This is going to be my next experiment. Basically, since we’ve learned that minerials need to be wrapped in organic compounds in order to for it to be bioavailable to plants and humans, I figured I should be able to brew up some ‘ORMUS tea’ using the help of some single cell organisms.
Ann Wigmore was big on Rejuvelac, but I don’t think she knew about ORMUS.
From Wikipedia:
Rejuvelac is a general term for a fermented liquid used to improve digestion of food. Rejuvelac is prepared using whole wheat, rye, quinoa, oats, barley, millet, buckwheat, rice and other types of grain. Best results have been found using wheat, rye, and quinoa. Rejuvelac can be consumed as a digestive aid and used as a ‘starter’ for other fermented foods such as raw nut and seed sauces, cheeses, and Essene Breads. Rejuvelac contains eight of the B vitamins, vitamins E and K, and a variety of proteins, dextrines, carbohydrates, phosphates and amylases. It is rich in enzymes that assist in digestion. During the fermentation lactic acid is also being produced.[1][2]
Rejuvelac is a raw food made by sprouting a grain and then soaking the sprouted grain in water for about two days at room temperature and then drinking the liquid. A second batch can be made from the same sprouts, this time requiring only about one day. A third batch is possible but the flavor may be disagreeable.[3]
Instructions for making it can be found on eHow Health.
Once again, it’s time to blog about wheatgrass. This winter I’ve found myself in an abundance of grass, so much so that I’ve even made posts on facebook to give it away! I love having extra flats around for the grass is so vibrant. When it comes to harvesting, it’s now a simple 10 minute process. It probably takes more time to ‘synchronize’ with the juice than it does to make it and cleanup.
If you haven’t ever had a sip of this stuff, you don’t know that it moves you so deep that it will make your whole body quiver. I guess the closest feeling is a shot of pure tequila, but there is no burning sensation. So, each time I press an ounce or so to drink, I pick up the shot and let my body harmonize with the juice before I down it. During that time, while I’m holding it, I’ll notice my body preparing. I might get the sniffles, saliva might start to flow or my stomach might growl or turn (in a good way) so I’ve learned that this is a process by which my body synchronizes with this powerful substance.
I’ve you’ve experienced the quiver that you get after taking a shot of wheatgrass, you might want to give harmonizing with the juice a chance before downing it next time. I’m sure that if my body can adjust by simply holding it in my hand, you’re can too.
Growing Wheatgrass
It was many years ago that I was first introduced to growing wheatgrass. When I did, I grew it for the seed rather than grass. Today, I like the grass better than the sprouted seeds and the grass is pretty easy to grow.
Through the beauty of YouTube, I’ve found a video by Paydes36 that really does a good job outlining how it’s done. So, rather than trying to type out the process, I’ll just include her videos here.
I love her casual approach to sowing these seeds. She scoops and dumps the sprouted seed without a second thought or concern. Most people would be a little more careful, but as she demonstrates, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you – just do it.
Let’s review her steps through.
Step 1: Use organic wheat
It seems obvious, but to grow wheatgrass you have to get the type of wheat that will grow! So, you have to ask yourself, why did she make this comment? As it turns out, if you were to buy wheat somewhere, you’d probably find it as wheatberries or cracked wheat. The common use for these whole grains is in cooking – thus it doesn’t matter if the seed is alive or not. Well, to grow it, you’ve got to find living seed.
But don’t worry about it too much for any relatively ‘new’ seed will be alive and willing to grow. Most whole grain grocers carry living seeds and it’s pretty easy to test them. To do this, simply buy a small amount and start the growing process by soaking them and getting them to start sprouting. If the majority of them grow, chances are you’ll do fine with those seeds.
If you find yourself growing so much that you’ll being nickeled and dimed at the health food store, try a feed-store. And, look for Hard Red Winter Wheat. That variety seems to hold up pretty well.
Step 2: Soak Wheat
Here she recommends soaking for 12 hours, I’d lean more towards 8. Sensitive seeds tend to drown if soaked too long. You don’t want to start out with a bunch of dead seed.
Now, she breezes over the ‘sprouting’ process that happens in her bowl. She says to keep them covered and rinse them twice a day. This is good advice, but it’s a process where the most damage can be done to the sprouts.
To me, the most important thing to do is to make sure that the seeds never sit in standing water. If they do, they will mold (drown). If just a couple seeds go bad, it changes the entire batch. So, no standing water and shake them off the best you can.
