What is it? :: Kefir

What it is?
It is probably one of the most ancient of all cultured milk products. Simply put, it's cultured milk like yogurt or sour cream. Unlike either it is fermented with it's culture. Cow, goat or sheep's milk is used most often. A culture is added, a SCOBY (Symbiotic Cooperation of Bacteria and Yeast), called Kefir Grains. the SCOBY mass looks like grains.

Kefir is made from gelatinous white or yellow particles called “grains.” This makes kefir unique, as no other milk culture forms grains. These grains contain the bacteria/yeast mixture clumped together with casein (milk proteins) and complex sugars. They look like pieces of coral or small clumps of cauliflower and range from the size of a grain of wheat to that of a hazelnut. Some of the grains have been known to grow in large flat sheets that can be big enough to cover your hand!. The grains ferment the milk, incorporating their friendly organisms to create the cultured product. The grains are then removed with a strainer before consumption of the kefir and added to a new batch of milk.

Brief History of Kefir:
The shepherds of the Caucasus Region carried milk in leather pouches. The noticed that it occasionally fermented into something that was carbonated and tasty. They would hang these bags on their doors, and people walking by would knock the bag, keeping the culture and milk well mixed.

The drink is world wide. As populations spread out, the new smaller groups kept their food culture.

According to http://www.kefir.biz/history.htm

"Amongst the people of the northern slopes of the Caucasian Mountains there is a legend that Mohammed gave kefir grains to the Orthodox people and taught them how to make kefir. The 'Grains of the Prophet’ were guarded jealously since it was believed that they would lose their strength if the grains were given away and the secret of how to use them became common knowledge.

Kefir grains were regarded as part of the family's and tribe's wealth and they were passed on from generation to generation.
So, for centuries the people of the northern Caucasus enjoyed this food without sharing it with anyone else they came into contact with.
Other peoples occasionally heard strange tales of this unusual beverage which was said to have ‘magical’ properties. Marco Polo mentioned kefir in the chronicles of his travels in the East."

There is a much more detailed and thorough history on the site mentioned above.

Chock full o stuffFull of minerals, vitamins and amino acids

• Contains partially digested proteins which can be used by the body easier.
• Contains tryptophan, calcium and magnesium -- keeping you calmer, less stressed and your nervous system healthy.
• Has phosphorus to help our bodies use carbs, fat and proteins to make cells & energy, and for body maintenance.
• B12, B1m Vitamin K, Biotin. -- Aids in the utilization of other B Vitamins like folic acid, pantothenic acid as well as B12.
• Aids in kidney, liver and nervous system health, relief from skin disorders, increased energy.
• Easily digestable
• Cleans intestines
• Beneficial bacteria and yeast
• Balanced, Complete, Wholesome, and Nourishing food
• Promotes immune system health
• Has been used in the treatment of a multitude of disorders including AIDS, CFS, depression and ADHD.
• May help relieve digestive problems and make your inner ecosystem healthier.
• May also help to relieve cravings for unhealthy foods like sweets.

Sounds odd, I know. I did to me to. I mean really, fermented milk? GROSS! But really, it's not. Cheese, yogurt, sour cream, butter milk... Those are all cultured milk products that we use every day. People have been making and using kefir in their own homes, long before refrigeration and sanitation standards. Even now, the health benefits have reached the world over, and into the local super market. You can find cultures as well as premade kefir drinks in your dairy section of most grocery or health food stores.

I found powdered culture at my natural food store, and kefired a whole quart! I wasn't sure of it at first. It was unfamiliar. I threw in a tablespoon of honey and let it warm up a bit. It was fizzy and sweet from the honey, tangy like yogurt, and thick like a smoothie. YUM! 

It's only been a week and I can't wait to have my next glass in the morning. I'm not sure if I truly feel a difference to write home about, but it doesn't suck. It's a great thing to have in the morning for the pick me up with your coffee.

By the way, it makes a KILLER smoothie, with some fruit and honey.

References:

http://www.kefir.biz
http://www.kefir.net

What is it? :: Kombucha Tea

"Kombucha is an effervescent tea-based beverage that is often consumed for its anecdotal health benefits or medicinalpurposes. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass ofyeast and bacteria which forms the kombucha culture, often referred to as 酵母 (kombo, lit. "yeast mother", see etymology for disambiguation with 昆布, kombu, kelp)."

This bubbly is made by the fermentation of tea.  It has been said to have medicinal properties. For thousands of years cultures around the world understood the value of fermented foods and beverages, but I'll get deeper into fermentation in a different post. This drink is no different.

