We now present two of the Diet's special, signature foods: "super" foods that contribute immensely to healing and building your inner ecosystem. On this page, raw cultured vegetables, then, read about kefir from the water of young green coconuts.
*From the 9th edition Body Ecology Diet, by Donna Gates.*
Cultured vegetables are made by shredding cabbage or a combination of cabbage and other vegetables and then packing them tightly into an airtight container. They are left to ferment at room temperature for several days or longer. Friendly bacteria naturally present in the vegetables quickly lower the pH, making a more acidic environment so the bacteria can reproduce. The vegetables become soft, delicious, and somewhat "pickled."
The airtight container can be glass or stainless steel. Use a 1 to 1½ quart container that seals with a rubber or plastic ring and a clamp down lid. Room temperature means 72 degrees Fahrenheit, for at least 3 days. We prefer to let ours sit for six or seven days. You can taste them at different stages and decide for yourself.
In the winter months if your kitchen temperature falls below 70 degrees, wrap the container in a towel and place it inside an insulated or thermal chest. In the summer months the veggies culture faster. They may be ready in just three or four days.
During this fermentation period, the friendly bacteria are having a heyday, reproducing and converting sugars and starches to lactic acid. Once the initial process is over, it is time to slow down the bacterial activity by putting the cultured veggies in the refrigerator. The cold greatly slows the fermentation, but does not stop it completely. Even if the veggies sit in your refrigerator for months, they will not spoil; instead they become more like fine wine, more delicious with time. Properly made, cultured vegetables have at least an eight month shelf life.
While it is not necessary to add a "starter culture" to your vegetables, we recommend that you do it just to ensure that your vegetables begin fermenting with a hardy strain of beneficial bacteria. Body Ecology s Cultured Vegetable Starter contains a very robust bacterium called L. Plantarum. (See our recipes below.)
Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor
Once you master the basic technique, be creative. Try different vegetable combinations, and include dark green leafy vegetables like kale and collards. Soak, drain, and chop up some ocean vegetables like dulse, wakame, hijiki, and arame. Add your favorite herbs (dried or fresh), seeds (dill or caraway), and juniper berries. Even lemon juice can be added to the "brine." Try leaving out the cabbage all together and making a batch of cultured daikon.
Cynthia Hamilton, a friend of Donna s who lives in Los Angeles, teaches classes on how to make cultured vegetables, and she also sells them, calling them a "probiotic salad". Cynthia recently surprised Donna with a new recipe using kohlrabi, celery, garlic, ginger, and a green apple. It tastes wonderful! Don t be afraid of the little bit of sugar in the green apple. The microflora use it for food. The sugar will be long gone before you eat the cultured veggies. If you create a great new recipe you want to share with others on the B.E.D. around the world, please write or email us and we will happily post it on our Web site.
You may be thinking that making cultured veggies amounts to a big hassle. Well, it is possible to buy them commercially (see our Shopping List), but store-bought amounts can be fairly small and too costly for many people. You wouldn t be getting the "therapeutic amounts" you reap by making your own. So here s a suggestion: plan a "CV Party" with your family and friends. Gather on a weekend afternoon to laugh together, chop and pack the veggies. Make sure everyone leaves with enough containers to last until the next party. You and your loved ones will enjoy many meals of one of the most medicinal and economical foods you ll ever eat.
Two of Our Favorite Beginners Recipes
One important secret to making really delicious yet medicinal cultured veggies is to use freshly harvested, organic, well-cleaned vegetables. After washing the veggies, spin them dry. Clean equipment is essential. Scald everything you use in very hot water.
Version 1
- 3 heads green cabbage, shredded in a food processor
- 1 bunch kale, chopped by hand(optional): 2 cups wakame ocean vegetables (measured after soaking), drained, spine removed, and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. dill seed
Version 2
- 3 heads green cabbage, shredded in a food processor
- 6 carrots, large, shredded in a food processor
- 3 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
To make Cultured Vegetables
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Remove several cups of this mixture and put into a blender.
- Add enough filtered water to make a "brine" the consistency of a thick juice. Blend well and then add brine back into first mixture. Stir well.
- Pack mixture down into a 1½ quart glass or stainless steel container. Use your fist, a wooden dowel, or a potato masher to pack veggies tightly.
- Fill container almost full, but leave about 2 inches of room at the top for veggies to expand.
- Roll up several cabbage leaves into a tight "log" and place them on top to fill the remaining 2 inch space. Clamp jar closed.
- Let veggies sit at about a 70 degree room temperature for at least three days. A week is even better. Refrigerate to slow down fermentation. Enjoy!
To use Body Ecology's Culture Starter:
Dissolve one or two packages of starter culture in 1½ cup warm (90*) water. Add aproximately 1 tsp. of some form of sugar to feed the starter (try Rapadura, Sucanat, honey, Agave, or EcoBLOOM). Let starter/sugar mixture sit for about 20 minutes or longer while the L. Plantarum and other bacteria wake up and begin enjoying the sugar. Add this starter culture to the brine (step 3).
where can I buy CV in Utah?
