Fermentation for Wellness

Posted on by

It is interesting to read in the news that over half of COVID-19 fatalities occur in folks who have gut problems. Learning how to improve one’s gut health may prove to be a useful tool in these times. I gave a workshop on fermented foods last year, and thought I would provide a copy of the handout I prepared for the class.

I found myself making up a couple of quarts of pickled asparagus, carrots, celery, peppers, onion and garlic this afternoon. Crunchy fermented veggies are so satisfying to munch on straight from the jar. Fermenting fresh vegetables also extends their shelf life…. So here you go …

Fermenting foods is an ancient practice which can increase the bioavailability of nutrients in food and can support optimal digestion. According to Ayurvedic Medicine, all disease begins and ends in the digestive system. Recent medical research has turned its interest toward microbes and their ecological relationships within the gut as key players in maintaining the health of the body.

It has been determined that toxins can accumulate in the body and circulate through the blood when digestion processes are not working properly. Incorporating naturally fermented foods into our diet may aid digestion and prevent toxic accumulation by returning the digestive tract to its homeostatic function.

Historically, fermentation has been used as a way of preserving foods and drinks long before the days of refrigeration. During the process of fermentation, microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast or fungi convert sugars and starch into alcohol or acids. The beneficial effects of fermented foods on health were unknown at that time, so the process was used to preserve foods, enhance shelf life, and improve flavor.

Fermentation preserves raw vegetables without heat, so it retains their vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Natural fermentation has been found to preserve and enhance B and C vitamins in vegetables, make nutrients more readily available, can aid in digestion and may support the immune system…

Fermented foods became an important part of the diet in many cultures, and now has attracted scientific interest. Why? Because the microorganisms which contribute to the fermentation process have recently been associated with many health benefits. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been highly studied. During fermentation, these bacteria synthesize vitamins and minerals and produce biologically active peptides with enzymes are also well known for their health benefits. Some of these peptides are known to lower blood pressure, while others are being studied for their anti-cancer and anti-microbial properties.

Naturally fermented foods are what you want to create to give your body a dose of healthy probiotics. Eating foods packed with good bacteria may boost gut health. DIY fermentation is the best way to go…..

HOW TO FERMENT VEGETABLES
Fermenting vegetables is a simple, inexpensive process that has been used for thousands of years. It is simple, easy, and requires little preparation or work. Most of the time involved is spent waiting. Home fermentation takes about a half-hour of chopping or shredding to produce a jar full of delicious crunchies that can feed you for weeks.

RECIPES – These recipes use a quick fermentation method without sugar, and leave the vegetables crisp and crunchy….

I. Spicy pickled vegetables

2 cups water
1 to 1-1/4 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (organic with the “mother”)
1 jalapeño sliced, or red pepper flakes
1 large carrot cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds or diagonal slices
1 to 2 cups chopped cauliflower or small cauliflower florets
3 small stalks celery (use only small inner stalks from the heart), cut into 1-inch-long sticks
Sweet peppers
1 bay leaf
1 cabbage leaf.

Heat the water and stir in the sea salt until it dissolves completely. Set aside and add the vinegar when cool. You can be make this ahead of time and store in a sealed glass jar in a cool, place until ready to use.

Set a quart-size canning jar in the sink and fill it with boiling water to sterilize. Empty the jar and tightly pack the vegetables and bay leaf inside to within 1 to 2 inches from the top of the jar. Pour the brine over the vegetables to fill the jar to within 1 inch from the top. Wedge the cabbage leaf over the top of the vegetables and tuck it around the edges to hold the vegetables beneath the liquid.

Set jar on the counter and cover with a fermentation lid or use a standard lid which you loosen it a bit each day for the first few days, then every other day, to allow gasses to escape. Let the vegetables ferment for three to five days, depending on the indoor temperature. Vegetables will pickle faster in warmer climates. Make sure the vegetables stay packed beneath the liquid and add salted water (2 teaspoons sea salt dissolved in 1 cup warm water) as needed.

Check the taste after a couple of days using a clean fork. When the vegetables are fermented to your liking, seal the jar with a regular lid and refrigerate. Vegetables will continue to slowly pickle in the refrigerator. They will keep for about one month. Taste for saltiness before serving and, if desired, rinse gently to remove excess salt.

Keep vegetables immersed in vinegar syrup by placing an onion slice or cabbage leaf on top of contents.

