Blackberries & Salal berries—the wild fruit!

This is the fifth feature in the WeeMunch Seasonal Berry Series (use the search bar to read our posts on raspberries, strawberries, huckleberries, and salmonberries). I’ve grown to love blackberries and salal berries—despite their instense seediness—since learning more about their impressive nutrient content, and am more apt to popping one into my mouth when I come across a bramble on my way to the beach. I’ve only recently discovered salal berries and this year I’ve incorporated them into some of my favourite recipes. I have a lovely bush growing in my yard so I’ve been using them in pies and even homemade ice cream.

Oskar, my son, just loves them both. Come to think of it, I don’t think that there is a berry he doesn’t like. A momma can’t complain though—even though I managed to freeze almost no berries this year—because they are so very good for you.

Here’s a snapshot of the plentitude of nutrient value, common among berries in general, and found in blackberries and salal berries: high levels of vitamin C and A, and antioxidants known for their anti-cancer properties. Not too shabby for a ‘weedy’ berry. Most berries are bursting with healing properties. As a holistic nutritionist, I believe that food is medicine and works as powerfully as medicine, and there are many studies that show this repeatedly.

Known as the ‘cabernet of berries’ for their earthy wine-like taste, blackberries are easy to incorporate into a food-lover’s diet. I thought this recipe looked simple to make and very tasty. Great for your little one’s upcoming birthday party or a special summer treat.

Blackberry Tart Recipe
Prep and Cook Time: around 30 minutes; chilling time: 3 hours Ingredients:
Crust
2-1/2 cups walnuts
1-1/2 cups dates
Filling
5 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
3 TBS honey
1-1/2 TBS arrowroot

Directions:
1. Combine walnuts and pitted dates in a food processor. Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth (about 40 seconds). It should have a coarse texture when done. Press into a 9-inch tart pan. Set in refrigerator while making the filling.
2. If you are using frozen blackberries make sure they are completely thawed. If not, they will dilute the filling as they thaw and make it runny.
3. Place 2 cups of the berries along with the arrowroot in a blender. Add water or blackberry juice. Blend into a puree.
4. Place puree in a small saucepan along with honey and cook over medium heat stirring constantly for about 3-4 minutes. It should lose its cloudiness and thicken. When it thickens and the cloudiness is gone remove it from heat. Mix with rest of the blackberries and fill tart shell. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Make sure it is covered so it doesn't pick up moisture from the refrigerator.
Serves 8

*Thanks to WHFoods.com website for the above recipe

Be well-nourished, Lisa Marie

Summer Munch’n Series: Popsicles

Here on the West Coast of Canada, the sun has been slow to declare that summer is here. One day it’s warm, glow feels eternal and the next day rainy, monsoon skies feel like winter.

If you are enjoying summer wherever you are…you know it’s time to prepare popsicles. I have searched everywhere to find an alternative to plastic popsicle trays, and discovered a new love for all silicon, non-toxic Kinderville Little Bites Ice Pop Molds.

The basic principle for popsicles for toddlers and beyond is 1 to 1 juice and water. We suggest the juice of fresh, local, seasonal fruits and veggies. Another alternative is to freeze those morning or afternoon smoothies in your popsicle trays. READ HERE for more smoothie ideas.

My first popsicle for Ilan is a mixture of fresh pear juice and water. After an hour or two, these little puppies are good to go. Enjoy.

Important juice note: We’re not fans of fruit juice at WeeMunch. Why? Because fruit juice by nature is high in sugar and has had the precious fibre removed. If you are going to offer juice, try to make it fresh and water it down. I often add lemon juice or the juice from over-ripe berries, watermelon or other fruits to water to make it more tasty. Try to make juice a special treat rather than a daily expectation.

Ginger Beer...the results are in!

The ginger beer (aka ale) I brewed recently from a 'ginger bug' (see our recent Ferment Fervour post) was ready for testing the other day so I reached up to the top of my fridge, where I store my ferments, and opened one of the bottles with a bit of angst; I always get the last minute jitters thinking that perhaps something went wrong or didn't seal it right. It's just like gardening when you put in the seed and check back weekly to see if anything is sprouting yet. Each time I look I ask myself: Will it sprout? Did I give it enough water? Were the seeds viable? And when it does sprout—it's like no other feeling of total contentment and pride.

