Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Your nose is a more sensitive detector than exists in most labs, and it's been honed over the centuries to work with fermented foods (the kinds of foods that existed before we invented the refrigerator). Basically, if it smells good, it's probably fine. And actually, a number of people on this list have tasted stuff that *didn't* seem fine, and lived to tell about it. If a ferment is either acidic or alcoholic though, it's really unlikely to have any really bad germs in it. The nasty ones that attack people don't survive in those environments, plus, bacteria like lactobacilli tend to kill off the competing bacteria, so even if your batch of cabbage had, say, some salmonella in it, they would be dead after a day or three of it fermenting into kraut. I haven't had kraut actually go bad though, ever. It can dry out on top if left out, and that part can get oxidized, and if it's old enough it sometimes " goes sweet " and tastes odd. But my great-great-grandma kept the kraut barrel on her porch all winter. My Mom says it would get a white film on top, but they would reach in and grab a handful of kraut when they felt like it. If you have too much kraut, you can keep it in the fridge forever (I've had it 5-6 months, no problem), or freeze it. Kombucha is really chemically active, and I couldn't drink it much, even though the ferment was fine. Something in it would make me feel like I was getting a migraine ... I'd get a " niacin flush " (or something much like it) and visual issues. But that aside, I think the CDC tested a bunch of kombucha batches and didn't find pathogens: the acidity of the drink kills stuff off. It can get a kind of mold contamination though, that is pretty bad. On Jan 7, 2008 7:30 AM, <SMc42TX@...> wrote: > How do you know when kombucha is safe to drink? I've been making it > for a few months now, and I love it, though I have to admit that I like > the commercial stuff better. I do a 1st ferment of 7-14 days, then a > 2nd ferment with juice, then into the fridge. All I know to do is to > test the pH, and that is within range. But I'm feeding this to my > kids, too, so how would I know if there were cause for concern if there > are no obvious signs of contamination, like mold? > > I guess I'd have the same question about sauerkraut. I've made one > batch successfully, but the last one fermented for a couple of weeks & > smelled & tasted great, but I ran out of storage jars for it, so I kept > it out a couple of days too long, I guess, and it started to smell > funky, so I dumped it into the compost. This has happened before. I > hate to keep having to toss all of this great, organic produce. I want > to get it right! > > Thanks! > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 , how do you use Bentonite for possible food poisoning? Peace Ed Kasper LAc. & family www.HappyHerbalist.com ....................................... <<snipped>> My take: watch out for restaurants and leftover food! If you reheat leftovers, get them HOT HOT HOT. Keep some Bentonite handy! <<snipped>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 I mix it with water and drink it. I put it in gel caps for eating out ... it prevents a condition some of us call " getting glutened " when there is trace gluten on something at a restaurant. This can make some people very, very sick for like 3 days, which a condition that is very like food poisoning. Actually I think now it's probably the same thing: for people who are gluten sensitive, any gluten causes major dysbiosis because the food doesn't get digested properly. At home, I mix it with salt and seaweed and spices to make a cross between Celtic sea salt and furikake. However, not all brands of Bentonite mix with water well, I'm discovering. Pascalite does. Someone I know though, bought a bottle of " premixed " Bentonite in a bottle, at a health store, after she and her daughter felt ill after eating out (not from gluten, just plain ol' bad food). She said one spoonful of the mix fixed them right up. It looked like a white gel, not at all what the Pascalite looks like mixed up. But very easy to take and it looks real " official " in a bottle like that. Most bentonites look like mud (they *are* mud!) when mixed with water. Just anecdotally, I've known several people who have used several types and it's worked for all of them. So mostly it's a matter of what format works for you aesthetically. Gel caps are easiest for me to carry and take without making a production about it at dinner. But unmarked gel caps might arouse issues if you are searched at an airport, in which case it's better to have them in some " official " bottle. On Jan 9, 2008 11:09 AM, Happy Herbalist <eddy@...> wrote: > , how do you use Bentonite for possible food poisoning? > > Peace > > Ed Kasper LAc. & family > www.HappyHerbalist.com > > ...................................... > > <<snipped>> My take: watch out for restaurants and leftover food! > If you reheat leftovers, get them HOT HOT HOT. > Keep some Bentonite handy! <<snipped>> > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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