What I Eat - Day Sixty-One

Breakfast - Sausage, Fried Potatoes, and Sprouts

The sausage came from Field Gate Organics, which I ordered through Gypsy Whole Foods Warehouse.   They delivered directly to my work!   I'm talking with a couple of local farmers to place some larger meat orders to store in my freezer, and I'm buying from places like Gypsy Whole Foods Warehouse in the interim. 

The potatoes were sliced and fried in a cast iron frying pan.   

I grew the sprouts from a bulk package of fenugreek seeds I bought at the grocery store (I think Freshco).   Fenugreek sprouts are absolutely delicious!

Lunch - Coleslaw

Ingredients
-one half of a red cabbage, sliced into thin slices (this can be steamed or sauteed)
-one large package of bean sprouts
-apple cider vinegar (to taste)
-lime juice (to taste)
-Sambal Oelek (or some other hot sauce, to taste)
-raw pumpkin seeds
-sea salt (if you wish)

Instructions
It's best to leave this salad to sit for a little while before you eat it because it should wilt and become a bit softer. 

Dinner - Fish, Zucchini, and Salad

Fish
I thawed frozen cod, dredged it through white rice flour, and fried it in a cast iron frying pan.  I had never done this before, and it was easy and delicious!

Zucchini
I sliced zucchini, added Herbes de Provence spice mixture, and sauteed the pieces in my ceramic frying pan

Salad
I combined organic baby arugula, sliced red onion, organic dried cranberries, organic sliced celery, and cubed avocado with a dressing made of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Fermentation

Bad news.  My ginger bug didn't survive (see last week's post for details about the ginger bug).  It happily bubbled and fermented for about three days and then it suddenly stopped.  I have no idea why.   My top theory (based on a bunch of research) is the the water I used carried some bacteria that was hostile to the ginger bug.  The ginger bug didn't smell bad or have any visible mold, it just stopped bubbling. 

I'll try again, but in the interim I had a friend offer me a Scoby.  'Scoby' stands for 'symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast,' and it is used to create a fermented tea called Kombucha.   I took my friend's Scoby (and some of the already fermented Kombucha that it came in) and mixed it with sugar, steeped black tea, and water.   I covered the glass jar with a tea towel, around which I put a rubber band to keep out insects and unwelcome bacteria or mold.   Once the tea has had around a week to brew, it starts being ready to consume.   My reading tells me that you can mix the fermented tea with things like berries or ginger, seal it tightly in a bottle with a good seal, and it will become carbonated within a few days.   

I've included a photo of my tea, which is now six days old (above).   The funny thing is that I'm busy brewing up a blob of bacteria and yeast and I've never even tasted the final product, I'm just interested in fermentation.   Towards the goal of knowing what it should taste like, I purchased a bottle of commercial kombucha (below).   I haven't opened it yet......