Re: carrots, salt, Bragg book

[Guest guest]

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> I made the carrot recipe in NT and it came out great. I used

slightly more

> whey than it specified and let it sit at room temperature for about

6 days. It

> is not too salty and the ginger is mild(but I LOVE ginger and would

eat it

> raw, so I may not be the best judge).

>

> As far as using salt, you can make sauerkraut WITHOUT ANY SALT. I

have a

> little booklet by Bragg that is probably 20 or 30 years old

and it is about

> making kraut without salt. No whey, either. They just mention

adding a lot

> of herbs and spices and other veggies. A really great little book

if you can

> find it. I don't know if it is still in print.

> Olga

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I got that salt-free sauerkraut book from the library a few months

ago and read it. It's very entertaining in a kitschy way--downright

hilarious if your aesthetic sensibilities are tuned to that sort of

textual thing--but unfortunately there's little real content. The

really funny thing is how they very offhandedly and briefly mention

the importance of a generous heaping of kelp powder!! For those that

don't know, kelp is loaded with sodium... They also suggest that

using heaping amounts of spice seeds (I can't remember which ones

they recommend, but pretty common seeds) is a key trick that helps

the fermentation, but I don't have any independent source of

information about that. Their amounts for the seeds are much larger

than in the NT recipes. Fundamentally, I'm sure sauerkraut can be

made without any salt or whey or kelp powder or seeds, but the real

secret is temperature control. Bragg emphasizes controlling the

temperature quite carefully to favor the right lactic acid

bacteria. That's kind of tricky in practice, and I'm happy with

whey and/or modest amounts of celtic sea salt so I can just leave it

sitting around and not fuss with temperature much. I realize whey is

very non-universal and seems like an unnatural trick in some sense,

but everything is really adaptation to local environments and ad hoc

methods--if it works it works--and I'm very happy to use whey

extensively. It's like a miracle subtance that I'm fortunate to have

extensive access to in my local dairy-rich environment.

All that aside, I will admit that despite the lack of good evidence

for his views on salt--his own arguments are almost purely anecdotal--

I honestly suspect he's more correct than the " don't worry about it--

use salt freely " attitude of SF/NT, but there's really no solid

argument on either side as far as I'm aware. My logic is that

everything I see confirms the crucial role of balanced mineral

ratios, and it would be a shock to me if NT levels of sodium were

optimal with respect various mineral ratios, especially since they

couldn't possibly have been normal until recent millenia. Because

there are so many complex interactions, I doubt simply getting lots

of potassium makes it " okay " . Certainly it has to figure in with Ca,

Mg, etc, always a tricky area. As a die-hard kimchi devotee and

gourmand, how to deal with my salt intake with respect to fermented

veggies is an open issue I expect to pursue more in the future when

time permits. We can only hope that human physiology is flexible and

adaptable enough to function well with a wide range of mineral

intakes, but that's not necessarily an adequate comfort for the tiny

group of people seeking optimal nutrition (not normal NTers, but

weirdos like me.) It's an example of how the NT philosophy is " good

food is good enough to be healthy and happy and sidestep 20th century

health problems " and not " optimize everything at all costs " . I'm

sure most people will be more than delighted by the former.

Mike

SE Pennsylvania

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay

[Guest guest]

> But every farmer I've

> talked to, and every farm book I've read, emphasis that you have

> to give animals a " salt lick " (which usually has minerals in it

too).

> Unlike most other foods, the salt lick is never rationed. In the

> wild, you see mountain goats licking rocks that happen to be

> salty. Animals need salt!

I noticed in the book " Heidi " that Grandfather always brought his

goats into their shed at night by letting them lick the salt he had

covered his hands in, for that purpose.

I've wondered if it was salt like the celtic sea salt NT recommends.

If so, then that would probably supply the minerals that today's salt

licks provide. Don'cha think?