I’ve always used sprouting jars. One mason jar can hold about 1 cup dry seeds (to start) and by the time they are ready to plant, you’ve got a full jar (4 cups that she talks about). With the jars, you have to use screen tops (or sprouting lids) so the air flows and when you rinse, you have to make sure to shake out all the extra water. One note of caution, don’t let the sprouts go too long in the jar for they will fill it tight. So tight in fact that you’ll have to dig them out. The seeds can take a lot of abuse, but that’s just a little too much.
Ok, she stopped counting her steps.
Next Step: Soil, use good compose
I’d have to agree. Use the best that you have and when you’re done with your tray of wheatgrass, recycle what you’ve used. But I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying the soil. If you have some, use it.
Also, an inch deep is a good recommendation. What she’s showing in the video is not an inch of soil. Don’t skimp.
Oh, and the Azomite powder, not sure if it’s really needed. If it helps keep the mold down, great. But ultimately, the grass is going to feed off its own energy sources for the first 10 days or so of its life so what you add to enhance things might not give you the desired affects.
Next Step: Planting
I love her smile when she mentions it’s time to plant. It’s at this point that the ‘work’ behind growing the grass is done. From this point out, you kind of let time take over (and simply water).
Her advice about not being skimpy is – good advice! You’re taking all this time to grow the wheat, you might as well get a really good finished product.
Also, what she says about buying flats that are ‘shallow’ really are disappointing. You want to get 15 ounces juice from your tray, I’ve bought trays that barely product 8. That’s just a downright rip-off.
Next step: Watering
I like her advice of simply taking them outside and hosing them down. But be gentle, for those little seeds will wash away.
Next step: Covering
When I first saw that she used colored ink paper for covering your seeds, I thought that they were the funnies and it made me smile. Upon closer inspection, it simply looks like ads.
But if you’re not into giving your grass ads to read while it’s in its first couple days of growing, consider a brown grocery bag or paper towels. The plastic cover is a good idea.
Next step: Growing under paper
When she says cool dark place she really means dark place where the seeds won’t get roasted. It you place them in a really cool place, it’s going to take forever for them to start growing. If it’s warm, they’ll virtually jump out of their seeds.
Her summary:
When she says it take seven days from planting to harvesting, she means that it probably takes 10 days from soaking to harvesting. She makes this clear when she says ‘here’s planting’ as she holds up the tray of seeds that she just covered with plastic and ‘here’s harvesting’ as she places the tall wheatgrass tray on top for demonstration.
By the way, her demonstration tray looks absolutely beautiful! Don’t expect your trays to look this nice until you’ve practiced for a while. And, like she says, you don’t want to grow your grass too long. You want to catch it while it’s still converting carbohydrates (stored energy in the seed) into simple sugars. Thus, the grass will taste sweet rather than bitter. You simply won’t be able to drink much bitter juice!
Oh, harvesting – use scissors. Knives just don’t ‘cut it’.
In conclusion:
If growing wheatgrass isn’t in the cards for you, if you ask around a bit in your community, you should be able to find someone that already grows it. If you do, I’d expect that you’d find it offered for under 1 dollar an ounce. In other words, if a tray produces 15 ounces juice, you should find it for no more than 15 bucks. If you’re buying larger amounts, you should be able to find it for 8 to 10 a flat.
For me, I’ve been blessed with a source – my father! My abundance this year is directly correlated to my dad’s industrious behavior. Earlier this year, he said that he was going to grow twice as much as last year. Well, last year I felt I got a great amount. This year, the trays are piling up! At this rate, I’m going to have to teach more people about the power of wheatgrass so they’ll want to come over when I offer up ‘free shots’.
So, if you’re going to grow wheatgrass, you’ll probably find that it’s easier than you think and when it comes to juicing, you’ll find that the taste will probably be superior to what you buy at a place like Jumba Juice.
Ever wake up with the answer to a question you didn’t know you asked? It felt that way to me this morning. I awoke with the reason why people should not eat meat. It’s a really simple concept and it doesn’t involve the dreaded four letter word FEAR. It’s all about the body ridding itself of triggers what would have toxic side effects.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell (and others) for a while and it was the last thing that I read before falling asleep.
This book is all about the links between animal based proteins and common disease. The authors have done an amazing job taking a second look at scientific studies from a nutritional point of view. I highly recommend giving it adequate time (and I’m only half way through it) yet I’ve already drawn one connection that makes the reading all worth it.
