Sugarhouse Class; Jan. 29

     I taught a Kefir and Lacto-Fermentation class last night at the Real Foods Market in Sugarhouse in Salt Lake City last night.  What a great experience for me!  I hope that the folks who came learned something useful or meaningful.  There were so many that came I ran out of print-outs and kefirs.  I am sorry about that.  It is hard to judge how many will show up.  Last year when I did this class there, I had 5 maybe 6 people, and last night was over 30.  I planned for 22.  I sold out of milk kefirs and so it will take me a couple weeks to get enough to divide out again.    Thank you all for coming. 

     I use this blog as a back-up for my classes, so class members get some recipes and processes that I don't cover in class.   I wish I could respond to questions or comments that sometimes get posted  here with my blogs but true to my "dinosaur" age, I haven't figured it out yet.  So, to get me to respond to your concerns or questions, please use my email address at the heading of my blog and again here at...  

    joannesmithseal@gmail.com

     Lacto-fermentation refers to the common friendly bacteria called lactobacillus which is found in all healthy humans and animals and in rich soil and on fruits and vegetables that are not grown on sterilized fields.  It is found in abundance in raw milk and  whey from cultured raw or pasteurized milk products and it is this whey that can be used to inoculate other foods that have been home-canned or commercially canned.  The advantage is that the good bacteria will consume the sugar or the starch of the canned food over 2-4 days producing lactic acid which tastes very good and is good for the body, and it fills the food with living bacteria that are good for the body....a pro-biotic food, in other words it makes that once "dead" food alive again. 

     The whey is one of the bi-products you get when you separate the caseine (milk solids) from the watery part (whey) of a cultured milk product like kefir or yogurt, using a cloth strainer. Separation will happen naturally with raw milk if left out on the counter for 4-5 days (curds 'n whey or clabber).   The whey has many uses like inoculating canned foods, as liquid in smoothies or baked goods, or "taking down" the sugar in fruit juices  and the milk solids can be flavored and used like sour cream or cream cheese, only it is far better than the commercial kinds.  Making your own dairy products from raw milk or commercial pasteurized milk will save you money and is healthier.  If you have not access to raw milk, look for a low temperature pasteurization and non-homogenized milk in health food stores.  There are dairies that do sell milk like this.