Ginger Beer Plant

I bought some ginger beer plant culture a few weeks ago via the internet. I love the idea of cultured and fermented foods and this one was another to play with.

The beer plant came dehydrated for ease of transport and I let it settle in sugared watered overnight to activate again.

I played around with a few recipes and I have settled on my favourite; ginger & lime !

To make 2 litres:

250 g sugar
Juice of three limes
7 cm of ginger
Tablespoon of ginger beer plant culture

Strain the juice of the limes into a large glass jar and add the ginger, grated in a muslin or finely sliced loose.
Add the sugar and then some boiling water, and allow to sit for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
Make up the balance with cool water.
Add the ginger beer culture.
Cover the jar with a cloth and elastic band to keep out flies.
Leave it to ferment for 3-5 days.

Pour it into clean bottles and add a half teaspoon of sugar to each bottle to allow for a second ferment. This will produce the fizz. Make sure your bottles are of a good standard and will be able to handle the pressure as it builds. After 2-3 days store them in the fridge. This slows down the fermentation process.

Water kefir

Water kefir for me has been the most challenging of the fermented drinks to master. While it is the simplest and quickest, I found experimenting to find the best flavours a long process of discovery. Many, many batches were poured straight into the pigs bucket.

Beverages need to be enjoyable, regardless of whether they have health benefits. Why compromise on joy?

  

I will share with you want has worked for me.

Water kefir is a versatile culture of bacteria and yeast that can be used to ferment any carbohydrate rich liquid. They have the appearance of crystals and are surprisingly firm to touch.

I typically ferment the kefir in a sugar solution of three tablespoons to a litre.

Table sugar is fine but I have used molasses and malt barley extract also.

I found the molasses to greatly encourage growth and vigour of the grains but produced a liquid that I found unpleasant tasting. I feed the grains with molasses every now and again as I feel it is of benefit but I pour the fermented liquid into the pigs bucket afterwards.

I found using malt extract to produce a pleasant tasting liquid and also makes the grains very active. I use this sweetener the most often.

Table sugar is fine but I found it ferments very quickly and often the liquid produced an overly strong fermented and unpleasant flavour. Over time the grains became less active and growth slowed.

I actually thought that the unpleasant flavour produced by the table sugar just was the flavour of water kefir and I clearly just did not enjoy water kefir. But having used the malt extract, I actually enjoy the ferments and I am experimenting further with flavours.

First stage is to source some kefir grains. I always have some available if you are nearby or you may source some locally through friends, otherwise eBay usually has many listings of them. 

Once they are sourced, start a first fermentation by placing the grains into a glass container with the cooled sugar:water solution. Cover the container with a cloth and a rubber band. This allows it to breath yet keeps out dust/flys. 

After 48 hrs it should be fermented. You can taste the solution to check if most of the sugars have been used. 

Sieve the mixture to separate the liquid from the grains. Set the grains aside to use again. Pour the liquid into strong flip-top bottles. Leave space in the bottle to add flavouring. Seal and set out in a warm room for 2-3 days. The pressure should have built up now in the bottle to produce a fizzy beverage.

They can be stored in the fridge to prevent further fermentation. 

Always open bottles in the sink with a cloth over the lid. They can be very fizzy and weaker bottles have been known to explode under the pressure. We bought our bottles in a home brew shop and they were a great investment. 

My favourite water kefir flavour is ginger. It is very easy. I put a small piece of crystallised ginger into each bottle. Yummy! Just be careful to use a small piece as it will swell and could be very difficult to remove from the bottle for cleaning later. 

I also like to add cranberry juice to the kefir. I usually add a fifth of juice to flavour the kefir. You can experiment with lots of different flavours juice drinks. 

I make about four litres of vegetable juice every week. I do it in one big go and make enough for the week. I always add to the juice about a litre of fermented kefir. It is stored immediately in the fridge and holds excellently. As I store it in the fridge, it does not ferment further to produce a fizz but I am still getting my probiotics. 

Kombucha Tea

I have been brewing kombucha tea for about six weeks now and I love it. It tastes wonderful and is very fizzy!

It is basically a sweeten tea that has a kombucha sponge like culture, sometimes called a scoby or mushroom. This culture of beneficial yeasts and bacteria float on the surface of the tea, like in the photo above.

A new layer of culture grows on top of the previous or mother culture after each batch. These can be gently separated to have multiple scobys to share with friends. These can even be fed to the hens if you find you have too many!

It is very economical to brew your own kombucha at home as it is just the cost of black tea and sugar. The culture feeds on the sugar during fermentation and this results in a very low sugar probiotic drink at a fraction of the price of bought kombucha. It is thought to be very beneficial for restoring gut health. 

To start brewing, find a friend or look online for someone willing to share a culture. Then make up a batch of tea and allow it to cool. Add in your scoby.

