Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (35 page)

ORANGE MARMALADE

Makes 1 quart

3-4 organic oranges

1 tablespoon sea salt

¼ cup whey (
Whey and Cream Cheese
)

½ cup filtered water

¼ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

This makes a marmalade that is liquid rather than thick. Slice oranges very thinly and cut slices into quarters. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over oranges, adding more water if necessary to cover them. Marmalade should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. If marmalade develops spots of white mold on the top, simply remove them with a spoon.

Variation: Kumquat Marmalade

Use
about 2 dozen kumquats
instead of oranges.

Oranges are famous for their high vitamin C content. They also contain potassium and some calcium. The interior white membrane is an excellent source of bioflavonoids, so essential to the health of the blood capillaries. Seville oranges are prized for the flavor of their skin, which folklore claims has medicinal properties. Before the days of refrigerated ships, oranges from Spain came to Northern Europe in the form of marmalade. Originally marmalade was a lacto-fermented food! The oranges were mixed with salt water and pressed into large casks. The long sea voyage gave them plenty of time to ferment and develop rich flavors. Sugar was too expensive to be added in large quantities, so marmalade was traditionally quite tart. SWF

Native of China, and cousin to almonds, cherries, peaches and plums, the apricot was valued by ancient cultures both for its delicious fruit and tasty seed. Chinese "almond cakes" and "almond soup" were actually made of apricot seeds. The apricot is especially cherished in the Himalayan kingdom of Hunza where the inhabitants eat large amounts of a wild variety as a source of health and exceptional longevity. In 1934, the Nobel-prize winner G. S. Whipple praised the apricot as "equal to liver in hemoglobin regeneration." Apricots are rich in betacarotene, an antioxidant that helps prevent cancer, as well as magnesium, potassium, calcium and especially iron. Dried Turkish apricots are one of the very few wild fruits available commercially in American markets. SWF

APRICOT BUTTER

Makes 2 quarts

4 cups unsulphured dried apricots

1 tablespoon sea salt

¼ cup whey (
Whey and Cream Cheese
)

¼-½ cup raw honey

Cook apricots in filtered water until soft. Let cool slightly and transfer with a slotted spoon to food processor. Process with remaining ingredients. Taste for sweetness and add more honey if necessary. Place in quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jars. The apricot butter should be at least 1 inch below the tops of the jars. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days before transferring to refrigerator. This should be eaten within 2 months. It is excellent with
breakfast porridge
or on
pancakes
.

Variation: Apple Butter

Use
dried apples
instead of apricots

Variation: Pear Butter

Use
dried pears
instead of apricots.

The education of the young in the tribal groups Weston Price studied included instruction in dietary wisdom as a way of ensuring the health of future generations and the continuance of the tribe in the face of the constant challenges of finding food and defending the group against warring neighbors. Modern parents, living in times of peace and abundance, face an altogether different challenge, one of discrimination and cunning. For they must learn to discriminate between hyperbole and truth when it comes to choosing foods for themselves and their family; and to practice cunning in protecting their children from those displacing products of modern commerce that prevent the optimal expression of their genetic heritage—foodstuffs made of sugar, white flour, vegetable oils and products that imitate the nourishing foods of our ancestors—margarine, shortening, egg replacements, meat extenders, fake broths, ersatz cream, processed cheese, factory farmed meats, industrially farmed plantfoods, protein powders and packets of stuff that never spoils.

For a future of healthy children—for any future at all—we must turn our backs on the dietary advice of sophisticated medical orthodoxy and return to the food wisdom of our so-called primitive ancestors, choosing traditional whole foods that are organically grown, humanely raised, minimally processed and above all not shorn of their vital lipid component.
Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children

BERRY PRESERVES

Makes 1 quart

4 cups fresh berries, such as bosenberries, blackberries or raspberries, or a mixture

2 teaspoons sea salt

¼ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

¼ cup whey

2 teaspoons Pomona's Universal Pectin (available at gourmet markets and health food stores)

2 teaspoons calcium water (see instructions in Pomona Pectin package)

You may use any summer berry except strawberries, which are too acid for lacto-fermentation purposes.

Wash berries and place in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Carefully mash down with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer until berries are well crushed. Mix thoroughly and place a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar. The top of the preserves should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to the refrigerator. Use within 2 months.

Variation: Berry Syrup

Omit pectin and calcium water. Place berries in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down lightly. Mix remaining ingredients and pour into jar. Add enough filtered water to bring level of the liquid to the top of the berries. Proceed with recipe. This is delicious on
vanilla ice cream
or
pancakes
.

The best reason for eating berries is that they taste so good—but there are many others. Berries are good sources of minerals, vitamin C and carotenoids. Wild or organically grown berries will supply nitrilosides, an anticancer member of the B complex family.

