There are days when I'm good, there are days when I'm super good! There are days when I would very much fancy wolfing down a bowl of coco pops for breakfast ;) I'm human. 

On very good days, I think a lot about what I can eat, that will not only prevent my skin flaring or reacting badly, but will equally nourish me from within. Consider these to be extra, EXTRA beneficial foods! My very good days sometimes come before or after times when I know I can't stay as on track with my diet as I'd like. They sometimes happen when I'm feeling stressed or lacking sunshine - other factors that I know will tip my balance of healthy skin the wrong way. Or sometimes they simply crop up simply because I'm feeling angelic!! 

Very Good Gut Breakfast

1 shot of milk thistle

1 cup of skin purity tea

1 small green juice

1 slice of seedful toast with sauerkraut

Fermenting For Gut Health

I'm getting into fermenting this month. I've always enjoyed the taste of sauerkraut & regularly buy a jar from my local organic shop (you need the stuff that's stocked in the fridge for it to be beneficial). I got into making kombucha for a while too, but I have to confess to not having had much time lately. 

On next week's podcast I'm speaking with Janice Clyne, who, aside from being very lovely, is a super clever food scientist. Janice runs little fermenting workshops at her home in Glasgow up in Scotland. Her passion for fermented foods has inspired me to begin making my own, and I'm loving it already! My first attempt at sauerkraut left me with salty shredded cabbage, that in truth tasted too strong even for my salt-loving taste buds. Easily solved says Janice ... stir through some grated apple & a little mustard and that flavour will all balance out. She was absolutely right! 

Some rules for fermenting; make sure everything is beneath the water "under the brine & all is fine" is the motto Janice uses to remind us of this! Make sure your jars & utensils are well washed in hot soapy water and rinsed clean, then dried before you begin. Finally, don't be scared to give it a go. We are all learning along the way. 

INGREDIENTS

1 white cabbage (this should weigh approve 1kg)

1.5 tablespoons of pink himalayan salt

2 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

2 tsp crushed pink peppercorns (optional)

Served on Seedful toast

HERE'S HOW

1. Remove any leathery outer leaves & the tough core from the cabbage. Finely shred the rest using a sharp knife or food processor
2. Add the shredded cabbage to a clean mixing bowl. Make sure that your hands, and everything else coming into contact with the cabbage, are very clean. Add the salt to the bowl & massage it into the cabbage for 5 minutes. Then leave for 10 minutes & repeat. You should end up with a much-reduced volume of cabbage sitting in its own brine
3. Add the fennel seeds & pink peppercorns if you're using those, stir through
4. Spoon the mixture into a very clean glass mason jar. Push it right down into the bottom. Pour any remaining brine from the mixing bowl over the cabbage. Remember Janice's motto "under the brine & all is fine!" I like to add one of the discarded outer leaves to keep the shredded stuff well beneath the brine
5. Fill a clean smaller jar with water & sit it on top of the cabbage leaf to weigh it down & ensure it stays beneath the water line
6. Close the jar and leave in a dark place at a cool room temperature (about 18-20C) for at least 5 days. It will be ready to eat after 5 days, but for maximum flavour leave the cabbage to ferment for anywhere between 2-6 weeks 
7. The cabbage will become increasingly sour the longer it’s fermented, so taste it now and again. When you like the flavour, transfer it to smaller sterilised jars and keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months
8. I like to serve mine with grated red apple & a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard