Raw Lacto-fermented Dill Pickles

   Pickles along with many other fermented foods, have roots in history as some of the most valuable, health supporting foods. Unfortunately in today's society we are accustomed to eating, cooked, artificially flavored and preserved pickles that don't provide any of the health benefits that fermented pickles have.  A process called canning requires you to cook foods before preserving, killing bad bacteria but also killing the beneficial bacteria that make fermented pickles much healthier. There are many different ways to make pickles but today I will show you how to make vinegar free, lacto-fermented, raw(uncooked) pickles without the use of whey or similar starter cultures. This simple traditional method is an alternative to the modern canning process that keeps all nutrients and enzymes intact with the use of a salt and water brine.

Researching different pickling techniques and studying cellular respiration has helped me to better understand this incredible process and also gave me the knowledge to reduce the risk of making bad batches. Pickling is an art, it takes a little knowledge and patience but the reward is a flavorful crisp bite to the tongue like you've never tasted before. I grew up on store bought pickles, no past generations to teach me and no prior childhood memories of fermenting anything. If I can do it you can do it and I'm here to help you, health is the number one goal. A homemade life isn't necessarily hard but it isn't easy either. I had to change all of my habits and become more organized to get everything done but hey that's not a bad thing.

The Bacteria Behind That Healthy Tang

    The purpose of fermentation is to preserve foods by promoting a naturally occurring healthy living bacteria such as lactobacillus. Lactobacilli converts lactose and other sugars into lactic acid, consequently creating an acidic environment, robbing bad bacteria of food; thus, killing them off and preventing spoilage for long periods of time. During this transition time we must eliminate the bad bacteria and help the good bacteria thrive. This means oxygen must also be absent to prevent contamination from yeast and other undesirable microorganisms. A salt water brine along with spices are added to draw out moisture to further eliminate growth of bad bacteria and to keep the vegetables as crisp as possible. The 2 main by-products of this particular lacto-fermentation is lactic acid and carbon dioxide. We must release carbon dioxide and oxygen but mustn't allow oxygen back in, there are many different ways to do this, I will show you the easiest way with common household products. Probiotics or "lactobacillus already live in our intestines, on our skin, in our muscles and on the skins of various fresh fruits and vegetables. Probiotics are said to have the potential to heal diseases such as IBS, Crohn's disease, diarrhea, eczema and more. If there is any reason at all to take the time to make your own pickles it's because you want the benefits.

Past Batches: The Outcomes    

My first batch of pickles consisted of cucumbers, fresh dill, carrots, garlic, bell peppers and onions. The salt brine contained mustard seed, allspice, clove, bay leaf, peppercorn and a few other goodies that kept everything crisp and tasting amazing.  I was so happy with the 1st batch I decided to make another but this time I used sour spinach as layers, it added a sourness that I really enjoyed! I will probably use it every time now! I decided not to add in the carrots and bell peppers because that meant less pickles and that was my favorite part. For the 2nd batch the summer drought proved challenging for finding fresh dill but I did happen to find dried flowering dill seed, this also worked seemingly well, except as you can see in the picture I should have put all the spices at the bottom so I wouldn't have to pick all the dill seeds off. For the third batch I put all the same spices on the bottom this time with layered cucumbers, asian sorrel, garlic, onions and the returning fresh dill.  This was by far the best batch of pickles and so this will be the recipe I post here. Experiment and have fun, with a little persistence you can ferment all sorts of fresh ingredients to make some of your favorite dishes for cheaper! A few things you should not experiment with are deciding not to sterilize your jars, salt to water ratios, and not using fresh ingredients. All these things have the potential to spoil a batch and possibly make you sick.

