The Gardens

The spinach after harvest. I think it's
done for the summer. 

A few days ago, I went out to my little square foot garden to harvest the spinach and kale. The spinach was just about ready to go to seed. I was hoping that I would be able to get a few more harvests out of it, but I think it's just about done for the summer.  I will plant more in the early fall for more awesome green smoothies. I planted my spinach and beets in the same garden this year. I have dill coming up everywhere from the plant that went to seed last year.  I just can't bear to take it all out. So it hangs around all the gardens.

The kale garden after harvesting.

The kale, on the other hand, will keep the whole summer if I keep it trimmed up and harvested.  I love kale for my green smoothies. It has lots of fiber in it to sweep all the toxin

One harvest

s out of the system just like a little broom. (Which reminds me, I need to sweep the kitchen). Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and rich in calcium. Kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells. I love growing kale. It is so pretty and is so rewarding to grow. Especially if you are a green smoothie lover, like me.

Full picture of the Mittleider garden. The pole beans
have almost reached the top of the posts.

We also built a Mittleider garden this year. I have used Mittleider weekly feed in my gardens for several years. But sometimes I fail to gather all the details of how it really should be done. That's why I have Roger. Once I get him spurred on, all the details get taken care of and his perfecting nature takes care of all the important things. He took special care to get everything just right. The soil is sawdust and sand. Seventy-five percent/25% mixed with the pre-plant mix so that the plants get all the nutrients that they need to get started. Then we add the weekly feed, of course, weekly. Unlike how I did it last year in the square foot gardens. TEE HEE.You only have to water once a day for 2 1/2 minutes. This keeps the weeds out as well as your water bill down. We are looking forward to lots of tomatoes this year so that I can bottle some. We planted 12 plants so that when they get ripe, I will have enough for at least a batch every couple of days. We also planted pickling cucumbers so that I can do some true fermented pickles this year. Last year I tried them but had to buy the cukes and I don't know how long they had been off the vine. They ended up getting moldy and mushy. I'm glad I only did a couple of bottles.  I'll let you know how they turn out this time. My mouth is watering all ready.

Kefir

  Water and Milk Kefir

You will need kefir grains to do kefir. I purchased mine from ebay(milk) and www.lifetimekefir.com (water). Look for someone who has extra.  The are prolific and anyone who is already doing kefir will have some to share soon, if not currently. I will share mine, when I have enough to split.

Water kefir fermenting with
coffee filter for top

Water Kefir

1 wide mouth mason jar

1 coffee filter

1 quart of filtered water almost to the top of the mason jar

1/3 c. organic sugar. (regular white sugar is also fine to use but do not use honey or artificial sweeteners)

Use the metal screw on ring part of the top to hold the coffee filter down.  The second best would be a cloth for top.

Step 1: add water and sugar in jar.

It is much easier to boil the water first so that the sugar can dissolve in the hot water but do not put the kefir grains in hot water at any time or they will die.

Step 2: Add the grains and seal the jar.

Add the grains when the water is cool or room temperature and seal the coffee filter on the jar and let it sit 48 hours so that it can ferment and create the water kefir.  After 48 hours, taste test it.  If its too sweet, let it go another day. They can ferment up to 5 days. 

Step 3: strain water kefir

When the water kefir is cultured to your liking, you can strain out the grains, and how you can drink the water kefir.

Step 4: Rinse and repeat.

Rinse the grains well with room temperature water and repeat the process using the grains.

I drink this with a little flavored stevia or with fruit juice. 

Milk Kefir

2-4 T. kefir grains

Kefir Grains after straining from milk kefir

4-5 cups milk  (I prefer raw milk, but pasteurized works, too.)

Place grains and milk in a jar. Loosely put the lid on to allow for gas to escape. Leave on the counter at room temperature.  Watch to see the whey separate.  Can take 8-24 hours.  The longer it sits the more fermented it will be.  It is most mild after 8 hours. Do not ferment for more than 3 days. (If you do, drain off the kefir and throw away but save the grains and start again)

Separate the grains from the kefir. The grains should have grown by about 1/3. 

Place grains in a clean jar. 

Place the grains in more milk and start the process again. Or place them in a small amount of milk and put them in the fridge.  Make sure they are fed at least every week if kept in the fridge. It will take longer for the kefir to ferment if the grains have been in the fridge. I only put them in the fridge if I’m going on vacation. 

Put about 3 c. milk for 3 TBS grains.

Kefir Shake

1 to 1 ½ c. kefir milk

1 banana

Sweetener if desired.  I often put in 1-2 T. coconut sugar or a little stevia

1 ½ c. frozen strawberries.

