Purple Potion, Unsalted Cultured Vegetables

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Nutrition Consultant specialized in helping people regain natural gut microbiome after yeast, bacterial, and viral infections.

Originally published on August 17, 2016.

Unsalted cultured vegetables are made with raw vegetables and culture starter to get a slightly sour product rich in probiotics, enzymes, and vitamins for people of all ages, especially those on B.E.D. healing a yeast, bacterial, or viral infection. If you don’t like beets, try garden blend 🙂 If you are not convinced of the benefits of unsalted, probiotic food, you can check out benefits here. They are fizzy and colorful!

I only eat unsalted cultured vegetables if they are Purple Potion, because I like them and they are purple!! ~T.R. Cabot, VT. (age 10)

Start with culture starter ….

Beets are not allowed on a yeast-cleansing diet like B.E.D. because they contain too much natural sugars that can feed existing infections in your body. Yet, culturing beets as we do here makes them a fine food, even for those on stage 1 of B.E.D., because the live probiotics in the culture starter “eat up” the beet sugar and transform this sweet food into a sour, probiotic food with the liver and blood cleansing properties beets contain.

I just opened a jar and heard a beautiful symphony of bubbles. ~K.L. Carmel, CA

My youngest in the photo above started eating “cv’s” at every meal when he was 2 years old, even the cabbage logs. Stuffs the entire thing in his mouth 🙂 My oldest is more reserved, yet if it’s Purple Potion on the table then he is all the more likely to eat them.

Purple Potion, Unsalted Cultured Vegetables Recipe

Yields: 6 Quart-sized jars give or take

Ingredients

1 packet vegetable starter culture*

1/4 cup warm filtered water

½ tsp EcoBloom** (or Rapadura, sucanat etc.)

7 1/2 – 8 lb green cabbage (reserve 12 oz. large outer leaves!!)

2 lb beets

1/2 lb green apples

1/2 lemon, juice and zest

3-4 cups filtered water, depending on how dry the veggies are

Equipment

Food Processor

Blender (optional)

Large Stainless Steel or Glass Bowls

6 Quart-Sized Mason Jars

Wide Mouth Funnel

Good Knife

Method

Dissolve starter and EcoBloom in ¼ c. warm water, 90 degrees F.
Allow to sit on counter for 20 minutes.
Clean and chop veggies/apples into pieces that can fit in your food processor.
Shred with a medium bladed grater (not fine shred!).
Remove 1/3rd of mixture and blend in a food processor or blender (may need to do this in 2 batches, depending on size of blender).
Blend with enough of the allotted 3-4 cups of filtered water until consistency of thick juice.
Place into a big, clean bowl with culture starter mixture, rest of the grated vegetables, and lemon.
Mix with two big spoons, or clean hands.
Pack tight in jars with potato masher or fist to force out air pockets.
Fill jars, allowing liquid to cover the vegetables with about 1 1/2-inches headspace.
Roll reserved cabbage leaves into tight logs, put on top of vegetables (push down so liquid just covers “logs”) – add more brine if needed) – leave 1-inch at top for expansion.
Screw lid on tightly.
Culture 3-10 days, at 70-72 degrees F in dark spot (Oven Incubator Kit keeps temperature constant).
Enjoy up to ½ cup with meals.
Store in fridge.

Tips & Tricks

Scald equipment or wash in hot, soapy water OR spray everything with food-grade hydrogen peroxide and dry off with paper towels.
CV’s continue to ferment at slow pace in fridge and keeps for weeks, even months, becoming softer and delicious like fine wine.
Ready for variety? Try beginner’s recipe Garden Blend.
Go slow because cv’s are rich in enzymes and probiotics and a strong food that they will immediately get to work setting up home in your digestive tract (mouth to anus). Once you are accustomed to this new gut activity, slowly up your dose; Donna Gates – founder of B.E.D. – suggests a 1/2 cup therapeutic dose with each and every meal. The juice part is wonderful taken first thing in morning or last thing at night, esp. for mouth issues.
Enjoy as is or toss into a salad or roll up in slices of deli meat with a dollop of mayo!

I love how I feel when I eat them. ~P.T. Hartford, CT (age 13)

*Body Ecology’s culture starter makes potent cv’s. It contains Lb. Plantarum, a strong probiotic strain. Most probiotics get destroyed by antibiotics, fluoride, stomach acid, and chlorinated water before they reach your intestines. Which is where they live. Yet, these guys (Lb. Plantarum) get there safe and sound.

**Body Ecology’s Ecobloom is 100% natural powder chicory extract FrutaFit, Inulin (FOS – fructooligosaccharides). This prebiotic is a quick food for the probiotics. Like the ones in that culture starter packet you’re using. When you add Ecobloom you provide something for the little guys to munch on while they’re adjusting and growing in #’s in the jar.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links for products I believe in and use on a regular basis. See more here. All content is for general information only, primarily educational in nature, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your primary health-care practitioner that you, the reader, may require for any cause whatsoever, now or in future. Consult your primary practitioner regarding any health problem(s) you have and keep them informed to the opinions, ideas, and advice on this site that you find useful. Full disclaimer here. Please email tara@happybellies.net for any questions or concerns that you have.

May all bellies be happy!