Yield: 1 gallon of pickles
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ferment Time: 5-7 days

Tools Needed: 

1 gallon jar or 4 quart jars, knife, freezer bag, rubber band

Tips For Choosing The Best Ingredients

-Pick the smallest and firmest cucumbers with the most warts.
-Buy all produce from the farmers market to make sure you are getting the freshest available.
-The fresher the ingredients the crunchier they will be. Which means just picked off the vine is best.
-Buying in the fall time has many benefits such as an abundance of harvested foods at a cheap price.
-Ask the farmer if they are chemical free or try to find organic if you must go to a supermarket.
-Save time and money by looking for pickling mix in the dried spices and herbs bulk section.
-These ingredients are best fresh when possible: dill, garlic and onion.
-Use only kosher, mineral or sea salt. No iodized salt allowed.

Ingredients- All these ingredients are optional and can be experimented with
approximately 15 small pickling cucumbers
1 large onion
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of grape leaves, horseradish leaves, or sour cherry leaves.
    ^These ingredients help the pickles stay crunchy but they are not absolutely necessary especially if you cut of the blossom ends of the cucumber.

Brine

Salt to Water Ratio: 1 cup salt to 1 gallon or 4 quarts water.

1/8 cup pickling spice
      -or 1 tbsp each -mustard seed, allspice, clove, bay leaf, peppercorn, cinnamon, etc.

The sour spinach with the red stems on the left hand side are so sour and delicious, 
it makes an excellent pickle companion.

6 Step Instructions

Step 1. Boil water to sanitize a gallon mason jar or 4 quart mason jars. Leave a 1/2 gallon of water out on the counter for 24 hours to dechlorinate or boil for 10 minutes. Chlorine will kill beneficial bacteria.

Step 2. Make the salt brine. 

     -Bring the 2 quarts of dechlorinated water almost to a boil.

     -Stir in 1 cup salt until it dissolves

     -Let cool until room temperature or put a few filtered ice cubes in to speed up the process.

Step 3. Wash cut and prep all ingredients, 
     -Cut off the blossom end of the pickles. (This will also help them stay crunchy)
     -Poke holes in the cucumber with a fork.
     -I like to quarter the larger cucumbers. (They tend to be less crunchy when sliced but still a great.)

Step 4: Layer all of your ingredients, trying to pack them as tightly as possible.

Example

-cucumber 

-garlic/onion

-dill

-leaves of choice

-repeat until you have about 3 inches of head space.

Step 5: Pour your room temperature brine into the jar until you have an inch or 2 of head space left.

-Poke the pickles with something such as a clean wooden chopstick to release as much oxygen as you can. The pickles may float to the surface if it was not packed tight enough.

Step 6: Releasing carbon dioxide

There are many ways to do this. The simplest option is finding a plate or lid that fits inside of the jars mouth to push the pickles down. Unfortunately this is harder than it sounds since I have yet to find a perfect match. The other way is to buy pickling lids. I have read they are very effective and mess free but the problem is you would have to buy 4 lids for 4 quart jars because it does not fit wide mouth gallon jars. I usually make 2 gallons at a time so this does not work for me. If you plan to make small batches this may be the best option for you. There is also the option to just put the cap on and call it good but I have not tried this and from looking at pictures the pickle juice tends to get very cloudy. Plus the carbon dioxide would build up and you would have to monitor it very closely so it does not explode. I have been using the freezer bag method and it has worked every time.

-Put the jar on a plate to catch any spillage.

-Fill 1 bottom corner of a freezer bag with filtered water and close shut

-Put the water filled corner into the pickling jar and secure around the lid with a rubber band.

-Use a cloth, coffee filter or paper towel to cover the bag and rubber band again for extra protection.

The bag should be pushing the pickles down and allowing excess oxygen to escape. while the cloth adds outside invasion protection.

Let the pickles sit in a dark, well ventilated area for 5-7 days.

The warmer it is the faster it ferments, the cooler it is the longer it takes to ferment.

You can check on them and taste them as often as necessary until it is the desired sourness.

Additional Information

Perfect Temperature 86-104 degrees F

Perfect PH Balance: 4.5
Light kills lactic acid bacteria.
If it smells anything but wonderful throw it out.

Enjoy!