Blend until mixture is smooth.

Sauer Kraut

This is my husbands favorite snack when he comes home from work.  He is also very proud of the fact that he can make his own. He did crack my nice big Tupperware bowl while he was doing it. The fun thing about Sauer Kraut is that you can get your frustrations out. I plan to plant a lot of cabbage in my garden this fall so that we can make a lot of this recipe.

Sauer Kraut

2 ¼ lbs finely sliced or shredded cabbage

1 TBS ground or fine salt.  (Himalayan Crystal Salt is what I use)

½ t. caraway seeds (optional) I did not use this in mine.

Place cabbage in a sturdy, large bowl. Sprinkle salt over the top of it. Pound with a meat tenderizer or I use a hammer handle that is new that I only use for this purpose.  Pound and massage the salt into the cabbage until you see a nice brine in the bottom of the bowl.  I place a plate over the cabbage and cover with a towel. Then put weight on the plate and let sit for a couple of hours.

Put the cabbage into a clean, sterile fido jar and pack in tightly. I pound it in with the hammer handle. You will see the brine begin to cover the top of the cabbage.  Fill to the neck of the jar. Make sure that the brine completely covers the cabbage. Seal the jar and place in a dark room. Let sit at least 4 days. More time is better. It will stay on the shelf for years if unopened. Refrigerate after opening. Will stay good in the fridge for several months.

Fermented Vegetables

Fermented Vegetables

1 lb of cauliflower

½ lb carrots shredded or thinly sliced

Four beautful jars ready to ferment.
They will be delicious in 4 days. My mouth is watering.

¼ lb green onions, thinly sliced

¼ lb snow peas bite sized slices

1 TBS garlic cloves peeled and sliced

2 TBS Italian spice blend

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Soak and lightly scrub vegetables. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Place vegetables into a clean, sterile fido jar. Pack them in tightly Add brine to completely cover the vegetables until ¼ inch from the jar lip. .  Lock down the jar top.

Make the brine: dissolve salt in filtered water at a ratio of 2 TBS salt to 4 cups water. If using coarse salt, use slightly rounded tablespoon. If using ground salt, use a slightly scant tablespoon. 

Jot down the date.  Place jar in a spot away from warm appliances or direct sunlight.  Temperature range is best around 70 degrees. Let sit at least 4 days. They will stay good on the shelf until opened. Once opened, place in refrigerator.

Chocolate Breakfast Shake

My 10 year old son loves this shake for breakfast. He thinks it tastes like Jason's Deli Ice Cream. I added some spinach to it the other day, and he didn't even notice.

1 c. almond milk  I use sprouted when I can.

1 T. peanut butter

1 T. Cacao powder or cocoa powder

1 t. kelp powder

1 banana 

6-8 ice cubes (if the banana is frozen, I can omit these)

1 T. coconut sugar or sucanaut

3-4 drops pure vanilla extract

Blend all together.

Vegetable Broth Seasoning

This is my favorite seasoning in my kitchen. I use it several times a week to season soups and grains.  It replaces the need to buy vegetable broth. I used to buy the organic vegetable broth in the grocery store because it was the only broth I could find without MSG or Yeast Extract which are both neurotoxins. I am pretty vigilant about reading labels and was always disappointed to find either of these ingredients in anything to flavor soups. This is my go to now. 

Vegetable Seasoning Broth Powder

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2 c. nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 c. Himalayan crystal salt
2 T. onion powder
1 T. turmeric
2 t. dried dill week
2 t. marjoram
2 t. dried powdered lemon peel
1 t. celery seed
1 t. basil dried
1 t. powdered thyme
1 T. dried parsley

Place all ingredients except parsley in blender in listed order and blend until powdered together.  Add parsley and pulse. Store in an airtight container.

Sprouted Rice N Rye

The bottom recipe uses my favorite bouillon replacement.  All the bouillons you find in the store either have MSG or Autolized Yeast Extract which is basically the same thing as MSG. I searched long and hard to find something to replace it. I did try a fresh vegetable bouillon that I made but had to freeze. It was great, but sometimes got lost in the freezer. This one is the best I've found and is quick and easy to make. You only use 1 t. per cup of water and it is easy to store right with my spices.  I use it at least three times a week and I know it has wholesome ingredients.  

RICE‘N’RYE 

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How to sprout and low heat:

1 c short grain brown rice (long-grain is too refined to sprout, and will still be crunchy

after low heating.)

1 c whole rye berries

water to soak and low heat

1. Mix together grains and then soak and sprout grain. 

2. Low heat grain: Place grain in a pan and cover with the same volume of water.

3. Bring water to a full boil (when bubbles recover quickly after stirring), cover

tightly and turn off heat.

