Category: Fermentation

HOW TO MAKE KOMBUCHA TEA

Freak of Natural Staff

  Kombucha tea is a fermented tea with ancient roots, that has recently become again a popular homebrew. Fizzy and slightly alcoholic, Kombucha has a sweet and slightly sour taste very refreshing and pleasant. Packed with probiotics and acids that promote our guts health, this drink can be consumed daily as a beneficial tonic. Kombucha is made by fermenting sweetened teas from the Camellia sinensis plant, indifferently black or green. A culture of yeast and beneficial bacteria is added, the so called SCOBY, that is very similar indeed to the…

MILK KEFIR GRAIN: Let’s eat them

Freak of Natural Staff

  Milk Kefir grains are the starter culture that is used to make not only kefir, but various foods including cheese and bread.  Kefir grains can be used for countless recipes rather than being eaten on their own. From my personal experience I know that most of my self-producing colleagues often end up having so many grains that they don’t know where to store them. Many ask me what to do with the extra grains they still have after refrigerating them, drying, sharing around and so on. Your kefir grains…

LACTIC FERMENTATION: THE SAUERKRAUT RECIPE

Freak of Natural Staff

  Sauerkraut are healthy and easy to prepare at home. The result of lactic fermentation, many versions can be made and be used in even more recipes. The origin of sauerkraut has ancient and surprising roots. It appears that as early as 4000 BC in China, cabbage was fermented using lactic fermentation. Later they got to Europe and spread rapidly around the world thanks to the simplicity of its preparation, combined with the benefits associated with the consumption of this food rich in lactic and probiotic enzymes. LET’S MAKE SAUERKRAUT:…

THE 3 TYPES OF FERMENTATION: ALCOHOLIC, LACTIC AND ACETIC

Freak of Natural Staff

  There are numerous types of fermentation, the main ones being the alcoholic, lactic and acetic. We are talking about metabolic processes that take place in the absence of oxygen, where glucose is degraded into other organic compounds. Normally these processes take place through bacteria and yeasts, and are widely used in the industrial field for the production of beverages and foods such beer, wine, vinegar, yogurt and fermented foods. ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION In this natural biological process, sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose, are converted into cellular energy by…

LACTO-FERMENTATION BASIC INGREDIENTS

Freak of Natural Staff

Lacto-fermentation happens when some bacteria and yeast feed on the sugar and starch in food, converting them into lactic acid . There are several types of fermentation, but lacto-fermentation provides us with the most health benefits. Fermentation involves the metabolic breakdown of a nutrient anaerobically. This breakdown produces ethanol, acids, and other molecules that act as intermediate compounds in a chain of enzymatic reactions. Lacto-fermentation creates beneficial bacteria and various strains of probiotics, enzymes and vitamins while increasing the shelf life of food. INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO FERMENT FOOD Start with…

HOW TO MAKE GINGER BEER

Freak of Natural Staff

  Ginger Beer is a naturally sparkling and slightly alcoholic drink with a particular sweet and spicy flavor. Through the fermentation process it is obtained this rich in probiotics, or those “good” bacteria useful for our guts. Not only very refreshing and beneficial, ginger beer is also very easy and fun to make at home. Read on to find out how to make your own craft ginger beer. Are you looking to get more probiotics into your diet? You may be interested in the article “13 fermented foods with probiotics“.…

KEFIR GRAINS: What are, How to Store Them

Freak of Natural Staff

WHAT ARE KEFIR GRAINS? Kefir grains are symbiotic cultures of lactic acid bacteria and yeast. These have the shape of small cauliflowers up to 5 cm in size. They have an irregular shape and are slimy and soft to the touch. Their color varies from white to pale yellow. Darker colored grains usually indicate worse health condition. When kefir grains are used to ferment non-diary milks, they can take on the color of the liquid in which they grow. Each culture is made up of a unique blend of bacteria,…

MILK KEFIR: How to Make Kefir from Grains

Freak of Natural Staff

  Milk Kefir is an extraordinary fermented effervescent drink made from whole cow or goat milk, although it is possible to prepare versions from non-diary milks. By means of fermentation, the drink takes on enormous digestive benefits otherwise absent, for the delight of our gut and immune system. WHICH MILK TO USE FOR KEFIR? The best kefir one can ever drink is probably made with fresh raw milk from cows that can happily wander free on grassland. In the other hand, raw milk must be purchased from reliable sources because…

