Sunday, December 8, 2013

Kombucha Balance

I was thinking of writing a follow-up to my October post about kombucha.

Then I stumbled across this great page by Len Porzio entitled "Kombucha, The Balancing Act: Obtaining and Maintaining the Maximum Taste and Benefit from your Kombucha through Consideration and Application of Balance."

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

What To Drink (Including A Few Recipes)

Drink this, don't drink that.

Soda is bad. Diet soda is bad. Orange juice is bad.

Confused about what to drink? You are not alone.

Here's what I drink, when I drink it, and why.

Friday, November 8, 2013

I'm Signing Books At WAPF Conference In Atlanta

I'm at the Weston A. Price Foundation conference in Atlanta. If you're here too, come get a signed book on Saturday between 1PM and 1:45PM at the Radiant Life booth!

Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Era Of The Lowfat Diet Is Coming To A Close

This very important article announcing the end of the low-fat era just appeared in the Daily Mail newspaper. Here are some choice quotes from the article:

"It is time to bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease and wind back the harms of dietary advice that has contributed to obesity." — Dr. Aseem Malhotra, interventional cardiology specialist registrar at Croydon University Hospital, London

Saturday, October 19, 2013

How I Make Kombucha

I've settled into a pretty good kombucha-making routine recently. Here's how I've been doing it, how you can get started, and how you can make sure your kombucha survives even if you need to abandon it for a few weeks!
Feel free to post any kombucha questions in the comments at the end of this post—I promise to answer them as quickly as I can.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Boston Fermentation Festival

Come one, come all!

Saturday September 28, 10AM - 2PM, at the Egleston Square Farmers' Market in (yes) Boston.

It is shaping up to be a great event, including workshops, demos, book signings, tastings, lectures, and lots of fermentation-related products for sale. For full details, see here or here.
View Larger Map

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Fermentation Equipment, Part 1: Airlocks

When I'm fermenting vegetables and fruits, I often use a wide-mouth Mason jar. These jars have many virtues:
  • cheap
  • tough
  • available in a variety of sizes
  • easy to clean, dishwasher-safe
  • fit nicely in fridge
But there are times when I want something more…

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Babies Need To Eat Fat, Says International Journal of Obesity

I came across this article the other day from the International Journal of Obesity, "reprinted" on the Nature.com website.

The editor concludes that babies who do not eat enough fat before age two tend to be fat as adults. The editor also suggests doing additional research to determine if a low fat diet might be problematic for folks over age two.

I think this is an excellent line of inquiry, and one that has too seldom been pursued in recent years.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Autumn Real Food Fermentation Events

Lots of Real Food Fermentation events this fall! Including:
  • September 20-22, 2013, at the Mother Earn News Fair in Seven Springs, PA
  • October 8, 2013, at the San Francisco Public Library
  • October 18, 2013, at Stonewall Kitchen in York, ME
  • October 22, 2013, at the Dewey Square Farmers' Market in Boston, MA
Click here for full event details.

Please come say hi!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Raw Milk In The News

Some updates on what's been happening in the raw milk world. In Wisconsin, Vernon Hershberger was acquitted of selling milk without a retail dairy license, because his milk sales were not retail. This is a Big Deal for folks who choose to buy their food directly from a farmer. As I understand it, it is consistent with basic principles of contract law. For its own reasons, the State of Wisconsin is still trying to jail Hershberger for continuing to sell food after they ordered him to stop, but since the jury has found that the state had no basis for this order, there is no legal reason why he should be jailed. On Food Safety News…on The Complete Patient…(and here)…on Reason.com…on Health Impact News.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Win a Free Copy of Real Food Fermentation

Win a free copy of my book! Quarry Books is hosting a give-away on Goodreads. Two winners will walk away with free books. Click here to enter.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods


When we say that a food is "fermented", we generally mean that it has been transformed one way or another by microbes--bacteria, yeasts, molds, or some combination. Molds play a role in the creation of some kinds of cheeses and cured meats (dried sausages, for instance), along with soy sauce, among other things. Yeasts are responsible for anything that contains alcohol, either as an end product or in an intermediate stage (vinegar, for instance, and bread). Bacteria are responsible for things that are sour--from vinegar to yogurt to sauerkraut to mustard to chutneys and condiments like ketchup. Nowadays, short-cut versions of some of these foods are manufactured via processes that do not rely directly on fermentation.

The health benefits of fermented foods can be broken down into a number of categories:

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Real Food Fermentation Book Events This Month

  • A book talk and demo at The Ecology Center in Berkeley, California from 7PM-9PM on Thursday February 28. Come see fermentation and ask questions! Free and open to the public.

  • A "Fermented St. Patrick's Day" hands-on workshop culminating in a very tasty full meal at 18 Reasons in San Francisco, from 6PM-9PM on Monday March 11. We will be eating such goodies as fermented cabbage leaves with corned beef, craft fermented beverages, and more. This event costs money, and space is limited. Sign up now!
For both events, I am teaming up with the fabulous Nishanga Bliss. She is the author of book Real Food All Year and blog Gastronicity. She is also a licensed acupuncturist, professor of Chinese Medicine, and of course an avid fermentor!

Full details, maps, etc. for both events are available here.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Make Easy Nourishing Soup From Leftovers

Recently, I've been re-reading Sally Fallon and Mary Enig's very important book, Nourishing Traditions.

I've also been thinking about food waste, and how each of us can avoid wasting food.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Year's Resolution: Meat Of Known Origin (MOKO)

Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
  (Deut. 14:3, KJV)

For the last few years, I have made New Year's resolutions about meat. (What I've said in previous years: here, here, and here.)

I now renew my vows: I shall eat Meat Of Known Origin, and I shall shun mystery meat.