4. Keep pan covered until it cools to serving temperature, strain off any excess water

and season grain as desired. Yields about 6 c total.

Note: Recipe may be doubled, tripled or quadrupled and kept in a tightly sealed container

in the refrigerator for up to one week. Simply reheat small quantities as needed.

Reheating Instructions: Bring a scant ¼ inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a

saucepan. Add grain and cover tightly. Steam for one minute, then shut off heat and let

sit, covered for 5 more minutes. Strain off excess water, if any.

Serving suggestions: This grain combination works great with any vegetable stir-fry or as

an addition to soups.

SEASONED RICE‘N’RYE

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2 c prepared Rice ‘N’ Rye combination, at

serving temperature

1-2 T light olive oil

2 t vegetable seasoning broth powder 

1 T dried parsley

1 T dried chives or 2 T very finely chopped green onion

Stir together all ingredients until well mixed. Ready to serve.

Smoke House Almonds

These are my personal favorite snack. I keep these in my purse so that if I'm out and about, I have a quick, healthy snack. 

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP nama shoyu

2 tsp Original Crystal Himalayan Salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

7-8 cups sprouted, dehydrated almonds (soak truly-raw almonds overnight, drain and dry in dehydrator until crunchy)

Mix all ingredients except almonds in a small bowl.  Add nuts; stir to coat.  Arrange on teflex dehydrator sheets and dry at 105 degrees until crunch.
www.greensmoothiegirl.com

Teriyaki Almonds

Teriyaki Almonds 

(Robyn Openshaw- 12 Steps to Whole Foods)

www.greensmoothiegirl.com

10 C raw almonds, soaked and dehydrated at 105° approx. 6 hours

½ C chopped dates, soaked and drained

2/3 C Bragg Liquid Aminos 

2 Tbsp. agave

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne

2 tsp. prepared brown mustard

Blend all ingredients except the almonds in a high-power blender on high until smooth. Pour into a bowl, add

the almonds, and stir well. Let the mixture sit for an hour to allow the nuts to absorb the liquid, then stir again.

Spread the nuts on Teflex sheets in a dehydrator. Dry at 105° for about 16 hours. Place the nuts on mesh sheets and dry again until crunchy (about 10 hours)

Lentil Tacos

This recipe is an all time favorite at our house. Lentils sprout in less than three hours, so it is a dinner we can have without too much fore thought. They are a perfect dip or topping for Taco Salad.
Low heating means that once the lentils are sprouted, you cover them with filtered water in a pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and place the lid on the pan. Let sit until cool enough to handle. The enzymes will still be present, but the lentils will be soft enough to mash and eat.

LENTIL TACO MIX 

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 1 T extra virgin olive oil

  1 c finely chopped onions

  ½ c finely chopped celery

 1 clove garlic, pressed

  1 T chili powder

  2 t ground cumin

  1 t dried oregano

  2 c sprouted, low heated red lentils

  1 c prepared salsa

  water as needed

1. Sauté onions, celery and garlic in oil until softened.

2. Stir in seasonings stirring continuously for 1 minute

until aromatic.

3. Add lentils and salsa. Stir to combine, mashing some

of the lentils to achieve a thick refried bean consistency.

Add a little water if mixture is too thick.

4. Continue to mash and stir until mixture is heated

through. Serve.

Transitional: Unsprouted red lentils may be substituted

for low heated sprouted lentils. Add to mixture with 2 c

of water and simmer covered, 20 minutes until tender.

Stir and mash as directed.

Raw Essene Bread

RAW DEHYDRATOR CRACKERS (ESSENE BREAD)

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Dehydrating (as opposed to baking) crackers preserves all of the enzymes in them, making

them ideally digestible. Try using them instead of bread for a 100% raw sandwich, or with

your favorite soup or salad.

For someone who wishes to follow a 100% raw food program, these are a real staple.

2 c sprouted grain (hard red wheat is my favorite for this)

1 c water

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

½ t sea salt (not optional, this keeps grain from fermenting before it dries out completely)

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Begin blending on low, and increase speed as

mixture thickens.

2. Blend until very smooth, with no small pieces of kernels detectable. This may take 5-

8 minutes in a standard blender.

3. Spread mixture evenly on teflex dehydrator sheets.

4. Dehydrate at 115° until very crisp. In my humid kitchen, this takes upwards of 48

hours.

5. Optional: midway through dehydrating, crackers may be scored with a knife or pizza

cutter so they may be broken into evenly shaped pieces.

