It’s time to admit that I’m not always up with the latest fashions in food (or the latest fashion in most things to be honest). Don’t get me wrong I love quinoa, chia and buckwheat but haven’t tried my hand at fermenting, activating or bone broth(ing).
This has been playing on my mind. Should I be making my own Kombucha and Beet Kvass? Hang on, what is Kombucha? Why does it smell like beer and have what looks like a fungus living off sugar in it? (ewww) What’s the deal with bone broths? I make chicken stock all the time (as so many store bought ones have added sugar and my butcher gives me free bones) but should I be simmering beef bones for 48 hours and what’s the difference between a broth and stock anyway? And nuts are delicious the way nature made them, why do I have to soak them in water then dry them out again?
So you see apart from knowing fermenting, activating and bone broth are currently fashionable I have no idea why they are good for me in any detailed way, how they would fit into my regular diet (like most people I am a creature of habit) or where I would begin with this way of eating.
With this is mind we are kicking off “Julia tries….” where I tackle what I’m calling FAB (Fermenting, Activating and Broth(ing)). I don’t know if it will actually be FAB but it seems like a nifty acronym.
Here’s what I will examine in FAB:
- Why would you FAB (ferment, activate or make bone broth)?
- How do you FAB? Examining a recipe or process for fermenting, activating and bone broth and letting you know how I got on with it.
- How does FAB fit in with what I eat on a regular basis?
This is what I’m hoping to tackle over the next month
Julia tries…..Fermenting
Trying my hand at making and consuming Kombucha, Beet Kvass and using milk kefir grains. I may even throw in some fermented vegetables.
Julia tries…..Activating
I eat a lot of nuts and seeds unactivated (is that even a word?) so will make a conscious effort to activate them, look at the science behind activation and whether they taste any better/worse.
Julia tries…..Bone Broth
A 48 hour slow cooked beef bone broth and a 24 hour slow cooked chicken bone broth. How will I get on with the constant slow cooking? What will I do with the end product and does it actually taste any better than my regular homemade stock?
Wish me luck! Please send any tips and thoughts you’ve got from your own experience and here’s hoping I don’t give myself food poisoning.
TheSugarBreakup.com 
I’m interested to see how you go with activating. I have been activating most of my seeds and nuts but find my almonds are not as crunchy after I have activated them. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong with the almonds as the pepitas and sunflower seeds are fine but to me, almonds taste better unactivated…(yes I think it is a word!!!)
Looking forward to hearing about your results. I have tried fermenting veggies, but ended up with mould/white film on the top and threw them out! Very disappointed!! I also have a friend with kefir ‘beads’ growing as we speak, and she has promised me some once her kefir ‘stash’ has reached enough to split up and share. Very excited!
Yay! I’m glad to find someone else doing this! I’m working on the Kombucha – but got over excited and now have an undrinkable booch monster – so my advice is stick with making a small brew for a while. As for fermenting veg, I’ve made them but I haven’t tried them cos I’m too chicken! Ridiculous right?! Good luck :)
Oh gosh, how does it become an undrinkable brooch monster?!!?? I have so much to learn! Julia
Looking forward to reading your articles, I used to have kombucha regularly while I was on my Loaded Gun Diet. I love the taste so I continued buying it, never really tried making it on my own.
I’ve got my scoby but it’s freaking me out a bit. Fingers crossed I can drink what I make.