The Art of Fermentation Workshop with Sandor Katz

My morning toast to the water view before the big day

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On February 8,  I had the privilege to attend a workshop The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz at the Pacific Rim College in Victoria BC.

Sandor is known for his passion and knowledge about fermentation, he has written books like The Art of Fermentation and The Wild Fermentation and is well respected in the fermenter communities all around the world. I highly recommend anyone interested in fermenting to acquire these books as great resource materials.

Traveling to attend this workshop was also a turning point for me. I haven't travel alone since I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis a little over a year ago. The thought of venturing out of my comfort zone was daunting but when this opportunity came up, I knew this was my chance to take the next step on my healing journey.

What is Fermentation?

Sandor starts the workshop with the definition.

Fermentation = microbial transformation 

He covered many topics from his books along with demos and Q and A throughout the 9-5 workshop.

Demo time

In my 8 pages of notes,  I would like to share a couple of topics I am glad to have gotten clarification and affirmation from:

1. Anaerobic ( without oxygen like sauerkraut being submerged under water  )  vs. aerobic ( with oxygen like kombucha being kept in a breathable cover ) ferments

2. The Purpose of fermentation

• Preservation of in Season foods
• Pre-digestion for easier absorption
• Detoxification by improving and balancing gut flora health

What I got out of the event?

As a facilitator, Sandor is a down to earth and knowledgable speaker. He warmingly shares his stories around ferments through his extensive travels. I appreciate how he gracefully addressed questions without dismissing any that are more specific to nutritional needs and outside of his area of knowledge.

The Art of Fermentation workshop gave me the opportunity to be in good company of like minded fermenters. The event has affirmed my love for fermentation and interest in the human microbiome. I am glad I took the online course Gut Check: Exploring the human microbiome from Coursera a few months back where I got an introduction of the Scientific background on the topic. The "Expansive possibilities" of ferments fascinate me so much that I wish to continue learning about this world of microbial community.

Specifically,  this workshop has inspired me to explore wild fermentation more. I have since started my first batch of Beet Kvass and cucumber, radish, garlic greens ferment and patiently waiting. I also want to experiment wild fermenting fresh fruit in water to see how it does. As Sandor says, " everything ( food ) is fermentable and I will continue to explore.

Left: Brine method ferment - cucumbers, radishes, dill and garlic
Right: 2nd pressing Beet Kvass

Stretching the 24 hours clock on AIP

Everyone has the same number of hours in the day but some people seem to be able to accomplish more, why is that?

Being an AIP mom ( which entails extra cooking and food preparation time ), I often get into the topic of how I balance my time amongst, family, business, blogging, my health... and the list continues. By no means am I implying that I have it all figured out and am always on tops of things, I am merely sharing some of the techniques I found helpful for me to find my style of time management. I still get frazzled at times, but I don't get wrapped up and let it carry me away to the land of out of control stress anymore. In the past, stress has triggered my Ulcerative Colitis to flare up no matter how diligent I am with my diet. Now, I am better at addressing this important component to my healing health.

Time management is usually thought of to increase productivity, for someone with a chronic condition, it is essential to maintain a low stress level for health's sick.

Here is my strategy.

• Finding your most productive time. I find that I am more productive in the early mornings so I get up a couple hours before the rest of the family awakes to get some me time to practice yoga.
• Start with structure as my guideline. I use several methods to keep track of things; a calendar,  make lists both pen to paper and on my phone.
• Get them done and cross them off. Once I have the task established, I try to complete them one by one and get them off my mind, it is a sense of accomplishment I enjoy feeling. 
• Be flexible. When unexpected things come up, I have learned be open and go with the flow. 
• Prioritizing. Sometime I want to do what I like first and leave the other ones for later, prioritizing keeps the more pressing tasks and projects that require more time higher up on the list. 
• Regroup and reset. Anytime I start to get overwhelmed, I have learned to stop and reassess my workload and health status. I have learned it's ok to say "no" to previous commitments sometimes. Asking for help and learning to delegate is not a defeat or sign of weakness. It is a sign of intelligence.
• FOOD - find easy to prepare recipes like this  and batch cook ahead of time. My children seem to be always hungry so having ready to eat AIP/ Paleo food in the house is very important. 
• Practice makes habits. Once I keep using my techniques over and over, I can into the groove and things just flow easier even when I am busy. 

Tools 

• Personal Kanban " A kanban is a tool to visualize, organize, and complete work. - See more at: http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/primers/what-is-a-kanban/#sthash.dQTUNUHS.t5mwAOwC.dpuf"  on fridge, this is a great tool especially for visual learners, I also make graphic versions for my kids
• Set reminder alarms on my phone, I make good use of both the 1st and 2nd alert the calendar app on my phone
• Stay calm and take deep breathes, it seems so simple yet so powerful. You can do it anywhere. 
• Practice yoga daily, this is a really important one, I certainly feel the difference if I miss my practice a couple of days. It is high on my priority list and I have to make time for it. 
• Get enough sleep, it is not worth it trade rest time for work time, 30 mins later a few nights in a roll will catch up on me. 
• Believe that when things are crazy that it's only the ebb and flow of life, it will level out and balance 
• Trust you inner self to that you will bring things in order 

I hope these ideas will help you add to your time and stress management system so you can maintain better health. What technique do you personally use that is effective? I would like to hear what works for you too. 

Busy Family One Pan Chicken Legs

It was a busy school afternoon. The day just ran right past me with errands and I haven't prepped dinner. I had chicken legs in the fridge but it was already 4pm and we still have a few activities to go to before dinner. I am finally more comfortable with setting the oven delay and auto shut off now so I prepped and made this meal for dinner. 