An article comparing the difference between salt, whey, kefir grains, and starter cultures

Chili Cheeze Fries Raw Food Style

This 4 Part Recipe Includes

Jicama hot fries, sweet and spicy chili meat, cheesy sauce, and lime salsa

  I have to say this is probably the most brilliant discovery in raw food history! There is nothing I missed more than warm crispy fries loaded with the good stuff. Miss no more because now there is an amazing raw version.

 There are 4 stages to this recipe but don't be afraid it doesn't take long and it lasts a couple of days!This recipe makes a large batch of "meat", cheeze, and salsa. If I have extra I use them for tacos, chili bowls and/or more jicama fries! Here is my blog for corn tortillas or you can use good ol' collard greens. It's a favorite amongst my raw and non raw friends!

Jicama Fry Marinade

1 jicama peeled and cut into matchsticks

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp oil (grapeseed, olive, sunflower, etc)

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp smoked paprika (not raw but you can substitute for regular paprika)

1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp caynne

salt and pepper

Mix everything but the jicama in a bowl, then add in the jicama and shake it around until evenly coated.

Marinade these preferably over night or just enjoy as is. I like to dehydrate mine so they aren't as messy for about 1 hour at 105 degrees while I make the rest of my toppings.

Sweet & Spicy Chili Meat

Base

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup walnuts

10 sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup carrots

1 cup kale

1/2 cup sweet bell pepper or tomato

Flavor- don't be afraid to add or subtract ingredients

1 scallion

1 bunch chives

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp lemon

2 tbsp lime

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp cilantro

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp miso or nama shoyu(soy sauce)

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp hot pepper

salt and pepper

My favorite extra to add in at the end is 1 cup of raisins. The raisins amp up the texture and provide a sweet little surprise when you bite into it. I prefer not to grind it up rather just keep them whole. Also try to find golden raisins they are delicious!

The flavors get better and better the longer the "meat" sits in the refrigerator. If possible I recommend letting this sit over night to get the best overall flavor.

Cheezy Sauce

1 cup cashews soaked over night

1 red or yellow bell pepper

3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast (depends on how cheesy you want it)

1 tbsp lemon

1 tbsp smoked paprika

salt and peper

extras

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 clove garlic

1 tsp soy sauce

If you look at the top left hand corner you can see an elephant head!

Lime Salsa

2 tomatoes 

1/2 cup sweet bell pepper

1/8 cup fresh cilantro

2 tbsp lime

1 tbsp lemon

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp white pepper

salt and pepper

I also like to throw kale or mustard greens in it to give it extra nutrition and a chunkier texture.

Last but not least I cut up a few onion and garlic chive slices and throw it on top and it's ready to eat or you can dehydrate for 30 minutes at 105 degrees until warm. The cheese thickens and stays on the fries better that way as well. Over all this recipe is an A+ for me, it hits the spot every time. 

Decked Out Tostadas

Raw Tostadas

This is a true gourmet raw meal that is sure to satisfy anyone who likes food! This dish has layers of big flavor and great texture from bottom up. To start we prepared and dehydrated our corn tortillas. Once they were done we added our sour cream, nut taco meat, guacamole, salsa, spinach and tomatoes. There are many different ways to create your mexican fiesta, if your short on time here are a few quick and easy solutions. Replace guacamole with slices of avocado. Nut meat can be replaced with marinated mushrooms. The corn tortilla can be replaced with a collard green wrap to make a burrito or the corn tortilla can be cut or shaped differently to make a taco shell. The possibilities are endless!

18 tostadas

Prep Time: 1hr

Dehydration Time: 

2-4 hours

Tools Needed: 

Food Processor and/or Blender, Dehydrator

Corn Tortilla

2 cups fresh corn

1/2 yellow or red bell pepper- save the other 1/2 for taco nut meat

1/2 cup tomato

1 cup flax seed ground

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tbsp lime

1 tbsp lemon

1 tsp cayenne

a pinch himalayan salt and ground peppercorn

Directions: Blend all the ingredients together and spread out on either Non Stick Dehydrator Sheets or parchment paper. 

