KYF #023: Cooperative Gardening and More Listener Questions

In this episode of Know Your Food with Wardee, join me as I take listener questions. Topics include: my family’s cooperative gardening experience of 2011, fermenting questions, high-calorie foods for the GAPS diet, and what to do with frozen raw milk.

Also, I’m telling you all about the Extreme Health Digital Library — a library of 53 health resources worth $835 available for $39.97 (75 cents each) through Thursday, March 7, 2013. More info is here or you can buy here. Only until next week!

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News

First bit of news: I’ll be in Arizona in late March and I’m planning a gathering with GNOWFGLINS friends on Sunday, March 24, 2013. The details (such as they are) are RIGHT HERE. I look forward to meeting you there!

Second bit of news: the Extreme Health Digital Library is available now through next Thurs 3/7. This is a one-of-a-kind library of health resources for an incredibly low price. You get 53 health resources worth $835 for just $39.97 (75 cents each) through Thursday, March 7, 2013. More info is here or you can buy here.  Act now because there’s less than a week left!

Listener Questions

Here are the questions I answered in this episode, in the order they’re answered (in case you want to skip around). The podcast contains my answers, plus if I mentioned any additional resources, they are linked here along with the question.

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Vali asked: In making sauerkraut, if there isn’t enough liquid to cover the cabbage, do I add more whey or a brine? I had too much cabbage for the recipe?

I answered that in the first 24 hours, the salt does a lot of work to continue creating a brine to submerge the cabbage. If, after 24 hours, there’s not enough to submerge the cabbage, add either water to top it off OR brine (1 teaspoon salt per 1 cup of water).

Tracy asked: I purchase raw milk about once a month, due to the distance I have to drive to get it. I always purchase extra to freeze; then thaw and drink it. However, after the last purchase I made, I notice I am not drinking it as fast and the taste has been off, mostly just a little bit of a taste like it is souring pretty quickly after I thaw it. The first day or so after thawing, it is fine. So, my question is this: Is there anything I can do with this previously frozen milk? I’m not sure if the freezing “changes” the properties of it to where I can’t do the usual things with it. If you can help me out with some suggestions so I do not have to throw it out as waste, it would be greatly appreciated. I have tried searching the internet but can’t seem to find anything on it. Thank you.

Freezing does change the properties of milk. It usually separates to the point that you can’t whisk the cream and milk back together. You can use it for smoothies or ice cream. It *might* make okay yogurt or clabber.

Polly asked: I’ve tried a few of the vegetable lacto-fermentation recipies in Nourishing Traditions, but have always found them quite unpalatable. If I use whey they have an unpleasant type of sourness. If I don’t they are too salty. Recently I had the idea of using a little raw, organic cider vinegar as my culture (which I already use as a supporting inoculant in kombucha). In terms of preservation it seems to work fine, with bubbles indicating that fermentation is occurring as it should, and I find the taste to be pleasant, which is a first. BUT pickling with vinegar is something both yourself and Nourishing Traditions discourage, and I guess I’m wondering whether the arguments for going back to whey and salt (and probably not eating fermented vegetables) would outweigh the use of vinegar. I should clarify that I’m not picking IN vinegar, as in commercial pickles, but using a small amount in the same way that the whey is normally used — as an inoculant. And they really do taste better, at least to me. Thoughts?

Nourishing Traditions recipes are too salty. You can cut the salt by half usually and they’ll taste much better! You can just omit the whey entirely — no need to replace it with raw apple cider vinegar.

You’re asking if it is okay to use vinegar. Well, vinegar has different organisms and they product a different acid — acetic acid (vinegar). So technically, you’re not making a lacto-ferment when you use vinegar as the only inoculant. However, if you use just a little vinegar but also a lacto veggie starter or whey, then a little vinegar is okay (in my opinion) and the ending ferment more likely to be balanced in terms of organisms.

Mike asked: Can you point me to some high calorie gaps recipes or food? I need to gain weight on GAPS.

I would suggest plenty of high fat foods (good fats). Yogurt, kefir, sour cream, broth (leave the fat on or add coconut oil to the broth). Also eat frequently, lots of snacks.

You might refer to this recent discussion on Facebook. I asked for snack ideas for my brother who is on GAPS and needs snacks for a 3-week road trip. Great ideas there!

Teri asked: I’ve been making Kombucha for a long time.  The last batch was left to ferment longer that 7 days (maybe 10 days) and the taste was very bitter. Do you think something is wrong? I drank it anyway, but it’s usually mild. Thanks for your help.

Kombucha will taste more bitter when it is fermented longer. This isn’t usually bad, but most people don’t care for it. It is possible to “save” it by fermenting it a second time with fruit or fruit juice.

Aurora asked: Hi there! I read in your bio on Amazon that you “garden cooperatively.” We are looking in to doing that ourselves and wondered how you all do it? Is there a post on your blog you could direct me to, or if you have time, e-mail me a little synopsis of how you do it? Thanks so much!

Here’s my bio, which I need to update because we no longer garden cooperatively!

Thanks for the question — and I answered it in the podcast by sharing our experience and the pros and cons, and I gave suggestions for working something out similar for yourself.

You asked for links or videos. Here you go!

• Community Gardens: A Few Things to Consider by Livin’ in the Green — the featured post on Simple Lives Thursday this week
• Blog post: when we began cooperatively gardening
• June 2011 garden update
• August 2011 garden update

June 2011 garden video:

August 2011 garden video:

I’m a Guest!

Tomorrow, I’m a guest on Vickilynn Haycraft’s show Get Real — Get Prepared, and we’re talking about dehydrating. Here’s the link to that. It airs on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 7 Eastern / 4 Pacific. You can listen live or listen later (just not early). If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I’ll put up a reminder nearer to the time.

And that’s it — have a blessed week, everyone!

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