Fermented Carrots and/or Beets Recipe makes one jar of fermented vegetable of your choice
SUPPLIES:
- One 24-32 fl oz Mason jars that have screw on lids, or reuse any clean & sanitized glass jars that used to contain pasta sauce, pickles, etc.
- Thin cotton towel or cheese cloth and a rubber band, if using a mason jar with screw on lids.
- 3 medium carrots or 5 small beets (organic whenever possible). If you would like more variety and color to what you ferment with, you can use rainbow carrots, or golden beets besides the typical orange carrots or red beets. It’s more ideal to purchase organic carrots &/or beets since they are both root vegetables, and are more likely to absorb what’s in the soil, so any pesticide used during the growing process of root vegetables will seep into the ground & concentrate into the root vegetables growing under the ground.
- ~1/2 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
- Filtered water (do not use tap water because it has many toxic substances) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/toxic-substances-chemicals-us-tap-water/ Any chlorine or fluoride in tap water may also kill not only the beneficial bacterial you are trying to increase in numbers, and prevent the fermentation process from occurring. Note: You can also find what water utilities’ have tested and see what pollutants are in Americans' tap water by zip code https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/
- Metal, wooden, or bamboo spoon or chopsticks used for stirring Optional: 1⁄2 Tbsp of organic apple cider vinegar as to speed up the fermentation process STEPS:
- Wash your carrots or beets. For organic produce I usually just add ~1 tsp of salt and swish the vegetables around the water, drain, and rinse. Repeat 2 or 3 more times until the water is runs clear & you don’t see any more dirt or debris at when you drain the vegetables.
- Chop the beets or carrots into 1 inch cubes or slices, & add however much that can fill a jar just below the spot where the jar curves to the rim and threads of the jar.
- Add the salt, and optional apple cider vinegar, and pour enough filtered water so all the vegetables are below the water surface.
- Stir and make sure they all are underneath the water otherwise anything above the water can get moldy. You can cut a thin piece of beet or carrot large enough to keep any smaller pieces submerged and prevent the vegetables from floating to the surface. It’s okay if a few corners of a vegetable pops up above the surface, as long as it’s not a majority of them.
- Cover with a cloth keep any bugs or dust out of the mason jars, or place the lid back onto the repurposed glass jar.
Do not screwed the lid on tightly, you want to have the lid loose enough for air to flow, or you can burp the jar (release any built up gas from the fermentation process) as you see bubble forming 1-3 days afterwards. 6. Place the jar in a place away from direct sunlight, on your counter top or pantry as long as you don’t forget it. After 3 days, use a clean spoon to taste. there should be a tangy taste to it. If it’s winter it may take longer to ferment at room temperature, during the summer you may have to check it after 48 hours. You can ferment it until 5 days some do even a week or more depending on their preference of how tart or sour they like their fermented foods. Place into the refrigerator after it has reached the desired tartness you like to stop any further fermentation. Note: If there is any white substances on the surface during the fermentation process, it’s most likely yeast which is safe for you to scoop out and discard. It’s harmless, your batch is not ruined. You can also look up what it looks like. When you see black or green or any strange discoloration or smell then it’s that is mold. That you should dispose of it. Always use a clean utensil when scooping out a portion of your fermented foods to eat to prevent introduction or contamination of undesirable microbes that can spoil the batch faster.
Ways to Sterilize Glass Jars without relying on modern appliances There’s a variety of reasons to not rely on certain modern appliances that use a lot more energy and resources. https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/residents/save-energy/appliance-energy-use-chart Sure you can a sterilize jars using a dishwasher, microwave (not with the metal lids), or a pressure cooker if you have one that has the sterilize option, but in the scenario of not relying on modern appliances and conserving electricity, water, &/or knowing ways to sanitize items you just have in a more off grid manner &/or
- Jars can be sterilized by filling a large pot with water and adding jars with lids and heat the water until it comes to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Let the water cool before draining &/or use tongs to take out the jars and lids.
