The Mommypotamus

How To Ferment Anything – FREE Webinar Tomorrow

Heather — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:39:49 +0000

Hey Ya’ll!!!

Just want to let you know that Jenny is offering a FREE webinar on safe, practical and effective fermentation tomorrow (Friday) from 12-1pm Central Standard Time. You’ll learn how to choose fermentation equipment for all budgets, how to ensure ferments are safe, how to minimize contamination from stray microbes, as well as learn how ferments can be integrated into daily meals.

Sign Up Here!!!

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Get Cultured E-Course GIVEAWAY!!! ($199 Value)

Heather — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:43:46 +0000

Do You Want . . .

To boost nutrients in the foods you eat everyday, infuse your body with probiotics, and save money? Well then, I have just the giveaway for you!

As I wrote about earlier this week, Jenny of Nourished Kitchen is launching Get Cultured!, an e-course that takes you waaaay past basic sauerkraut. We’re talking 13 weeks of learning to make homemade soda pop, sour pickles, Bulgarian yogurt, sourdough bread (including gluten free!) and condiments like ketchup, mustard, relish. Oh, and have I mentioned the horseradish that will not only clear your sinuses, but the folks next door? Yeah, that too.

The thing is, you don’t just want to do this because the food is oh-so-divine. There are perfectly legit **responsible** reasons, too, like saving money on expensive probiotic supplements and increasing the nutrient-quality of the foods you’re already investing in.

“Vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains subjected to lactic acid fermentation also see increases in both their macro- and micronutrient profiles. The bioavailability of amino acids, particularly lysine with its antiviral effects and methionine – increases with lactic acid fermentation. [2. Evaluation of lysine and methionine production in some Lactobacilli and yeasts. International Journal of Food Microbiology. Odunfa et al.]For grains, sprouting prior to souring can increase the availability of protein even further. Vegetables that have undergone lactic acid fermentation as in the case of sauerkraut and kimchi, often see an increase in the activity of vitamin C and vitamin A.”

~ Fermented Food: Benefits of Lactic Acid Fermentation

So, are you in? Great! Jenny is giving away one spot in the class to one of you! For a chance to win check out the details below. But first, a little inspiration . . .

Home Cured Olives

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Fermented Chili Paste

Cultured Butter

And A Few Words From Jenny

How To Enter

It’s simple! Just submit your entries via Rafflecopter below. If the entry says “like me on Facebook” or “sign up for my newsletter” and you already do that counts!

Note: Jenny is offering over $100 off her class right now with the coupon code SAUERKRAUT. This takes the class from $199 to only $97. If you don’t want to pay more later you can sign up here and your money will be refunded if you win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To be eligible for the “newsletter sign up” entry, just enter your email in the box below

You’re free to unsubscribe at any time. Just know that you must be subscribed in order to be eligible to win the monthly prizes. (Please note: If your email is not validated, your entry will not be counted.)

To be eligible for the “email updates” entry, sign up here:

Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5. All photos courtesy of Nourished Kitchen

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Fermented Cod Liver Oil Giveaway Winners!

Heather — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:48:50 +0000

CONGRATS to Leah Spencer, Steph Emerson and Trinity Anderson, who left a comment saying “This is now my #1 birthday wish… which just happens to be the day you’ll notify me of my win! (Wishful thinking, much?) “

Happy birthday Trinity and congrats to you all! Please check the email address you provided with your entry for details on collecting your prize.

Thank you Green Pasture for this awesome giveaway! You rock!!

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Drop The Money Bomb On Monsanto!

Heather — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:50:38 +0000

I Used To Watch . . .

Starving children on telethons and think “Oh my goodness, they look like skeletons! I hope someone does something about that.” Now before you think I am completely heartless let me explain. Those specials have been running since I was three or four. Back then I really didn’t have money or know how to help, so I learned to put my trust in other people to take care of it.

Smarter people. More well-connected people. Heck, people who at least knew how to tie their shoes.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think a lot of us probably had this experience. Big problems seep into our awareness before there is much we can do, so we come to believe that our role in big issues is a passive one. We are like elephants bound by a silken thread.

In countries where elephants are used as working animals, they must be trained when they are very young and not yet too powerful. The first thing a trainer does is fasten a heavy manacle and chain to the baby elephant’s leg, securing the other end of the chain to a metal stake driven deep into the ground. When the elephant tries to walk freely about, it cannot move any farther than the end of the chain. Although the animal may try repeatedly to escape, it is held in check by its unyielding restraint.

After a period of time, the baby elephant stops testing the strength of the chain. It remains within the circle’s limited circumference, completely passive. It has become thoroughly convinced that it cannot escape.

