Fermented foods and products are not nearly given enough credit for their contributions to a healthy home and body. Our homes and bodies thrive on beneficial bacteria, whose major accomplishments are fighting off bad bacteria and fungi and helping us digest otherwise harmful proteins and other nutrients. These five fermentation starters will provide almost everything any home needs to be healthy, clean, and relatively bad-germ free!
- Apple Cider Vinegar is a top priority for every kitchen. It is cleansing and alkalizing. Forget the store-bought refined gallon jugs and the pricey $10 per bottle Braggs versions. Make your own with this simple recipe: How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar. Tip: I personally would buy a bottle of Braggs ACV to get this homemade recipe started and ensure the properly biological composition for food safety.
- Kefir is an incredibly delicious drink, if made right, and contains many healthy probiotic strains for good gut health. Kefir can be made into fruit “soda” or made with dairy for delicious and refreshing treats even kids will love. Try this Kefir recipe to get your kitchen ferment started: How to Make Water Kefir.
- Kombucha is similar to Kefir, but is generally made with green or black tea and has a biological mat, rather than Kefir Beads. Try this delicious recipe infused with fruit juice for ice-cold summer treat: Healthy and Simple Kombucha Recipe.
- Sour Dough Starter is a must for those who bake their own breads. Buying little jars of yeast each month can be pricey at over five dollars per jar. Try this recipe for delicious breads. Or, take the kefir or apple cider vinegar recipe above and use it in this recipe: Creating your own sourdough starter: the path to great bread .
- Fermented Cleaners – We all know that Penicillin is a fungus that kills bacteria and other fungi. The same principle can be applied to the home. Good and healthy bacteria and fungi will not allow dangerous kinds to live or take hold in the home. Therefore, if we use a cleaner that has beneficial bacterial strains in it, it will prevent the dangerous kinds from thriving. Utilize apple cider vinegar or water kefir in a jar with citrus peels in a fermented starter and ferment, use this as an additive to homemade soap-free house cleaners for a cleaner and chemical-free home.