Before falling asleep last night, I read through the Autoimmune Diseases chapter (9) and highlighted this section:
What does all of this have to do with what we eat? It so happens that the antigens that trick our bodies into attacking our own cells may be in food. During the process of digestion, for example, some proteins slip into our bloodstream for the intestine without being fully broken down into their amino acid parts. The remnants of undigested proteins are treated as foreign invaders by our immune system, which sets about making molds to destroy them and sets into motion the self-destructive autoimmune process.
This is basically saying that there is a point during the digestion process where the intestines can absorb molecules and it is long before the amino acid level. This leads us too; when you eat, not only do you get the atomic acids that are the fundamental building blocks for life, but you get some of the ‘life’ of the previous animal too!
In other words, the animal that you’re eating had to create protein complexes that it used for cellular life. Sequences of proteins that unlocked its DNA are now floating around in your biological system.
As Dr. Campbell points out, the autoimmune system discovers these foreign protein complexes and replicates another protein to break it down.
Now the real question comes to play – why?
To understand why, we have to look at the work of Dr Lipton:
You remember reading through that book? If not, you can always revisit the lecture series that I blogged about a short while ago (Unlocking your DNA). One of the key things that Dr. Lipton demonstrates is that protein molecules perform functions within the body as stimuli and/or triggers. If you need a refresher, start at the fourth video for there he talks about primary and secondary stimuli and then leads into how the cell replaces the proper effecter for the stimuli by using the DNA to replicate the desired response protein.
Dr. Lipton points out that when a cell doesn’t have the right response for a stimuli in the environment, the signal molecules unlock the DNA in order for the cell to create the correct response to handle the environmental signals.
With this as background, let’s add the two together and see what happens.
Some animal dies for our food. In that animal’s cells (just before and after death) there are an un-measureable number of complex (and simple) protein molecules that work as both the signal and response proteins for that animal’s cells. We than consume these cells in large quantities where not all the proteins are broken down to their basic amino acids. This means that both signal and response proteins could be floating around in the bloodstream triggering cells to behave in ways that the ‘brain’ (or central controller) never intended. As an emergency response to the float of signals in the bloodstream, the autoimmune system quickly replicates the ‘anti-molecule’ to inhibit the invasion of proteins. Yet, sometimes, because the animal proteins may be very similar to human proteins, the ‘anti-molecule’ ends up attacking a similar useful protein in the body (like the pancreas that causes type-1 diabetes). Also, if the autoimmune system can’t get to all of them fast enough, some of them may actually trigger the chain reaction on the surface of a cell that eventually causes some relatively dormant function in the cell to awaken and to successfully service the signal, some primitive section of the DNA gets unlocked and harmful proteins are reproduced to service the trigger.
Said differently, when we consume protein molecules that were other animal triggers and responses, we end up introducing ‘foreign’ forms of life into our biological system. How those other life forms work and respond may not be aligned with what should be done for humans.
What about plants? When you read The China Study, it’s pretty clear that the differentiating line is between animal proteins and plant proteins. Could it be that Mother Nature thought of all this ahead of time so as to make the signals and triggers different between animals and plants? Also, maybe our bodies are specifically designed to NOT break down molecules into their basic amino acid so as to allow for absorption of molecules like chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is so close to the form of Hemoglobin that it doesn’t make sense for the body to break it down all the way, but rather absorb it and let the body tweak it from one form to another. It would save lots of energy to not break something down just to have to rebuild it again.
Also, the simple concept that plants take in animal waste and animals take in plant waste is a pretty good sign that the relationship is synergetic.
So, what was the realization that I woke up with?
It’s this, when we consume animal protein, because our system doesn’t completely digest all molecules, many different types of molecules enter the bloodstream through digestion rather than being released through our glandular systems. When this happens, our bodies respond through our immune system to remove the invaders before they do damage to the cells. Unfortunately, if the amount of animal protein is too high (or they enter the blood too fast) the defense mechanisms of the body can’t keep up and these proteins act upon our cells as if they would in the animal!
This idea would seem to give more meaning to the phrase – you are what you eat!
This also ties in well with a video that I came across a long time ago from The Raw World TV Show. As luck would have it, I’ve found that old show. Here it is:
I remember when I first watched this being struck by the idea that it wasn’t just giving up animal proteins, but giving up cooking as well. This would make sense for when you cook Chlorophyll molecules, they break apart into molecules that would be absorbed, yet they would also be ‘toxic’ substances that the immune system would have to deal with. That is not the case when you go raw!