At that point the elephant can be used in the field and easily transferred from one location to another without concern. All it takes to hold the animal, despite its enormous strength, is a light rope and thin wooden stake. Because once the baby elephant has been conditioned in this manner, he remains convinced for the rest of his life that what was once true will always be true.¹

I was this way until Katie was born, but you know what? She wouldn’t stay in my safe, tiny sphere! I didn’t want to change her by teaching her to be afraid of everything, so I decided to work on the world instead. And just like that, the thread snapped.

Do You Have Five Minutes And A Few Bucks To Change The World?

Seriously, once you break the thread it doesn’t take much. Five minutes here, a Facebook share there. You really have no idea how powerful you are. Right now we have one of the best opportunities ever to turn the tide on GMO’s, and you can be part of it. Are you ready? Here’s our play: Little stickers with smudge-proof ink, aka labels.

I’ve been talking about the right to know for years: About how Whole Foods labels GMO products as “all-natural” and why GM DNA may be able to infect us and change the human genome. I’ve been supporting the Non-GMO Project that encourages voluntary labeling. Because labels matter. And Monsanto knows it.

If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.

~Norman Braksick of Asgrow Seed (a Monsanto subsidiary)

Thanks to the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, labeling GM foods in the U.S. is a real possibility. California is the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the U.S. marketplace (aka the 8th largest economy in the world), so winning there could effectively turn the tide on GMO’s. Large food companies most likely will not want to deal with the logistical nightmare of dual labeling, so what goes for them will probably go for the rest of us, yay!

Consumers in Europe and over 40 countries around the world have rejected GMO’s when given the choice, and it can happen here. Some banned them with legislation, but that’s not likely here. Last month Vermont legislators introduced a bill that would require manufacturers to label products made with GMO’s and prevent them from touting them as “natural,” “naturally made,” “naturally grown” or “all natural.”

In response, Monsanto threatened to sue the entire state of Vermont . . . and the legislators backed down.

What makes the California bill so unique is that citizens got it on the ballot, and citizens will vote on it. We don’t need to depend on the courage of legislators for this one. Recent pollings show we have about 82% support for this initiative, but don’t count your chickens yet.

Biotech firms (including Monsanto) have already hired the big guns (tobacco lobbyists) to try to kill this initiative. They have loads of money and will be spending heavily on TV commercials and other propaganda to convince California voters that we don’t need to label GMOs.

We have to convince them we do.

Please, Don’t Believe The Lie . . .

That Monsanto is too big to fight. Back when dairy’s won the right to label their milk “rBST free” Monsanto got clobbered in the marketplace. Their strength is invisibility. Take that away and everything changes.

BUT – we are going to have to put our money where our mouth is:

The Organic Consumers Fund is trying to raise $1M by May 26th to make the case for GMO labeling to Californians. If we are successful Dr. Mercola, Nature’s Path, Lundberg Family Farms, and Eden Foods will donate and additional $1M toward our efforts.

Donating funds to this campaign may be the best money you’ll spend all year to safeguard your health, and the health of your children. So let’s do this, shall we? Please donate and share this post or a direct link to the Money Bomb with everyone you know, then watch the ticker on the page track our progress.

Grab your cape, mamas. There are 11 10 days left on the clock, and we need you.

The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men do nothing. – Edmund Burke

Photo credit: Lyndsay Stradtner, Life in Motion Photography

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CNN Interview (And What I Wish I’d Said)

Heather — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:38:35 +0000

What I Said

Sorry about the sound issues at the end. Here’s what I was trying to say.

What I Wish I’d Said

Quick note: I did this second video without knowing I was going to share it, so the cutoff at the end is simply because I continued rambling Similar Posts:

Get Cultured! An Online Class That Will Teach You How To Ferment Anything

Heather — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:33:47 +0000

People Often Ask . . .

How I got my junk-food loving husband to get on board with a real food diet. It’s simply, really:

I seduced him.

Ahem. I mean I seduced his palate and his imagination. Popping a can of soda is a cheap thrill in comparison with the romance of sassafras and licorice root simmering on the stove. But for those who have grown up on artificial flavorings (myself included) the real flavors of food can take some getting used to. Fermented foods, which are vital to robust immune function and a healthy digestive system, can be some of the trickiest. They are oh-so-worth-it, though, because in addition to their probiotic benefits fermented foods are more nutritious than their plain raw counterparts. Here’s what Jenny at Nourished Kitchen has to say about that:

“Vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains subjected to lactic acid fermentation also see increases in both their macro- and micronutrient profiles. The bioavailability of amino acids, particularly lysine with its antiviral effects and methionine – increases with lactic acid fermentation. [2. Evaluation of lysine and methionine production in some Lactobacilli and yeasts. International Journal of Food Microbiology. Odunfa et al.]For grains, sprouting prior to souring can increase the availability of protein even further. Vegetables that have undergone lactic acid fermentation as in the case of sauerkraut and kimchi, often see an increase in the activity of vitamin C and vitamin A.”

