Category: beef
Fermented Foods
By Teri Clayton
Uncovering how to make fermented foods is frequently the beginning of a whole new world of food. The journey often begins with super simple ‘can’t go wrong’ fermentations involving salt, water and white cabbage – to make sauerkraut – but it soon turns into the excitement of fermented lemons, chilli’s, fizzy on the tongue salsa’s and onwards!
Fermented foods were a way of life for our ancestors – who would preserve food over winter, sometimes for many winters – through the power of salt and lactic acid. Not only was this practical and lifesaving, it also enhanced the nutritional profile of the foods, as well as rendering them more digestible. Pre-fermented foods offer our gut a head start in breaking down and digesting nutrients – in effect offering us some of the benefits that animals with multiple stomachs or longer intestines benefit from. The more our food is pre-digested, the more our bodies get a head start in processing it.
Fermenting food supports the creation of energy rich fatty acids derived from cellulose and metabolism boosting B-vitamins, to bone and tooth building vitamin K and powerful immune support in the form of colicins and other secondary microbial metabolites.
In many ways learning how to ferment food could lead to an evolutionary leap in human health and longevity, given the diverse range of foods we now have access to 24/7.
Moving humanity forward
Human beings have possibly reached the top of the food chain, because of our evolutionary capacity to use tools and fire. Our ability to start fires and the physical capacity to grip, with precision, between our thumbs and fingers, has made modern feats of engineering possible. When we combine this with our connection to inspiration and our mental capacity to problem solve, along with our desire and will to refine tools, we see where we have gained significant leverage upon the Earth. Where birds need wings to fly – we make flying machines, where fish need fins and gills to swim – we make flippers, diving equipment and submarines. Human ingenuity knows no bounds, yet in our excitement to create a life full of invention and exploration – we have lost connection with the ground beneath our feet. We have spent so long using tools to expand our reach as fast and as far as possible, that we have forgotten the art of using tools in the simplest and most life enhancing way.
Much of the overwhelming and unnecessary level of complication we are now experiencing in our human systems, would never have become such an entangled web, if we had focused on ‘needs’ before ‘wants’. Humans now need to discover and refine the most appropriate and simplest use of tools in order to live in greater harmony with Nature. In regenerative agriculture, for example, farmers can work with a range of tools to restore soil health, from equipment to facilitate the restoration of nature’s mob grazing patterns, to soil monitoring technologies that help us build a wealth of knowledge and fine tune our techniques and tools further.
When it comes to everyday healthy living we now need to consider how we can meet the urgent need for greater balance, harmony and diversity within our bodies, naturally and with the simplest tools available.
One of the simplest tools, when it comes to enhancing human nutrition involves using the fermentation processes.
Given that practically all foods can be pre-digested through some kind of fermentation process – could widespread adoption of using fermented foods offer us a leap in evolution towards greater health and wellbeing? Could harnessing and mastering fermentation processes offer us a way to evolve into greater harmony and balance with nature and wellbeing? Could this pre-digestion unlock and support us to absorb far more nourishment from our food? I think it could.
Where ruminants have several stomachs – we can use tools in the form of several fermentation jars!
The benefits of fermented foods go way beyond preservation, enhanced digestibility and added value nutrition and flavour – they also support the beneficial microbes in the gut microbiome, which is good for our overall well being, mental health (1) and evolution too.
According to anthropologist Claude Levi-Straus it is possible that humanity moved from nature to culture after discovering the fermentation art of mead making. Where honey in a bee hive is natural, once it is gathered in a suitable receptacle and fermented into mead – it is then known as cultured. Human culture is so tied to ‘cultured’ foods that we simply could not maintain human civilisations without them. From bread, wine, cheese and yoghurt to coffee and chocolate – fermentation plays an enormous role in human lives.
Let’s first explore the simplest and most humble fermented food, that we can all make at home, to create our own cultures with – Sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut is simply white cabbage left to ferment over a period of weeks (sometimes months or years in some cultures) in brine solution, until it develops into a tangy, lactic acid rich and utterly delicious preserved, living, vitamin rich food.
Teeming with beneficial lactobacilli, this living culture is a dietary staple in Germany and much of Central Europe. Sauerkraut is a great source of vitamin C and was often used by sailors taking very long trips, in order to prevent scurvy. Its tart but zesty flavour and satisfying crunch means that most people find it pleasant to eat and in fact more-ish. I know I find myself craving it, as does my daughter who will eat it straight from the jar, as an enjoyable snack.
