Participants 21502
Class #316 | Seven-Day Sauerkraut: Preserve Your Harvest with Small Batch Fermentation
Julie Marie September 13, 2022
Protective Diet Class #316
Seven-Day Sauerkraut: Preserve Your Harvest with Small Batch Fermentation
We discuss the function of natural prebiotics and probiotics that benefit the gut microbiome, while learning a simple technique to preserve a variety of vegetables and fruits by populating them with probiotics that protect our health and combat inflammation.
Announcements
- Engage in our official support group, Protective Diet Living (PDL). Join Live Chats & Coaching Hour for personal assistance.
- Shop www.protectivediet.com/bulk, an independent source for low-cost, high-quality PD staples in bulk.
- Take advantage of current savings on Protective Diet Plant-Based Broth Mix. Rising ingredient costs are forcing prices up.
Vocabulary
| Prebiotics | Probiotics | Microbiota | Anthocyanins | Sulforaphane |
| Epithelium | Vagus Nerve | Short Chained Fatty Acids | Lactobacillus | Lactic Acid |
Action Steps to Preserve the Harvest from Garden to Gut
| Prebiotics: Plant fiber; the fiber in all fruits, vegetables and whole grains. |
| Probiotics: The beneficial microbial life that inhabits our body. |
| The Good News: Only 10 % of your body is human DNA or hereditary traits that you have no control over. The remaining 90% is a mass of microbes that can be manipulated and populated for betterment and healing. |
- Understand the Relationship: Plant Fiber and the Microbiome
- Plant fiber is the only source of nourishment for healthy gut microbes.
- When we eat plant fiber (prebiotics), we feed the beneficial microbial population in our gut. They digest the plant fiber, and produce a byproduct of short-chained fatty acids (SCFAs) that bathe the body in a repairing, healing wash of anti-inflammatory calm.
- If the gut wall (epithelium) has leaks and breaks, food particles transfer through it into our blood causing an inflammatory immune response that manifests as food sensitivities. We can heal the epithelium by populating beneficial gut microbes. The short-chained fatty acids they produce repair and tighten gaps in the epithelium so food/bacteria/viruses can’t pass through.
- The gut wall (epithelium) is the foundation of our immune system.
- Eating a variety of plant fiber populates a robust and diverse microbiota, which is critical.
- Low diversity of gut microbes is correlated with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, autism, heart disease, cancer, every mental illness, and every leading cause of death.
- On a Protective Diet, we eliminate foods that bring in bad microbes, and we enjoy foods that promote good microbes. The healthy microbial population multiplies, and the unhealthy microbes die off quickly due to starvation.
- Our microbes direct our food preferences and even our mood. When we eat the foods they prefer, these microscopic lifeforms send dopamine and other wonderful neurotransmitters from gut to brain by way of the Vagus Nerve, reinforcing our behavior.
- Over time our food preferences change to match the needs of the dominant microbial population living in our gut. Unhealthy microbes cause cravings for the unhealthy foods that help them thrive.
- Drink Calorie-Free Herbal Beverages to Promote Beneficial Microbes
- Herbal Beverages such as Flower Water (hibiscus), Blue Chai (butterfly pea flower), and African Red (rooibos) are loaded with anthocyanins, which are anti-aging, cellular healing, and cardio-protective. Beneficial microbes love these calorie-free beverages. They light up when you consume them.
- Store them in glass water bottles in your fridge for tremendous eye appeal—kids love them.
- Label them with notes that remind you of the protective advantages you are giving yourself as you drink them.
- Use Small Batch Fermentation to Multiply Beneficial Microbes
- Lactobacillus is a beneficial microbe that exists on all garden vegetables and fruits. If we provide it with an anaerobic environment (no air) and a food source, it will multiply and populate. The microbes will ferment and digest the sugars and plant fiber and produce lactic acid—a natural preservative that imparts a vinegary tang and prevents bacterial growth.
- Fermentation mellows the flavor of onion, garlic, cabbage, and cranberries, making them palatable and more digestible.
- Buy and freeze fresh cranberries by the bagful at Thanksgiving time so you can ferment them year-round.
- Fermented foods contain live, active probiotics that become your first line of defense against pathogens and inflammation.
- Check out the Protective Diet Fermented Recipe Collection for 20+ ways to preserve your harvest through fermentation.