- Wash the jars with soap and water, then boil some water and fill the jars halfway with water and let it sit for about 1-2 minutes with the lid placed on it as the steam rises to sterilize and remove any soap residue.
- Let the jars air dry , if not using the jars immediately.
Why buy organic? There is usually a greater variety of beneficial bacteria population that are naturally found in abundance typically on organic instead of conventional produce, that you need and want to proliferate in fermenting your vegetables. Organic produce are also found to have higher level of antioxidants than conventional grown produce. https://livesmartcolorado.colostate.edu/organic-vs-conventional-foods/
-I do my best to purchase certified gluten free, & organic foods whenever possible. I don’t go overboard, but I do make sure anything on the EWG dirty dozen list is purchased organic. Benefits of fermented foods “Compounds known as biologically active peptides, which are produced by the bacteria responsible for fermentation, are also well known for their health benefits. Among these peptides, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have a blood pressure lowering effect, exopolysaccharides exhibit prebiotic properties, bacteriocins show anti-microbial effects, sphingolipids have anti-carcinogenic and anti-microbial properties, and bioactive peptides exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, opioid antagonist, anti-allergenic, and blood pressure lowering effects. As a result, fermented foods provide many health benefits such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-atherosclerotic activity. “
Health benefits of fermented foods https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28945458/
Email subject lines/ titles for blog posts -Ways to go more Green & save money at the same time Go Green and Save Some Green at the Same Time
-Ways to Live more a more Eco-friendly Lifestyle
Sustainable lifestyle choices that help you, your wallet, the Earth
-Ways to Live and Lead a more Plastic-Free Lifestyle
-What is a zero waste or low waste living/lifestyle?
How to Avoid Plastic or Styrofoam when ordering food to go/take out/ or eating out?
-On the rare occasions I eat out I’ll place any leftovers in my glass or stainless steel container(s) that I bring with me , or when I go to pick up my food, I will call ahead of time to see if they will allow me to transfer my food to my own containers so there is less take out/carry out packaging. It is rare I’ll go to a restaurant that uses styrofoam or plastic containers. -I would rather go to a business that uses ecofriendly containers.
Dangers of plastic and Styrofoam
-Healthy Alternatives to Toxic Cleaning Chemicals in Your Home
-Detox and Declutter Your Kitchen
Detox and Declutter your Bathroom
Detox and Declutter the Products You for your Body- Care Routine
-I use a bamboo toothbrush and make my own tooth power that leaves an all day dentist clean smooth feeling on my teeth even after meals using just organic Ceylon cinnamon, calcium carbonate, occasional activated charcoal, & aluminum- free baking soda,… -For a couple years since I stopped using conventional toothpaste I have no cavities, except for a teeny tiny external one that was filled at a holistic dentist vs
other people that use toothpaste and still get cavities and have no medical condition , or those that are unfortunate to rely on pharmaceutical medications that reduces their saliva production …
-Reduce, reuse, recycle Why Recycling is not the answer, how to recycle Did you know recycling is not the best solution and ought to be the last option, and reducing and reusing what we have ought to be the 1st priority and steps to reduce how much waste we produce. The throw-away consumer habits and “ fast convenience” over sustainably has distorted that order. Recycling still requires energy , can be contaminated with other non recyclable items due to non-standard recycling guidelines and careless individuals that are on autopilot and chooses not to place their trash in the respective container even if it’s right next to the recycling bin, and not everything that goes to the recycling bin gets recycled locally or even properly unfortunately. I invite you to consider reducing your usage of plastic significantly if you do not already, and utilize reusable items 1st and foremost to reduce the amount of trash that ends up in landfills, or being incinerated. -Terracycle.com is a great website and company for hard to recycle items since we cannot avoid plastic completely yet.