Uses: in addition to serving with soups, salads or as ‘bread’ for sandwiches, finished crackers

Rejuvelac

Rejuvelac

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1 c grain

2 c purified or distilled water

1. Soak grain in filtered water for 8-12 hours.

2. Strain off water and rinse grain well.

3. Pour purified or distilled water over grain, cover loosely and soak anywhere from

12-24 hours or until water becomes slightly bubbly and has a tart, slightly lemony

flavor, this is the ‘rejuvelac’.

4. Strain off liquid and drink. (Or, more favorably, use in an all fruit smoothie.)

5. Grain may be reused to make another batch, simply add more purified water and

soak again, the second batch will not take as long to get bubbly. Grain can be reused

3-5 times or until the flora digests the grain enough that it starts to fall apart.

At this point, grain will have such a strong fermented flavor that I just throw it out

or compost it.

Note: If your rejuvelac is excessively bubbly and has an off or foul odor, do not use it,

because most likely an unwanted strain of bacteria was cultured. High quality grain rarely

yields unwanted bacteria cultures, though air quality in your home may be an issue if you

have repeated bad batches. 

Almond Cherry Cookies

Almond Cherry Cookies

2-2½ C almond pulp (left over from making almond milk and straining with a nut bag.)

¼ C natural peanut butter  

1 C sesame seeds, soaked several hours and drained

1 tsp. almond extract

½ C honey

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 C Craisins, soaked several hours and drained

Process all ingredients except the Craisins in a high-power blender until smooth. Add the Craisins and blend on low just to chop up the Craisins, not puree them. Press large spoonfuls onto Teflex sheets in a dehydrator.

Dehydrate for 12+ hours until dry on the tops, then flip and dry another 2 hours until desired consistency is

achieved.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Butter Pecan Ice Cream 

(From 12 Steps to Whole Foods by Robyn Openshaw)

www.greensmoothiegirl.com

§  4 C water

§  1 1/2 c. sprouted Almonds

§  2½ C young Thai coconut meat or 1 can of coconut cream

§  2/3 C chopped dates

§  1 Tbsp. vanilla

§  2/3 C peanut butter (preferably organic without rapeseed oil and sugar added)

§  ½ C plus 1 Tbsp. maple syrup

§  ¼ tsp. sea salt

§  1 C pecans, chopped

Blend the water and almonds in a high-power blender until very smooth. Pour out 2½ C into a jar and

refrigerate, leaving the remainder (about 3 C) still in the blender. Add the coconut, dates, vanilla, peanut butter,

maple syrup, and salt to the blender, and blend on high speed until smooth. Freeze this mixture in ice cube

trays.

When you are ready to serve, put the reserved refrigerated almond milk in a high-power blender and on blend

on high speed while gradually add the frozen mixture cubes (or make half a batch at a time, saving some of the

liquid and some of the frozen cubes for later). Blend until the mixture is thick like ice cream. Sprinkle pecans

on top right before serving.

I leave out the coconut meat and it works out fine. It’s a little less creamy.

Sour Dough Bread

Here are the many reasons I make naturally leavened or sour dough bread: There are some tricks to making the bread, and it is not the soft fluffy bread like you can buy in the store, or even the yeast, whole grain bread that I make myself.  But I find it much more hearty and delicious than that bread. We love to make the foccacia bread recipe found at the bottom of the page. We have it for dinner with a big salad. We dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a little Italian spices.

Fast-made bread is one of the most destructive implementations into the modern diet ... Poorly prepared and poorly-digested wheat is the chief contributor to the current plague of "gluten-intolerance," obesity, diabetes, Candida diseases and many allergenic conditions all of which contribute to the conditions that cause cancer ... Only when wheat is properly fermented is it healthy for human consumption.

The beneficial bacteria found in sourdough bread help control candida albicans, whereas baker's yeast is a pro-candida organism.

It's the fermentation, partly from lactobacillus, that makes eating good quality bread an aid to digestion of all complex carbohydrate foods including other grains, beans, and vegetables. It helps restore the functioning of the digestive tract, resulting in proper assimilation and elimination. 

Naturally leavened bread ... helps in the recovery of digestion and proper elimination by the effective action of friendly bacteria.

The creation of sourdough utilizes carbohydrates, lowering the carbohydrate level in the dough as it's transformed to the lactic acid. The result of this process means that sourdough bread can aid in ensuring that your blood glucose level remains in line, helping to guard against various diseases especially diabetes. 

Sourdough bread increases in nutritional value for days. 

Malnutrition, due to undigested gluten (from fast-breads) is one of the major factors that lead to disease.

The sourdough process makes starches more digestible by predigesting them, and it lowers insulin resistance while increasing glucose intolerance. 