Spreading Dough: If you have a circular dehydrator I recommend using an offset spatula to spread you dough mixture even at about 1/16in thick. 

Now that I have an excalibur with square dehydrator trays, I've learned a new trick that is very useful for spreading dough. Put a piece of plastic wrap over the dough in the center of the tray. Using a rolling pin spread the dough the edges of the plastic. It's much easier and the plastic wrap come right off very clean. If you really want to be a dough rolling expert use these rolling hills rolling pin bands!

Dehydrate: at 105 degrees for 1-2 hours then flip over by placing another Non Stick Dehydrator Sheets or parchment paper on top of tortillas then flip and peel the paper off slowly and dehydrate for another 1-2 hours.

Sour Cream

1/2 cup soaked and drained cashews and/or sunflower seeds

1/2 cup thai coconut meat

1/2 cup thai coconut water

1/4 cup lemon

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp miso

a pinch of Himalayan salt

Directions: Blend the cashews/sunflower seeds first with coconut water. Next blend the date until smooth. Lastly add in the rest of the ingredients and add more water if you desire it to be thinner.

Taco Nut Meat

1 cup mixed nuts- pecans, walnuts

1 cup mixed seeds- sunflower, pumpkin

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup greens- chives, onions, kale, cilantro

1/2 yellow or red bell pepper

1/2 cup tomato

1/2 cup soaked sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp bragg's liquid amino

1 tbsp miso

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon

1 tbsp lime

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne

a pinch of Himalayen salt and ground peppercorn

Directions: Put all the ingredients in food processor in the order above and pulse a few times so it is still chunky but mixed well.

Guacamole

2 avocados

1 cup corn

1/2 cup chives, onions and 

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp lemon

1 tbsp lime

A pinch of Himalayan salt and ground peppercorn

Directions: In a bowl mash all of the ingredients together

Salsa

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup cilantro and kale (kale is spicy and gives you added nutrition while adding extra bite)

1 tbsp lime

1 tbsp lemon

1 garlic clove

finely cut jalapeño

A pinch of Himalayan salt and ground peppercorn

Directions: Either cut ingredients very small or pulse a few times in a blender.

Garnish and top with your favorite ingredients and ENJOY!

Kabobs, Italian "Pasta" Salad, and Stuffed Mushrooms

The pineapple sauce and stuffed mushrooms are inspired by therawchef.com This is a perfect meal when you are in the mood for bbq. One of my favorite meals my mom used to make was pasta salad, now I have a healthier raw version! The stuffed mushrooms taste just like the ones out of the oven except more flavor and the marinated zucchini, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and pineapple had more flavor then I could imagine! This will be added to my meals at least once a week!

Kabob Ingredients

Vegetables to be cut into 1" squares

3 large portabello mushrooms

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

1/2 red onion or 1 small

1 red bell pepper

1 cup pineapple

Vegetable Sauce to be blended together

1 cup pineapple

3 tbsp tamari or nama shoyu (raw soy sauce)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

Directions:

-Cut vegetables into 1" squares and place in a large bowl so they are spread into 1 to 2 layers

-Blend the vegetable sauce together and pour over vegetables

-Store in refrigerator for about an 45 min while you get the rest of the meal prepared

Italian Pasta Salad

For the "Pasta" to be shredded using cheese grater or spiralizer (makes noodles out of vegetables)

1 zucchini

1 carrot

1 yellow squash

For the Creamy Italian Dressing to be blended

1 avocado

1/4 cup sunflower seeds ground (grind in a coffee or spice grinder)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) or tamari

1 shallot, or scallion

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt & pepper

blend in water until you reach your desired consistency

Spices: add in your own touch with whatever you have on hand

basil

oregano

thyme

rosemary

sage

Stuffed Mushroom Ingredients

10 small brown or white mushrooms de-stemmed

Marinate

1/4 cup tamari

1/4 cup olive oil

Stuffing

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 small carrot

1/2 a small tomato

4 sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp name shoyu (raw soy sauce) or miso

1 garlic clove

handful of basil, rosemary, sage, thyme or whatever you like