II. Fermented Cinnamon Apples (Yield: 2 quarts)

3 medium organic apples (chose apples on the sweeter side like Gala or Honey-crisp)
2-4 cinnamon sticks, crushed or 1 teaspoon powder.
1 lemon, juice & zest
4 T. sea salt
7-8 c. water

Combine the cinnamon, lemon juice, zest, sea salt, and filtered water in a medium pot. Heat over medium heat until barely simmering and salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and cover. Let steep and cool 30 minutes.

Wash apples well and slice the tops off 2 of the apples for packing the jars. Quarter the apples and slice very thinly. Pack them tightly into two sterilized quart jars. Press down gently.

Fill the jars with the salty water and cinnamon mixture. Place a reserved apple top in each other jars to submerge the slices in the liquid. Cover with a paper coffee filter or cheesecloth. Leave at room temperature for 5-7 days, testing around 4 days to gauge how sour it is. The longer it’s left at room temperature, the more sour (and less sweet) it will be. The fermented apples will keep for 3-6 months in the refrigerator.

III. Ginger Kombucha (Makes 1 gallon)

3 ½ quarts of water
½ to 1 cup white sugar
4 bags black tea (or 1 tablespoon loose tea)
4 bags green tea (or 1 tablespoon loose tea)
2 cups pre-made unflavored kombucha (from your last homemade batch or store-bought)
1 scoby per fermentation jar
2- to 3-inch piece fresh ginger (see Recipe Note)
Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the tea and allow it to steep for ½ hour at least or until the water begins to cool. Add the remaining 1 ½ quarts of water to the batch and stir thoroughly. Remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea. Stir in the pre-made organic kombucha which inoculates the batch.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar and if you have one, gently slide a SCOBY on top with clean hands. Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers of cheesecloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band.

Keep the kombucha at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won’t get jostled. Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically. Do not disturb.

After 7 days, begin tasting the kombucha daily by pouring a little out of the jar and into a cup. When it reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to bottle. By now, a SCOBY should be floating in the fermented brew… With clean hands, gently lift it out of the kombucha and set it on a clean plate. Cover to keep it moist. Measure out 2 cups of the tea and set it aside for the next batch.

Peel and slice your ginger allowing for 1 teaspoon of ginger per bottle. Sterilize your jars by filling them with boiling water. Let them sit for 5 minutes, then empty them. Place your fresh ginger in the jars, and pour the fermented kombucha into the bottles using a small funnel. Fill them up to the “shoulder” of the jar leaving room for further carbonation and gas escape. Store at room-temperature out of direct sunlight and allow 1 to 3 days for the kombucha to carbonate. If you bottled in plastic bottles, the kombucha is carbonated when the bottles are rock-solid; if you bottled in glass, intermittently open one of the bottles to check the carbonation… listen for the “fizz” sound of gas escaping.

Once carbonated, refrigerate the kombucha for at least 4 hours to chill. The kombucha will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. If desired, strain the kombucha as you serve it to catch any bits of ginger pulp. Enjoy!

The Spirit of Covid-19 … Fear

Posted on by

Funny thing … Fear showed herself to me in my dreams early this morning. It came in the form of a small girl, with the capacity of malevolent powers. Some of the time, she would appear normal in behavior … yet at other times would wield forces for the sole purpose to maime, injure and even kill through natural means. No manmade implements were needed.

She used animals to create havoc… I attempted to compromise with her, control or contain the extent to which she could directly hurt me or others. I even tried to kill her, right in her heart. It slowed her down, yet she rose again with the intent of getting back at me. The last time I saw the effects of her behavior, cats…hundreds of them appeared in  my town, attacking the domesticated cats who were pets.

Somehow I knew that they were headed for my house and were going to occupy my home where she was staying with me…I did not want to return… My question regarding symbology: why the girl and what about those cats?

Dream interpretation ideas from the web show two things:

(1) The girl – Negatively, a little girl may reflect an aspect of yourself that is easy to control or push aside. A sign that you are not being assertive enough or feel that someone else is making your decisions for you. Your tendency to easily submit or be compliant. Getting told what to do. 

(2) The cats –  If a dream cat is aggressive then it suggests that you have difficulty accepting reality or being objective. Forcing yourself to believe that your goals are impossible without objectively questioning it. A fear of having to race reality….

Pretty trippy stuff…

Lessons from the 1st full moon …

Posted on by

It rained hard here last weekend, over one inch in less than 24 hours. I stayed home on Saturday, watching the water sheet off of the hill behind the house and exit the French drain down to the street. Rain continued intermittently on Sunday, when I ventured out across the valley to an early afternoon social engagement.

