Taste of Spring

RITUAL: Fermenting | SEASON: Spring | TASTE: Sour

Spring, the first season of the year, is represented by Wood, the first of the Five Elements in the productive cycle. The Wood element is associated with the sour taste. So, in addition to eating Spring greens and fruits and veggies in season, now is a good time to practice making your own properly fermented foods and drinks.

Sour foods are essential for vital health. Sour foods relieve thirst, stimulate digestion, increase the absorption of minerals like iron from food and aid the body with proper elimination. They strengthen the heart and help with circulation. They can also be energizing and relieve pain.

Sour foods are cleansing. Theses tart flavored foods are quite acidic and can make you want to pucker up. Their acidity brings brightness to a dish, like a buttermilk bath for chicken or a squeeze of lime on a fish taco. They can also be great palate cleansers, like a lemon sorbet between courses or pickled ginger between bites of sushi.

A sour taste can also help determine if fruit is under-ripe, meat is rotten or foods are spoiled, like milk that has soured. High levels of acidity can be a warning that a food or beverage might be too acidic and cause considerable damage to tissues.

The sour taste is calming to the body. Sour foods are used in Chinese medicine to detoxify the liver. The liver is the organ associated with toxic emotions, especially anger. Symptoms of a toxic liver are: headache, dizziness, high blood pressure and red face and eyes. The body can also experience insomnia, bloating and constipation. Many of these symptoms can accompany menopause, premenstrual tension, hyperthyroidism and depression.

Examples of sour and fermented foods are:

• Citrus Fruits & Juices: grapefruit, kumquats, lemons and limes

• Fermented Condiments: fish sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce

• Fermented Drinks: kombucha, water kefir, wine

• Fermented Foods: miso, tempeh, tofu

• Pickled Foods: capers, ginger, kimchi, pickles, pickled veggies, pickled plums (umeboshi), sauerkraut

• Preserved lemon

• Sour Soups: borscht, hot and sour, sweet and sour, sorrel, stock or broth made with apple cider vinegar

• Sourdough Bread

• Sour Dairy: buttermilk, crème fraiche, kefir, sour cream, yogurt

• Sour Foods: rhubarb, sorrel, tamarind, tomatoes

• Sour Fruits: acai, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, crabapples, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes, guavas, kiwi, mulberries, noni, plums, pomegranate, raspberries and sour cherries

• Vinegar: apple cider, balsamic, champagne, red and white wine, rice wine

• Vinegar based salad dressings & sauces: Italian dressing, chimichurri, ketchup, mignonette, hot sauce

Favorite Sour Foods: borscht with sour cream, cranberry sauce, grapefruit juice, lemon curd, sauerkraut, sour candy, sourdough bread, stuffed grape leaves, unsweetened Greek yogurt, vinegar based salad dressings or just olive oil and vinegar.

Favorite Preparation Methods: canning, fermentation, fruit preserves, raw milk kefir, pickling, sourdough bread making, vinegar distilling, water kefir, wine making, yogurt making

NOTE:  If you crave sour foods, you might need to detox your liver and/or gallbladder.  Or, you might need to supplement with probiotics to restore the healthy “good” bacteria levels in your gut.

Apple cider vinegar is one the healthiest sour foods you can make a daily ritual. One of the simplest ways is by adding 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to your water with the juice of half a lemon. Drink 16-24 oz of this lightly flavored water in the morning for a gentle detoxifying effect. Add a couple of tablespoons of ACV to your bone broth to help break down the bones and release their minerals. You can make your own ACV with pesticide-free organic apple peels and cores in about 4-6 weeks. Or, buy a high quality apple cider vinegar “with the Mother”.

The following are my favorite sour and fermented foods. I grew up on homemade sourdough and a soft butter butter made with whipping cream, EVOO and sea salt. As a vegetarian in my formative years, I also ate a lot of entree sized salads with homemade vinaigrette. And later, as a young mother, I started making my own water kefir that I could enjoy it with my two children.

Sourdough Bread

The Hard Wood element is associated with baking. One of the best baked goods to make is homemade bread. And sourdough is one of the healthiest types of bread to eat.

After an initial investment in some sourdough baking tools and equipment and high quality flour and salt, you can have loaves of bread to serve to your family and enjoy every week. You can experiment with different flavor profiles and add ins. And you can express your creativity with different loaf shapes and dough score designs.

This Spring, make yourself a sourdough starter. Feed it until it’s ready to use. Then, make some homemade sourdough loaves. You can use some of the discard to make sourdough pancakes or muffins.

While some people are gluten intolerant, many people who have a gluten sensitivity are actually allergic, not to the grain itself, but the form of wheat that was modified to increase its yield. Wheat was hybridized, genetically modified and is sprayed with toxic chemicals like glyphosate. If you can, find some organic wheat or even an ancient grain called einkorn, to make your sourdough starter and bake your weekly bread.

Pickled Veggies

Pickled veggies are one the simplest things you can make to support your gut health. I like to make pickled red onions, ginger, carrots and sauerkraut. You can also make your own snacking pickles with organic pickling or Persian cucumbers and your favorite pickling spices. Just get some glass jars and try some different recipes until you find the ones you and your family really like. Then, make new batches each week to enjoy on salads or sandwiches or along with other dishes.

Water Kefir

Water kefir is a slightly effervescent probiotic beverage with impressive health benefits. While yogurt is the most well-known source of probiotics, water kefir is actually considered a better source, as it contains up to 56 bacterial and yeast strains. Drinking water kefir has been shown to improve gut health and aid in weight loss. It can reduce the inflammatory response and improve immunity and overall health. It also slows or even blocks the growth of cancer cells, especially in breast tissue, as well as, the colon and blood. It can reduce your risk of intestinal infections, prevent the recurrence of UTIs in women and help to avoid respiratory infections.