Make 7-Day Sauerkraut— follow the recipe for 7-Day Sauerkraut and these tips shared in the live demonstration.
| Prep harvest/purchase your cabbages and gather equipment | – Go for organic cabbage when you can. Pesticides and herbicides kill healthy gut microbes. – Use one red and one green cabbage together to produce 4 quarts of vibrant ruby red sauerkraut. – Red cabbage adds a protective phytochemical called anthocyanin (the red/blue/purple color in fresh fruits and vegetables) that has anti-aging, cellular healing, UV protective benefits, and healthy microbes love it. – Begin with clean hands & fingernails, cutting board, knife, jars and lids, but no need to sanitize anything. |
| Chop prepare the cabbage for fermentation | – Slice cabbage with a knife by hand into ¼ inch shreds. Thinner shreds make mushy kraut. – Keep the crunchy texture by slicing on the thicker side. This is faster than setting up a food processor. – Chopping creates greater surface area for salt to penetrate and pull out the vegetable juices. |
| Brine create brine to keep your cabbage safe from harmful bacteria | – To create brine, add salt (non-iodized and additive-free) at a ratio of 7 grams of salt to 1 pound of cabbage. – Two average sized cabbages (about six pounds total) would require about 2 Tablespoons of salt. – Massage and squeeze the salted cabbage to break cell walls and release liquid. This is the brine. Do not add water. Just keep massaging with strong hands. It can take several minutes to release enough liquid. |
| Pack pack the jars tightly to remove air pockets | – Use a jar funnel to neatly pack the sauerkraut into jars. – Use your fist, or a fermentation tamper (highly recommended if you are making several jars) to pack down. – Lactobacillus will thrive and multiply in an anaerobic environment, so remove all air pockets. – Leave some space at the top for more brine, a weight, and active fermentation to take place. |
| Submerge & Seal keep it submerged | – Pour any brine left in the bowl into the jars. Be sure any extra bits of cabbage are below the brine. – Weigh it down to keep it below the brine using Julie’s favorite fermentation weights, or find a flat rock that fits in the mouth of your jar, wash it and wrap in plastic wrap. Or use a plastic bag with marbles or water. – Cap the jars tightly. Use plastic lids, if possible. Metal lids tend to rust from contact with lactic acid. |
| Ferment lactobacillus digests sugar & fiber in the cabbage, producing lactic acid, a natural preservative | – Wipe off the outside of the jars. Use a permanent marker to write the day of the week on the jar. – Place the jar on a tray or bowl to catch any bubble over. Keep it near the sink, out of direct sunlight. – Keep it away from heat or it may grow bad bacteria before lactobacillus has a chance to protect it. – Ferment at room temperature for seven days. Examine it daily. Pour any collected liquids into the sink. – If a white film develops, that is harmless Kahm yeast. It may change the flavor slightly. You can remove it. – If a black or blue layer develops, that is mold. Bacteria were introduced before the lactic acid developed. |
| Store refrigerate to stop probiotics from multiplying | – On the seventh day, clean the outside of the jar and lid and place the sauerkraut in the refrigerator. – Fermenting longer can make it smell & taste funky due to microbial activity and sulforaphane production. – It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for one year, until your next harvest. After that, texture may change. – Heat canning sauerkraut is safe but kills the probiotics. – Do not eat warm sauerkraut. Chill before eating or judging it. |
| Enjoy effortlessly add probiotic-rich flavor to your meals | – The strong smell of sauerkraut is from sulforaphane production. Cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, produce a powerful anti-cancer phytochemical called sulforaphane when they are chopped. – When offering sauerkraut to family and friends, serve in a condiment dish or add it to their plate as a pretty pink garnish. Do not open the jar in front of them due to the strong smell of sulforaphane production. |
Student Q&A
Q: Where do you get herbs to make the protective beverages? (minute 25:30)
Q: How long does it take to brew the beverages? (minute 26:50)
Q: Does the lid ever blow off during the fermentation process? (minute 32:35)
Q: How much sauerkraut (or other fermented garnishes) should we eat every day for the probiotic benefits? (minute 38:10)
Encouragement
- We don’t have to stay sick or be a victim of suffering. All it takes is creating a Workplace for Wellness, following the recipes, and eating them. The weight will fall off like magic! The average weight loss is 10 lbs a month. You can get off your medication for life.
“This sauerkraut will make a plain brown rice grain bowl delicious!
We put it on everything.”
Recommended Classes
Class Description:
We discuss the function of natural prebiotics and probiotics that benefit the gut microbiome, while learning a simple technique to preserve a variety of vegetables and fruits by populating them with probiotics that protect our health and combat inflammation.
Class URL: https://protectivediet.com/courses/fermentation-and-food-preservation/lessons/class-316-seven-day-sauerkraut-preserve-your-harvest-with-small-batch-fermentation/
Responses