When it was time to return home, I decided to take the “long way”, sticking to small roads to check out the wildlife activity in our area. The snow geese are flocking in by the hundreds now. One can spot families of Canada geese, who are now pairing off in committed couples and settling on nesting territories to raise their broods. Last year was a bumper year for them, some had clutches with more than 12 chicks. When I see these geese pairing up, it reminds me of Spring…

I saw a large bird in the center of road, probably struck and killed by one of many large trucks that transect this lonely part of northeastern California. I pulled over to the side of the road, and went to remove the bird to place it in an adjoining field. It was a large Rough-legged Hawk and it appeared to have been lying on the road for some time. It was soaked through, feathers dripping with water. I lifted the bird off of the tarmac and walked to the nearby pasture, placing it just inside the fence line.

Walking back to my car, I noticed some of its feathers scattered along the roadside. I think they may have come off the bird upon impact. I walked along and gathered them up one by one. The feathers were in very poor shape … soaking wet and split apart. I went to place them with the hawk but as I bent down over the fence, I heard the words “Remember me”.
“Remember you?” I asked aloud as I looked at the ruined feathers in my hand. “I will try,” I spoke gently as I turned to go, laying the feathers carefully in the front seat of my car…..

How does one “Remember” an animal one has never met before? I kept turning that question over in my mind. I had no particular use for the feathers, but laid them out to dry in my bedroom. I looked at them at night when getting ready to retire, and would see them in the morning when I turned them over to assist the drying process. The edges of the feathers were shaggy, torn apart by the forces of the accident, the wind and rain. So, what did I need to learn and Remember about this creature?

Rough-legged hawks are a true arctic species …. Say what? They are from the North? Yes. They evolved under arctic conditions. They nest on cliffs, although pairs have been known to exploit other nesting areas like trees at the fringe of forests or on human-made structures. In winter, these hawks concentrate in open areas reminiscent of their tundra summer haunts, including pastures, marshy areas, and wet meadows … and that is exactly the habitat in which I found this bird.

Feather anatomy 101 (looking up info on the internet) validated that the feathers I collected were 6 secondary wing feathers (3 from each wing) and 1 tail feather and a few “downy” ones that were fluffy and soft. The purpose of the secondary feathers in a bird wing is to sustain the bird in the air by giving it “lift”. The tail feathers on a bird are analogous to the rudder of a ship or boat. They help them steer and maneuver while flying, as well as provide stability as they take-off and land. The downy feathers are usually located on the belly and provide thermal insulation, keeping the bird warm in winter months.

Last Wednesday, an impression came to mind to make a ritual fan for smudging sage with the feathers. Stranger ideas have come to me before … why not this project? To tell the truth, I really have not embraced spiritual rituals in my life. I may wave around a smoldering bundle of sage to freshen the house or leave tobacco or apples as a gift when walking in Nature. Yet I have not really introduced spiritual ritual in any form. I have set up an altar in my room, but only spend a cursory examination of it a couple of times during a day.

What I know about personal altars is that they are a place to hold prayers and intentions, as well as a focus for expressing and “Remembering” love and connection to Spirit… a place where non-ordinary reality is held within ordinary reality. Also a “Remembering” place of my ancestors, of my relationships within the Planetary Family, and what it means to Walk in Beauty as a true Human Being… “Remembering”….

This bird has truly given me profound lessons through its gift of feathers:
(1) It has validated my walk in the North of the Medicine Wheel, in Wisdom;
(2) I am encouraged to initiate a regular pattern of “Remembering” each day;
(3) Trust the rudder of Spirit as my guide, it will sustain and lift me in the flight of my remaining Journey;
(4) And to “Remember” my other Relations in Nature. To embrace them as guides and reflections of my own Heart….

These past 3 weeks walking with Talks with Relations, the first Clan Mother of the full moon, has been a Teaching. Just a little more illumination and understanding about how absolutely everything in Nature communicates through mirroring and direct teaching through example. I welcome the gifts of Wolf and Hawk. I now know to begin at the beginning … to seek and restore Harmony within myself and to “Remember” to honor the connection to my other kin with recognition and gratitude….

Another New Year ….

Posted on by

I was out walking in a place of quietness this New Years Day …. No people, no cars, no one but myself for miles around to take it all in. Just me and the merlins, or marsh hawks, out hunting for their supper. Open spaces clean out the pipes, so I say. The air strengthens me, pulling the dullness and dross from my Spirit created by an over dependence and indulgence in modern luxuries. The background hum from electricity, radio frequencies, and now 5G in our living environments  rattles my central nervous system and can make my ears ring. As a respite, I take the time to get outside away from such concentrated frequency bombardment.  I recommend you do too, everyday, come rain or come shine. Where else can one listen to the music of the bull rush and the cattail swaying surreptitiously in the afternoon wind? Bundle up, buckaroo ….

