How about making your own sprouts--such as wheat grass, broccoli, etc. I read that the broccoli sprouts have around 500 times the nutritive value of fresh broccoli. I have experimented with various equipment, but my problem is that I am not here during the day to irrigate the sprouts (at least two times, but more recommended for various sprouting devices), and they rot because the waste products are not flushed out. If someone can do the irrigating properly, then the setup is extremely cheap, a glass jar with the lid cut out and a screen inserted (mason jar would work fine). Turn it on its side. Here are the directions from my NOW brand sprouting Jar: 1. Place two tablespoons of sprouting seeds or 1/2 cup of legumes/grains in a sprouting jar with three times as much water as seeds. Soak overnight. For many small seeds, five hours of soaking is sufficient. 2. Drain the water from the jar. Rinse seeds in fresh, lukewarm water and drain again. For well drained seeds/sprouts, lay jar at an angle in a warm (70F) dark place. Rinse and drain seeds twice a day. In hot and dry weather, you may need to rinse the seeds three times a day. in very humid weather, the seeds should be kept in a dry place. Turn jar over gently. Overturning the jar rapidly will cause shifting in the sprouting seeds. This can break the tender shoots and kill the sprout. The breakage causes the sprout to spoil. Sprouts should be ready to eat in 3-5 days, spending on the seed used. Put in sunlight during the last day to add chlorophyll. The above is from NOW FOODS _www.nowfoods.com_ (http://www.nowfoods.com) . They are giving quantities of seeds to use for their quart jar, number of daily rinses, growing time, and recommended sprout length. The seed types they discuss are alfalfa, broccoli, foenugreek, mung beans, radish, red clover, sunflower, and wheat. An easier but more expensive way to go is to get the Freshlife Automatic sprouter from Tribestlife (_www.tribestlife.com_ (http://www.tribestlife.com) ) This costs $100. You plug in the unit, and it waters the sprouts at timed intervals throughout the day by itself. Hope this helps, Jill In a message dated 11/15/2010 7:12:45 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
Hi Elan, I ask you this as it appears that you know a bit about fermented foods: but awhile ago (couple weeks now) I took some cabbage and “blenderized” with the thought that I’d drink it over a few days to increase my gut flora. I did use some, but one of the bottles wound up in the back of my fridge and I am hesitant in drinking it at this point. The bottle must’ve been the last part of it as it’s mostly just cabbage juice, which I’m sure is quite fermented. Could it have gone bad? Is it ok to drink at this point? Lisa ____________________________________ From: elan spire [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 5:32 PM To: [email protected] Subject: CS>re: making your own vitamins A healthy population of friendly flora in our guts will actually manufacture some vitamins inside our very own bodies. Healthy intestinal flora also helps us to digest our food, properly assimilate the nourishment it contains, and strengthen our immune systems. Many cultured (naturally fermented) foods such as kimchee and sauerkraut are rich sources of B vitamins as well as live enzymes and beneficial bacteria, and are super beneficial to consume on a regular basis to help support good digestive health and a strong, natural immunity to disease. Making your own ferments is inexpensive, easy and fun, and consuming them is one of the best ways to help improve one's health on several different levels. Elan >>> One thing we could do that would be very powerful is to make our own vitamins. It's time for those who know how to make these things to share their knowledge and their recipes. Many on this list make thier own silver water. Why not the rest of the stuff. So, share your recipes and techniques for >>>everything.