This drink is ancient. It has been around for thousands of years, was and is still used by many cultures around the world. There are many stories about it's origin... one of which;

"Iit was invented in the Qin Dynasty (220BC) for the Emperor Qinshi Huangdi.  The Chinese are famed for their quest for all manner of longevity elixirs. From Kombucha to Chinese medicine, the Chinese have always looked to nature to cure what ails them. At that time it was called “The Tea of Immortality.”  Chá (茶) is the Chinese word for tea.  In China, Kombucha has been called “Sea Treasure” (海寶), “Stomach Treasure” (胃寶) and “Sea Mushroom”(海蘑菇). Today, it goes by the names hongchajun 红茶菌 (literally “red tea bacteria/fungus/yeast”), hongchagu 红茶菇 (“red tea mushroom”), or chameijun 茶霉菌 (“tea mold”).  During the Cultural Revolution, every household had a pot of Kombucha brewing, but it has fallen out of the daily routine of the modern Chinese lifestyle."

Japan, China, Russia, throughout Eastern Europe, even ancient Egypt... So many countries, so little time. With so many cultures creating Kombucha, there is no doubt that it would have many names...

"* The Remedy of Immortality
* Kombucha Fungus
* Gout Jelly-fish
* Hongo
* Tea Mould
* Indian Tea Fungus
* Japanese Tea Fungus
* Kambotscha
* Koucha kinoko
* Manchu Fungus
* Manchurian Mushroom
* Teekwass Fungus"

To name just a few, *giggles*

Like wine into vinegar, or milk into an aged cheese, it all begins with a culture. This one is made up of both yeast and bacteria. In fact the culture is sometimes referred to as "Mother of Vinegar." As in making vinegar, the culture forms a mass, sometimes called a mushroom. Also known as SCOBY which is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, can contain several species of yeast and bacteria. The bacteria combats the natural alcohol by product produced by the yeast, which like in beer, gives it, it's effervescence.

Unfortunately, the scientific study on the health benefits is rather limited, however some claim it is a miracle drink. The list of medicinal properties is rather long, but among these is: digestive aid, cancer recovery, sharpens eyesight, and joint recovery.

It's even been said that Kombucha is great for detoxification. The enzyme glucuronic acid is used by the liver to remove toxicity from the body.

"The idea that glucuronic acid is present in kombucha is based on the observation that glucuronic acid conjugates (glucuronic acid waste chemicals) are increased in the urine after consumption. Early chemical analysis of kombucha brew suggested glucuronic acid was the key component, and researchers hypothesized the extra glucuronic acid would assist the liver by supplying more of the substance during detoxification. These analyses were done using gas chromatography to identify the different chemical constituents, but this method relies on having proper chemical standards^{[citation needed]} to match to the unknown chemicals."

Have you ever tried Kombucha? Tell me about your experience with it.

Until next time, kittens.


References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha
2. http://www.kombuchakamp.com

What it it? :: Got Milk... in the Raw?

Milk glass 1 by ~makemeyours

What is Raw Milk?

Raw milk is just that, raw. It has not been homogenized or pasteurized. It is as pure from the animal as it could possibly be without you consuming it from the animal's teats yourself.

Pasteurized & Homogenized... Is it really safer?

Pasteurization is the process of heating a food, usually a liquid to a specific temperature, for a specific length of time and then cooling it right away to slow the growth of harmful bacteria, which slows it's spoilage. It was never intended to kill ALL of the microorganisms, but to reduce their numbers so the food will have a longer shelf life.


Homogenization of milk is done to make the milk solids, fats and liquids one big happy family, also known as an emulsion. Like oil and vinegar for a salad dressing, mixing it forms a consistent product, in mouth feel and flavor.


Do this pair of processes really make a safer milk? Yes and no. Like anything there are pros and cons to both. The FDA as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say that raw milk is unsafe to drink due to pathogens, while a movement of organizations and people promoting a traditional foods lifestyle say that raw milk can be produced in a humane and safe way.


And of course to cover my own ass: “The Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health agencies of the United States strongly recommend that the public do not consume raw milk or raw milk products. Young children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to infections originating in raw milk.”


Laws and regulations vary between countries and even provinces and states. People in the United States can find out about them here; http://www.realmilk.com/milk-laws-1.html and my international friends should look them up according to your location.

Two kinds of raw milk? Really?

The first type of raw milk is from the cow to the consumer. Each state regulates it differently, and it is the ONLY food that is prohibited from crossing state lines by the FDA. Most of the time the animals are certified as organic and are not fed Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) nor treated unnecessarily with antibiotics or hormones. If the state regulates and monitors the production and sale of raw milk, it is usually a very safe product.