Keep the container covered with a paper towel or cloth and elastic band to allow it to breath yet keeping out flies/dust. Store in a warm place like your kitchen or hot press.

Use about three tablespoons of sugar and two tea bags to a litre of water. 

Make sure the tea has cooled down and teabags have been removed before adding your scoby, otherwise you might kill it.

The longer you leave it to brew, the stronger the flavour will be. After a month it will taste vinegar like. With experience you will know how long to brew to obtain the best flavour for your palette. 

Always add some tea from the previous batch when making up a new batch of tea. This changes the ph and gives the scoby an advantage over yeasts and bacteria that will be naturally present in your home. 

The first fermentation with the scoby can take about a week depending on the tempature. The warmer, the quicker it will ferment. Once this stage is complete I remove two thirds of the tea and replace this with fresh sweet cooled tea. This leave a third of the kombucha tea to maintain the ph in the new batch. 

I then pour the kombucha tea into flip top brew bottles and leave enough space in the bottle to add a fruit juice of my choosing. The sugar in this juice will cause a second fermentation which will produce the fizz, it also gives it a lovely flavour.

Allow the bottles to sit out for two days and then chill in the fridge ready for use. 

Word of warning: allows open your bottles in the sink with a towel over the lid. They can be very fizzy! And I have spent evenings washing down the ceiling and walls.

Kefir Cream Cheese

I have been making milk kefir for about six weeks now. I decided to experiment with some cheese recipes. This one is for a herb cream cheese. Yummy! 

I was surprised. Removing the whey has removed the sour kefir favour. I honestly love this recipe and it is so easy to make. Truly foolproof!

I started a batch of kefir, of about two litres. I left it for two days instead of the usual one and waited for it to separate into curds and whey. 

When it looked like this, I knew it was ready. 

I strained it first to remove the milk kefir grains. I will use those to start another batch. 

I then placed a cheesecloth over a colander and poured the kefir into it. I left it for 24 hrs.

After 24 hrs it looked like this. 

I got my seasoning ready which consisted of sea salt, garlic and thyme to taste. 

I mixed all the ingredients together until I was satisfied with the favour.

The two litres of kefir produced 0.5 litre worth of cheese and 1.5 litres of whey.

I stored the cheese and some of the whey in 0.5 litre mason jars. They will hold for a few weeks easily in the fridge. I will be using the whey for fermenting vegetables during the week.

The rest of the whey made wonderful brown bread and Yorkshire puddings.  The brown bread was served with the cheese and it didn't last the evening. A great tasting combo. The rest of the cheese will be served with salads throughout the week.

Milk kefir

 Kefir is a probiotic beverage made with kefir grains ( or in some cases a powdered kefir starter culture). There are two types of grains: milk kefir grains and water kefir grains. 

Milk kefir grains can be used with cow milk, goat milk or coconut milk. Water kefir grains can be used with sugar water, juice or coconut water. 

Kefir grains consist of bacteria and yeast existing in a symbiotic relationship. The term "kefir grains"  describes the look of the culture only. Kefir grains contain no actual "grains".

Milk kefir grains generally contain a large number of both live bacteria and yeast, more than 50 strains are typical. The milk kefir grains feed off the sugars (lactose) in the milk. Making it suitable for people who have difficulties digesting lactose or for people wanting to improve their gut health. 

The easiest way to obtain Kefir grains is online or if you are lucky, from a friend.

You only need a tablespoon of grains to culture a litre of milk over 24 hrs. Once settled, your kefir grains will start to multiply from every batch. The excess grains make great chicken food.

Place your grains in a clean glass jar, fill it up with fresh milk. Use a piece of kitchen towel or a clean cloth and secure it with a rubber band. This will allow the gases to release while keeping out contaminates such as dust or flys. 

It can take anywhere from 12-36 hrs before your batch is ready depending on the temperature. The warmer the quicker! You will know it is ready when it has thickened and it might even have separated into curds and whey. Although many people find that it tastes too sour if left to ferment to this stage. 

Once it is ready, strain the kefir through a sieve to remove the grains. Plastic is recommended as metal is thought to have a negative effect on the grains. 

Now you have kefir grains to start a new batch and kefir to use in smoothies, cooking, cheese making etc. The kefir grains should last generations once they are fed and looked at regularly.

If you are going on holidays or want to take a break from them, you can store then in the fridge to allow then to go dormant, just feeding them every few weeks. 

We use ours mostly in a banana, honey and egg kefir smoothie. Very nourishing!

Fermented foods for the gut

'All disease begins in the gut' - Hippocrates

Fermented and cultured foods are rich in probiotics, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.  

They were used to preserve and enhance the nutrient content of the foods. The fermentation process increases nutrients  such as vitamins B,C and K2 and promote healthy gut flora. 