I found it fascinating to discover that Sauerkraut goes through several dominant cultures in a mini succession cycle before climaxing in the lactobacilli species.
The fermentation begins with bacteria known as Coliform and as these produce acids, they culture then moves over to being populated by Leuconostoc bacteria, with the continued reduction in pH towards greater acidity the culture eventually after a week or more begins to move towards a lactobacilli predominant culture. Anyone that has tasted a coliform or leuconostoc predominant culture will be familiar with the not quite ready ‘trump’ like smell and taste! Yet when the culture arrives at its maximal sweet spot, the smell and flavour becomes crisp, refreshing and zesty!
To learn how to make your own sauerkraut at home I suggest taking a short course if anyone offers them locally or buying a fermentation ‘how to’ book. I recommend Pascal Baudar or Sandor Ellix Katz. The processes are simple, but there is a broad variation in styles and methodologies used
Though it is really really easy to make sauerkraut, getting started confidently and with a good basic understanding will support you to thoroughly enjoy learning (and eating) the art of fermentation.
Those who love fermentation may well never leave behind their Sauerkraut appreciation, but there is a whole world of fermentation to explore from beers and wines, fermented grains, yoghurts and cheeses through to fermented meats and fish.
One of my favourite foods is a fermented salmon known as gravadlax, but then there’s the smelly, but amazing specialist sausages, timeless corned beef and beautifully simple – melt in the mouth delicious – salted beef.
For those who are confident in fermentation and are ready to progress to fermented meats, find yourself a reputable on-line or in-person course in fermented meats (there are a great variety of courses available) and get started. Corned beef is ultra simple and the homemade stuff is nothing like shop brought – which is truly an absolute delicacy.
For making your own corned beef you will need a nice piece of brisket – check out our flavourful, rich brisket offerings here!
References;
Introducing Model Farm
We work with this inspiring Family be able to offer you some of the best beef available in the UK through our ‘cow share’ way of purchasing. Read why it is so important to support farmers like these.
Model Farm
Simon Cutter Farms on the wonderful rich pastures and meadows of Model farm, near Ross on Wye in Herefordshire.
Simon Cutter is the founder of Model Farm Society. Educated at Cirencester Agricultural College between 1977-1980, he has studied and practised traditional farming for over 30 years including time spent farming in Australia. Simon has been a pioneer in the rearing of Organic livestock and produce long before the ‘Organic bandwagon’ started to roll in the wake of the BSE crisis in the early 1990′s
Model Farm is home to a herd of 270 Hereford Beef Cattle and 400 Easy care ewes on sustainably managed grassland and forage crops. Simon’s cattle and sheep are 100% pasture fed and receive NO grains. Model Farm is managed to soil association standards for Organic status, the land receives no in-organic fertilisers or sprays and a forage crop rotation system produces natural organic foods for any winter feeds required.
‘Easy Care’ is a breed of sheep ideally suited to this topography and organic management system. They require minimal management and even shed their own fleece, so don’t require shearing. The torpedo shaped head of the lambs allows for easy lambing and Simon’s careful selective breeding program has led to the health of the flock to be nothing less than exceptional in the absence of routine medical intervention. The sheep require a small amount of supplementary feed in winter and this is provided by way of a home grown red clover hay.
Of the 270 Cattle, 100 hundred are breeding cows, the health of the herd is outstanding and the vet visiting is a very rare occurrence. There is NO routine medicines used and Simon maintains, that with extensive healthy grassland and soils, the cows and sheep receive all the nutrients they need to stay healthy from the diverse range of plants they eat.
The Hereford breeding stock stay outdoors on pasture, all year round. Hereford Cattle are a hardy traditional British breed originating in this area so are ideally suited to its climate and terrain. The young stock usually come in for the wettest parts of the year to avoid poaching the delicate grassland. Indoors the young stock will be bedded on local straw and fed Lucerne silage. Lucerne is a green, nutrient dense plant that grows very deep roots, it can access reservoirs of minerals not normally available to normal grasses and is considered a ‘superfood’.
The Beef is outstanding, due to the diet of the cattle consisting ONLY of natural herb rich plant matter and organic home grown super foods. The animals are getting all the minerals and vitamins they need and these will naturally pass on a range of these beneficial nutrients to you. The beef is dry aged for a minimum of 21 days.
Simon is ‘pasture for life‘ certified.
