Page 69 - Spring2008

excellent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids Every family will have its unique preference or just a method or two
digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver that seems to work best in their kitchen, which is why trial and error is
and is a good treatment for kidney stones and your best companion in this soda making process. With spring in the air,
other ailments. Beet kvass may also be used it is the perfect time to take advantage of the hydrating and gut-nourish-
in place of vinegar in salad dressings and as ing benefi ts of bodacious lacto-fermented beverages. It may seem a little
an addition to soups.” While this beverage is intimidating at fi rst, but consider it a new “science experiment” with the
highly therapeutic, it may not be accepted with kids and see what happens—most likely you will be pleasantly surprised
open arms by your little ones. It can be a bit too with the tasty results!
“beety” for children and occasionally a bit too
salty. First, be sure to brew it long enough, and Jen Allbritton is a Certifi ed Nutritionist and has been researching and writ-
consider allowing it to “age” in the fridge for a ing on all topics of nutrition for over 10 years. She lives in Colorado with
while after it has completed fermentation at room her husband and two sons, and spends lots of time in the kitchen cooking
temperature to further round out its fl avor. Also up WAPF-friendly creations. If you have topic suggestions you would like
be sure to use fresh beets. The amount of salt to learn more about, contact her at jen@nourishingconnections.org.
could also be slightly reduced. Finally, try the
“Soda Taste Boosters” to make it a touch more REFERENCES
soda-like. Try, for example, a little sparkling 1. Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. NewTrends Publishing. 2001 p. 585.
water and a few tablespoons of a fruit juice or 2. Enig, Mary. and Fallon, Sally. Eat Fat Lose Fat. Hudson Street Press. 2005 p.
92.
juice concentrate. 3. Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. NewTrends Publishing. 2001 p. 584.
4. Hentges, D.J. Human Intestinal Microflora in Health and Disease. New York:

KOMBUCHA Academic Press, 1983.
While this lacto-fermented beverage 5. Dom’s Kefir In-site found at http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.
html#alternativekefi r.
takes a bit more work than the others discussed, 6. McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking. The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.
many people are drawn to its taste. This tea is Fireside Books. 1984. p. 448.
produced using a “mushroom fungus” which 7. Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. NewTrends Publishing. 2001 p. 598.
is actually a symbiotic colony of bacteria and 8. Kefir In-site found at http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.
html#alternativekefi r.
yeasts. The “mushroom” is placed in a freshly 9. Ibid.
prepared infusion of tea and sugar. It then fer- 10. Ibid.
ments and oxidizes. Essentially, the fungus will 11. Katz Sandor Ellix. Wild Fermentation. Chelsea Green Publishing. 2003. p. 89.
feed on sugar and in return produce a range of 12. Farnworth, Edward R. Kefi r: a complex probiotic. Food Research and Develop-
ment Centre, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
healthy organic acids, many vitamins, amino J2S 8E3. Found at http://www.ifi s.org/fsc/bulletin-ff-free.
acids and antibiotic substances. Mix things up 13. Wood, Rebecca. Home Brewed Cider. Found at http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/
to a base batch of kombucha by adding herbal Home_Brewed_Cider.htm.
teas to the brew, such as raspberry or another 14. Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. NewTrends Publishing. 2001 p. 610.
15. http://www.kombu.de/ - Günther W. Frank, “Kombucha - Healthy beverage
family favorite. Of course, the “Taste Boosters” and Natural Remedy from the Far East.” W. Ennsthaler, A-4402 Steyr, copy-
found on page 66 can be added after brewing is right©1995.
complete to really make things sparkle. And if it 16. Wood, Rebecca. Home Brewed Cider. Found at http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/
Home_Brewed_Cider.htm.
turns flat, add a touch of fruit or Rapadura after 17. Dom’s Kefir In-site found at http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.

you decant, cap it tightly and it will get fi zzy html#Grape-juice_Kefi r.
again, even in the fridge.

NEED MORE HELP?

There is much more to know and more experiments to do than presented in this article. This information is meant
to inspire and inform the reader about all the fun fermented beverage options available and provide a bit of simple direc-
tion. For more, refer to the resources mentioned and contact your local WAPF chapter (see www.westonaprice.org for
listings). Also, check out the many WAPF-focused chat groups on yahoo.com. One chat group in particular is “Microbial
Nutrition” (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Microbial_Nutrition), which holds detailed discussions regarding all
things microbial; it is fascinating!

SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 69