Probiotics are essential for optimal digestion of food and absorption of nutrients, and they help your body produce vitamins, absorb minerals and aid in the elimination of toxins. 

Fermented foods include dairy, veg and beverages. 

Examples of dairy are yogurt, milk kefir, buttermilk and raw cheeses.

Examples of veg are sauerkraut, kimchi and fermented chutneys.

Examples of beverages include kombucha and water kefir. 

It is important to realise how vulnerable your gut bacteria are to lifestyle and environmental factors such stress, high carb/sugar diet and antibiotics. 

Most people do not realize that 80 percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, making a healthy gut vital if you want to maintain good health.

The human gut contains 10 times more bacteria than all the cells in the human body, with over 400 known diverse bacterial species. 

The extent of the gut flora’s role in human health and disease is only recently began to be recognised and studied. Among other things, the gut flora promotes normal gastrointestinal function, provides protection from infection, regulates metabolism.

 An unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, allergies, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Eating fermented foods is one of the best ways to fill your gut with good bacteria. Be sure to avoid added-sugar versions of these products. Instead, add your own fruit to plain yogurt and kefir, and avoid buying kombucha that has more than 12 grams of sugar in a serving. 

They are surprisingly easy and cheap to make at home although a little daunting at first to try.

There is a large amount of blogs and websites dedicated to fermented foods with wonderful 'how to' on You Tube. 

I encourage anyone interested to look up the GAPS Diet. Their website has an amazing wealth of information on gut health and is a wonderful resource. 

If anyone is looking for starter cultures such as kefir grains or kombucha scoby, I usually have some spare as they do multiple. Just email me if you are located reasonably nearby.

Thanks

Dec Update

With only a few days left for Christmas, everything is settling down here at the cottage.

The boys have finished their last day of school for this year. The recent storms have kept us all indoors and thankful for comforts such as open fires.

There is a daily countdown to Santa as the kids eagerly await his arrival. 

We will spend Christmas away from the cottage in the homes of extended family.

I have been experimenting with several fermented foods/drinks; water kefir, milk kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut. 

When I get the hang of them, I will write some posts in the new year. 

I made up a large batch of fed for the bees yesterday. I poured them into old take away container and I shall place them upside down over the crown broad.

I am restocking their food supplies every month at the moment.

As the temperature are still quite high, the bees are still flying and taking feed when they can.

I bought a competition horse last week. We are keeping him at a nearby stables that has a indoor arena over the winter. The plan is to show jump him next spring at SJI events.

I gave up horses after having our third child and it is nice to get back into it again. The children are enjoying helping looking after him and we are considering getting them a small pony this summer. 

Greek Yogurt

We eat a lot of yogurt in our house, especially the nice thick Greek yogurt. As it is very expensive to buy and difficult to find Greek yogurt, not Greek style yogurt, I have started making our own.

A batch of freshly cultured yogurt staying warm in the slow cooker using the 'warm' setting.

It is very similar to making regular yogurt but with the added task of straining the yogurt to drain off the whey, producing a rich, thick yogurt and without the tart taste of regular yogurt caused by the whey.

Find the post on making homemade yogurt here.

Once the yogurt is ready, strain it for 4-8 hrs depending on how thick you like your yogurt.

The whey can be used to start off many fermented foods such as sauerkraut or used when baking bread or to feed chickens and pigs.

Once you are happy that it is thick enough, scope into jars and place in the fridge. It should keep for a minimum of a week.

Making Sauerkraut

We have plenty of veg still growing in the garden and I need to be more disciplined about making use of it all.

I am considering reducing the size of our veg garden for next spring, which might mean less work but greater efficiency with the space.

We currently have a great deal of onions in storage that need using. They are strong and I find that I avoid them due to the crying they invoke. 

We have lots of cabbages that need to be used and beetroot and turnip that are coming ready in mass numbers. Little may be more when it come to our veg garden!

It is hard to get around to everything and I hate to see waste, although the pigs enjoy the wheelbarrows coming!

I decided this week to try sauerkraut, to use up some cabbages and in the pursuit of healthy fermented veg to help my family's gut flora.

I got out my bible of health - Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, and looked up the sauerkraut recipe on page 92.

Ingredients:

1 cabbage

1 tbsp caraway seeds

1 tbsp sea salt

4 tbsp whey

I washed the cabbage and shredded it into a bowl. 

I added the salt, whey from yogurt but omitted the caraway seed as I didn't have them.

I used my hand to massage the cabbage mixture together and help release the juices.

I placed an over turned bowl on top and left it in the warm kitchen to start to ferment.

The recipe says to leave it like this for three days and then place in the fridge for use.

Fingers crossed!

Addition:

I later packed the sauerkraut into a kilner jar and topped it up with whey, as I had it spare from straining yogurt to make Greek yogurt.