We culture our food using lactic acid fermentation, also called lacto-fermentation. Depending on the ingredients, the results can be loaded with essential nutrients such as B vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, biotin, methionine, lysine, and increased vitamin C and A. Grains that are fermented reduce the activity of phytic acid, thus allowing for better absorption of minerals within the gut. This is critical in our vulnerable children.
If you have been a follower of this blog, you more than likely noticed my long absence. Challenges within my life prevented me from maintaining this page as I had planned with it's creation. However, you may be happy to learn that my children and I completed two years on the G.A.P.S. Diet. We subsequently transitioned back to grains using methods of fermentation. While I still consider my skills in the kitchen to be rather haphazard and rudimentary, somehow my ferments have always come out a success. This is a testament to the simplicity of culturing foods.
I understand that the idea of leaving food on your countertop to rot, so to speak, is a difficult custom to embrace. But I hope that my recipes will steer you to believe otherwise. For several years now I have cultured nearly every vegetable (and fruit!) that I can get my hands on, soured bread, soaked rice and oatmeal, and brewed my own raw milk kefir, water kefir, kombucha, and beet kvass. I have learned a great deal from Sally Fallon, Sandor Katz, Donna Schwenk, and most importantly, Dr. Weston A. Price, DDS. These incredible people have paved the way so that the rest of us may learn the importance and excitement of fermenting food in our own kitchens.
As the mother of two young boys, I recognize the value in providing an appealing meal for a child's delicate palate. The recipes I post on this blog reflect my experimentation with both ease of preparation and taste testing. Some of these posts are G.A.P.S. friendly and some involve grains which are best suited for when you transition off the diet. No worries! I'll let you know when each one is appropriate and always feel free to post questions should you have any.
