Cultured Veggies for Immunity

Cultured Veggies for Immunity

Cultured Veggies for Immunity

Yield 2 quarts (approximately)

These are a little spicy, and a littls sweet and sour.  They are wonderful for digesting your food, building up your immune system, and helping your adrenals feel nourished.  I love this and eat it as often as possible.  Put on the table as a relish or side salad with your favorite dressing, add to a salad or top cooked veggies.  Eating  fermented food every day with as many meals as possible will greatly improve digestion, immunity and how you feel. 

Ingredients

1 medium jicama

½ head cabbage  (save a couple of large leaves intact for later)

¼ red cabbage

2 handfuls spinach

1 medium apple

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

1 inch piece of ginger

1-3 jalapeno or hot pepper (adjust to taste)

1 sweet red pepper

1 ½ tsp unrefined sea salt or pink himilayan salt

1-2 large oranges (zested and juiced)  I actually juice the entire orange as the white adds antihistamine properties)

¼ C whey (this can be strained off of plain yogurt or plain milk kefir)

Once you get the hang of this, you can add or subtract items as you wish.  At Christmas time I have added a package of crushed cranberries.  Different foods will add different nutrients and the fermentation will make them more bio available.

Shred or chop all fruits and veggies and place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Mix and crush with your hands until the shreds give up their juice. 

Firmly pack mixture into 2 quart wide mouth canning jar leaving a minimum of 1-2 inches at the top for expansion as the mixture ferments.

Add the orange juice and zest.  Push down hard so nothing floats and cover the top with a cabbage leaf and tuck the edges down on the outside of the food.  EVERYTHING MUST BE UNDER THE LIQUID.  If there is insufficient liquid, add a little water.  I use a clean rock or small glass bottle to keep everything submerged.  Cover the jar opening with cheesecloth, upside down canning  lid or other so that it can breathe during ferment.  Let sit on the counter for 6 days and then place in the refrigerator.

(I use a crock and have left it for up to three weeks in my cool basement and it just continues to get better.  This is a little spicy and that is part of the immunity magic but if it is too much, cut back on the hot peppers and ginger.)