I am giving away a free DVD this week and a free six months to my membership site. I am only asking that people comment in this post, and tell me what they most need help with in making cultured foods. This helps me help you. I really want to help people become successful and if I can gear my videos and posts to what is most beneficial. More and more people will make and eat cultured foods and feel the benefits.
This DVD and Membership site has videos on how to make Kefir Kombucha and Cultured veggies. It teaches you how and the many benefits you will receive from eating and making these foods a part of your life. I call it the Trilogy because I have seen the most miraculous thing occur when people consume all three of these foods on a regular basis. It happens to me too. When I am out of balance or struggling with stress these foods will pull me back into balance. They feel magical to me because of the huge amounts of B vitamins and nutrients in these foods. Almost as if they know exactly what your cells need and deliver it straight to them.
Ten years ago when I started making cultured foods. I felt like I was wandering around in the wilderness by myself. Trying to figure out of to make and master these foods mostly by trial and error. When I started teaching classes people began asking for a book or video and eventually I did just that, but not without help. I wanted to make something that I would have wanted when I started out. Something simple something that wouldn’t overwhelm others but help clear the murky waters.
It comes easily to me making cultured foods and I love it. I would do it everyday even If I didn’t have a website or teach classes. It is a part of who I am now, and I have a lot of confidence in helping others, because I have mastered it. It is how anybody does anything. They do it over and over again until they work out the bugs and master it. I am not new at this and I am also not going to tell you a method that doesn’t work. I am going to tell you what I do know and help you master it.
About a year ago I started searching for help. My business was growing but I needed help with things that were out of my scope. I wanted to do videos for people to help them see what I was doing for themselves. People who were to far away to come to a local class. I also needed help with my website. Their were so many things that I couldn’t figure out, and when you let someone have control of your website, it can be a scary thing if you don’t know and trust them. I was really shocked when people started suggesting to me a company called Sound and Shadow. These were friends of my kids, and some of the people in this company I had known for years, but did not know they had what I was looking for. They won a contest for a video that they made and it was aired during the Superbowl. One thing led to another, and I met and talked with them, and realized in a flash that everything I had asked for was sitting in front of me. But what I didn’t know was how good they really were at what they did, and how much I could trust and lean on them. I was unsure about all of this; how to make videos and expand my website. They weren’t, they were confident and I found that I didn’t have to be good at it because they were.
It is the same with anything we are wanting to learn. If you are unsure on how to do something. Find someone who is confident and knowledgeable and learn from them. I know that I can help you make and master these foods, because I have done it for years. You can lean on me and ask questions till you feel sure. I love helping people get over the hump and scariness of making and eating these foods. Not everybody has the same talents, and it is so nice when someone can help you master something. I want to be that person for you. It is what I do everyday naturally and I receive a lot of joy from helping others learn to love these foods as much as I do.
My husband told me a story the other day about Henry Ford (the car maker). Henry Ford had but little schooling. During the world war, a Chicago newspaper published certain editorials in which, among other statements, Henry Ford was called “an ignorant pacifist.”Mr. Ford objected to the statements, and brought suit against the paper for libeling him. When the suit was tried in the Courts they placed Mr. Ford, himself, on the witness stand, for the purpose of proving to the jury that he was ignorant. They asked him all manner of questions that was to prove although he new a lot about automobiles he was in the main ignorant. Finally, Mr. Ford became tired of this line of questioning, leaned over, pointed his finger at the lawyer who had asked the question, and said, “If I should really WANT to answer the foolish question you have just asked, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer ANY question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts.
We don’t have to know the answers to everything. We just have to know people who do. I may not know everything there is to know about cultured foods, for even I am still learning, but you can know that I will help you understand what I do know and have success with making cultured foods.
How to Enter to win A Free DVD or Free Six Month Coaching Site.
Comment on this blog by entering a question or up to four questions total, on what you would most like to know on how to make cultured foods.
I will pick two winners. One for the DVD and One for the six month membership site. The winners will be picked by a random generator. You can enter until June 6th at 12:00 pm 2012
I really would love to win the DVD! I am new to milk kefir and already have had some great results thru some experientation. What works for one form of fermentation may also work for another! My question is can I add supplements like trace minerals for the milk kefir?
I cant drink carbonation so can i still use kombucha?
