Category Archives: probiotics

How To Make Traditional Lacto-Fermented Pickles

by Miralacto-fermentation, probiotics, vegetableslato fermentation

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in lacto-fermented foods, including pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other probiotic-rich recipes.

The traditional lacto-fermentation process uses lactobacilli, a beneficial microbe that converts starches and sugars in food into lactic acid, which preserves the food and promotes a healthy bacterial balance in the gut.

Challenges

Lacto-fermented foods can be an excellent addition to canned vegetables, providing a boost to digestive health. However, many commercial food processes don't allow for lacto-fermentation due to longer production time, increased interaction with the food, and shorter shelf life.

I've been canning and preserving for over 20 years. Quite frankly I've never understood why pickle manufacturers felt it necessary to add yellow #2 to pickles. It doesn't add anything to the flavor. If you want your pickles to be yellow just add turmeric.

To make your own lacto-fermented pickles at home, you don't necessarily need a fermentation crock; a 1-gallon glass jar and pickle weights can suffice. The key is to ensure the brine is strong enough to preserve the cucumbers until the lactobacilli take over the preserving process, and that the cucumbers are fully submerged in the brine.

Tips

Some individuals are concerned about lacto-fermenting without the use of whey. However, whey is not strictly necessary if the brine is at the right percentage. If you live in a hot climate and have trouble getting fermentation started due to air conditioning, adding 2 tablespoons of whey can help kick off the ferment.

To make your own whey, simply strain plain organic yogurt overnight in a lined colander in the refrigerator. In the morning, you will have creamy Greek-style yogurt and clear strained whey, which can be used for soaking beans, grains, and lacto-fermented foods.

Another traditional tip from a reader's grandmother is to add grape leaves to the jar to enhance lacto-fermentation and make your pickles crisp. This sounds like it could be a good idea, as grapes are known for their natural bacteria content, which can aid the fermentation process.

Recipe

Here is a classic lacto-fermented pickle recipe that you can try at home. This recipe is for a two-quart jar, but you can easily double the ingredients if you wish to make a gallon jar.

Lacto-fermented Pickles

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Ingredients

4 large pickling cucumbers (only because this is what fit - if using baby cukes you may need more)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed, not peeled
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. celery seed
1/2 t. dill seed
1 quart of water
1 1/2 T. kosher salt

Instructions

Sterilize the jar
Wash the cucumbers
Add spices to the jar
Mix together water and salt until salt is completely dissolved (this is your brine)
Pour brine over cucumbers and herbs
Use pickle weights to hold down the cucumbers
Loosely cover jar with wax paper and a ring or rubber band
Let sit in a warm (not hot) dark place
After 4 days you can cut off small pieces of pickle to taste
When it tastes pickle-y enough you can put it in the refrigerator
This will slow down but not completely stop the fermentation process

For those who want a faster option, quick refrigerator pickles are also a great alternative to store-bought pickles.

Quick Refrigerator Pickle Recipe

by Miralacto-fermentation, pickles, probiotics, recipes, vegetables

Summer is a wonderful time for fresh and in season foods like salads or grilled meats. I’ve been known to serve it on the side of egg dishes, it’s fabulous on tacos, and I will even confess to occasionally eating it straight out of the jar. If you’re making any of these dishes it can be delicious to add a gentle pickle as a condiment on the side.

This recipe is not only super easy to make, it’s delicious and adds a nice fresh snap to whatever you’re serving. It’s also a bit of a DIY pickle project because you can change the recipe depending on what’s available or what you’re in the mood for. Although you can buy some of your vegetables already julienned into matchsticks I prefer to do it myself using a julienne peeler. My preferred peeler is this wide handled, soft grip version by Oxo. If you’re making a lot of these pickles (something I’ve been known to do once summer arrives) a mandoline slicer is going to be faster and easier.

One nice thing about this recipe is that the pickles continue to get more flavorful the longer they’re in the brine. Once you’re done with the pickles the leftover brine is so wonderful that it’s nice for making a vinaigrette.

Quick Refrigerator Shredded Pickle Recipe

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Ingredients

½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Seasonings: see note below
2 cups julienned veggies - carrots, red onion, vidalia onion, golden beets, zucchini, English cucumber, radish, kohlrabi, jicama

Instructions

Wash and dry a wide mouth quart canning jar (or other large jar)
Bring vinegars and water to a gentle boil
Add garlic, salt, and seasonings, continue to boil until salt has dissolved
Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes
Add the veggies to your jar
Pour the still hot brine over the veggies
Let the jar cool to room temperature before adding a lid and placing in the fridge
Lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge

Notes

Seasoning note:

Depending on what flavor you want you can use different herbs or spices. For this amount of liquid I like to use 1-2 of the following:

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2-3 sprigs of fresh herbs - thyme, tarragon, oregano, or dill
If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use ⅓ teaspoon of dried

Quick Pickle Vinaigrette

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Ingredients

Drain/strain your quick pickle jar to remove any floaty bits
¼ cup quick pickle brine
Generous pinch of sea salt (taste it first to see if it needs it)
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ cup good quality ＊olive oil
1 tablespoon dried onions (I like to use my dehydrated vidalias here)
½ teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Instructions

Whisk together brine, salt (if using) and mustard
Slowly whisk in olive oil until mixture is emulsified
Whisk in onion and parsley
This recipe can be used immediately or stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks!

Notes

＊olive oil

This recipe can be used immediately or stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks

Cure For Colic?

by Mirahealth, probiotics

In a recent study by the The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston researchers said they believe they may know what causes colic in babies. Anyone who has experienced a colicky baby will tell you that it is very difficult and upsetting, for both the baby and the parent. Colic is usually defined as severe, persistent crying for no apparent reason. Apparently as many as 15% of all newborns suffer from this condition.

Babies in the study were both breast-fed and bottle-fed which seems to indicate that the previously held assumption that breast-fed babies were less likely to suffer from colic is untrue. The suspected culprit at this point is a bacteria called Klebsiella. Another interesting fact is that according to J. Marc Rhodes, the lead investigator, “During our study, we also found that the babies that didn’t have colic had more types of bacteria in their intestines. The presence of more bacteria may indicate that specific bacterial species (phylotypes) are beneficial to humans,” Plans are underway for an adult study to look at probiotics.

While further study is needed it does seem reasonable to assume (as many holistic practitioners do) that simply taking one type of probiotic, the most common being acidophilus, does not adequately serve the function of our gut. If you eat yogurt, kefir or other fermented foods you may want to consider those products that have more than one strain of beneficial bacteria.

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crying_baby.jpg