The second type goes from the cow to the processor. Many pathogens may be present, even though it is regulated under the FDA's Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO). The animals are rarely allowed to graze and feed naturally, but instead are given corn, dry hay and man-made feeds containing GMOs. They can also be kept in filthy conditions and given antibiotics and hormones to keep them alive and able to produce milk. All 50 states accept this as safe practices that produce a safe consumable product.


Randolph Jonsson's website “Raw Milk Facts” has comprehensive lists about this. I recommend reading through it as well as the entire site. The “National Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS)” also has a great deal of information for you to digest.

Friends with Health Benefits

Did you know that clean raw milk was at one time, used as a medicine? It was used as a treatment and a cure for some very serious and chronic illnesses. From the times of the great Greek philosophers til as early as the first half of the last century, this perfect food's health benefits were known the world over for its medicinal properties.


Some of the nutritional attributes of raw milk are:

• Cow's milk contains all 8 essential amino acids we need to build proteins in our bodies.
  
• Antibodies called Immunoglobulins, usually destroyed during the heating & emulsion processes discussed earlier can help us create natural immunity towards viruses, bacteria and toxins. This milk from OUR mothers helped us to do this when we're infants.
  
• According to Raw Milk Facts's “Health Benefits” section: “Lactose, or milk sugar, is the primary carbohydrate in cow's milk. Made from one molecule each of the simple sugars glucose and galactose, it's known as a disaccharide. People with lactose intolerance for one reason or another (age, genetics, etc.), no longer make the enzyme lactace and so can't digest milk sugar.  “
  
• CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), abundant in milk is being thoroughly studied. Many of it's benefits include: raising metabolic rate, helps to remove abdominal fat, increases muscle growth. That is just a tiny list of the benefits.
  
• Milk contains both water and fat soluble vitamins.
  
• Milk also contains a large variety of essential minerals needed for proper body function.
  
• Milk is alive with beneficial bacteria to help our digestive systems work better. These bacteria are killed during pasteurization.

Grazing Cow 7451797in #StockProject, by ~StockProject1

What to look for in a Raw Milk provider.

There are some questions you should ask yourself and your farmer about their farm, practices and animals.

• How far is the farm in relation to yourself, town or retail location?
  
• What are the laws in my state and town for Raw Milk farming and distribution?
  
• How are the facilities kept?
  
• Is there regular testing of animals, facility and equipment sanitation and the safety of the milk?
  
• How are the animals treated?
  
• Are the animals allowed to live as naturally and organically?
  
• Is there use of hormones and unnecessary antibiotics?
  
• Do they graze in fields for a majority of their lives, and live in natural family groups?
  
• What portion of their diet is man-made feeds?
  
• What portion of their time is spent in pens or barns?
  
• Are the pens and barns in good repair and quite clean or disgusting, filthy and just down right inhumane?
  
• How is the milk harvested from the animals?
  
• How long is it held before it is chilled, packaged and delivered?
  
• Can you visit the farm and see the animals and get to know your possible provider?
  

I'm sure you'll think of more, as will I, but this is just a list of good ones to keep in mind while looking for a farmer to buy from.

How to find Raw Milk providers near me.

There are many ways to find your local farmers, and many sites you can find through your favorite search engine. One of my favorite sites is the Real Milk website. There is also another site called “Cornucopia” to let check how your local organic dairy farm rates against others from all over the country.

Where can I find more information on Raw Milk?

Here is a list of links and short blurbs about other sites where you can find all kinds of information concerning raw milk, its nutrition, science, and much more.

• http://www.raw-milk-facts.com - “My goal with raw-milk-facts.com is to help dispel the myths that have sprung up around one of Nature's most perfect foods.“
  
• http://www.ForFarmers.com - Buy or sell livestock or agricultural products.
  
• http://hartkeisonline.com/category/raw-milk/ - Kimberly Hartke's blog with up-to-date nationwide information and new.
  
• http://www.realmilk.com – Where to get raw milk.
  
• http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/articles/case_for_untreated_milk.shtml - a very well written article that should be on your recommended reading list.
  

There are seminars, websites, books and information readily available for you no matter where you are in the world. You may have to do some digging and make some phone calls, but it's there, waiting for you.
I advise you to research and look things up for yourself at all times and to not take anything I have said at face value. I can only help provide a glimpse of information so that you can make educated decisions for yourselves and your families. Learn, understand, question and test. I live by these words and I encourage you to do the same.