At this point, it seems to me that when we cook food we denature molecules that the body expects to see in its natural state. Likewise, when we consume animal proteins, we willingly accept signal and response molecules that may or may not have unexpected effects on the body.
Waking up with this understanding gives me a new perspective on what I eat! If it also does for you, let me know.
I love it when I stumble across videos like this one about making coconut oil. When I get a few minutes alone with the TV, I have the tendency to switch the channel to the How It’s Made show. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with what they have to offer, yet I wish they’d go into a little more detail.
When it comes to making edible oil, I would suspect that no one that I’ve ever met has any idea how to make it. And, they wouldn’t have any reason for they’d simply go to the store and pay the 10-15 bucks for the jar!
It’s cool how the video takes you through all the steps. The grinding looks pretty aggressive! I wonder what that looks like for the camera really doesn’t pick up the image very well. The presses are pretty old fashion. Reminds me of making apple cider as a kid.
The part that I didn’t know, was that when you press the nut, the juice will separate into three layers: skim milk, oil and protein. There’s a great show of it @ 5:04 in the video. I’ve ground and strained coconut flakes and it separates almost like this, but my kitchen (blender) is nothing like this operation.
Looks like there was a related link that’s a little more ‘local kitchen’ than the previous one. This is John, from OkRaw.com showing us how to make coconut oil from everyday mature coconuts.
I wish I could find the first video, but he does a good job summing up the first steps to the process. I would guess that he got a really good deal on coconuts, opened them, ran it through the juicer to make pulp (removing the juice) and then the video picks up at the oil extraction process. It’s too bad that he doesn’t show the final product after it’s separated.
Now I know that I’ll be keeping my eyes open in a search for a great deal on coconuts. I’m looking forward to (at least) trying this process. I’m sure, if nothing else, I’ll gain a better appreciation for the price of a jar of coconut oil!
Choose your words consciously – and may your spirit manifest harmony.
Oh my! If you think it’s hard enough keeping your hands out of the cookie jar, wait until you try these truffles! With a snap of the chocolate exterior, the creamy filling explodes with flavor on your tongue filling your mouth with sensations that exceed anything Hershey’s puts out! Everyone that sampled one of these truffles was as impressed as I was with the flavor and more amazed by the thought that I actually made them – and they are nearly 100% raw, dairy free and amazingly professional!
Yep, that’s a small sampling of the overall collection. Overall, the two batches that I made rolled out to nearly 70 truffles. Don’t they look amazing? They’ve all got little flat spots on the bottom where the chocolate hardened and you can even see the vanilla powder (little black spots) that didn’t completely dissolve in the cacao butter. Yet, I have to say this is one of the best ‘Christmas cookies’ I’ve ever made!
And they’re actually pretty simple to make. The hardest part for me was to figure out what to put on the inside. A typical truffle has some creamy diary-butter-sweet filling with some simple flavor, but in the raw, dairy free world, you’ve got to search a bit to find something that comes close. After searching the net and reading a number of different raw food blogs, I decided on coconut oil, almond butter and some fruit. I figured that the fruit would provide the sweetness, the coconut butter would provide the creamy feel and the almond butter would provide texture and substance.
As it turns out, that combination makes for a really nice base!
So, if you’re ambitious, here is what I did.
Look closely at the two pictures above. They are slightly different. One contains Apricots and the other blueberries and Amaretto. It’s funny looking at these pictures now, for I took them before actually working up the ‘batters’ and I added the amaretto to the apricot mixture rather than the blue berry one. In any case, everything that I used for the filling is shown.
Note that I started making these truffles on Friday night and finished them late Sunday evening! I takes a while but I’m sure you’ll be able to streamline the process.
Step 1:
Here we’re going to prepare the fruit. Select the best Medjool dates and other fruit and place them in a little bowl with just enough water to cover them. The idea is you want to reconstitute the dried fruit just enough to soften it up, but not to add so much water that the filling becomes soupy. Notice the little bowls that I used. I removed the seeds from the dates, pressed them into the bowl and then covered them with a couple tablespoons water. The blueberries I simply measured out and covered with water. The apricots were a little harder because they are naturally… well…. Hard. I used a bit more water with them.
Step 2:
Time to get out all the basic filling ingredients and along with your favorite blender for we’re going to fill it up. It’s just a matter of placing everything (but the water) in the blender. Remove the dates and add. Remove the apricots (or blueberries) and add. Shovel in the almond butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, salt and amaretto.
