DIY Probiotics

We are only nourished by what our body can actually take in!  A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that we can improve our ability to digest wheat and the gluten in it.  There are a lot of great products out there, I'm sure, but today I wanted to tell you about the wonderful world of naturally occurring probiotics: lacto fermentation!  If you are unfamiliar with this term, please know that lacto is not referring to milk, and fermenting is different than rotting.  This is the process that our ancestors used that captured the healthful bacteria, or lactobacilli (we now call this probiotics...see Mariam Webster's definition) that not only made foods more digestible, it also preserved them.  The term lacto makes us think of the "milk sugar" lactose, but instead it is referring to lactic acid.  So maybe the term lactic acid fermentation would portray this with more accuracy, but if you are looking for recipes, lacto is the term to use.  The probiotics naturally in raw vegetables and dairy, and the idea is to keep the vegetable from spoiling long enough for the probiotics to take over.  Salt will keep it from spoiling, whey (as in curds and whey or the watery stuff in your yogurt) will add a whole bunch of the probiotics to speed up the process, and most recipes use a combination of both.

I started simple, with the Southern delicacy pickled watermelon rind--since I would have just tossed it out anyway, there was no harm done if I didn't like it, right?  It was so fun and exciting I quickly moved on to salsa, beets, and ketsup!  Recipes to follow.  But, I just LOVED that I could can something (though it does need cold storage) without having to cook or seal it, without the expense (and no added nutrition if cooked) of vinegar, and after two days end up with something that will fill my body with the good probiotics I need--and it will keep for months!  This is especially convenient, because I can double the salsa recipe for my taco salad, throw the doubled amount in a jar, and the next time I eat it it has more than doubled in nutrition!  Doctrine and Covenants refers to using our food with prudence, which means taking thought and care for the future.  I have food for today, and I have food for tomorrow!  This feels so right to me.  I'm hooked!