Sourdough bread is claimed to have a better digestibility than yeast-fermented and non-fermented breads.

 

Sour Dough Starter

It takes about 7 days to get a start going. Or you can find someone who has a start and use theirs. I tried many different ways of making a starter and found the most helpful recipe in the book, “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallen. Her recipe makes about 3 quarts of start which I whittle down to just a cup or two as I start using it. I store it in my fridge, taking it out when I’m ready to make bread. I feed it and let it bubble then put it back in the fridge.

You can use any type of flour, but rye flour seems to give the best results to make a start. You will need two gallon sized bowls.

2 cups freshly ground rye flour

2 cups cold filtered water

Cheesecloth

6 cups of freshly ground rye flour

More cold filtered water.

 

Grind 2 cups flour and let it sit for a bit to cool. In one large bowl, mix flour with 2 cups of cold water. The mixture should be quite soupy. Cover with a double layer of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band. Place in a warm open area indoors or on a patio.

The next day and every day for a total of 7 days, transfer the starter to the other clean bowl and add 1 cup freshly ground rye flour plus enough cold water to make a soupy mixture. Cover and let stand. After a few days the starter will begin to bubble and develop a wine-like aroma. It should go through a bubbly, frothy stage and then subside. After 7 days the starter is ready for bread making. Use the 2 quarts for a batch of sourdough but save 1 quart for your next batch of starter.

 

Sour Dough Bread

1 cup Activated Leaven

5 1/4 c. filtered water

4 t. crystal salt or real salt

14 - 16 c. freshly ground whole grain flour

can use spelt, kamut, or white or red wheat

Approx. 2 T. Start

Added the 3 c. flour and 2 c. water

To activate the start: Take 2 T. of start from the refrigerator. (I usually do this the night before I want to make bread) Put in a quart or 1/2 gallon jar. Add 3 c. whole grain flour and 2 c. filtered water.  Mix well and let sit on the counter until nice and bubbly.  (Usually over night and its ready to make bread in the morning)

Nice and bubbly 

Add flour while mixer is going.
Still too sticky

Mix the activated leaven, the filtered water, sea salt, and half of the freshly ground whole grain flour together. While the mixer is still going, scoop and level one cup of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of your mixing bowl or from your hands, keeping it as wet as possible. Moist dough will allow better oven spring for loaf breads.

Dough has pulled away from the sides.

Knead the dough by hand for 10-20 minutes or knead with a large kitchen mixer for 5-10 minutes.

Divide and shape or let rest first:  Divide and shape the dough. Or let the dough rest covered for 4-10 hours.  And then knead again, divide and shape.

Before it has raised

Ready to put in pan

Cut in half: take one half and put on cookie sheet for focaccia bread. (Below)The other half, split in half and make into two loaves and place in oiled loaf pans.  (Or you can make four loaves out of the whole batch)

Let Rise until the dough doubles in size.  This may take 4-10 hours between 68-78˚ F.  However, you may need to allow 10-24 hours if you have gluten sensitivity or if you want sour dough.

Note: to encourage the leavening process in a cool environment, warm your oven to 180˚ F. When oven is preheated, turn it off and place the covered dough in side.  Watch closely. To be properly broken down, the total time between mixing the dough and baking should be at least 4 hours!

Preheat and Bake

450˚F. for 20-30 min baking stone

400˚F for 30-40 min loaf pan or baking sheet

350˚F for 40-50 min glass pan in a solar oven

Preheat oven and baking stone (if using): See baking chart. Place a pan of water at the bottom of the oven. Slash the top crust with a sharp knife multiple times.

A secret to handling the bread dough
is using water. Keep the counter top
wet and moisten the utensils with
water too.

Bake until golden brown using baking times from the chart for conventional ovens. Baking multiples loaves simultaneously may require additional baking time.

Let cool 15-30 minutes before slicing, if you can stand it.

Oil or Butter the crust if a shine is desired. Serve with pesto, oil and Italian seasonings, butter and a fruit spread, or enjoy with soups, stews, and salads!

Store extra bread in the freezer within a sealed container. Reheat in toaster or oven.

2

1

3 Spread dough with wet fingers

For Focaccia bread: in a sheet cake pan put 1 ½ T. olive oil. Use the half batch of dough and spread it evenly throughout the pan. (I use a pastry roller)Put olive oil on top and sprinkle with Mrs. Dash Garlic and herb and Parmesan cheese. Put pumpkin seeds on top and roll in with a pastry roller.  Bakeat 400˚ for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

4 Add olive oil on top.

5 Sprinkle with seasoning.
(I use Mrs Dash garlic and herb)

6. Add pumpkin seeds and roll with
 pastry roller