Consumer Preference, Quality, and Safety of Organic and Conventional Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, and Cereals https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825453/
-When we take care of our body well it will take care of us well, such consuming whole fresh plant based foods &/or appropriate medicinal products grown organically &/or in a regenerative manner with synergistic properties that’s been used for thousands of years, as much as possible, will be more beneficial than the push for product(s) with questionable ingredients. -I trust my body created by the Divine, & its innate wisdom to heal, detox, regenerate when we nourish it with what’s available from the 1st scientist & artist Mother Earth , than what humans try to mimic that Gaia has perfected over thousands of years, not mere months for profit & other more malevolent means. -I invite & encourage you to vote more with your lifestyle choices , your money…support people local to you, not any inhumane,…name brands, group(s), organization(s), media, …that don’t see you as a person, & instead more of something to exploit for profit.
-I do my best to live more simply (minimalism, eliminating a lot of distractions,…), be more in Mother Nature, be more present in life…
As of now, I mainly consuming whole plant-based foods: vegan (I don’t like labels, but for simplicity ) from learning more & optimizing my health, along with ethical, environmental, … spiritual reasons. I do my best to not consume the common allergens (there may be accidental exposure) of: dairy, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, wheat & a majority of grains (especially since there’s can be cross contamination of gluten), added sugars, Fake meat,…
There’s no way for something to be purely vegan unless I am dining at an all vegan place. So I don’t make a fuss over it because I appreciate it when others accommodate my dietary choices , and are open to consuming more plant based foods.
-I pick up trash/rubbish in whenever I see trash or rubbish on the ground or on plants (however you choose to look at it, single use plastic bags do get tangled up in the branches , or will break down into tiny pieces and end up in waterways, in the stomach of animals that accidentally ingest it. The trees, shrubs,& wind, possibly have the bag get caught in the plants so hopefully some conscious mobile beings like myself and other caring conscious beings will see it and pull it out and recycle it if it’s clean and dry, or throw it in the trash so it doesn’t end up in the bodies of water, soil, air. -I pick up rubbish/trash especially if I can locate a rubbish/trash can or recycling bin nearby, in my daily life, and when I travel. It’s my way of giving back and showing my gratitude to everything internal and external to me…for making it possible for me to be able to travel & be to many places around the world; the opportunities & greater possibilities in my life; and having countless enjoyable priceless experiences , & valuable people in my life despite the few very unfortunate events I dealt with.
-I keep people, animals, & our home planet in mind in how I choose to live my life, and my consumer
choices especially, when our consumer choices can have detrimental impacts on those with more social- economic barriers or other unfortunate life factors such as
human trafficking, & /or sexuality, mentally, emotionally, financially, physically abused victims, that don’t have a voice or could be negatively affected by our by our lifestyle choices and purchases, if we don’t make the effort to be conscious informed consumers.
I invite you to continue to question what conventional mainstream knowledge and information says and even the beliefs you have been told to believe if you don’t already,…including researching into learning more about medicinal plants, other healing modalities, other more synergistic, natural , alternatives to optimizing your health, …which I’m sure there’s a higher # people on this network/website/community is already, which I am super grateful more people are taking back their power, awareness, …making informed choices instead of just following blindly with questions an authority figure that may have years of medical training that I don’t discount, but to keep in mind they are trained on more of learning about pathology, not about preventative measures & optimization one’s health through non invasive &/or non synthetic pharmaceutical approaches, unless they are a functional medicine practitioner, or other holistic healthcare professionals. Scientific research has its merits and place, but I see it’s ideal to combine the applications of eastern holistic medicine’s whole mind-body approach with western medicine’s imaging and technology. Acute emergency issues are best treated with western modern medicine, but not so much chronic health challenges. Of course not everyone has embraced or yet to be aware of how amazing our bodies can self heal chronic issues especially, when we do what works best for our mind, body, & spirit with: -whatever information or teachings that empowers and inspires us,
- having gratitude & cultivating forgiveness… -nourishing our body with : healthy whole minimally processed foods, Nature, self care, nurturing touch, …; -Removing or reduce /limiting exposure to: toxins toxic thought patterns , toxic situations , toxic individuals, as much as possible…