About Dairy Cultures

So I have been asked why I have chosen to make Kefir and Piima as my first expedition and to explain what 'Kefir' and 'Piima' are. Well first things first, I need to master the basics before I can make my scratch recipes. I am starting with these recipes so I can later on make smoothies, whey, cheese, butter and more. These cultures have extreme health benefits and are crucial to a healthy diet. During the fermentation process 30-40% of lactose is broken down and the product produces high levels of enzymes. Not only do they help preserve but they can make food more digestible. As we continue cooking and experimenting I will teach you more and more about the products as I learn too!

Lets not forget tomorrow is the big day! And today is the last day to eat anything I want. I need to make a plan for this next week of eating. Here is another shopping list I made:

Best Quality Cream
Candy Thermometer
Glass Jars
Wild Rice
Butter
Wheat Flower
Popcorn
Cheese Cloth
Milk

All of these products organic of course

I'll hopefully be back with a game plan...


Momma

Almost forgot...

Piima- Scandinavian culture comes from cows after eating Butterwort. At the peak of the growth, milk would clabber at room temperature. With Piima we can create butter, cheese, sour cream substitute, mayo substitute, whey, salad dressings and more!!

Kefir- Similar to yogurt but much thinner, Created by introducing bacteria to milk. It has a much more soury bubbly taste compared to yogurt. This cultured milk has a very small alcohol content. We will make cheese, shakes, and smoothies with this beneficial bacteria beverage!!

Starting My Starters

Thank goodness my 3-starters kit came with thorough instructions. I really didn't know where to start! But one thing I have learned from friends is any culturing/fermenting should be done in a sanitized container. So first thing I did was throw all my jars in the wash and washed my hands. While reading about activating all my starters I was a little overwelmed with the directions. If I mess this up there isn't enough starter to try again... So I got to do this right the first time until I have enough starter to store in the freezer. I have invested in an indoor thermometer. This is very important to have to be sure your cultures dont turn rotten. To keep track of what to do next I wrote down the time and task to do with each culture. Kefir needs more milk between midnight and noon, sourdough will be ready to use in the morning, and my piima culture is ready to refrigerate noon tomorrow.That's all for now.

Momma

Second Package!

Second 3 day delivery package. This is an order of sourdough starter, keifer grains, and piima powder. It was cheaper to get all three rather than getting just two. Check it out at moonwiseherbs.com :-)
Holy cow just opened it up. Super impressed with my starters. They look like they came right out of the kitchen!! Sooo excited I don't even know where to start. No really I don't know where to start... Haha

First package!

My Christmas present from Trey was an order I made off of Radiantlifecatolog.com! Only took 3 days to get here!!

Almost Time!

So in 3 short days Trey and I are starting our cleansing fast. If you are wondering why we would do such a thing its because we want to ensure our children to have optimal health and nutrition. We have been encouraged by different books and doctors to cleanse our bodies from toxins, free radicals, and chemicals. We don't want to just eat this way for 6 months but make it a life-style. Our Nourishing Traditions book has hundreds of pages explaining how these eating habits have been around for centuries and why it is so important to our diet.

One section is all on feeding babies. This is where we read about our cleansing fast and read of foods we need to eat liberally of, these include- organic liver and other organ meats, fish eggs and other seafood, eggs, and the best quality butter, cream, and fermented milk products. Its is also advised to take a daily cod liver supplement. Organic meats. vegetables, grains and legumes should round out the diet with lots of leafy green vegetables rich in folic acid. This is necessary to prevent of birth defects like spina bifida.

Another good suggestion is to inform those who live in your household about your new food regimen. I had my mother take a look at my NT book and she couldn't put it down ! She thought it was fascinating! I'm so excited to start this new adventure! I know this isn't going to be easy but I have a lot of people supporting us and I hope we can be an encouragement to you! I'll be back with my second shopping list and new recipes I'm trying out!

Momma

Todays PCC purchase

Here is a large jar I plan to use for my different dairy cultures.

Gotta start somewhere

So I don't know a whole lot about nutrition. I just know I can eat about anything in my Nourishing Traditions book. I decided to place an order on Radiantlifecatolog.com for a few things to prepare us. January 1st we plan to start this new cleansing fast. Now that we are both convinced we want to do this, the question is, are we committed? We both believe that our family's health is the utmost important but to change a life-style so drastically is going to be a huge challenge. I still don't know what I will make first but here is a shopping list I made:

Radiantlifecatolog.com
                        Acerola Powder - 6 oz
                        Bernard Jensen Gelatin - 14 oz.
                        Celtic Sea Salt Fine - 1 lb.
                        Flora Organic Sunflower Oil  - 17 oz
                        Quantum Cod Liver Oil Capsules - Capsules 150 Count  
                        Radiant Life Catalog - free with order                           
                        Stevia  - Stevia Supreme Packets - 50 pck     

Other
                       Coconut oil - walmart
                       Wheat Germ - fred meyers
                       Piima Powder - gemcultures.com
                       Maple Syrup - trader joes
                       Kefir Grains - gemcultures.com
                       Flax Oil - pcc
                     
I know I'm going to need more than this to feed my family nutritious food but I'd say its a great start!


See you soon
Momma

ps
http://www.moonwiseherbs.com/3_culture_set.htm