Towers Family Chiropractor

Helping You to Better Health Naturally

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Services
    • Chiropractic Services
    • Acupuncture Services
    • Nutrition Services
  • Patient Forms
  • FAQS
  • Contact
  • Local Food
  • Chiropractic Solutions
  • Children’s Adjustments
  • Monica’s Recipes
  • Nutrition News
  • Healthy Habits
  • Patient Testimonials
Home > Monica's Recipes > Better-than-ever Cultured Vegetables

Better-than-ever Cultured Vegetables

January 2, 2014 by towers

Recently I listened to a radio program with Donna Gates, founder of Body Ecology, and learned how to improve the standard cabbage-based cultured vegetable recipe.  One secret to mellowing the tart, strong  taste of fermented cabbage is  “apple brine”.  The other is, of course, adding other vegetables that are mild tasting.  Adding herbs such as caraway seed or ginger improves the flavor also.  Give this recipe a try—so easy with a food processor or better yet a Magic Bullet.  And once it’s made it last for weeks!  I make enough to last about 2 weeks with this recipe.

Donna Gates also recommends adding a culture to ensure the presence of very important good bacteria. You don’t need to do this according to other experts who have followed the research from the food industry and say L. plantarum will be a dominant bacteria in the finished product regardless of adding culture because it is dominant on vegetables grown in soil.  It is important to use organic vegetables regardless.  You may wish to try doing it with or without the added culture and see if you notice a difference.   L. plantarum is one of the microorganisms in the culture and it’s available in a blend from Body Ecology or Cultures For Health.  Remember, the probiotic microorganisms that grow during fermentation have a powerful healing effect on the gut and are the main reason to make and eat cultured vegetables.

1 large head of green cabbage, shredded

2 large carrots, grated

1 red onion, chopped fine

1 red pepper, or 1 cucumber, or 1 zucchini, chopped in small pieces(use 1, both or all three if you have them—all three will result in a milder taste)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 apple, chopped (use a sweet variety)

2 tsp. Celtic salt or other sea salt

1 Tbsp. ground caraway seed (use a blender) or 1- inch piece of ginger root, shredded

1/2 pack of starter culture from sources above, optional

Wash all produce very well.  Place apple and salt in blender and liquefy.  Set aside.  Prepare other vegetables and mix them in a big bowl.  Add the apple “brine”, caraway seed or ginger, and the starter culture and stir very well.  Let the mixture sit 15 minutes to let the juices develop.  If there is not enough liquid, you can encourage the release of juice from the vegetables  by pounding them with a wooden pestle, a potato masher or the bottom end of a quart glass jar ( be careful if you use glass!).  Pack the mixture in a gallon-sized glass jar or two ½ gallon jars leaving at least 2 inches at the top so juices don’t overflow once fermentation starts.  Juice should cover the vegetables to keep them in an anaerobic (no air) environment.  I have a smaller glass jar that fits into the big jar (first I fill it with water and cap it) that I use as a weight  to keep the vegetables immersed in liquid.  I also use it to push the vegetables down into the liquid and to assist in the release of gases on a daily basis during fermentation.  Any vegetables not immersed could mold so be sure to push them down every day.  Be sure to remove any labels on the small glass jar and to wash it very well before placing it in the vegetables.  Cover the big jar(s) with cheese cloth held with a rubber band.  Let sit on a counter for seven days—a  room temperature of about 70 degrees is good.   You can taste them every day if you wish and appreciate how the taste changes.  Best to let them get to a softer stage that will be full of good bacteria–6 or 7 days.  In the warmer months the fermentation may be quicker–the salt slows the process and prevents mold so you may need to add a little more salt in the summer months (1.5 % salt to vegetables by weight to be precise).  Push the veggies down 1 or 2 times a day to keep them immersed in the brine.  Refrigerate.  Will keep for several weeks.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Please follow and like us:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

Filed Under: Monica's Recipes Tagged With: beginner's cultured vegetables, cultured vegetables, cultured vegetables with apple brine, mild cultured vegetables

Get our Blog posts in your email.

(we don't spam or sell your email)

Recent Posts

  • September Salad
  • Blueberry Sorbet
  • Safer, Healthier Breast Screening in Roanoke
  • Low Back Pain Helped Significantly
  • Foot Flopping Fixed

Categories

Tags

arm and hand numbness avocado recipe avocado smoothie back pain breastfeeding latching problems butternut recipe butternut squash recipe coconut oil collard greens recipe cultured vegetables daikon radish recipe difficult neck movement dill sauerkraut eggplant recipe foot pain GAPS friendly GAPS friendly recipe gentle chiropractic adjustments gluten-free gluten-free recipe green bean recipe headaches headaches and chiropractic healthy chicken salad herb tea high fructose corn syrup hip pain how to cook collard greens immune system support jaw pain knee pain low back pain low back pain and chiropractic mid-back pain migraines neck pain pesto recipe raw pudding scoliosis shoulder pain shoulder pain and chiropractic sweet potato soup vegetable juice weight loss zucchini recipe

Good Nutrition

September Salad

The heat of August usually leaves my garden by September with lots of tomatoes and no lettuce or leafy greens.  But a good salad can be had with a few items in the refrigerator to go with the … [Read More...]

  • Blueberry Sorbet
  • Willow Bark Tea and Homemade Lemonade
  • Easy Omelette with Sardines

Children’s Adjustments

Children's chiropractic adjustment at Towers Chiropractic

Children with back pain

Children suffer injuries that lead to misalignments just as adults do. Children generally respond very well and quickly to gentle chiropractic adjustments. A case in point is that of a 5 year-old … [Read More...]

  • Adjusting Children

Towers Family Chiropractic

2302 Colonial Ave, SW, Roanoke, VA 24015
(540) 343-6636

Our hours are:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm
Tuesday, Thursday 7:30am – 11:00am

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information on this website is not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any disease.

Copyright © 2023 · Towers Family Chiropractors by Soupbone Creative · Log in