Im exhausted i dont want to get out of bed and i just feel badly all the time and im only 42 what can i do to make me healthy again? I am very interested in the kefir?
I have IBS will kefir help it?
I was just told i have diabetes (I am going down like the titanic i have the health of a 80 yr old woman i want my life back) what is a good way to get started on taking back control?
can you drink milk kefir if your lactose intolerant…
would the water kefir be better and are the benefits as good as the milk?
I would love to have something to help my teenage daughters with controlling their appetites.
I have a 9 yr old that has adhd would cultured food help her..her teacher is running from the school pulling her hair out…help!!!!
I am so interested in this and i want to know more..its like a drug the more i read the more i want to know. and would continous brew kombucha be a good thing and where could i find the best setup?
Most people can handle kefir if lactose intolerance because kefir eats all the lactose out of the milk.
Milk kefir is much stronger and more beneficial than water kefir.
Cultured foods make you feel nourished and help you absorb more nutrients from your food. Takes time to heal and repair but once you start things get rolling quickly.
Continuous brew is a great method and Kombucha Kamp has a great setup. http://store.kombuchakamp.com/
Hi Gail,
Kombucha is naturally carbonated which is different than forced carbonation so chances are you would be fine. Cultured foods will help with all these aliments and my family I had diabetes and my daughter had IBS and cultured foods helped with all of this. I tell my story in my book and on my DVD and on my site. Start with one thing and go slow and move from there.
I have been making water kefir for about 2 years but I haven’t tasted or tried milk kefir so I would be interested in trying it. Also I just started making kombucha and my husband and I love it. Is there different Benefits from the water kefir vs. kombucha?
also I make kimche and we love it. in order to make other fermented veggies do I need to buy your starter paks?
There is a big difference between water kefir and kombucha. Kombucha is a liver detoxifer and also has good yeast and B vitamins. Water kefir has good bacterias that are different but beneficial and also has a lot of minerals and vitamins too. They do different things and i think the more of different types of cultured food you consume the better. We are ten trillion cells of bacteria and the more we ingest the better out bodies do.
I have an ADHD son and want to learn how to make cultured vegetables.
I have no idea and live in a small country town, so can’t get to any demonstrations.
We live over 4 hours north of the nearest Capital city.
I’m very nervous about trying this as I haven’t done anything like it before.
I’ve been told that the Kefir milk or water is good too.
I need to learn from the beginning, as I don’t have any knowledge, but am willing to learn. Thanks.
Pick the thing that most interests you and start with that. That’s what I did and I did it over a period of time.Give yourself some time to master each one and it will give you more confidence. I promise you that is not hard just new to you. I have a video on how to make cultured vegetables and also how to do it in a blog that is free on my site. You can go to culturing basics to see the post under cultured vegetables. You can see all my videos on how to make all these things on my membership site for 10.00 for a month. I just put three videos on how to make kefir soda on my site and some more videos coming soon. Let me know if you have more questions. Happy to help. ~ Donna
I am just getting into the real food lifestyle. I have been making yogurt cheese for a few months now and yesterday I started a fermented ketchup that I am hoping will be a good start to fermenting. I also have kefir grains in my fridge that I would like to use soon.
My question is; Can I use regular store bought milk? I live in a state that raw milk is not allowed for human consumption so not sure what I can use.
any help will be greatly appreciated.
Yes you can. this is what I start out with and received a lot of benefits.
I have slowly been incorporating more Traditional Foods into my life over the last 10 months. My weak area is cultured foods– I’m afraid of them. It all seems so complicated. So far i have tried sauerkraut and green beans which didn’t turn out very tasty. I’ve made yogurt with success. I tried kefir once with some grains from my dairy farmer, and it tasted bad. I read that kombucha can be fatal if not made correctly, so I haven’t even tried that one!
Do I just need to adjust my pallette, or am I doing it wrong?
Thank you for this amazing web site. I just found it.
Hi Ginger,
How did you ferment your kefir and why did it taste bad, overly sour? Second fermented kefir is a really great way to make kefir taste good and increase the benefits. http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/second-ferment-your-kefir-your-tastes-buds-will-thank-you-2/
Cultured veggies are really tasty and I have a lot of recipes on my site. Chances are the ones you tasted were bland and you probably need ones with more flavor. Blueberry kraut under cultured vegetables is really good.
