out how you juice the zest? Thanks, Donna, this looks like a great recipe. Just getting over a bout w/ the flu and want to get my immune system in good health!
Yes you add the zest and the juice to the mixture. The zest adds a lot of flavor and the juice gives the bacteria something to eat.
What is kifer whey. How do you get it? I would like some other way to culture veg then with Caldwell .
Here is how you make kefir whey. https://culturedfoodlife.com/easy-whey-kefir-cheese/
I am so pumped to have found your website. We have had a huge garden for years and are always looking for new ways to put up vegetables for the winter. One of the biggest challenges is always keeping well ‘nutrified’ in the cold months when there isn’t any fresh produce available to boost your immune system. Culturing is one more way to make sure you have that kind of thing on hand to prevent all the typical winter ailments.
Have done several batches of lacto-cultured vegetables from things out of the garden and even the root cellar, and have experimented with home grown herbs and spices such as horseradish, dill seed, and coriander, as well as things such as peppers and tomatoes that we previously dehydrated. It’s kept us well balanced and our energy up while the colds have been minimal while giving us something very enjoyable to eat while preventing spoilage. Plus I like what it does for our digestive system. Cannot be happier to have found this information.
Donna,
The cultured vegetables sound very beneficial. Caldwell is out of the culture! I really wanted to ask you about the room temperature-is it about 67-80? And they will keep “forever” in the refrigerator?
I have seen your book and don’t know why I haven’t ordered it yet!
I really detest milk, do you think that I would like kefir? I have bought kefir, but never drank it.
I have been wanting to make Kombucha for a long time, but haven’t yet.
The temperature in the house doesn’t matter all that much. It may take a little longer if it’s below 70 but just maybe an extra day. If you like yogurt you will probably like kefir. Or you can always start with kombucha. Lots of cultured foods to try and they all have a lot of benefits.
I wildly into my kombucha brewing and drink it often. Do you think consuming it with meals would be more helpful thank on an empty stomach? And are the fermented vegetables different than the kombucha as far as the flora they would introduce and do they have different or more effective health benefits?
It doesn’t matter if you do it with a meal or without. Yes there are different floras in cultured veggies actually in all different cultured foods. We need them all.