It’s been an amazing Olympics! I have so many highlight moments, and I’m sure you do too. It’s been very well-covered in the media, so in an upcoming post I’ll share some thoughts about Paralympics.
Take a trip with me down memory lane…berries and pickles…
On summer and early fall mornings at the berry farm. I often thought I should weigh the kids before and afterward to determine how much they ate while they were “picking”. I froze raspberries to make dozens and dozens of jars of jam each season, which was so satisfying and fun. The process is very time-consuming, and very worth it at the time – with the sterilized jars of jam rattling in the hot water bath waiting for the lids to seal with a “pop!”.
One year I grew so many cucumbers out in my front yard garden that I put them in neighbors’ mailboxes. The mailman got mad at me, saying only mail goes into a mailbox, so I stuck stamps on some of them. He was not amused. That was the summer I learned how to ferment pickles in a crock. Since then I’ve tried pickles every which way, including the NYTimes peanut butter and pickle sandwich, and pickle juice cocktails.
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Pickles for a healthy gut – good bacteria for every mechanism in the body and brain.
To get the best tasting, health benefits of pickles read the label: cucumbers, water, salt, herbs. No vinegar.
Check out the refrigerated, or kosher section of your grocery store for real pickles, or try pickling at home.
A real, fermented pickle provides the benefits to the gut. Cucumbers, and any other vegetables that are “pickled” in vinegar don’t have the same effect as those that are fermented, made by brining them in salt and water, with herbs, not vinegar. Fermentation in brine enriches vegetables with beneficial probiotics, bacteria for your gut.
Fermented foods = healthy microbiome, the good bacteria that live in the gut influence every mechanism in the body: mental health, immune system, metabolism, and cardiovascular health, and of course digestion so that nutrients in the food we eat can do their work. Fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, kefir, miso and others are essential for body and brain health. Here’s an explainer about the connection between gut and brain health.
REAL FERMENTED PICKLES RECIPE
There are plenty of basic pickling recipes online. Here’s a variation of one I’ve used.
Ingredients
- 10+ pounds cucumbers
- 32 cups water (2 gal) with 18 tablespoons sea salt
- 10 stems dill
- 8-10 grape leaves
- 2 T black peppercorns
- 8-10 garlic cloves – whole or roughly chopped
- hot pepper flakes if desired
Instructions
- Wash your cucumbers and cut off the “blossom” end for better crunch.
- Layer your cucumbers, dill, garlic, peppercorns, Hot pepper flakes, and grape leaves in the crock and cover with cooled salt water.
- Place a plate with a rock (or something else heavy) on top of the pickles to make sure they’re completely submerged.
- Test pickles after a couple of weeks. Cucumbers will be translucent throughout when they’re done.
- Place pickles in clean jars with enough brine to cover them and store in the fridge for several months.
Bonus recipe: Tzatziki
I make tzatziki with my fresh-picked cucumbers. For added zing, plus nutritional benefits of the fermented pickles, plus more protein, in this last batch I added chopped pickles, and stirred in blended cottage cheese, a drop of pepper sauce, and a little Dijon mustard. So yummy with falafel, on seafood, meats, or snack with pita chips.
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Blackberries and blueberries: for cognitive acuity, fiber and other amazing health benefits.
Blueberries may improve memory and delay age-related cognitive decline. A study found that eating 2 cups of blueberries daily can delay cognitive aging by nearly three years. Blueberries also appear to lower blood pressure.
Researchers have found that the phenolic compounds in blackberries could help to prevent chronic and inflammatory diseases and various types of cancers, and could also reduce the chances of age-related cognitive disorders. Blackberries are packed with vitamins C, K, and E, and also rich in dietary fiber.The blue color in blueberries and blackberries comes from anthocyanin, a phytochemical whose abilities may help protect the body from heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, offering cancer-fighting benefits, promote gut health and reduce inflammation.
EASY BLUEBERRY-BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE RECIPE
Wonderful for breakfast or dessert. Oatmeal in the topping adds fiber, and try Oikos Pro vanilla yogurt on top for protein.
Blueberry-blackberry filling (don’t fret about precise amounts.)
½ pounds fresh blueberries and blackberries, about 2 pints. Just layer a pile of berries into the baking dish.
2 tablespoons (24g) sugar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons (18g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
Pinch fine sea salt
Crumble topping (again, no need for precise measurements.)
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (65g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup (100g) sugar, try a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar
1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted, 1 stick
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Add the blueberries, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt to a 9-inch pie dish (or use a 2-quart baking dish). Toss well until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, then stir until the butter has moistened all the flour and the topping is crumbly.
4. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberry filling. I use my hands to do this. As I sprinkle, I press the crumbles together to create larger clumps of topping.
5. Bake until the juices thicken, and the topping turns light golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, and then serve with ice cream or yogurt.
Here’s a bonus recipe for Rote Grütze:
Rote Grütze, is a super easy (just a bit of simmering), delicious, brilliant red raspberry dessert (with currants if you like), wonderful and elegant over ice cream.
Let me know if you try pickling, tzatziki, (try it with chopped pickles in it!), a pickle peanut butter sandwich, pickle juice cocktails, the berry crumble, or Rote Grütze, or if you have recipes to share!
x
Polli