Berries, particularly strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, contain a compound called ellagic acid, which is an antioxidant that helps detoxify carcinogens. Researchers have found that it works in several ways—by blocking the activation of carcinogens, by inhibiting the carcinogen itself and by preventing DNA in cells from undergoing mutation.

Strawberries are the richest source of ellagic acid, which is in both the pulp and the seeds; but strawberries, unfortunately, do not take well to lacto-fermentation. Other berries, however, can be made into delicious fermented preserves or beverages.

Berries with cream for breakfast, berries with whipped cream for dessert and berry ice cream are delicious, synergistic combinations of water-soluble nutrients and minerals with fat-soluble activators. SWF

Credit for discovering the value of sprouted seeds traditionally goes to the Chinese, who learned to germinate legumes many centuries ago. They carried mung beans on their ocean-going ships, sprouted them throughout their voyages and consumed them in sufficient quantities to prevent scurvy. The Chinese instinctively knew that an important factor missing in nongerminated seeds was produced during the sprouting process—that substance is vitamin C.

But it is a mistake to think that the value of sprouted grain was unknown in the West. For centuries, beers of all sorts have been made with germinated grains. Certain old French cookbooks recommend sprouting dried peas before using them in soups. Bulgur, used extensively in Middle Eastern cooking, is made from coarsely ground sprouted wheat. According to enzyme specialist Dr. Edward Howell, in the past we ate most of our grains in partially germinated form. Grain standing in sheaves and stacks in open fields often began to sprout before it was brought into storage. Modern farming techniques prevent grains from germinating before they reach our tables.

The process of germination not only produces vitamin C but also changes the composition of grain and seeds in numerous beneficial ways. Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B
₂
, B
₅
and B
₆
. Carotene increases dramatically—sometimes eightfold. Even more important, sprouting neutralizes phytic acid, a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc; sprouting also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in all seeds. These inhibitors can neutralize our own precious enzymes in the digestive tract. Complex sugars responsible for intestinal gas are broken down during sprouting, and a portion of the starch in grain is transformed into sugar. Sprouting inactivates aflatoxins, potent carcinogens found in grains. Finally, numerous enzymes that help digestion are produced during the germination process.

Sprouted grains should be a regular feature of the diet, and they can be used in numerous ways—in salads, sandwiches, vegetable dishes, as breakfast cereals and as additions to breads and baked goods. However, we must warn against overconsumption of
raw
sprouted grains as raw sprouts contain irritating substances that keep animals from eating the tender shoots. These substances are neutralized in cooking. Sprouted grains should usually be eaten lightly steamed or added to soups and casseroles.

No special equipment is required to transform grains and seeds into sprouts—just wide-mouth, quart-sized mason jars with a round of window screen material cut to fit into the lid of the jar, replacing the solid insert. For seeds that sprout easily, See
Sources
.

The method for sprouting all grains and seeds is the same—only the length of time needed to accomplish full germination varies, depending on the size and nature of the seed. Simply fill a mason jar one-third full with any grain or seed. Add filtered water to the top of the jar and screw on the top with its screen insert. Allow the seeds to soak overnight, for one night only, and pour off the water. Rinse the seeds well—you can do this without removing the top. Invert the jar and let it sit at an angle so it can drain, and to allow air to circulate. The seeds should be rinsed every few hours, or at least twice a day. In one to four days the sprouts will be ready. Rinse well, shake out excess moisture, and replace the screen insert with the solid section of the lid. Store the sprouts in the refrigerator.

Almost any grain or seed can be sprouted—wheat, barley, dried beans, radish seeds, onion seeds, chia seeds, chick peas and almonds. Fragile seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower also sprout nicely. Hulled seeds should be purchased in tightly sealed packages and not from open bins, so that oxidation is minimized.

Seeds that are difficult to sprout include flax seeds, which become too mucilaginous to rinse properly, and oat seeds, which will not sprout once they have been separated from their outer hulls. Seeds that have been irradiated, such as those sold as spices, will not sprout.

Nuts like pecans and walnuts that have been removed from their shells cannot be sprouted, but an overnight soaking in warm, salted filtered water will neutralize sprout inhibitors. (See
Snacks & Finger Foods
.) Skinless almonds and peanuts will often sprout, an indication that their skins have been removed by mechanical means and not by a process involving boiling or roasting.

There is only one seed we do
not
recommend in sprouted form (or in any form) and that is—surprisingly—alfalfa! After mung beans, alfalfa is the variety of sprout that has caught on in the health food world. Unfortunately, it seems that all the praise heaped on the alfalfa sprout was ill advised. Tests have shown that alfalfa sprouts inhibit the immune system and can contribute to inflammatory arthritis and lupus. Alfalfa seeds contain an amino acid called canavanine that can be toxic to man and animals when taken in quantity. (Canavanine is not found in mature alfalfa plants; it is apparently metabolized during growth.)