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Busy Family One Pan Chicken Legs

Serves 4     Prep time 15mins + optional marinade time   Cook time 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Chicken Legs

For marinade

• 3 stalks garlic greens, chopped
• 1 c coconut milk kefir
• 1 tsp organic turmeric like (this one) 
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp himalayan pink salt

Instructions

1. In a large oven glass pan, mix marinade ingredients well
2. Add chicken legs and stir to coat with marinade
3. Cover and let sit for 30mins or longer if you have the time
4. Preheat oven to 475 F
5. Bake at the high heat for 15mins 
6. Turn chicken legs over
7. Turn oven down to 275 F and slow bake for 1 hour
8. Stir cooked chicken in pan and broil for 5 mins before serving 

Happy V day

My taste buds have certainly changed since I starting healing with food. I love chocolate, especially really dark ones, I love the bitterness of dark chocolate but sometimes anything over 75% feels really dry in the mouth. Another thing is chocolate does stir up gut symptoms for me so I needed to AIP hack a recipe that works for my taste buds. I decided to mix carob for the "cocoa" taste and added turmeric for it's unique hint of bitterness to create this recipe. When I was experimenting with this recipe, I wouldn't tell my family ( my front taste tester team ) what was in it. There were mixed reviews but they were more intrigued with " what was in it?" I wouldn't tell them and told them they had to wait for my blog post. I know... a bit cruel but fun! 

AIP Carob Turmeric Hearts

Makes 12 hearts    Prep time 10 mins  Set time 10 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp carob powder ( sifted)
• 2 tsp red palm oil
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp organic turmeric
• 2 tsp maple syrup ( or to taste)   

Instruction

1. Melt oils over low heat in small pan
2. Add rest of ingredients and stir until smooth
3. Pour in silicone molds and set in freezer for 10 mins
4. Remove from mold and store in air tight container in fridge 

Easy Baked Chicken Liver

Two days in a row grocery shopping with my 4 yo and he b-lines to the chicken feet section and grabs a pack. Today, I figure I would help him reach higher for the chicken livers. Livers, all organ meats are known for their nutrient density, they do have an interesting texture and if not prepared probably it can turn some people off. I am very pleased with this easy recipe to make another quick and simple nutrient dense snack. I am sure my kids are ready to pack these for school snack to "impress" their friend. Why should you eat organ meats? 

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Easy Baked Chicken Liver

Serves 4     Prep time 10 mins + 1 hrs marinade time   Cook time 30 mins
Ingredients

• 1 lb. Chicken Livers, trimmed and remove membrane if you wish
• 1 tbsp bacon fat, melted

Marinade

• 1 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
• 1 tsp fish sauce ( I use Red Boat ) 
• 2-3 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 green onion
• 1 garlic green

Instructions

1. Mix all marinade ingredients together and toss to coat chicken liver in it
2. Cover and let marinade 1 hour in fridge
3. Preheat oven to 375F
4. Melt bacon fat in small pan and mix into chicken livers
5. Spread on baking pan spaced out with 1" apart
6. Bake 20 mins, flip and bake another 10 mins

Serve warm with fermented vegetables or rainbow faux rice.

Rainbow Faux rice

a great side in an endive boat for my little one as those innocent looking cherry tomatoes ( nightshade)  will not settle well in my tummy

My food processor was always tucked away in the back of the bottom cupboards until my recent love of making faux rice. I am embracing how to make faux rice with all sorts of vegetables, the trick is not to over process nor over cook them to keep their crunch. Here are a couple of my favorite AIP rice dishes. Finally some comfort food in the bowl to eat with my chopsticks.

 Rainbow Faux rice

A colorful fried faux rice

Serves 4         Prep time 15 mins         Cook time 15 mins 

Ingredients

• 1 small parsnip, peeled and cubed
• 2 small turnip, peeled and cubed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1 head of broccoli, separate stem and florets, cut stem into cubes, breakup florets into small clusters
• 2 stalks of garlic greens
• 1 small purple yam, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• pink himalayan salt to taste
• fish sauce
• 1 tbsp fat of your choice (bacon fat, duck fat or coconut oil)
• optional: garnish with cilantro 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix ground pork, grated ginger, salt and fish sauce and let sit while you prepare the vegetables
2. Put small batches of prepared vegetables ( accept broccoli florets) into processor and pulse until they are size of beans. You may need to empty the pulsed vegetables a few times to prevent uneven and over processoring 
3. Pulse broccoli florets last in an emptied the processor, stir all processed vegetables well to mix
4. Heat fat on Medium heat in a deep and large pan 
5. Sautee vegetables for 5 mins, turn heat off and cover
6. In another pan, on medium heat, fry marinaded ground pork until cooked, no more pink
7. You can mix cooked pork together with vegetables or serve it vegetables on the bottom and pork on top.  Garnish with cilantro 

Coconut kefir yam ginger smoothie

Serves 2   Prep time 10 mins ( plus cooling time for cooked yam )

Ingredients 

• 1 small white yam, peeled and sliced into 1/2" slices
• 1 c. water to cook yam with
• 1/4 c coconut milk kefir or coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp ( or more if you like it spicy like me) peeled and grated ginger
• optional: 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• optional: freeze dried strawberries to garnish

Instruction

1. In a small pot, cook yam slices in 1 c of water until soft
2. Cool in fridge 
3. Put all ingredients accept of garnish in blender and blend until smooth
4. Garnish with freeze dried strawberries.

Enjoy