Not the most beautiful looking homemade loaves of whole grain sourdough but they’re delicious and didn’t require anything but flour, water and salt— no yeast packets necessary! Just naturally leavened, by allowing friendly flora and wild yeasts in the environment to work their fermentation magic to yield a slightly sour work of edible art! Not bad for my first foray into harnessing the power of sourdough starters!

​The scientist in me is completely enamored by how nature works & loves that the wild ambient yeasts, that are present nearly everywhere in the environment, can be harnessed to leaven bread!  When you purchase a jar, packets or cake of yeast, you are getting just one commercially cultivated species (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and using it to leaven your bread  but when you create your own sourdough starter by allowing the wild microflora in the environment to culture or ferment a flour water paste in a cupboard for just under a week, you're ultimately harnessing the power of multiple species of wild organisms to leaven your bread, making for, in my opinion, a more complexly flavorful loaf. 

Although using just one species may seem easier, more convenient or more predictable, using wild yeast to do the work for you can be a humbling, exciting, and free way to get your bread to rise!  Its like going solar instead of paying the power company, or perhaps more closely akin to sun drying all those leftover tomatoes  from your garden instead of plugging in the dehydrator and paying for electricity when the sun will do it for you for free!  Not to mention that there's no factory production, packaging material, delivery truck shipments or any of that so the carbon footprint is reduced!  I know you'll still need power up the oven (unless you have one that's solar-powered) but I'm talking about  reducing the footprint, not eliminating it altogether-- for everything we humans do will have an impact but if we can make that impact as low and as beneficial as possible then that's a significant step in a healthy direction!

Now, onto a small snippet of the health benefits of allowing wild yeasts to do the work but, first, a little more about the workers who make the magic happen.  As mentioned, there are many more species in the flour and in your local environment than just S. cerevisiae so we must also give credit to other some yeast species, like Saccharoymyces exigus, Hanensula anomola, Candida tropicalis, which also contribute to the flavor and, most importantly, the creation of the gases that allow the bread to "rise". 

But yeasts are not the only stars in sourdough starter; there are various lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB)  such as Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillis brevis that symbiotically live in harmony with the yeast. in the starter.  Even still, LAB species aren't the only friendly-flora here so let's give a little credit to the other important species of bacteria, like Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Enterococcus,  Streptococcus,  Weissella, and Lactococcus, which help support the process.  Like cooperative community members that are all essential, these yeast and bacteria species can best accomplish their objective by working  together as a team (which, in this case, is a fabulous loaf of bread!).

Further, it's been noted that the sourdough starter is not stable without the presence of both bacteria and yeast.  Bacteria need the yeast to "eat" and digest (through the yeasts' endogenous carb-digesting amylase enzymes) the flour's complex starches into simpler sugars and alcohols (which are food for the bacteria).  Then, as the bacteria eat and digest these simpler sugars (like maltose), they, in turn, create beneficial acids that flavor the bread. Yeast need the lactobacillus bacteria species to produce the lactic acid (as a biproduct of their digesting the sugars) as the yeast is more stable in an acidic environment.  The relationship is far more complex and does not stop here but the long and short of it is that their symbiotic teamwork is a beautiful thing that results in what we’ve come to expect in a loaf of leavened sourdough!

Lastly, allowing these wild species time to feed upon, ferment and help pre-digest some of the flour and water starter (and dough, once the starter and bread ingredients are mixed) lends to the creation of beneficial acids and substances and yields a bread that may be easier for us to digest than a more rapidly-produced loaf that has not had the opportunity to go through this natural process. 

As for the process of making bread with a starter (which is sometimes also known as a preferment, leaven or levain), the bubbly flour starter that you will create over the course of just under a week is what you will add to more flour, water and salt in order to make the dough.  After mixing the bread ingredients with the starter, most recipes will then direct you to fold or stretch the dough at intervals for a few hours before letting it rest and rise at room temperature for a few more hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).  Then, it's typically suggested to bake the bread at a fairly high temperature in a covered Dutch oven before removing the lid and baking uncovered for the final duration, in order to form a nice brown crispy crust that encases a deliciously chewy interior. 