GRAINS (WHEAT, RYE, BARLEY)

Rinse 2 to 3 times per day. Sprouts are tiny and white. They will be ready in 3 to 4 days, reaching a maximum length of ¼ inch. Use to make
bulgur
and whole grain casseroles, or add to bread.

Germination increases the enzyme activity as much as six times. This is due to proteolytic release of the enzymes by inactivation of the enzyme inhibitors found in all seeds. Soaking the seeds allows proteases within to neutralize the inhibitor and release the enzymes from bondage. During the years 1930 to 1940 chemists spoke of free and bound enzymes in seeds. It was found that such enzymes as protease and papaine soaked in water with the seeds, released the "sleeping" enzymes from bondage. In 1944 when enzyme inhibitors were discovered in seeds the mystery was cleared up. Edward Howell, MD
Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity

BUCKWHEAT

Begin with whole buckwheat seeds that have
not
been toasted. Rinse 2 to 3 times per day. Tiny sprouts are ready in 2 days. Use to make
kasha
.

BEANS (MUNG AND ADZUKI)

Fill jar only ¼ full. Rinse 4 or more times per day. Sprouts will be ready in about 4 days. Mung bean sprouts are ready when 2 inches long; the adzuki bean sprout is ready at 1 inch.

BEANS (KIDNEY, LIMA, BLACK)

Rinse 3 to 4 times per day. Sprouts are ready in about 3 days, when sprout is ¼-inch long. Beans should then be cooked. Sprouted beans will cook in much less time than beans that have been merely soaked.

Any seed can be made to germinate [unless it has been irradiated] by increasing its moisture and holding it at the proper temperature. Resting seeds contain starch, which is a storage product and a source of future energy when conditions become ideal for the seed to germinate and grow into a plant. In nature, seeds sometimes must rest or hibernate for months or years before conditions become satisfactory for them to grow. Enzymes are present in the resting seed but are prevented from being active by the presence of enzyme inhibitors. Germination neutralizes the inhibitors and releases the enzymes. Enzyme inhibitors are part of the seed machinery and serve a purpose. But these inhibitors are out of place in our bodies. They could stop our own enzymes from working. Edward Howell, MD
Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity

ALMONDS

Use either whole or skinless almonds. Rinse 3 times per day. Sprouts are ready in 3 days. Sprout is merely a tiny white appendage, about
¹
/
₈
-inch long.

Before the advent of factory farms, grain was partially germinated, but modern grain consists of dormant (resting) seeds. . .. In former times grain was harvested and sheaved. The sheaves were put into shocks and were gathered and built into stacks which stood in the field for several more weeks before threshing. During this period of weathering in the field the grain seeds were exposed to rain and dew which soaked into the sheaves. The grain could pick up this moisture and, with heat from the sun, conditions were ideal for favoring a degree of germination and enzyme multiplication in the grain. The modern combine harvester removes the grain from the stalk immediately after cutting and permits it to be hauled away to the granary. Hence, there is no weathering and consequent enzyme development, resulting in a mature but dormant seed. Edward Howell, MD
Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity

LENTILS

Rinse 3 times a day. Sprout 2 to 3 days until sprout is ¼-inch long. Steam or cook lightly.

SUNFLOWER SEEDS

These are among the most satisfactory seeds for sprouting. Sunflower sprouts are just delicious in salads, but they must be eaten shortly after sprouting is accomplished as they soon go black. Use hulled sunflower seeds purchased in airtight packages. Rinse 2 times per day. Sprouts are ready in 12 to 18 hours, when the sprout is just barely showing. Use in
high enzyme salad
.

PUMPKIN OR MELON SEEDS

Use hulled seeds. Rinse 3 times per day and sprout for about 3 days until sprout is ¼-inch long. Seeds merely soaked for 12 hours and then lightly toasted are a traditional Mexican food called
pepitas
.

SESAME SEEDS

Use unhulled sesame seeds. Rinse 4 times daily. Tiny sprouts are ready in 2 to 3 days.

SMALL SEEDS (CHIA, ONION, CRESS, RADISH, FENUGREEK & POPPY)

Rinse several times per day. Sprouts are ready in 3 to 4 days when they are 1-inch to 2-inches long. Sprouted small seeds are wonderful on sandwiches.

The sprouting of seeds is one of the most fascinating natural phenomena. From this minuscule appendage, tiny part of a seed even tinier, is born the plant. That this sprout has exceptional nutritional value is thus not surprising. But even more remarkable is the ability of this sprout to produce a whole range of substances—principally vitamins and enzymes—that are completely absent, or present only in extremely small amounts, in the unsprouted seed. The seed becomes hardly recognizable and transforms itself into something new, which is less energetic but richer in nutrients. Claude Aubert
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