YOGURT vs. KEFIR: What are the Differences

Freak of Natural Staff

  Just because yogurt and kefir are both fermented milk products probiotic rich, people  would often assume they’re pretty much the same thing. Though they share some similarities, yogurt and kefir differ in a number of ways from each other. Yogurt and kefir have a similar texture that’s thicker for yogurt, while kefir is more like a beverage to drink up. Kefir is mildly carbonated and tingle on the tongue, and it has a very low alcohol content while yogurt does not. Kefir grains are used to culture milk kefir,…

HOW TO MAKE KEFIR: Easy Method Starting from Commercial Kefir

Freak of Natural Staff

  Are you a Kefir avid drinker as I am? Do you enjoy it for breakfast, plain, rather than with some cereals, fresh fruit, honey or anything else? Are you just generally curious or eager to know ways to make some really healty and tasty product economically in the confort of your home? Well, whatever is the reason that has brough you here, just stick a bit longer and let me introduce you a very easy way to make probiotics rich kefir on your own! There are mainly two ways…

LACTIC FERMENTATION: How to Make Kimchi

Freak of Natural Staff
Lactic fermentation: how to make Kimchi

  Kimchi is a traditional Korean food resulting from lactic fermentation that has hundreds of variations. I have already revealed the 3 secrets to prepare a perfect Kimchi, you just have to try to prepare it at home. Here the challenge is to have the necessary patience because the reward is still a couple of weeks away. BAECHU KIMCHI Baechu Kimchi is the most common of all kimchi varieties and the key component that is always found in Korean refrigerators. When you just say “kimchi”, this is the type you…

3 Secrets for Making a Perfect Kimchi

Freak of Natural Staff
£ secrets for making the perfect Kimchi

  Today I will reveal to you the three secrets for preparing a perfect Kimchi, a Korean preparation and tradition based on the ancient technique of lactic fermentation. With this article you will enter the magical world of kimchi; only after the complete reading will you be ready to make your own kimchi at home and delight your guests.   KIMCHI AND LACTIC FERMENTATION: TWO ANCIENT TRADITIONS   Korean Kimchi is neither a dish, nor a meal, nor a recipe. It is a task to be carried out over time.…

BLACK GARLIC: What is it, Properties and Uses

Freak of Natural Staff

  WHAT IS BLACK GARLIC? Black garlic is not a variety of garlic and doesn’t grow this way in case you were wondering. This kind of garlic is the final result of a long and particular process that transform white garlic. A completely unique product packed with nutritional and organoleptic properties way different from the original source. In fact, beside from color and consistence of its pulp, black garlic differs from the common one for its sweetish taste, with aromatic licorice reminiscent notes. The main advantage is that this processed…

EASY COCONUT MILK YOGURT RECIPE

Freak of Natural Staff
easy coconut milk yogurt recipe

  Coconut water and coconut milk are packed with beneficial nutrients and taste absolutely great. Making cultured coconut milk yogurt is easy, and it’s a great alternative to yogurt made with dairy products. Coconut yogurt can be as creamy and fragrant as dairy yogurt, as well as contain specific probiotic active cultures. To begin, for the recipe we need coconut milk that is unsweetened, The label should read coconut, coconut cream, or just coconut milk, and nothing else. You can add any sweetener or fruit to the finished yogurt. If…

EASY HOMEMADE YOGURT

Freak of Natural Staff

  Making delicious probiotic yogurt in the comfort of your home isn’t complicated as one may think. Firstly, you need some milk! Any type of milk will work when making yogurt or kefir, but some are better too. A higher fat content will result in thicker yogurt. If you can, go for a variety that is not UHT (ultra high temperature) processed to have a longer shelf life. Be sure to use whole milk for a creamier, thicker texture, or if available, raw milk makes the yogurt even creamier and…

HOW VINEGAR IS MADE

Freak of Natural Staff

  Vinegar is made from any fruit or vegetable that contain enough sugar. Although apple juice is most commonly used for making vinegar, other fruit juices are just as good. We are talking about grapes, peaches, citrus, persimmons, pineapples, some berries, kiwi, and grains.. The production of vinegar is the result of two distinct fermentation processes, an alcoholic fermentation followed by an acetic fermentation. Vinegar is essentially a dilute solution of acetic acid, made by fermentation processes, containing salts and extracted matter. These additional substances, the exact nature and quantity…