Trinity Phix

The third lesson I’ll share is the lesson of the ginger bug. A ginger bug is a fizzy slurry of water, ginger, and sugar used to inoculate sweetened beverages (such as fruit juice or sweetened teas) and transform them into healthful, probiotic-rich sodas. I don’t like to pick favorites amongst my kitchen pets, but… this is probably my favorite ferment.

Growing up, we were only allowed one can of “pop” on Friday nights, which was pizza/game night in my house. I was always very excited to go retrieve my can of Shasta cream soda.

The only other time we were allowed soda was ginger ale when we were sick. Little did I know then, this tradition actually has its roots in true healing. Real ginger ale, or ginger beer, is nothing more than strong ginger tea that has been sweetened and fermented. The sugars are eaten up in the process of fermentation leaving you with a fizzy, probiotic beverage- with the healing powers of ginger to boot! True ginger ale settles the stomach, boosts the immune system, and is extremely hydrating.

But you can use your ginger bug to make any type of soda you want. Most times, I will simply buy organic fruit juice and ferment that with my bug. Even pasteurized juices can become living foods again!

Bottom line: my ginger bug allows me to have healthful sodas on hand all the time, and I can drink them every day and feel great about it! How fun.

Now you know why I like my ginger bug so much, but what about the spiritual aspect?

…More, Please!

The next lesson I learned involved my milk kefir grains. No one knows the origin of these mysterious grains, except that they were called “gift from God.” In his book The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz writes,

Biologist Lynn Margulis asserts: “Kefir can no more be made by the ‘right mix’ of chemicals or microbes than can oak trees or elephants.”
….She points out that kefir grains do not possess “programmed death,” as animals, plants, and certain other organisms do, and therefore may theoretically live forever, given adequate nutrition and tolerable environmental conditions.

It stands to reason that something labeled “gift from God” would be a symbol of eternity. Some even theorize these grains could have been the manna God gave to Moses and the Israelites during their time in the wilderness…

Whatever the case, they have a rich and mysterious history and eventually settled in the Caucasus Mountains where they were guarded and kept secret. (The Caucasian people said Mohammed gave them this gift, but no one knows where he got them.) The shepherds of this land used them to ferment milk in animal skin pouches as they traveled with their herd. This preserved the milk, quenched their thirst, and kept the shepherds in good health.

These highly regarded grains were shared amongst Caucasian families as a gift of “health and wealth,” passed down from one generation to the next. The grains actually grow and multiply over time, which means the meager-looking spoonful someone gave you will soon have grown into more than you know what to do with! They are meant to be shared; it is their nature.

But the Caucasians didn’t want to share. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that these grains were forced from their ancient hiding place. It is a story of Russian spies, a prince, and kidnapping… the tale of how milk kefir eventually made its way around the world.

…More, Please!

Did you know you have a living garden inside of you? Your gut is teeming with life, filled with the flora that determine your overall vitality in a big way. You may not be able to see them at all, but as Horton the elephant would say, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

I initially learned about fermented foods through one of my heathen friends, so it is interesting to be writing a post, years later, about the spiritual lessons I have learned through this process. I see it as just another way God works everything together for the good of those who believe.

The spiritual aspect of fermentation for me began when I was sitting alone at my dining room table pounding away at a crock full of fresh cabbage. I was making sauerkraut. A layer of chopped cabbage, a layer of salt, a layer of chopped cabbage, a layer of salt. Pound, mash, pound, mash. I began to ponder to the rhythmic process. The salt and mashing of the cabbage encouraged the release of its juices, creating a salty brine where life would eventually proliferate in the form of friendly bacteria, popularly known as probiotics, which means “life-giving.”…More, Please!