~ Fermented Food: Benefits of Lactic Acid Fermentation

Personally I’ve found that adding context to the unfamiliar helps, so during our transition I tried to introduce new dishes with an explanation of their benefits or a little story, like:

“Did you know that back in the Victorian Era people drank root beer for it’s blood cleansing properties?”

Photo Courtesy of Nourished Kitchen

Or “word has it that the long threads of sauerkraut represent a long life.”

Photo Courtesy of Nourished Kitchen

Worked like a charm! Almost too well, in fact, because my family started looking forward to the next new food adventure.

Unfortunately, As Much As I Love To Experiment . . .

I hate when things go wrong with ferments! Most recipes take at least a couple of days to “ripen,” which always builds the anticipation for me. I really look forward to a good chutney, or crisp sour pickles, and honestly I don’t want to reinvent the wheel when it comes to recipes.

That’s why I’m so excited that Jenny from Nourished Kitchen is launching her Get Cultured: How To Ferment Anything right now with over 100 time-tested recipes including:

Honey wine
Homemade soda pop
Cultured condiments like ketchup, mustard and relish
Thick, rich yogurt, kefir and buttermilk
Dairy-free ferments like coconut yogurt and kefir
Sour pickles
Fruit butters and jams
Sourdough bread
Corned beef and BACON!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make fermenty magic in your kitchen now is the time!! From now through May 22 you can save $50 off the launch price. (Update: The the bottom for more saving – 50% off the regular cost of the class!)

Click here to see the full list of lessons.

Watch the Video

What You Get

By enrolling in this 13-week class, you’ll get lifetime access to:

14 Comprehensive, Multimedia Online Lessons
52 Online Video Tutorials Teaching you how to ferment anything from yogurt to ketchup, salad dressings, sauerkraut and more.
Over 100 Recipes for Naturally Fermented Foods so that you’re always prepared to serve your family natural, enzyme- and vitamin-rich foods.
Over 60 Print Tutorials that you can go back to time and time again.
Get Cultured! A 36-page e-book detailing some of my favorite vegetable ferments.
Regular Conference Calls so you can get your questions answered over the phone with Jenny.

Sign Up Now And Save 50%!

This special sale ends May 22nd, but after that the rush is over. No worries if you need to take a breather before mastering the art of kimchi, lifetime access means the video lessons and recipes will be there when you’re ready.

This is a bargain, ya’ll. For less than $12 per lesson, you can learn everything you’ll ever need to know about naturally (and safely) fermenting foods at home. Plus if you use the coupon code SAUERKRAUT you’ll get an additional $50 off. That means you can get in for only $97 – less than $7.50 a class!

Sign up here!

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Let Fermented Foods Do Your Dirty Work

Heather — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:05:36 +0000

My Dirty Little Secret

I like bacteria. I let my kids eat dirt. Sometimes (okay most of the time) I forget to wash their hands before dinner.

And I’m okay with that.

In this world of antibiotics, antibacterial soap and antimicrobial clothing most people think I’m snuggled up in a nice, warm petri dish full of the enemy. All I can say is . . . yep.

How did you spend your first year of marriage? Mine was a process of becoming incapacitated by cascading failures all across my body’s functional systems. It started with hives, then moved to severe abdominal pain, heart palpitations, fatigue, humiliating acne and weight loss that reduced me to nothing but a skeletal silhouette.

The established medical community gave me a nice little label – autoimmune disorder NOS (not otherwise specified) – also known as “your body is attacking itself and we have no freaking idea why . . deal with it.“

Natural Born Killers

So I did. It took a long time, but I did eventually learned why my immune system was going haywire. Each of us are born with natural killer cells (NK cells) designed to seek and destroy abnormal cells such as cancers and viruses. Their sole function is to fight, but all too often we eliminate their natural enemies with the overuse of antibiotics.

