How-To Tuesday Immune Spritzer

  IMMUNE SPRITZER

I LOVE turmeric. I posted before how to make turmeric paste and Golden Milk GO HERE FOR THOSE TURMERIC RECIPES


It is the golden boy of herbs.  The sunshine on a cloudy day.  The end of the rainbow for immune boosters and inflammatory issues.   So when I saw THIS LITTLE RECIPE I had to share it. OK, I tweeked it a little; because that's what I do.

 

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (you can use less, but why would you!?)
1/4 large FRESH pineapple (use most or all of the CORE--it's essential!)
3 large  ORGANIC carrots (My guests raved about the carrots served at Christmas dinner.  Their color was OUTSTANDING.   Their taste sublime.  They were just steamed and dressed with butter/salt/pepper.  Simple. Scrumptious)
1-2 slices of burdock root (1st year only!)

Whirl all this in a high-powered blender (one of these days I will tell you my blender story!!) or a juicer. (I'm generally not a fan of juicers--we need that pulp, too! But occasionally, it's ok.  This is one of those occasions.)    If you like it COLD COLD, add a couple ice cubes to the blender.

Strain and add to KOMBUCHA...oh, this is so good and good for you I can hardly stand it.  Now, some folks don't care for kombucha.  If you are one of these unfortunate few, use sparkling mineral water.

And, here's another twist:  add the tumeric mix to fresh kombucha for the SECOND FERMENTATION!!!  That will REALLY give your immune system a kick in the seat of the  pants.

The turmeric, pineapple, carrots, burdock and kombucha are all anti-inflammatory. Yippe-ki-yaaaa.  After all those sweets you've been eating, YOU NEED THIS.

And, POSTSCRIPT: tumeric is anti-spasmodic.  That's the BEST news for you ladies whose bodies need some extra TLC for THAT TIME OF THE MONTH.   Really, try it.  It relieves pain and cramping.  The Golden milk would be excellent for this if you want something WARM instead of COLD.  Also, pineapple jumps right in there for you PMSers.  Who knew..right?    You don't need NSAIDS!!!   This recipe aids you in ways you cannot comprehend; give it a try.

Be well.  :)

Fermented What?

I have a lot of fun culturing food; I prefer "culture" to "ferment". Ferment conjures bad smells and bubbles. One of my new summer books that I mentioned in an earlier blog "Real Food Fermentation" is a slick glossy lots of photos how to on culturing all sorts of food. 

 Today I'm interested in beverages. Cultured beverages. They are by far the most important drinks in the world. And, what's not to like with all those bacteria and yeasty beasties working so hard to turn drinks into a nutritional healthy soul satisfying beverages. You may drink fermented liquid without even being aware: wine & beer (ok so you knew those), coffee, black tea, cider, mead, hard liquor, kombucha, various fruit drinks.

 It is so dang triple-digit hot outside that I am drinking all sorts of liquid trying to quench a full body thirst; iced herbal infusions and teas, fruit & ice drinks, home made electrolytes, water. 

 Here are a few recipes--go for it! From Real Food Fermentation: Ginger Ale 4 inches ginger root 1 gallon NON CHLORINATED water 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 to 1 cup yogurt whey Peel and grate ginger ( a spoon does this beautifully) Put ginger & water in pot bring to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add sugar, stir til dissolved. Cool. Add whey. A canning jar is ideal to store the ginger ale. Let it sit for a day or two.

 From "Nourishing Traditions" here's a little different recipe: 3/4 cup ginger root, 1/2 cup lime juice, 1/4-1/2 cup Rapadura (sweetner) 2 teas sea salt, 1/4 cup whey, 2 quarts filtered water. Place all ingredients in jar, stir, well, cover tightly and leave at room temp for 2-3 days, transfer to frig. 

 As you can see, there are differences in these recipes which tells me: DO IT THE WAY YOU WANT and it will turn out ok! Ginger Ale is wonderful on hot days and is best when sipped. It's a great pick me up after being in the sun.

Here's one made with oranges ("Nourishing Traditions") Juice of 12 oranges, 2 teas sea salt, 1/4 cup whey, 1/2 teas orange extract, 1 1/4 quarts filtered water. Leave at room temp 2 days, refrigerate. Stir before pouring. 

 Here's a most interesting one; I haven't tried this yet as I don't have raspberries growing. In essence crush some raspberry leaves so they are nice and juicy; stick them in the oven overnight at 50 degrees C (which my FarmBoy Chef Gary says is about 122 degrees F!) They will be brown--just like tea leaves! So, use them just like tea leaves for making tea. This recipe is from Henriette at http://www.henriettesherbal.com/blog/fermented-raspberry-leaf.html 

 Gotta go...have to divide my Kombucha baby.... have a monumental day. Oh, and it's the New Moon...perfect time to start projects! :) e