Water kefir or kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented and sweetened black tea that has an alcohol content. Some people like to drink kombucha for gut health. You can buy kombucha in a variety of flavors or make your own.

Water kefir is a lightly carbonated drink, full of probiotics and enzymes. It’s made with tibicos, a Japanese water crystal that is fed by organic sugar in pure water. The water kefir grains metabolize the sugar during the fermentation process, creating carbon dioxide and resulting in a water kefir beverage that ends up being very low in sugar.

I actually prefer to drink water kefir. It’s easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and doesn’t have any caffeine, alcohol or a high sugar content. It’s a good alternative to drinking soda. It won’t spike your insulin so it’s a good choice for diabetics and people with insulin resistance. And it’s also a good option for people who want the healing benefits of kefir but don’t eat dairy.

Water kefir crystals are live active cultures. The soft, gelatinous ‘grains’ are made of lactic acid bacteria. When healthy and well fed, these grains will continue to grow and multiply, doubling each time you make it and producing an endless supply of water kefir crystals. Since the recipe only calls for 4-6 tablespoons of water kefir crystals, you can freeze the extra grains to share with friends and family or for long term storage.

To make your own water kefir, all you need are some water kefir grains to ferment in a solution of pure filtered water and organic sugar for about 24-48 hours. I like to add a few dried figs or apricots and some lemon or lime slices to mine. For additional minerals and electrolytes, you can use coconut water instead of filtered water.

Then, once it’s ready, just strain the water kefir crystals to make a new batch and add your flavors. I like to make strawberry lemonade with organic strawberry puree and lemon juice. You can also make a mojito style water kefir with fresh mint and lime juice. Or, add some freshly rated ginger for a homemade ginger ale or some vanilla bean paste for a gourmet vanilla creme soda flavor.

Water Kefir Instructions

While there are many suppliers of water kefir starters, quality living kefir grains that have been well taken care of, can be hard to find. I recommend getting some from a local friend who uses only pure water and organic sugar. I purchased my organic living water kefir crystals from Zoe Vaklinova. You can check out her online store.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large glass measuring bowl

• 2 Quart (half gallon) glass mason jar

• Ceramic or plastic measuring spoons

• Wooden spoon

• Paper towel or cheescloth

• Rubber band

• Small plastic strainer

• Glass bottles or pitcher for storage

Water Kefir Recipe

• 4-6 Tbs. of organic living water kefir grains

• 6 cups of filtered or spring water

• 4 Tbs. of organic cane sugar

• 2 Tbs. of coconut sugar

• 4 organic un-sulphured dried figs or apricots

• Optional: 2 slices of organic lemon

Fill your large glass mason jar with 6 cups of filtered water. Add your sugars and stir to dissolve. Then, measure 4-6 tablespoons of water kefir crystals and add them to the glass jar. Add your dried fruit and lemon slices. Cover with a paper towel or some cheesecloth to keep dust and bugs out and secure with a rubber band. Let sit at room temperature, on your kitchen counter, for 24-48 hours. Strain the water kefir into a large glass measuring bowl.

Rinse your water crystals with filtered water. You can use them to make more water kefir immediately, store them in the refrigerator in a glass jar of sugar water for up to a week or store them in the freezer for up to 6-12 months.

For Flavored Water Kefir - Add fruit chunks, puree, juice or other flavors. Pour your water kefir into glass bottles or pitchers with lids. Let the flavor-infused water kefir sit on your counter at room temperature for another 24 hours. Chill and enjoy! Store your fermented water kefir in the refrigerator.

Best Practices

• Use organic LIVING water kefir grains.

• Use only pure filtered or spring water. No unfiltered tap water with chlorine and fluoride.

• Make water kefir for a few weeks with pure filtered water before experimenting with coconut water.

• Do NOT use stevia, monk fruit, erythritol or chemical sugar substitutes.

• Use sugars that are higher in minerals like: raw turbinado or muscovado sugar, light or dark brown sugar, coconut, date or maple sugar. You can also use organic cane sugar, like Trader Joe’s organic sugar from evaporated cane juice.

• Add some dried organic fruit without sulphur or other additives and preservatives. Try dried figs, apricots, dates or cranberries.

• Squeeze a wedge of lemon or lime into your water kefir.

• Use ceramic or plastic measuring spoons to measure your crystals.

• Use a plastic strainer. No metal.

• Use a wooden spoon to stir. No metal.

• The more you tighten the lid on your glass bottles or pitchers, the more fizz the water kefir will have.

Comment below what your favorite sour or fermented foods and drinks are and which ones you’re going to start making yourself!

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Dara Eden is the author of HER Rituals for the Divine Feminine, a periodical guide created in December of 2021. The 8 Elements, her life’s work, provides guidance about how to honor the essential needs and highest values of your personal feng shui element. Inspired by an Internet challenge designed for men, she created 365WISE, a daily self-care practice that supports women in honoring their needs and listening to their inner wisdom.

In HER Rituals, she offers insights, ideas and intuitive guidance about ways to honor your needs, values and unique expression of the divine feminine.

HER Rituals is a Womb Wisdom KeepHER’s guide to cyclical rituals for sovereign women. It provides insightful information, inspirational ideas and intuitive guidance on daily and seasonal rituals you can practice as a form of self-care. Read about ancient wisdom and philosophical principles, holistic approaches and traditional skills, slow work and intentional living, embodiment practices and immersive experiences.