Lactofermented Condiments and IT'S TOO DANG HOT!

It's been a little while. I've had no time to get on to post. Anyway, here's a bit about what's been going on. 

CONDIMENTS. Yeah. Yum.

Okay, so, for about 2 years I was unable to have either garlic, ginger, turmeric or greens, then for a short bit I could have greens (but not garlic or the other foods). Then I started GAPS about 4 months ago (has it really been that long?) and little by little I've discovered what causes my rashes in strange layers that peel off bit by bit. 

My biggest problem, it turns out, is yeast. While I had other problems, liver, allergy, etc, it was hard to see the yeast issue. Then, after GAPS, I think my liver issues are close to cleared up and I've eliminated my allergen foods pretty well. Then I had a terrible reaction to homemade kefir, which is a yeast ferment.  I started taking grapefruit seed extract 3 times a day (yech) and eliminated all sugars, including fruit and sweet vegetables. I occasionally, at this point, eat a bit of fruit, but always have grapefruit seed extract either before or after.  My most problematic rashes DISAPPEARED and appear to be gone for good, except for when I slip up. 

So I tried greens, garlic, turmeric and broccoli. All are fine!

Now, for the mustard. I went a bit turmeric crazy - can you really have too much? - so it's a bit sharp, but quite tasty.  (See last post for recipe, but if you're more turmeric-shy than I am, cut it back to about 1/3 of an inch of fresh grated root.) I've been eating it every night on just about everything - veggies, meat, in soups. It's so good! Little Moo likes it, too.

Okay, so I just pulled the ketchup off the shelf today. Snackboy and I couldn't stop eating it. I don't usually like bottled ketchup since it's so corn-syrupy sweet. There's no sugar in this version, and it's fermented, but it's got a nice natural sweetness plus a happy garlicky flavor.

Ketchup (a blend of Nourishing Traditions and Joy of Cooking)

7 roma tomatoes, stewed down over about 7 hours with 3 tablespoons of ghee, then sieved into tomato velvet (a can of tomato paste would do, but I don't trust the additives or the cans...)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbs yogurt whey

2 ts sea salt.

Mix together and put in a mason jar for 3 days. Make sure the top is not air-tight. Then refrigerate.

Lastly, you'll notice that there's a picture of a thermometer. That's because it shows just how incredibly hot it gets in our apartment in late January thanks to our busted radiator valves. All I have to do is make supper and it becomes 82 degrees or worse. The summer is unbelievable.