Spicy Sassy Curtido (plus) Crowding Out Theory: an Avenue to Optimal Health! with out stress of feeling deprived, isolated or HUNGRY!
Curtido and Self Acceptance.
Loving ourselves unconditionally means, we are transferring our focus from taking things out (deprivation) of my daily routine, rather WHAT life affirming things & practices am I adding in (intuition, nourishment. Satisfaction)! Given that we each have 6-8 pounds (that’s right… 6-8 POUNDS) of bacteria in our gut along with 70% of your nervous system tissues and 2/3 or your immune system at any given time, crowding out is of utmost importance, this works for gut health as well as practicing unconditional love.
two words (times 3)
.. ADD-IN!
..ADD-IN!
..ADD-IN!
what adding in does is that it naturally CROWDS OUT bad bacteria and boosts your healthy thriving culture of GOOD bacteria. FLOOD YOUR CELLS WITH GREAT THINGS and don’t stress about the other choices. On the psycho-emotional level adding things in can serve to relieve us of shame, negative stuck and limited thinking around feeding ourselves and nourishing our varying complexities and aspects of who we are. I am on the platform of “No more depriving, controlling or restricting our intuitive desires & needs!” So keep on keeping on. Keep on loving yourselves unconditionally. Add in probiotics, take care of your gut and your desire to nurture and nourish all that you are.
CURTIDO is Latin Americas version of sauerkraut and is crisp, spicy and vinegary. Three of my favorite things. With a short fermentation time the cabbage is left much firmer than a typical sauerkraut, and the jalapeños and pepper flakes give it an added bite (another of my favorite things). If you like it hot be sure to leave in the seeds of the jalapeños!
- gather your ingredients
-2 green cabbage heads (yields 3.5 quart jars of finished product)
-3 carrots shredded
-1/2 onion,thinly sliced
-2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
-1.5 tsp sugar
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp (or more to taste) red pepper flakes
-3/4 c. raw apple cider vinegar.
NOTE: you can ferment in mason jars if you don’t have a crock to use yet.
Lets start shredding, peeling and chopping.
1) Remove outer leaves from the cabbage and set aside. Halve and then quarter the cabbage, and cut the core from each piece. With the cut side down, slice the cabbage into very thin strips.
2) Combine the cabbage, carrots, onions and jalapeños, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. with clean hands, mix the ingredients, massaging the salt into the vegetables. NOTE: You may sprinkle more salt if you feel the veggies need more support in sweating and creating a great brine. A great brine = salt + veggies natural waters sweating out and further = a GREAT ferment! A great brine also = less vinegar needed later, but if you’re like me… you don’t mind using plenty of vinegar.
3) Pack the cabbage mixture into your crock -keep massaging and pressing down as you do-, or quart mason jars. pour in the vinegar over the kraut. Use your set aside big outer cabbage leaves as a “seal” over the kraut and under the brine. Use a weight to hold the cabbage below the brine. Cover with a lid and place in a cool location.
4) After 2 or 3 days, taste the curtido. If you like it, transfer it to the refrigerator to halt fermentation. If you feel it needs more time, (on first taste for example mine was a hint of sweet- NOT what I am going for .. so I let it work for a day or two more) replace the lid and continue fermenting, 2 or 3 days, tasting daily. Simply transfer to the refrigerator once it’s done.
I enjoy Curtido on salads, scrambled eggs, in a tortilla, over soup and all by itself. Happy Fermenting. ENJOY! DD .
Dew Drop Wellness 