Fermented Foods | Triumph Wellness

Sourdough Bread is in the Bucket!

Have you guys ever done a “bucket list”? It’s where you write out all the things you want to do in your life before, you… well, kick the bucket, I guess.

I recently did one in a coaching session. I had 20 minutes to jot down 101 things I want to do in life. There were big grand things like “own a bookstore/cafe/retreat center/wellness center/get on tv/write a book that gets published”… ahem! And then there were the small things like “learn how to make great sourdough bread and other fermented foods”. While I trust that the angels are working on the grand stuff, they got me started off on the little stuff via a free webinar from THESE folks.

Maybe you’ll remember that I tried my hand at sourdough, pickles and kimchee once before. I used Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford as my guide. Sadly, I was met with failure: spoiled stinky starter and nasty tasting pickles. The kimchee was good though.

When at first you don’t succeed, try a different teacher.

OK, please don’t laugh at my pathetic looking bread! If there was taste-o-vision you would be dying of joy. It’s very, very yummy. I trust with more attempts I will learn to make it look better as well. OK, drumroll…

And that, my friends, is all that is left of 2 full loaves in less than 24 hours, so yeah, it was yummy.

The recipe I used is HERE. My starter has bred like rabbits so I think I’ll try breadsticks or English Muffins or something tomorrow.

Here are the pickles. Although they are only on day 3, we broke into them and they are still a bit crunchy, but delish:

Any of you who have done my 30-Day Detox, know that I myself have a slight gluten intolerance and generally avoid bread as it gives me heartburn, bloating and weight gain. I was hoping that sourdough would be more digestible for me. So far, NO. I have all those symptoms. So that’s a drat, but my family can enjoy it and it’s healthier than store-bought. And it’s vegan. These loaves were made with a combo of spelt flour and whole wheat.

OK, on to the next 99 goals!

Homemade Kimchi

So, what’s the deal with fermented stuff and why would anyone want to eat it?

Fermented things are pickles, pickled vegetables, kimchee, kefir, sauerkraut, sourdough bread starter, rejuvelac, kombucha, yogurt, etc. These are all kinds of different items that we can make in our homes and as they ferment, they are enriched with helpful yeasts and bacterias from the air, such as the all-important Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Sure you can buy these products from the store, but then they will be pasteurized and it’s questionable how many of the good germs survive the process. All of those good bacteria help us with proper digestion and keep harmful diseases and other bacteria in control.

In fact, whatever my problem is health wise at the moment, is probably due to some of the bad guys who have run rampant and done some damage. Most digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s, IBS, ulcer, Colitis, chronic diarrhea, bloating and gas, leaky gut syndrome, food allergies and intolerances, parasitic infection, Celiac, Candida, and even some cancers, often take hold in a poor digestive flora environment.

If you were not breastfed, have taken a lot of antibiotics in your life, have eaten a poor diet with lots of sugar and processed foods, or have been on hormonal birth control for a long time, you too may have an imbalance in your gut bacteria.

I have long wanted to try making some of these items and getting sick has been the impetus to get on it. Here we have some sourdough starter bubbling along…

and here is some kimchee

Kimchee

1 head cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 T ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 green onion, chopped
5 cups water
2 T sea salt
2 tsp natural sweetener (optional – I didn’t use any)

In a large non-metallic bowl, combine cabbage, water, 1 1/2 T salt, and carrots. Set aside for 12 hours. Remove the cabbage and carrots from the soaking liquid and put them into a jar. To the liquid, add the remaining salt, ginger, garlic, scallions and sweetener is using. Pour this over the veggies. Cover the jar with cheesecloth secured with a rubber band and let side 3-7 days. Eat a little bit as a digestive aid with your meals.