Shifting ….

Posted on by

There is a global tension being felt in the undercurrent of Life in response to climate and environmental change. I am well aware of the large effects occurring in this Time of Turning to habitat, water, air and to other living Beings. The news is full of information every morning I open the page. I find my emotions ricocheted across this spectrum most days which is not sustainable or healthy for my body or soul. Change is a fact, one of the key Truths of this World. Some changes are quicker in their effects on short term and long term trajectories. Some are downright terrifying.

I am driven to Hope in the thick of everything that is going on. Emotionally responding to current news is exhausting. We do not know how things are going to right themselves in the long run as Mother Earth works her way to a new Balance and Equilibrium. We can imagine, throw pictures onto the screen of the minds eye, but those images are not Truth….they are only images fed by projection and Hollywood science fiction movies. The question I seek an answer to is “How do I Stand as a true human being in these times?”

What is easily lost in the cacophony of these portents is the reality that something is deeper at work here. Something which is in All and pierces All, a subtle force of Light which Holds everything within its grasp of the cosmos. Over 110 billion humans have walked on the face of this Planet, some now living but most have passed on. Just like cells in a body, human creatures are a catalyst of Change to the surface of the Earth. Mother made us, feeds us, has sustained the existence of the hominid species for a little over 1.6 million years. WE may feel that we are the key components of driving change in this World, but keep in mind that Gaea has a purpose of her own in all of this, far greater than we can ever imagine.

I am choosing to Shift my Gaze, to look for the Light, the Miracle which lies within the calyx of a flower, in the Blessed alchemy of Water, in the creative force of Fire, in the cycles of the atmosphere and the gigantic processes of Earth. I choose to Shift my Gaze, to embrace a deep trust in this Planet and its processes. It “knows” what It is doing, even though it may result in the demise of our species. Life begets Life, one form replaces another. Disturbance is one of the driving principles in the creation and maintenance of that Life force here….

When I embrace a deep Trust in Nature, I no longer feel Fear. When I work in collaboration with these forces, I feel a keen sense of Balance. When I stir my compost piles, I Trust in the microbes to replenish the soil, they simply know what to do. They work in accordance with bacterial processes and enzymes, with frost and heaving cycles, with the rainfall that falls to the Earth… bringing Change to the rhizosphere which then feeds other organisms including trees and plants.

It is my Trust that propels me into Action, but without the Fear. It is my Trust that silently welcomes Hope to my world-weary Heart, like the dew on a meadow at dawn. My Trust launches me into joining my Heart to the persistent Light which underscores all things. Something elusive, but clearly perceived in my peripheral vision. It’s constancy a refuge, a balm to my news-weary Soul….

Tuesday Night Belly Button Musings…

Posted on by

Belly Button Musings on a Tuesday Night….

This process we call Life can never be “won”, only played from the authetic center of who I am, who You are. We stand in “this” moment … connected with all that has gone on before, all that is going on now, and with everything that is yet to come to this Planet. We are part of a colossal epic, whose story is measured in geologic time. Eons made up of star dust and processes that stretch back billions of years … which will continue on in its own fluid trajectory for billions more.

We are a conscious creation, hardwired to thousands of intricate layers of interdependent relationships which are essential for the creation and sustainability of Life in all its forms. Fungi depend upon bacteria, bacteria depend on enzymes, enzymes feed off of basic minerals and release their waste into their surroundings. We are Children of Gaea, awake in a realm of potential, possibility, creativity… of things being born, and of things dying. Delicate and perceptive, we travel a fragile journey with and in this Mystery of staggering Beauty.

It is the mind that creates separation, it severs the Soul from the rich soil of its Beginnings… It tricks us into “thinking” we are adrift, in disjunction with that which has both birthed and sustains us. Ask the Stone People, who are the Memory Keepers of this Place, about our story. Ask about the stories of all of the Children who have Risen in this place. They knew this World before even water was brought from the sky, before the oceans were born. Ask them about the intricacies of Balance, of the self-regulation of homeostasis that lies deep within the fabric of this World…. A World that creates consciousness in its many varied offspring…

I can only Stand mute before my Mother… squishing my toes into Her mud as my eyes and ears are filled with the cacophony of bird song winging overhead. I weep from the Fullness of a driving west wind against my back. And whisper a prayer of deep gratitude when listening to the heartbeat within my own chest….

Natural colors…

Posted on by

Science Monday – Dyeing wool with Wolf lichen.

