Homemade Almond Milk

I really did not believe that one could take almonds and make milk out of them but here it is. You have to soak the almonds in water and place in the refrigerator for eight hours or more. Then you drain the almonds and put them in a blender and add a couple of cups of water. Blend them and strain. You can find the full recipe in the recent issue of Mother Earth Living. 

My Kitchen Is A Lab, And I Am The Guinea Pig

My husband commented one time about my kitchen being a lab. I thought about it for 2 seconds and realized he was right.

On any given day, I may have a concoction going, or there may be several things brewing around the house.

Today, I am fermenting cabbage that will hopefully turn into sauerkraut in a couple of days. I had sourdough starter sitting on the counter to make bread with today. Pasta was made this morning and is cooking in the slow cooker with a cheese sauce over it. There are a few other things going on as well.

Got out my big dehydrator and am drying peppers and fruit to put into my cereal. (The peppers will probably be for my bird.)

So much fun. So time consuming though. But it will be worth it.

Oh, I also have my oil box in the kitchen, and regularly reach for my oils for whatever the need is, whether cooking or for some other reason.

Last week, I made yogurt and kefir. What to make next week? Maybe ricotta cheese?

A word of caution though, for those of you who are like me in this area. Cultures like yogurt and kefir must be in separate places while they are culturing. The strains of the cultures do go through the air and can land in the containers of the different things that are growing on your counters.

I used to grow a ginger bug. I kept it in my den, so that it wouldn't become weak because of something else I am growing. I did have kombucha growing and kept it in the same room as the cream cheese I was making. Not sure if any cross contamination went on.

Bulgarian Yogurt

Homemade cheese being brushed
with brine

Red Cabbage in Perfect Pickler jar

Homemade Kefir

Lemon Soap

Did you know that you can make soap in a slow cooker? It is called 'Hot Processed' soap, and I have yet to make it. It requires grain alcohol, which is kind of expensive. I now have the slow cooker to make it in and will have to try it sometime. Will have to see if I can find a good deal on quality grain alcohol sometime soon.

The Perfect Pickler - A Way To Make Fermented Food Without The Canning Process

I just opened up my kit for the Perfect Pickler. It comes with a little booklet with recipes, a wide-mouth cap and gasket, brine overflow cup, and fermentation lock.

I think that making sauerkraut is a little more work than the other recipes though, because you have to cut out a piece of the cabbage that is about the same size as the lid.

The web site for the Perfect Pickler is www.perfectpickler.com. They also have some videos and instructions. You can also find some Perfect Pickler videos on Youtube.

Here is an amazon link to the Perfect Pickler. It is my amazon affiliate link. There are other associated items as well as reviews on the product.



You might be asking, why should we even eat fermented foods? What are the benefits?
Fermented foods, like pickles and sauerkraut, contain probably trillions of beneficial bacteria that we need to have. In our modern Western diet, we are lacking many nutrients. We have a lot of diseases that we didn't have years ago, and we wonder why.

Hippocrates believed that all health begins in the gut. He is probably at least partially, if not completely correct.

Here is an excerpt from www.eatingwell.com, written by Lisa D'Agrosa M.S. R.D.

The trillions of tiny creatures living in our bodies have been making headlines lately—and for good reasons. These good bacteria—particularly those in our gut—may improve digestion, boost immunity and—according to some preliminary studies—they may even help us get leaner. Research is still emerging on just how important these mighty microbes might be for our health, but the early results are promising. There’s plenty you can do now to encourage their growth. The most effective way is by eating foods packed with probiotics—good bacteria that live in your gut and show up in fermented foods. Add these seven fermented foods to your diet for a healthy dose of probiotics.

This helps us understand the importance of eating fermented food. I remember hearing a story told by my mom, of a lady who was a friend of the family, who was found to have terminal cancer. The woman chose to make cabbage soup every night. She never died of cancer. 

I don't think that the cabbage soup was necessarily fermented, but it does show the power of the cancer inhibiting properties of cabbage. Combine a vegetable like cabbage with the process of fermentation, and see what a powerful food it turns out to be!

So, the choice is up to us. We can spend some quality time in the kitchen, making things that will benefit our health, or, we can just go to the grocery store and pick up almost any kind of food item that is already made. We know that making pickles and sauerkraut involves work, but what rewarding work it is! It can benefit us immensely if we just follow the rules, work hard, and don't live our lives for convenience.

Almost finished. Now it has to
sit for 4 days. Had to add an apple
to it in order to make the level
higher.

The Warning About Eastern Medicine

Maybe you haven't noticed yet, but Eastern medicine is way better than Western medicine. The philosophy behind Eastern medicine is basically that your body heals itself if given the proper elements. But, there is a problem.

I have been researching health and healing for the past several years now. Most of my research is done by professionals who upload their articles and share their wisdom on the Internet. I must say, I have learned quite a bit. But, there is a warning, and I will explain.

Many of the practitioners of Eastern medicine also incorporate their spiritual ideas based on their tradition. Much of their medical practice is tied in with their religious beliefs.

For example, many will put an emphasis on things like finding or sending good vibes. They incorporate ideas like meditation and using mantras. On the outset, it might not look dangerous, but if you listen to their suggestions of words to use when chanting or things to meditate on, you will find things that encourage you to tell yourself how great you are, or that you 'can' do it. A lot of what they teach sounds similar to the prosperity Gospel or something from the Therapeutic Movement.

I actually saw a post today telling us why we should trust the Universe. One person commented saying that he or she trusts in the One who made the universe. Someone else replied to that saying that we are the universe. Another instructor teaching a class informed us that we are the Creator. I guess this confirms the world's idea of man being the measure of all things.

While I love all the medical aspects of what I am learning, and I have a lot of respect for those who are teaching Eastern medicine, I am very concerned that we could end up doing the same thing they are doing. Can we separate the spiritual aspect from the reality and benefits of the medical knowledge? Or will we be the ones telling our patients and those we care for to chant certain words or send good vibes somewhere?

This teaching or thinking seems to be everywhere. If we are not careful, and unless we are well grounded in the Word, I am afraid that we will get sucked up into these activities that are opposed to God.

All I can say is, please be careful and discerning. In almost every area of alternative medicine, this kind of thing is continually popping up. From chiropractors to aromatherapists, these ideas are being incorporated. Please take the good out and throw out the bad.