Once upon a time (2006ish) in a land far far away (Missouri)
my family went to an ice cream social on a farm where we bought raw cow’s milk
through a co-op. Before you get all up
in arms about raw milk it was legal in Missouri and we had the right to choose
to put it in our bodies. Anyways, at the
social we met a woman involved in the co-op and got into a discussion with her about gut
issues. She told us all about
fermentation and how she made homemade sauerkraut, milk kefir and yogurt. At the time my husband had Gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD) symptoms pretty bad and he was willing to try
anything. A wonderful friendship was
birthed that day and so was homemade sauerkraut in our home! The husband swears a couple of tablespoons a
day keeps the symptoms at bay ~ kinda like an apple a day keeps the doctor
away!
Fermented foods have a long history in many cultures. Before there was frozen foods and refrigeration
there were fermented foods! It is said
that Captain James Cook always took a store of sauerkraut on his sea voyages,
since experience had taught him it prevented scurvy. Besides being a good source of Vitamin C, sauerkraut
is brimming with healthy probiotics that will help ensure good gut health. Finnish researchers reported that in
laboratory studies, a substance produced by fermented cabbage, isothiocyanates,
helped prevent the growth of cancer.
Today, two of the most well-known instances of traditional
fermented cabbage side dishes are sauerkraut and Korean kimchi. In our home we use a very basic recipe from
Nourishing Traditions and make it in small batches in mason jars.
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