So, back to the ginger beer. It let out a tiny little 'pfst' and I wondered if it was going to be ok. But as soon as I went to pour it it got even fizzier. I was gitty with delight! I called my husband to come and test it and both he and little Oskar were up for their 'quality control' duties. They both drank it back and finished with smiles. "Best one yet" and "Mmmm, momma! Geen-ger Beer". It was a hit. I really liked this one, we made it stronger (we made it with the full "6 inches of ginger root" at the end and used the zest of the lemon as well as the juice and therefore it was more flavourful and full-bodied than the last one. It had that wonderful gentle warming at the back of your throat feeling that only ginger can provide; accompanied by a gentle fizz which flirts with its earthy body, a hint of lemon and just enough sweetness.

It's amazing the pride you get from 'raising your own ferments' just as when you sprout your seeds, and raise a child.
If you don't have the means for a garden, create one in your kitchen by way of fermented food projects. You can always go outside to enjoy them once they are finished and relish in the harvest whilst getting your vitamin D from the sun. Be sure to mindfully enjoy the many benefits of your ginger beer. It has plenty of beneficial bacteria, lively enzymes, the many powerful healing components of ginger and the additional alkalinity and freshness of lemon. This is a healthy and alkaline drink, unlike commercial soft-drinks.

Note: Start saving old wine bottles and, even better, clip-top beer bottles (Like Grolsch brand). They're great for home ferments.

PS: I just picked several pounds of gorgeous yellow-orange plums today...perhaps a Plum T'ej is in my future. Stay tuned.

Yes, it has IRON!

Contrary to what Popeye might have you believe, spinach isn’t the prime ruler for iron. It’s good for you, yes, and contains iron (best when lightly cooked), but there are other surprising and abundant sources of iron out there. Why does iron matter? Inadequate exposure to iron can create a failure to thrive, lack of stamina, tiredness, loss of appetite, anemia. Some doctors argue that a lack of iron in the formative years can lead to learning disabilities, excessive trantrums, and holding one’s breath until turning blue.

Your little one needs a significant amount of iron throughout their development. The early years are important. From 7 to 12 months, a baby’s need for iron springs by double to 7.8 mg and from a year onwards hovers between 6 to 7 mg. And, at 7 years it jumps to almost 9 mg. That said, it’s confusing and frustrating to expose your child to 7.8 mg at 7 months when they have just started eating solids. It’s these figures that lead most parents to buy and offer highly processed and refined, and fortified (often with the worst quality vitamins/minerals) baby rice cereals.

There are two types of iron, heme which is found in animal products and the iron found in vegetarian sources known as non-heme. Conventional nutrition argues that heme sources of iron are more available to the body, and therefore more readily absorbed. The amount of iron absorbed from vegetarian foods is believed to be around 1 - 10%, while it is 10 - 20% from animal foods. The misleading thing here is that we often read the nutritional charts on packages to determine the nutrients contained within. What we often don’t know is how much and how many nutrients are absorbed by our bodies. So, simply exposing your child to their 7.8 mg may not be enough. You’ll want to expose them to a variety of sources, taking into account that the body doesn’t absorb all of the iron available in the foods we eat.

Combining vitamin C rich foods with foods that contain iron can increase absorption. Broccoli and bok choy for instance are high in both iron and vitamin C.

There are some excellent and surprising non-heme sources of iron. Here’s the WeeMunch shortlist.

Blackstrap Molasses

Tahini

Tofu (Non-GMO, organic preferred)

Raisins (ideally organic)

Turmeric

Watermelon

Mint and Parsley

The following is a list of foods that provide 8 mg or more of iron per 100 grams:

Whole (unrefined) cereals and grains

Legumes: lentils, soybeans, lobia (black-eyed bean curry)

Vegetables: Beetroot greens, parsley

Spices: Turmeric

Fruits: Dried dates

Fish, turkey and red meats

Mussels, sardines, oysters, shrimp

Ferment Fervour: How to Make the Best Ginger Ale

Ever since I picked up a copy of Wild Fermentation several years ago I've been intrigued by fermenting and have done several ferments now, namely honey wine (I gave it as Christmas presents for family and friends in the past) and, most recently I made ginger beer.