Today’s experiment was dyeing 4 large skeins of 2-ply handspun wool using Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina). It is a common lichen found in pine forests. I collected some last week while out on Ash Creek fly fishing with some friends. I came upon some blown down limbs while gathering wild rose hips for winter tea. It took only a few moments to pull it loose from the bark and fill a medium sized bag of the green stuff.

I have used this lichen once before, and the yarn came out a bright green. To help tone the color down a bit, I put in 2 cups of ground coffee into the pot along with the lichen…. after boiling, straining and immersing the wool into the decoction, the result produced a nice burnished gold color. Kind of like the color of Autumn leaves, especially of the elm tree….

You do not need to “fix” this dye to retain it’s color. Wolf lichen has a chemical in it that makes it permanent on natural fibers …

Autumn Equinox

Posted on by

I awoke early this first day of Autumn, 4 am to be more precise. I found myself welcoming this fog-filled morning on my front porch with a cuppa coffee in hand. It was cold … the first real cold morning I have felt since Spring. I greeted the morning stars, in particular, Orion. Soon that constellation will be dominating our night skies as we circle through the winter months. Orion is an old friend, one who has heard many of my heartfelt discourses in the early morn or late night hours….

The morning found me organizing the herbs I have been gathering over the summer months. Actually, my Hawthorn Tincture is created over a period of 4 months. I collect the flowers and the first emerging leaves in early June. I place them in a jar to tincture in alcohol until September when the berries ripen on the tree.  I then add the crushed berries to the mixture and let it age another 4 weeks. Hawthorn is a heart ally, oxygenating and balancing the Heart as it ages.

Each year I tend to my own personal first-aid herbal cabinet in preparation for potential illnesses we might experience with the changing of seasons. I grow some of the herbs in my gardens, others I gather in the wild landscape. Most of my herbal preparations are safe to use for coughs, fevers, viral infections, anxiety, insomnia, salves for burns and rashes. I really didn’t think I had foraged very much this year, but when stripping leaves from dried twigs and filling jars with their aromatic gifts, I realized that I had prepared exactly what I needed. The scent and oil from stripping catnip leaves left me feeling quite euphoric….

I prepare a basic apothecary to dip into for medicinal teas and compresses. Many herbs are common weedy species and easy to grow in the garden or forage in the wild. My herb cabinet consists of 24 key herbs: Alfalfa (nourishing); Dandelion Root (diuretic); Catnip, Lemon balm, California poppy, and Hops (sedatives and nervines); Red Clover (tonic for blood and liver); Plantain (coughs, bronchitis, diarrhea, dysentery); Mullein (coughs, bronchitis); California mugwort (promotes vomiting); Mormon Tea or Ephedra (bronchitis, sinusitis); Yarrow flowers (common cold, hay fever, stomach discomfort, induces sweating); Feverfew (fever, arthritis, tinnitus, vomiting); Peppermint and Spearmint (used to treat so many ailments); German Chamomile (antispasmodic, sedative) and of course, dried Rose petals (cardiac tonic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-parasitic). They also have a delicate flavor when infused for tea…

My basic preparations: Goldenseal Tincture (antibacterial, antiviral); Hawthorn tincture (heart health); Black cottonwood salve (inflammation, arthritis pain); Chickweed and Plantain salve (bug bites, rashes, skin irritations); Lemon balm and Feverfew salve (for joint and muscle pain); and Elderberry with Chokecherry syrup (coughs, bronchitis).

For those of you who are relatively new to preparing and storing wild herbs, make sure to store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Label them clearly, making sure to post the year of collection. Herbs lose their potency over time … I try to replace their contents every year. All in all, a handy home apothecary to use for mild ailments.

Thank you Sara Steffey McQueen for you gift of the goldenseal root from your woods. It made an EXCELLENT tincture!

All Blessings to my friends in both the northern and southern latitudes….Namaste.

A new altar bowl….

Posted on by

For any and all who have Irish roots….. just finished this little diddy. It is constructed from 16 layers of different kinds of paper.

Altar Bowl titled “Éire”. It’s name is taken from a LANDSAT photo of Ireland placed in the center bottom of the bowl. The dark purple/blue outer layer symbolizes the oceans surrounding the island, while the colors of the  interior represent the green of the Island with her cities and landforms. Ibis feathers with vintage button and Swarovski crystal.

Autumn foraging…

Posted on by

Not fishing? Then FORAGE! … Hawthorn berries for heart tincture, apples and crabapple from an ancient orchard, Hops for sleep, Choke cherries for wine, Mullein for coughs, Alfalfa for Vitamin K, and Amaranth for the birds…. a great afternoon!