How to Make Whey, Cream Cheese, and Lacto-Fermented Beets.

It’s not everyday you wake up and decide it would be a good day to start increasing your gut flora.

A few days ago it was such a day
and on that day
I made whey.

Move over Miss Muffet we got a new poet in town.  Like it?  You’re welcome.

How to Make the Whey (and cream cheese)

I followed the directions in Nourishing Traditions.

In my short life this is the best book I’ve read on nutrition even if it looks like it was printed in 1972.

Way or Whey #1

Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt

1. Put a metal strainer over a glass or metal bowl.  (I actually ended up using a mesh strainer and it worked well.)

2. Line the strainer with thin dishtowel.
3. Pour a container of  Organic Plain Whole Milk yogurt into the strainer.

4. Let it drip (this is the whey) into the bowl for hours or overnight.
5. Tie your towel to a wooden spoon and place the spoon over a pitcher.  When the towel is not longer dripping the cream cheese is ready and you have whey.

Way or Whey #2

Raw Milk

For you crazies who want to use raw milk.  

1. FIRST you need to put the milk in a clean glass container until it separates. This will take a day or 4.
2. Then follow the above directions.

The whey will keep in a glass container for up to 6 months and the cream cheese up to 1 month.  (A few days if it’s in my house.)

Simple dimple.

Why whey you ask? Well whey is high in minerals and has a variety of uses.  It can be used to soak grains (soaking neutralizes phytic acid improving their nutritional benefit),as a supplement to aid in digestion, and because of the lactic acid whey contains it can be used to lacto ferment vegetables. Remember I wanted to increase the flora in my gut (I’m sure you are still marveling at my poetic genius)? Eating lacto fermented vegetables is a great way to do just that.  Besides my house is being overrun by beets from my CSA.  I can only eat so many grilled beet and goat cheese salads.

How to Make the Pickeled (Lacto-Fermented) Beets

Beets
Sea Salt
4 tbs Whey
1 cup of Filtered Water

Again I followed the directions laid out by Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.  (Love that title!)

1. Wash and peel beets.

2. Roast the beets until soft.  (I forgot to “prick” them.) My beets seemed to be drying out so I added some water to the pan and covered it with aluminum foil which I’m sure rendered my beets toxic.  Good thing I’ll have more gut flora.

3. Slice the beets but not too thin about 1/4″ of an inch.  Mine are all different thickness b/c I wanted to see what texture I prefer.  Whatever you do DO NOT grate or process beets in a processor as this will make them ferment too quickly.  You want lactic acid not alcohol.

4. Put the beets in a quart sized mason jar.  Press the beets down lighting with a wooden pounder or meat hammer.  My meat hammer wouldn’t fit so I used a wooden spoon.

4. Combine the sea salt, whey, and filtered water and pour into the mason jar.  Make sure to cover the beets.   There should be at least one inch between the top of you jar and the beets.

5. Screw the lid on tightly and wait patiently.  I know it will be hard while you think about all the wonderful little bacteria proliferating on you counter.   In about 3 days you can transfer to cold storage.  They can also be eaten at this time or you may wait if you prefer a stronger flavor.

Mine are still waiting one the counter.  I’ll let you know how they turn out.

For more information of lacto-fermation here is an article by the queen of nourishment, Sally Fallon.

Do you use whey or lacto-ferment vegetables?   Are you like me and the thought of healthy gut bacteria just make you giddy with joy?  Do I need need to get a life?  Wait…don’t answer that!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

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