The author, Sandor Ellix Katz, writes, "Microscopic organisms—our ancestors and allies—transform food and extend its usefulness. Fermentation is found throughout human cultures. Hundreds of medical and scientific studies confirm what folklore has always known: Fermented foods help people stay healthy."

As a nutritionist I agree with this statement and that is one of the reasons why I loved this book so much. I believe that one of the commonalities between the most healthful societies of the world, such as Japan, is the ‘living foods’ they consume, such as fermented pastes such a miso.

North Americans don’t really have a staple food that is traditionally fermented, other than yogourt, which is so highly processed and contains little of the vitality it does when homemade with fresh milk/cream. Pickles and sauerkraut are now a fast-food, processed with vinegar and not really fermented at all.

Another aspect of this book I love is that the author is humorous, very knowledgeable and provides great practical tips and creative ideas for those of us who like to 'cook outside of the box'.

This is the first post in what I plan to be a series of posts on fermenting foods (not consecutive posts). I hope that they will be informative and inspiring enough for you to try for yourself and see if you get hooked on the flavour and vigour that you get from these living foods! It is a great way to have a little fun in the kitchen and create a project that could be fun for the kids to take part in too; kind of like growing something from seed and watching it sprout. They’ll delight in the spontaneity of bubbles forming as their ‘bug’ grows almost before their eyes.

Ginger Beer (aka Ginger Ale) from the book Wild Fermentation

Note this is a (healthy) ‘soft drink’ not an alcoholic drink, the fermentation creates enough carbonation for a bubbly beverage but not enough to contribute an ‘appreciable’ amount of alcohol.

Also, you’ll notice that the recipe calls for sugar (or honey) and because during the fermentation process the microorganisms fully metabolize the sugar, it is considered not the same as consuming refined white sugar in its usual form -which causes chaos on our metabolism when consumed regularly.

From Wild Fermentation: “Fermentation also removes toxins from foods. This is vividly illustrated by the case of cassava, an enormous tuber native to the equatorial regions of Africa and Asia. Certain varieties contain high levels of cyanide and are poisonous until they have undergone a soaking fermentation. The fermentation process eliminates the cyanide, rendering the cassava edible and nutritious.”

Timeframe: 2-3 weeks

Ingredients:
3 inches or more of fresh ginger root
2 cups sugar or raw honey
2 lemons
Water

Process:
1. First you need to start the 'ginger bug': Add 2 teaspoons grated ginger (skin and all) and 2 tsp. sugar/honey to one cup water. Stir well and leave in a warm spot, covered with cheesecloth to allow free circulation of air while keeping flies out. Add this amount of ginger and sugar/honey every day or two and stir, until the bug starts bubbling, in 2 days to about a week.

2. Make the ginger beer any time after the bug becomes active. If you wait more than a couple of days, keep feeding the bug fresh ginger and sugar/honey every 2 days. Boil 2 litres of water. Add about 2 inches of gingerroot, grated, for a mild ginger flavour (up to 6 inches for an intense ginger flavour) and 1 ½ cups sugar. Boil this mixture for about 15 minutes. Cool.

3. Once the ginger/sugar/water mixture has cooled, strain the ginger out and add the juice of the lemons and the strained ginger bug. If you intend to make this process an ongoing rhythm, reserve a few tablespoons of the active bug as a starter and replenish it with additional water, grated ginger and sugar.

4. Add enough water to make 4 litres (one gallon).

5. Bottle in sealable bottles; rubber gasket “bail top” bottles are great or capped beer or wine bottles. Leave bottles to ferment in a warm spot for about 2 weeks.

6. Cool before opening. When you open a ginger beer, be prepared with a glass, since carbonation can be strong and force liquid rushing out of the bottle.

This is a family favourite in my house and does not last. Consider making a double batch once you get the ‘feel’ for fermenting.

ENJOY!