Simon handles all the transportation to a local abattoir and the meat will be cut by Simon’s butcher on the Model farm in a new purpose build unit.
Grain Free Beef – 100% Grass Fed Beef
Grain Free Beef – 100% Grass Fed Beef
Why only 100% Grass Fed Beef will do!
The omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. Many people are now being sold ‘Grass fed Beef’, it’s the new food jargon. But before you spend your extra pennies on a juicy grass fed steak there is a few questions you need to ask. Here’s the rub.
Firstly there is a lot of misinformation and confusion about fats, much of our health and nutrition advice seems to have been based on questionable studies and have a surprisingly political agenda.
For example, recent comprehensive, large population studies show that saturated fats have little or no adverse effects upon cardiovascular disease.
It seems that the more important health factor when watching our fat is the ratio of omega – 3 to omega – 6 fatty acids. Throughout human evolution we have spent millions of years eating a diet rich in fish and wild game, these foods are an abundant source of omega -3 long chain fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Our consumption of omega 6 seed oils was by comparison very small.
Anthropological research suggests that our hunter- gatherer forefathers ate a diet that had a ratio of 1:1 of omega -6 and omega- 3. It also appears that these same forefathers were free from the diseases that plague our modern society. As the industrial revolution unfolded over the last century and a half, cereals and vegetable oils became a more prominent part of people’s diet, also animals began to be fed grains too which reduced the omega -3 content of meat.
Fast forward to modern day and many diets have a ratio of 25:1 omega-6 to omega-3. What does this mean for health? Well omega -3 and omega-6 compete for the same conversion enzymes, this means (in very simplistic terms) that the more omega-6 you eat the less ‘room’ there is for omega-3. Massively elevated omega-6 consumption seems to correlate with an increase in all inflammatory diseases including.
type 2 diabetes
metabolic syndrome
irritable bowel syndrome & inflammatory bowel disease
psychiatric disorders
obesity
macular degeneration
rheumatoid arthritis
asthma
cancer
autoimmune diseases
What is even more alarming is the clear correlation between a rising intake of n-6 and increased mortality from heart disease.
Ok so what the heck has that got to do with my steak?
Our meat is raised in a very different way nowadays and this may be contributing to your high intake of omega-6. We should be getting our omega-3 from fish and meat however due to more industrialised farming methods most animals are now grain fed for some or all of their life. For an animal to produce meat that is healthful for us to eat and rich in omega 3, the animal’s digestion needs to be working properly. Beef animals when eating their natural forage diet of grass have a healthy pH of 7, this creates the perfect environment for the fermentation bacteria that in turn produce high levels of CLA, omega -3, branch chain amino acids vitamins and digestive enzymes. Just 30 days of feeding a bovine grain can throw the pH downwards towards pH4 and undo the chemistry of 200 days of munching grass.
In an acidic environment the healthy bacteria are replaced by a fermentation bacteria that impedes the healthy by-products and increases the levels of omega -6. The cattle become sick as their liver cannot cope. The result – farmers feed anti-biotics to cattle in order to prevent disease.
Most paleo and primal followers are buying grass fed meat because they believe that it will be rich in omega – 3.
An Australian study looked at the effects on healthful fats in the meat of animals that were fed to three groups 1) 100% pasture diet, 2) fed for 80 days on a grain ration, 3) 120 plus days on a grain ration. The result was that only the grass fed group contained the levels of omega-3 (30mg of long chain n-3 FA/100g muscle) required by the food standards agency for the food to be considered a source of omega -3 fatty acids.
So it is clear, unless it is stated that it is 100% Grass fed, or it carries a label such as the ‘Pastoral’ label that guarantee’s such standards, then be VERY suspicious. http://www.pastureforlife.org/
It is simply not good enough to assume that it has been 100% grass fed beef or grain free beef.
In the UK it is very unusual to find animals that are not grain fed towards their slaughter , the vast majority of Farmers ‘finish’ their animals on cereals in order to get them to the desired weight and conformation required by the buyers, butchers and supermarkets.
Don’t be a sucker and fall for the newest marketing trick, support farmers and retailers that are selling GENUINE 100% grass fed beef and grain free beef.
Our 100% grass fed Beef – Is reared to organic standards and higher, it will receive no medicines, be on land managed for conservation without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The gran free beef animals will eat nothing but grass and fodder crop silage from birth to slaughter. Our beef is 100% Grass Fed Beef and is Grain Free Beef certified ‘Pasture for Life’.