I have never heard of kombucha being fatal and I drink a ton. Lots of misinformation. Cultured foods are some of the safest foods to eat on the planet, because the good bacteria dominate and preserve the foods and keep pathogens out.
They aren’t hard to make they are just new which seems intimidating. They are really simple and It is why I wrote a book and made a DVD so that people could see how easy they are.
I can help you if you need help. I promise eating these foods are worth the effort.
I love your blog. My question is how to make homemade sauerkraut less salty?
You can add less salt and if you add a culture such as Caldwells veggie culture,http://www.culturesforhealth.com/caldwell-starter-culture-for-fresh-vegetables.html
it will culture really well with less salt.
Hello Donna is okay to use Lactaid milk into the grains to make kefier?
NO you can’t because kefir eats the lactose out of milk and makes it into kefir. It is virtually lactose free. The kefir will die without the lactose because this is what it feeds on and you receive the benifits of lactose free milk.
[...] Question: Is it possible to make your own scoby with a bottle of store bought Kombucha? Pamala Gibby says: June 7, 2012 [...]
I am just starting to learn about cultured foods. I always thought it was kind of gross to eat something fermented, but, since following you on facebook I have tried both kefir and kombucha and enjoyed them. I would like to learn how to make these things at home (I have very limited space though).
Is it possible to make your own scoby with a bottle of store bought Kombocha? If so how hard is it to make yourself???? I love love love Kombocha and would love to try and make on my own but This whole cultured food world is pretty intimidating for me. Oh, Donna I wanted to also ask you, why Is cultured or fermented food so much better for your body and if you’ve never tried it before will it take awhile before your body get used to eating this way?
I would like to know:
1. How do actually get a successful tasty second ferment to milk kefir?
2. What is the best sweetner and other add ins (dried fruit, mineral drops, etc.) for water kefir and why?
3. How to ferment veggies in all of the different fermenting vessels (I have one Harsch that was given to me second hand, but there is no way I could make enough ferment to keep my family happy)?
4. How much of each major type of ferment (milk/water kefir, yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, veggies, sourdough, any that I may be missing) we should include in our diet and our children’s diet and maybe even our pets diet?
Thanks!!!
i’ve read that there are some concerns with kombucha and some advocates of fermented foods do not recommend it. I’d like to know the pros and possible cons to be aware of regarding making and drinking kombucha.
i WOULD ALSO LIKE TO START MAKING FERMENTED VEGGIES BUT AM SCARED THAT i WILL DO IT WRONG. hOW DO YOU KNOW IF A FERMENT IS BAND AND NEEDS TO BE DISCARDED?
I AM JUST STARTING TO MAKE kEFIR AND HAVE HEARD THAT YOU CAN AND SHOULD EAT THE ACTUAL GRAINS WHEN YOU HAVE EXTRA. hAVE YOU EVER EATEN THE ACTUAL GRAINS AND ARE THERE ANY HEALTH BENEFITS TO THIS?
I Think I May Need Help In Every Subject Because I Am Just Starting Out As A Cultured Food Fan… Making kefir is a favorite new healthy hobby, but getting the right ingredients (what sugars hold the Most nutrition to ferment with,, which ones are genetically modified, etc…) can feel a bit daunting. along With using the other healthy/quality ingredients to get the most out of my fermentaions. Also, I love the articles on different cultured vegetable recipes and the sound-dough starters. The fact that you are creating gluten-free alternatives is a huge Plus.
Thanks for all of your hard work!
I would like to know how much kombucha would one need to drink to get a large amount of glucuronic acid in the system to help heal & detox. And can a person drink too much?
Can a diabetic drink water kefir or kombucha?
Will fermenting vegees in a crock like the old days create the same nutrition as using your method for fermenting vegees?
I have your book and love it, making water kefir, milk kefir, kombucha and just started cultured vegies. It’s very exciting. delicious too!
Question is if I run out of space in a refrig. can i store some of the cultures vegies in a root cellar? What would be optimum temp? Which vegie cultures would be best stored that way? there are only two of us and if I make a gallon of one recipe i either need to store some or give it away and both is good! Thanks for everything you do! Blessings,
i love your blog and your testimony has so inspired me to be more consistent with my kefir and kombucha intake. i would love to learn how to be more adept at fermenting veggies and making it a part of my lifestyle. thanks so much for your dedication to share your knowledge!