Sunday, June 14, 2009...Cultured and Fermented Foods

Listen to the Show!

Plastic-Free Yogurt--Jeanne Haegele from Life Less Plastic, talks about her quest to live with as little plastic as possible. She offers tips for food shopping and eating out, and shares her recipe and process for making yogurt at home. Here is Jeanne's list of everyday items with little or no plastic packaging.

And below is Jeanne's yogurt recipe, which she found on the Ruby Glen website:

Homemade Yogurt

Ingredients
4 and 1/4 cups milk, cow or goat
1/3 cup powdered milk (this is optional but will make a thicker yogurt)
One envelope of yogurt starter (you can purchase this at Whole Foods or your local health food store. You may also be able to find it at those vitamin stores in the mall or around town)

Instructions
--Before you begin, find a way to incubate your yogurt during fermentation. I use a cooler and it works very well. Some people use a thermos or simply place their yogurt on a heat vent or in the oven (sometimes the pilot light keeps the oven warmer than room temperature).
--Also before you begin, wash 1 quart-sized canning jar or another container that will fit the volume of milk you're using.
--Pour your milk into a cooking pot.
--Heat the milk up to 185 degrees.
--Remove from heat and allow the milk to cool down to 110 degrees. The cooling takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes.
--If you want to speed up the cooling process put the milk outside if it's cold out (and if you're confident critters won't get to it) or fill your sink with cold water and place the pot of hot milk in the water and stir and stir.
--After the milk reaches 110 degrees add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is dissolved very well.
--Pour this mixture into your container
--Put the lid on and put it into what ever place you are planning to incubate it.
--Leave it there for 10 to 12 hours. Try not to disturb the jar to much. When the yogurt is firm (or at least somewhat thicker) it is time to remove it and put it in the refrigerator. Usually 12 to 24 hours. If you make and incubate the yogurt during the day it can refrigerate overnight and be ready for breakfast the next day. (Note that my yogurt isn't usually what I would call firm before I put it in the refrigerator, but it firms the rest of the way up overnight)
--If you would like flavored yogurt you can add fresh fruit or a little bit of flavored jam when serving.

For more information and tips for homemade yogurt, you can check out this article, "They Do the Work, You Reap the Yogurt," by Harold McGee, The New York Times.

Wonder Drink - Carina spoke with Abbie Sawyer, a kombucha home-brewer. This pro-biotic tea has grown in popularity over the past few years. Abbie recommends a recipe for kombucha from Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon.

Homemade Kombucha: (makes about 2 quarts)

3 quarts filtered water

1 cup white sugar

4 organic black tea bags

½ cup kombucha from a previous culture (or a few teaspoons apple cider vinegar)

1 kombucha starter

--Bring the 3 quarts filtered water to a boil. Add sugar and simmer until dissolved. Remove from heat, add tea bags, and allow the tea to steep until the water has cooled completely.

--Remove the tea bags.

--Pour the cooled liquid into a 4 quart pyrex bowl and add ½ cup kombucha from a previous batch.

--Place the starter on top of the liquid.

--Make a crisscross over the bowl with masking tape, cover loosely with a cloth or towel and transfer to a warm, dark place.

--In about 7-10 days the kombucha will be ready. It should taste sour and slightly fizzy.

--Transfer to covered glass containers and store in the refrigerator.

--When the kombucha is ready the starter will have grown a second spongy pancake. This can be peeled apart and given away for others to start their own batches. They can be store in the fridge in glass or stainless steel containers, never plastic.

You can also purchase commercial brands of kombucha such as GT Dave's Organic Raw Kombucha and their Synergy line which is 95% kombucha mixed with 5% juice. GT's is currently on sale at the New Pioneer Co-op for $2.59. It is usually priced at $3.69 per bottle.

Taste of Sourdough--Iowa City restaurant Taste on Melrose is kicking off the summer with a weekly sourdough pizza special. Learn about their signature crust and inspirations!

Taste is located at 1006 Melrose Avenue and is open for "pizza and pinot" nights Sundays and Mondays, 5 until close. Lunch is served Tuesday-Friday 11:30 until 2, and dinner Tuesday-Saturday, 5 until close. Call for more information or reservations: 319.339.9938

Market Pick - This week you can find many pizza toppings including one vendor's offerings of lion's mane, shiitake, goat's beard and yellow, brown and pink oyster mushrooms. You can also check out a variety of fresh herbs - like basil, cilantro and parsley - as well as green onions and garlic scapes. For some extra crunch, you can find bunches of spring greens for a salad on the side.