Article courtesy of BCHA Corporate Sponsor, Emery Herbals.

To view entire article with additional information, please visit: https://emeryherbals.com/fermentation-and-seasonal-changes/

 

Fermentation and Seasonal Changes

The benefits of including Fermented Foods in the diet has widely been documented and reported. What not too long ago was an almost lost culinary art in the modern kitchen has now become a mainstay for most. Not only are people fermenting at home, everything from kombucha to fermented ketchup to probiotic rich kraut can even be found in our local shops, health food stores and on the menu at local restaurants and cafes.

The benefits of including fermented foods in the diet are far reaching and include:

• Preserving nutrients, breaking them down into more digestible forms.
• Creating new nutrients; microbial cultures create B vitamins (including folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, etc.).
• Removing toxins in food.
• Some ferments function as antioxidants, scavenging harmful free radicals from the body.
• Fermented foods are rich in healthy bacteria and they promote the growth of healthy flora in the intestine helping with overall digestive system function.

However, the idea of pursuing a seasonal approach to fermenting is just now becoming more of a conversation although this approach was certainly the way our ancestors went about navigating this preparation method.

Eating seasonally is not a new idea. Taking time to consider what grows around us, what the weather is doing and the unique characteristics of the current season helps us connect to the organic rhythm of nature that deeply nourishes us.

It’s not so different when we consider our fermenting projects. It makes great sense to consume cool beverages of kombucha and tibicos in the hot months of summer to help regulate our body temp and quench our thirst. When the season changes and the dampness and colder weather returns it’s important to adapt to this change and adjust the way in which we include ferments. Moving from the cooling ferments such as kombucha into the warming beverages such as ginger bug makes great sense.

Preparing a ginger bug is a simple, inexpensive way to include a spicy, warming addition to our beverages in the fall. All the healthy benefits of including ginger as a herb are amplified when we prepare it as a ferment including improving our circulation, warming the body and stimulating digestion.

 

About Emery Herbals:

Founded in 2003, Emery Herbals began as a small, urban, home based business, providing access to consciously sourced and created plant medicine. Since, Emery Herbals has relocated to rural British Columbia, expanding to house an East West focused Botanical Dispensary, Healing Suites and Teaching Centre.

Emery Herbals commits to providing open access to high quality, consciously sourced botanicals; professional health services and empowering education experiences that aim to encourage and cultivate sustained wellness.

We have an East West focused approach to our Botanical Dispensary with a diverse inventory of raw herbs, tinctures, essential oils, teas and health related items. Our sacred relationship to our natural environment is instilled in our commitment to providing access to the lowest impact, consciously sourced herbs grown through local farms, privately owned wild lands, and ethical world suppliers.

Our Botanical Dispensary provides formulating, compounding and dispensing services for the local community, regional health practitioners as well as distant clients and health providers in other areas of the world. Through the many years of formulating and custom blending for her clients, Colleen Emery has created a dynamic offering of shelf products ready to dispense directly to our clients available for purchase in the Winlaw location as well as in the Online Apothecary.

Emery Herbals Healing Suites offers access to educated and trained health Practitioners in a peaceful and enriching environment to help guide and support your wellness and healing journey.

Our Teaching Centre actively provides education experiences to help grow your connection to the natural world and bring empowerment to your healthcare.

www.emeryherbals.com