So there is a little bit on the process of how sourdough starter and bread are made along with a bit of the science behind it!  One of the recipes I used was a bit simpler than some of the more traditional sourdough recipes but the more traditional recipes resulted in a better tasting and textured bread.  That said, I'm going to have to play around and try another few round of rounds :) over the course of a few more weeks before I can confidently share what works best for me and before I may be able to see if I can simplify a more complex recipe into something that feels like a manageable output of effort, energy and time, and results in an end product we can really enjoy sinking our teeth into! ​

FIRE CIDER

Equipment:

• 4 pint-sized or 2 quart-sized glass mason jars (or any wide-mouth glass container with tightly sealable lid)
• Grater (if you don’t have a grater you can finely slice although grating should expedite the process)
• Sharp knife
• Waxed paper, if using metal mason jar lids
• Fine mesh strainer, clean coffee filter or cheesecloth

 Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup peeled, grated ginger root
• 1/4 cup peeled, grated horseradish root
• 1/4 cup peeled, grated turmeric root (if unavailable, use 1 tsp. dried- although fresh is best!)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced white onion
• 1/4 cup minced or grated garlic
• 1 thinly sliced jalapeno pepper
• 1 thinly sliced organic lemon (rind and all)
• 32 ounce bottle raw organic apple cider vinegar (you will have leftover)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme (if available)
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed peppercorns

​Instructions:

• Place all ingredients, except apple cider vinegar, into jar(s) and lightly pack down.
• Fill jar(s) with apple cider vinegar until all contents are completely submerged (feeling free to use clean non-metal weight to help keep solids submerged).
• Place a piece of waxed paper between glass jar lip(s) and metal lid(s) (to prevent acids from corroding metal), tighten lid(s) and store at room temperature in dark pantry, cabinet etc. for ~3-4 weeks. 
• Gently swirl jar throughout this time period, if desired.
• After ingredients have infused their goodness into the vinegar for above time period, shake jar(s) and then strain liquid into clean jar(s).
• Due to its acidic pH, fire cider can be stored for ~six months at room temperature or slightly longer in refrigerator (although it's suggested to consume while fresh and just make a new batch, as needed, since it’s such a relatively simple process!)

​Serving suggestions:

• Mix with raw local-to-you honey for a delicious sweet 'n' sour oxymel immune boost that can be taken right off the spoon or in a small shot glass!
• Combine with a little olive oil for a delicious mista-style salad dressing.
• Drizzle over cooked quinoa or other grain. 
• Use to dress a Mediterranean-style rice or veggie bowl.
• Place in large bowl with olive oil cooked pasta, chopped onion, chopped celery, grated carrot, cooked corn kernels, chickpeas, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and toss for a zippy pasta salad (or omit pasta and add chopped zucchini or other vegetable(s) to reduce carbohydrate count).
• Place in jar with warm, sliced, cooked beets and olive or sesame oil and refrigerate overnight for quick pickled beets.
• Put in jar with cucumber slices or spears and refrigerate for quick pickles.
• Try creatively using in place of vinegar in other recipes, when applicable.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy fire cider? Let me know in the comments below! Enjoy!
​

Toxic burdens plague us all and, hard as we may try, we cannot control EVERYTHING around us.  Although we may have less ability to quickly change some things (such as our regional air quality or the chemical residues in city water supplies), we do surely have great influence on and can change other things (like the foods we choose to eat and the chemicals we use to clean our homes!).  While we may not be able to exercise choice on all levels, we can think twice and choose well on that which we bring into our home environment, into our bodies and into so many other levels of our existence.

Although we may feel that we have less freedoms than we once did, most of us still have ample opportunities to read labels, vote with our dollars and work to surround ourselves with our best possible choices. 

Some examples of things to consider when truthfully examining areas in which you may grow and improve include (but are not limited to!) diet, hydration, sleep, physical activity, thought patterns, and other lifestyle factors. 

Let's take a little closer look at each point:

• poor diet- nutrients are not rich in all foods so we much choose those which meet our recommended daily intake and enrich our lives!  Fill daily nutrient needs first then consider allowing for a little "treat", if you're even still interested.  Once we've fulfilled daily nutrient needs, we may begin to feel more satisfied and may even 'lose our taste' for 'junk food'.  Synthetic chemical-laden "phood" (not viewed as food thus called this by some) and 'better living through chemistry' need not necessarily apply to ingredients used to create our meals.  As a general principle, choose whole foods that grow in nature and avoid stuff that is fabricated in a lab and even chemically modified or preserved in order to be able to sit on a shelf for a far more excessive time than perhaps any food ever should!  Even if we still crave or desire something, we can always work on moderating intake and maybe even find ourselves satiated by an improved version of an old beloved comfort food (which we may possibly enjoy a bit more regularly without guilt, shame or regret if choosing a modified version). For more info on recipe conversion and deceptively delicious improved versions of your old favorites, don't hesitate to reach out via the contact page.
• poor sleep- while sleep patterns vary from person to another and there is no one hard fast rule for exactly how much and from what time to what time sleep must occur, sleep experts do generally suggest that one gets 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily. It's even suggested that one aim to obtain sleep during the hours of 10pm and 2 am when possible, as these hours may prove to work with a body's natural sleep and wake cycles in a way that leaves one feeling more refreshed than if one got an equivalent amout of sleep outside the hours of 10 and 2.   For more information on sleep and supporting healthy sleep hygiene, read this blog.
• dehydration- just don't. Our bodies are largely composed of water and not only does this precious resource fill our cells and the spaces between, it also vital for allowing the body to metabolize food, to break down and excrete toxins, to help lubricate joints and so much more!  Without this lifegiving fluid none of us could exist. In fact, with the exception of very rare cases, death ensues within days if we have no access to fresh water. Just stay hydrated and learn to love the basic flavor or lack thereof of cool, clear, water!  Beverages don't have to be exciting to hydrate and support health but if you can't shake the feeling that they should be, then try getting into the habit of sipping herbal tea.  Hydrating liquids, naturally flavored by nutrients- win-win!
• negative thought patterns and self-talk- self-depricating "humor" really isn't that funny especially when used more than as a once off type of thing (if even that). Cultivate kindness toward others, beginning with self. If it seems difficult or impossible to find anything nice to say about yourself then please consider reaching out to a health care provider who can help you strategize on finding ways to positively support yourself and your mental and emotional well-being. You may also appreciate meditation classes as a tool to help reframe your thought processes and help shape more positive outcomes in your world.
• inadequate physical activity/sedentary lifestyle- health care professionals suggest a 1/2 hour of daily physical activity for most adults. Although nutrient needs change over the course of our lives depending upon our where we are in our life cycle (adolescence, pregnancy, convalescence, etc.) physical activity needs do not, so find something enjoyable that you can do for at least 20-30 minutes a day, even if that means doing an exercice video, taking a local yoga class, making a pact with a friend to walk around the block after work, walking briskly on work breaks, riding an exercise bike, hitting the treadmill or any of the countless other ways to move your body!  While the saying "no pain no gain" need not apply to physical activity, "use it or lose it" applies to us all!  Decrease in muscle mass occurs within a few short weeks of immobility so this use it or lose it principle is for real!  Plus, your body's muscle cells burn or metabolize more calories than an equal amount of fat cells so if you get lazy on moving those muscles, then you also may begin to require less calories.  Then, if you don't adjust and lower caloric intake, you may rapidly pack on the pounds.  Even if you do lower caloric intake, you still may find it increasingly difficult to achieve adequate or optimal nutrient intake levels so moving it really is a better case scenario! 
• inappropriate/excess use of pharmaceutical medications- while medications can surely support health and even be lifesaving, the average adult is on approximately 5 pharmaceutical prescription which are not without their side effects and (in some cases) contraindications with other medications and even foods.  While doctors aim to consider all factors, sometimes communication between practitioners can fall short (like the amount of one-on-one time you may actually have with your doctor) leaving us with chemical cocktails that may not be entirely in our best interest.  While it's critical to be educated on what you may take and why, it is nevertheless, vital that you do not stop taking any medications without first clearing this and establishing a protocol with your practitioner.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so ensure that you avoid any health complications that result from failure to communicate your wishes or failure to clear any changes in medication dosages with your physician.  
• synthetic chemical exposure in the home- although keeping a tidy home can be good for both physical body and psyche, using toxic chemicals to "clean" things may not be the healthiest for people or planet. From the phosphates in laundry detergents to the known carcinogens in jewelry cleaners and dry cleaning and from triclosan in antibacterial soaps to chemicals in oven cleaners, toxins ubiquitously lurk in far more places that one may ever imagine.  It is always advisable to shun questionable chemicals  and choose safer alternatives like baking soda, vinegar, salt and naturally antimicrobial organic essential oils, like lemon, lemongrass and thyme.  While the saying 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' may be rooted in good intentions, excess exposure to the toxins that "clean" may just send you to your grave to meet you maker sooner than is necessary!  
• cigarette smoke- whether first or second, it goes without saying and is always suggested that one avoid exposure at all costs. 

Of course, there are numerous other burdens that we may encounter but the examples above are a good starting point when choosing to examine and accept that each and every one of us can surely improve upon ourselves in some way or another for the greater good of all!  I hope that even this simple read is just enough to encourage you to take the time to look within and examine what may be holding you back from being an even better version of yourself!  Now that's something for which I'll always be happy to cheer you on!