Homemade Raw Sauerkraut

Remember how I told you in a previous post, Best Natural Lip Balm, that I had both of Kimberly Snyder's Beauty Detox books? One of the things she stresses in her books is the importance of probiotics and how good they are for you. She also has a recipe called, "Ginger-Caraway Probiotic & Enzyme Salad". Today I decided to try my hand at making this salad.

The salad is really homemade raw sauerkraut which provides the probiotics and enzymes needed for healthy digestion. It takes five days to ferment.

The recipe uses only four ingredients:
1. 4 c. shredded cabbage (I used a red cabbage)
2. 1" of ginger root, cut into strips (I sliced and then diced mine)
3. 1 t. caraway seeds
4. Filtered water (I used our well water, boiling it for five minutes first)

You'll also need clean jars with lids.

First I removed the outer leaves of the cabbage and threw them away. Then I tore a few more leaves off for using in the top of the jars.

Next I tried shredding the cabbage with my Pampered Chef kitchen tool but didn't have much luck that way. So I once again pulled out my trusty little Ninja food chopper and pulsed the leaves until they were the right size. (How did I ever survive before the purchase of my trusty Ninja?) I ended up with about 4-1/2 cups of cabbage that I put into a large bowl.

I read on Simply Recipes, that all you need to peel ginger root is a spoon. Wow! Worked perfect! Thank you, Elise! After I peeled the skin off, I sliced and diced the ginger and added it to the bowl of cabbage.

I measured out one teaspoon of caraway seeds and sprinkled on top of the ginger and cabbage. Doesn't it look pretty?

Mix it thoroughly and place in jars, leaving two inches from the top. Pack the cabbage mixture down with a spoon. Fill the jar with water, just enough to cover the cabbage mixture.

Roll up the cabbage leaves and place on top of the cabbage mixture.

Place the lids on the jars and put them in the cupboard for five days to ferment. After the five days are up, the leaves are to be removed and tossed. And the cabbage turned sauerkraut should be ready for consuming.

I'm not sure if I'm going to like the taste of this or not. I am hopeful that I will since I've never been a fan of pumpkin, squash or sweet potato until recently. Now I have them regularly in my soups, Pumpkin Soup Puree, Butternut Squash Soup Puree, and Vegetable Soup Puree.

Guess we'll see in five days ...

For more on Kraut making, see Cabbage into Kraut.


Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Bag It and Tag It!

Veggie Prep Work

A couple weeks ago my sister, Laura, gave me another pumpkin and squash. Since I had just made a batch of my Butternut Squash Soup Puree, I left them on the porch shelf. My husband moved them to a shelf in the basement so they were out of the way. I always meant to cut them up and freeze them, but never got around to it. Until today.

My husband had been hauling wood to the basement for the wood furnace and came upstairs with the news that the pumpkin had met its demise. The bottom had gotten rotten (haha! love that - gotten rotten!) and fell off the shelf. It made a mess on the floor and he wanted me to clean it up right away before it ruined the floor paint.

After disposing of the pumpkin remains and cleaning up the floor, I decided I better take care of the squash before it ended up in the same fatal state.

I brought it upstairs and cut the outer shell off, cleaned out the strings and seeds, and sliced it into small chunks. Then I placed them into freezer bags and put them into the freezer for later use.

I had prepped several other vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli and celery) a few days earlier and not sure why I didn't do the squash then. I guess "out of sight, out of mind" applied here.

Any job is easier when you can break it up. Therefore, I started cleaning, cutting, chopping, bagging and freezing the vegetables for my soups ahead of time. That way, if I'm pressed for time, the grunt work is already done. It also prevents vegetable spoilage ~ at least in my house. Unfortunately, because there's just the two of us now, if I don't freeze some of the vegetables, they'll go to waste.

I also found that if I cut the vegetables into smaller pieces, I can get by with cooking them in half the time. I realize it takes longer during the prep time this way, so it's really a matter of preference. Carrots especially need to be cut smaller as they seem to take longer during the cooking time to become tender.

Finally, if you frequently freeze vegetables, you'll want to mark the date on the bags so you remember to use the oldest ones first.


Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Best Natural Lip Balm

Okay, I just came across a recipe for natural lip balm from this blog from Kimberly Snyder. It uses one of my favorite products: Coconut oil!

The funny thing is, almost two years ago, I started using coconut oil as a lip moisturizer on a whim! I had already been using it as a moisturizer on my face and probably got some on my lips and thought, "Why not? It's natural and if I happen to swallow it, it's actually good for me, too!"

I absolutely love the way it makes my lips feel so soft. And yes, I do tend to lick my lips occasionally so I don't have to worry about swallowing anything harmful.

I have both of Kimberly Snyder's Beauty Detox books and love them, so when I read the article on natural lip balm, I couldn't help but feel smart. Haha! Can you blame me? The woman is very knowledgeable in food and nutrition.

That being said, I don't think I will ever mix up the lip balm recipe on her blog, because I LOVE the plain ol' coconut oil on my lips, nothing more.


Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!