To make things worse, antibiotics and antibacterial cleaners/soaps/etc kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria indiscriminately. Beneficial bacteria are designed to help us fight infections. When they bite the dust alongside their bad brothers, we become more vulnerable to future infection, which requires more antibiotics, leading to more infection . . . the cycle goes on and on. Where beneficial bacteria used to thrive, helping us with essential functions like digestion and detoxification, we have become a wasteland. That’s when NK cells find a new enemy . . . us.¹

Imagine your body is the earth. There are good armies and bad armies, and then there’s a little battalion of good army robots designed to seek out and destroy the stray soldiers from the evil empire (muah hahahaha!). One day the whole world goes nuclear (aka a course of antibiotics that kills indiscriminately), and most of the armies are wiped out. The robot special force is unaffected, but most of the enemy they’re designed to seek out and destroy an enemy no longer exists. Unfortunately they can’t override their programming, so they begin attacking friendlies instead. That, in a nutshell, is the sci-fi definition of an autoimmune disorder. For a more complete explanation of germ theory and why Pasteur got it wrong check out this post.

Winning The Culture War

To maintain health we need to build up the good armies and avoid nuclear options like antibiotics as much as possible. Unfortunately, we’re drinking antibiotics whether we like it or not, so there has never been a more important time to build up the good bacteria in our bodies. (I’m not sure how a battle analogy took over this post, sorry!)

Now, most of this is probably not new to you, but maybe like me you’ve gotten lax about including probiotic-rich fermented food in your diet. If you’re ready to turn that around and start summer healthier, happier and more colonized, I have a suggestion!

Jenny from Nourished Kitchen just launched Get Cultured! How to Ferment Anything. And seriously ya’ll, she means anything! Honey-wine, homemade soda, barbecue sauce, even BACON. With 100 recipes featuring everything from coconut kefir to sour pickles and condiments like ketchup and mustard there is literally something for everyone. And the best part is she shares the principles behind the recipes so you can create your own!

Tomorrow I’ll share a little more about the class, but seriously you should check it out. Let’s put our spring/summer produce to good use this year!

[UPDATE: Jenny just sent me a coupon code for an additional $50 off. That takes the price from $147 to $97, or 50% off regular price. Use coupon code SAUERKRAUT to redeem!]

If You Could Ferment ANYTHING, What Would It Be? Spontaneous apple cider? Coconut chutney? Kvass? Tomatillo salsa?

Photo Credit: Joe Photo on FlickrSimilar Posts:

A Simple Indulgence: How To Make Oven Dried Tomatoes

Heather — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:26:27 +0000

Note from Heather: This is a guest post from Jenni at The Urban Poser- one of my favorite bloggers! Back when we lived in Texas she’d stop by sometimes with a sample from her kitchen . . . oh my can this girl cook! Thank you Jenni, for posting at Mommypotamus today!

Oven Dried Tomatoes . . .

Just might be the simplest thing you’ll ever make. But “simple” doesn’t have to mean boring, flavorless or dull! The smell of these savory little morsels alone will transform your kitchen into a charming little villa on the Italian seaside.

The best part about “OVEN” dried tomatoes is that you don’t have to own a fancy dehydrator to make them (which would work just as brilliantly, btw). All you have to do is turn the oven on to it’s lowest setting and leave the tomatoes there for a few hours and Viola! It’s like you stepped through the ‘”wardrobe”, only instead stepping into Narnia, you find your self sipping wine on the shores of Italy. (wine sold separately)

My favorite . . .

And also the least “fussy” variety of tomato to make “oven dried”, is sweet ripe cherry tomatoes. Not only do I love them because you don’t have to do any seed scooping, but also because the finished product is both savory and wonderfully sweet at the same time. They’re also the perfect size for throwing into salads, adding to tarts, pizzas and best of all, they’re perfect for just popping straight into your mouth!

Tomato season is just around the corner, so now is a great time to take advantage of this wonderful way to enjoy and preserve tomatoes. You can even try drying them in the sun… it sure gets hot enough for it here in Texas! (Hint: if you do this, try covering them with one of those mesh picnic food covers to keep the critters out.)

If you’ve never made oven dried tomatoes before, then you’re in for a REAL treat. And if you have….well, you’re still in for a real treat. Enjoy!

Oven Dried Tomatoes With Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes
Olive Oil, or oil of choice (I use about 1-2 tablespoons per pint)
Coarse sea salt to taste
Cracked pepper to taste
Various Herbs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven on it’s lowest setting
Wash and pat dry the tomatoes
Slice each tomato in half
In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the appropriate amount of olive oil (or oil of choice), salt & pepper
Place the tomatoes, cut side up on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
Place in preheated oven and allow to “dry” there for about 4 hours.

You want the tomatoes to still be soft, not wet, but not super dry either. You can’t really go wrong though. They taste great no matter what you do. Sometimes after a few hours, I turn the oven off and leave them there to dry out some more. Depends how I want to use them.

Store in an airtight container, or in olive oil. I keep mine refrigerated.

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