Lactofermentation. Fun. Easy. Delicious. Good for you too.

It is such a shame that business/ industry have stolen (and ruined in my opinion!) another artisanal form of preserving food. They have been replaced with vinegary or sugary rubbish! Pasteurisation produces bottles and jars for supermarket shelves, but are not so great for you when eaten in large quantities, can be loaded with other additives, stabilisers and/or sugar. They have been robbed of all those beneficial bacteria, not to mention the enzymes you are missing out on, destroyed with high heat,  aaaand if you don't lactoferment, you don't get the essential nutrient choline which is formed during the ferment. Have people forgotten that some of our favourite condiments were designed to aid our digestion, not simply to decorate your meals, or slather things in sugar? Anyhoo, i wont start too much of a mini rant!!

 Not only are lactofermented foods better for you, but they taste great, make you feel great, help digestion and you have so much more variety then what is available on the shelves at your local supermarket.

Lactofermentation Station!!
Wholegrain mustard. Puts hair on your chest this stuff!!
Cherry Chutney (see use below)
Kefir milk -irrelevant in this post LOL- as is the wine ;)
Mini batch of kraut my last one was an epic fail :0
Pickled garlic.

Xmas day ham, and cherry chutney.

I have endeavoured to follow the instinct and wisdom of generations past, and ferment some of my produce! Lactic acid is a natural food preservative, as it inhibits putrefying bacteria. Lactofermented foods, are easier to digest, and aid in the digestion of foods they are eaten with! You get the goodness of many enzymes, the essential vitamin choline, apparently it also has anti-carcinogenic and antibiotic properties too- i intend to do more reading on this- and the by product lactic acid gives your good intestinal flora a boost!

It is a really easy process too! I save my whey from cheese making, kefir milk, or when i drain yoghurt for cream cheese etc. it stores in the fridge for ages! up to 6 weeks i believe. So it is just a matter of preparing the food (use organic if you can, homegrown even better!!) wash, chopping, removing pits etc. Mix it up with some water, whey and salt. The salt is to inhibit unwanted bacteria until there are sufficient numbers of lactobacilli. You can add other flavourings like herbs and spices. Just make sure the food is completely covered in liquid, seal and leave at room temp-2 days for fruits, 3 for veg. then transfer to cold storage. Consume fruits within 2 months. longer for veg. Some folk say they wont touch their krauts until they are 6 months old!

I am very excited to try more produce from my own garden, and to try more relishes, and salsa style stuff, also in different consistencies. Nom nom nom!! :D

Cinnamon pears (or apples)

Here is a tasty quick snack for you! My kids love these for morning tea, or after school.

Quite simple really;

 Chopped fruit- we usually use apple or pear, in various shapes/cuts.

Sprinkles- seeds or chopped nuts with a sprinkle of cinnamon :)

Just chuck in your favourites, stir and enjoy :)

Too easy.

Vital wheat gluten???

Im after the 75% protein -vital wheat gluten- as opposed to gluten flour- any one know where i can get it in Aus??

(im after a better rise in my 100% whole wheat bread)

Jerky.....

OK so I'm new to this jerky thing, Ive never even tried it before, so talk about winging it!! The above picture was the Moroccan beef just as it was going into the dehydrator. I also tried a honey soy batch, but it didn't look as pretty so i didn't bother. i was really excited about these! Turns out these were far too salty! The honey soy turned out with a delightful delicate flavour! and they are all gone! Hehehe. So i shall continue to experiment with a few different flavoured cures etc. They certainly are a hit with the men of the household!! If anyone has knows of any good recipes, please share!!

Untitled....perhaps sugar free raspberry mess??

This was an attempt at a raspberry style Eaton's mess type of thing.....and deliciously easy.

Whip cream with a little vanilla, blend some raspberries with some cultured milk (i used kefir here, but you could use yoghurt, or even good old plain milk) you want a really stiff/ice creamish consistency.
Throw a generous dollop of each in a bowl with a few more raspberries in a bowl and fold gently a couple of times. I think it would have been better with the crunch of a meringue though, but sugar free meringue just doesn't work. Perhaps ill throw some nuts or toasted coconut or something in it next time for that crunchy texture I'm looking for!

Great on a hot afternoon! or for dessert :)

Xmas tree cake.

Tree by me, decorations by the family.

Not really happy with the color scheme, but ohwell, red, green and gold, it was suppossed to be lol

Check out Gaby's Santa Claus!

Dad's bowling ball. Anthea's Santa sack :)

Haha! this cake was a lot of fun, using up loads of little pieces of gum paste/ fondant i had left over from various cakes. I'm very happy to report, the family was much more interested in creating the cake, than eating it. :) apparently it was too sweet. Haha! I'm winning the war against sugar! :)

Xmas Jelly

Stolen idea! hahahah i tried to be a bit fancy and make it in a bundt pan for an awesome effect, but alas it was an epic fail, hence the strange shaped slices. should have just done plain old squares.....anyhoo, the red is raspberry (packet mix), and the green is a lime cordial i added food coloring to and the white is plain yoghurt, sweetened with a couple of teaspoons of sugar syrup.

The kids loved it! it was just a spur of the moment thing, using left overs. It was a nice treat, for Xmas day, the plain yoghurt really balanced out the sweetness of the jelly. I think ill do it again next year, only i aim to use no food colorings & sugar! (I'm thinking real raspberries, and maybe a kiwi fruit thing?? suggestions welcome :)