Posted on May 12 at 5:23 pm
Thank you very much for the recipe! ;)
Posted on Apr 30 at 9:38 am
Sylvia Narcisco....I am not a B.E.D specialist, but I might be able to give you some insight or at least a thought to consider. Carrots have much sugar. This sugar feeds candida in your gut which might be causing the excess gas. If you haven't read her book yet, check it out. It explains everything in wonderful detail. I hope this helps you. My cultured veges are much easier to digest for me if I let them ferment for 7-10 days.
Posted on Apr 1 at 10:23 pm
For those of you with questions, I suggest to reinforce this by looking up Youtube clips that demonstrate how to make them.
Posted on Mar 18 at 7:31 am
I would like to see these questions being answered. We have questions , and would appreciate if someone would answer them. I believe for rooms over 72 or higher, you can put them in a cooler with an ice pack to keep it at 70-72 degrees. I read that somewhere.
Posted on Feb 26 at 8:25 pm
Help! The cultured vegtables (cabbage & carrots) that I made seem to cause alot of gas. They aren't exactly soft like you describe they are more crispy although they are sour and a beautiful bright color. Could it be that they haven't fermented completely? I used your culture starter & Eco Bloom. They fizzed up quite a bit the first 48 hrs. They just seem to cause excessibe bloating. Did I prepare them wrong, possibly not let them ferment long enough? I don't see any bubbles in the jars anymore.
Posted on Feb 9 at 12:51 pm
I am working with Phase 1 of the diet for myself and a client. I made version 1 of the raw cultured veggies listed above. They came out very soggy and the taste is quite pungent. I had made another version of cultured cabbage with salt from Tom Malterre, Whole LIfe Nutrition Cookbook. That one came out good, just a little too salty.
This recipe yields an enormous batch. You don't just need a large bowl to combine all the veggies, you need the largest stockpot you have. It took me hours to do. I have so much now, I don't know that I will get through all of them and they don't taste good enough to give to clients.
Is there any way to correct the sogginess? Would salt help? Is it that this is an acquired taste and that's why it seems so pungent? The cabbage leaves rolled on top were brown and gross, so I threw them away. What about the kale? The color is pretty gross, a brownish-green. How do you know they are ok to eat? They certainly fermented because they fizzed and bubbled when I opened them after 2 days.
I liked the sauerkraut I made from Tom Malterre and the raw cultured veggies I have purchased in the store.
Any tips?
Posted on Jan 25 at 1:20 pm
I live in Hawaii and my house is seldom at 70-72 degrees. I don't see any info on if cultured veggies will work at 76-77 degrees
Posted on Jan 13 at 5:44 pm
I cannot have dairy. Can I use the cultured vegetable starter to make coconut milk kefir? I am concerned about using the milk kefir grains.
Posted on Dec 28 at 8:07 am
The reason your veges are soggy is because you didn't make the brine with enough salt. 2 teaspoons for 1 litre of water.
You do not need to sterlise your jar, the salt sterlises it.
This is the method they used before refrigeration so 99.9% your kitchen will not be too hot (such as Florida), it will last at least 6 months. You should put it in the fridge around 1 week but smell it and taste a little. If it's offensive, your senses will tell you whether to eat it or not.
Hope that has helped some of you
Posted on Nov 15 at 3:17 am
Hi, by preparing culture veges we are basically getting the good bacteria.
there is a very popular drink called as "yakult" available in market which is a pro-biotic drink.
what could be the difference between cultured veges and yakult drink ?
Posted on Oct 31 at 1:27 am
Can the sauerkraut beheated or will that destroy the benefit? I would like to use it with pork or on a sandwich that is hot.
Posted on Oct 30 at 6:53 pm
Is it possible to ferment green apple juice with the veggie starter or the keifer starter? If so, how long should I leave it to ferment?
Posted on Oct 17 at 10:52 am
I remember reading in the book about a recipe with green apple, and now I can't seem to find it. Does anyone have it? Thanks!
Posted on Oct 7 at 11:38 am
Hi,
The room temperature in my kitchen during summer is between 85-95 degrees.
Is it still doable to make cultured veggies during summer in Florida?
Any solutions?
I would really appreciate your suggestions.
Posted on Sep 8 at 7:01 am
Have a question about how long you can let the cultured veggies ferment at room temperature. I made a large batch of cv, and had them fermenting in a bin in my garage. I then had to go out of town for a month unexpectedly. My veggies will have been in the bin fermenting for a month. I am not home yet to check them, but will be in a day. Will they be spoiled and inedible?
Thanks for any info!
Posted on Sep 3 at 1:55 pm
I just made version 2 of the raw cultured veggies. After 7 days, the veggies seem kind of soggy. I've had raw cultured veggies previously in an Atlanta restaurant, and I don't recall them being this soggy.
Is this right?
Posted on Jul 25 at 11:27 am
Thanks, Ash! The link has been fixed.
Posted on Jul 5 at 8:39 am
your starter culture link is not working properly.
Posted on Jul 5 at 7:37 am
I'm lookinf for new ways to fight psoriasis and combat the illness that are associated with this issue.
Posted on Jul 1 at 7:13 pm
Do I need to sterilize the container?
Thanks!
Posted on Jun 4 at 9:39 am