When it’s all in, turn the blender on its lowest setting. With my Vita-mix, I don’t need the lid on when it turns on its lowest setting. This allows me to work the batter. If you’ve ever made date paste, you’ll know it likes to clump up. You’ll want to work it down into the blades and get the entire mixture to turn.
As you can see, it’s pretty rich. Some people like to add liquid coconut oil, but I simply added it hard. That might make a difference and I’ll try liquid next time. Notice the position of the vita-mix spatula. If you look closely at your blender, you’ll see that the blades to not reach all the way into the corners. Thus, on that lowest setting, I was able to place the spatula all the way down in the corners to help the mixture turn. When it started turning, I would work the speeds up to 5 or so. The idea is that you’ve got to work it long enough to really break up the fruit and make the mixture ‘creamy’.
When its mixed thoroughly, empty the contents of the blender into a container and place it all in the fridge to cool. You’ll want to get it cold enough to shape.
Step 3:
After it’s cooled, use a spoon to scoop out the semi-hardened mixture and do your best to work it into a ball. This will take some patients. The coconut oil liquefies so quickly that you’ve got to move fast and make very little contact with what will be the truffle filling.
Notice how old shaped they are. They’ll stick to anything and everything! When you’ve gotten through the entire batch, place them back in the fridge to harden again. I just placed the entire plate in and let it cool completely. Using a large pottery plate will give you a little more time because it takes longer to heat back up after removing it from the fridge.
Step 4:
Roll ‘em again!
Notice how the second roll knocked down the points and made them all nice and round. Unfortunately, they will warm quickly so you’ll have to cool them again. At this point, placing them in the freezer just might be an option. I did for a little while, but I didn’t want them to freeze completely. I just wanted them to get really cold while I prepared for the next steps.
The outer shell
Here is where we revisit any old raw chocolate making recipe (or this recipe). Well, ok, not just any! Here I’ve melted the cacao butter to the point where it’s ready to mix. Note that to get it to this point I measured out 6 ounces cacao butter, shaved it into the pyrex measuring cup and then placed it in the dehydrator. It takes a few hours to melt, so I started early in the process.
Note that there is just about 1 cup cacao butter in its melted form. To that, you add the cacao and vanilla powder. After mixing that well, you add the agave. Like any good oil, you’ll find that the other liquids are going to want to sink to the bottom, thus during the dipping process, you’ll have to stir it regularly so the sweetener get evenly distributed on each truffle.
Step 5:
Now comes the dipping process. The liquid chocolate in the measuring cup is 90+ degrees and so you’ll have to move fast, yet, the dipping process takes time as you wait for each layer to dry. Be prepared to watch paint dry for a while!
I prepared a pan with parchment paper to receive the finished truffles. Then I removed the very cold rounds from the fridge and started dipping. As you can see, I used a fork to hold the cold filling for dipping. Because the filling is cold the liquid chocolate will cool and harden in a matter of seconds. Thus, I’d dip it just long enough to cover the filling and then hold it above. After a few seconds the chocolate would harden and I’d dip it again. For each truffle, I dipped it three times. After the last dip hardens across the top of the filling, I’d gently work it off the fork (using a butter knife) onto the parchment paper.
After dipping them all, back into the fridge they go to cool one more time.
When it’s all said and done, you’ve got these!
Before serving, take them out of the fridge and let them warm to room temperature. The chocolate shell will remain relatively hard, but the coconut, almond butter filling will nearly melt. Thus, when you bite into it, you get a snap from the hard dark chocolate and a somewhat runny feeling from the center which always surprises the person to no end!
I can’t wait to mix up the fillings. If I were to choose just one of the two filling that I made this time, it would be the apricot filling. There is something about blueberry seeds that gives the mixture an off flavor. Don’t get me wrong, the blueberry filling is really good, but the apricot one is simply better!
Also, next time I’ll probably use less dates and more of the other fruit. For instance, I’d use two dates and 12 apricots, or 2 dates and ½ cup blueberries. In a way, the fruits where overpowered by the dates. Next time I’d want the individual fruit flavors to stand out better.
Overall, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! This is how you wow people with just enough chocolate to make it fun, but not so much as to break the bank! The fillings are ‘real food’ thus it’s more a decadent taste sensation then a toxic curse. Lol. Remember to make them small for there is a LOT of flavor in each one. The alternative is you’ll be running extra miles – if you’re not careful.
