by Ruth Hofer
So last post I showed you how to make root beer into a health tonic, this time I am going to explain how easy it is to make RAW ketchup from scratch. Unlike other raw ketchup recipes this one keeps indefinitely! And it actually helps your body digest and assimilate what ever you eat it with…
I’ve adapted a recipe I found in Nourishing Traditions
I make up a big batch at a time and usually make three different flavours at once, the regular ketchup version, a hare krisna cuisine style chutney and my take on BBQ sauce. I’m pretty lax on measurements in my kitchen so feel free to experiment with the quatities I have listed. Most of all, remember to have fun…
First up, you have to make whey. You could also just use vegan probiotic powder or kefir starter powder into and equal amount of water if you don’t have the time to make whey. The best, and easiest to follow directions for making whey can be found at Cheese Slave. (be careful not to get entirely sidetracked reading all the other posts on this blog, its super fascinating reading but focus on making the ketchup first!) It is entirely possible to make whey from nut or seed kefir too, so keep that in mind if you are keeping dairy products totally out of your diet.
How to:
- Gather together a collection of nice looking glass bottles with decent seals and sterilize them.
- Take about 2-3 kgs of fresh ripe tomatoes, and rinse them in a sink of hot water. Pulverize them, skin and all, in a high speed blender. You can strain this mix if you want, I never bother.
- Add ½ cup whey (or equivalent of probiotics mixed in water), 1 cup maple syrup and 1-2 tablespoons of salt. I sometimes and more of less of these depending on my mood and tastebuds.
- Divide mixture into three:
- First batch add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a bulb of minced garlic. Pour into bottles and label as ‘Ketchup’
- Second batch: add up to half a cup of freshly juiced ginger, pinch of asafetida, generous sprinkle (more like a handful) of garam masala and some mustard seeds. Bottle and label as ‘chutney’.
- Third batch: add lots of ground cumin and paprika, ¼ cup molasses, crushed garlic to taste, and either a couple of dashes of liquid smoke or some smoked chili powder. Bottle and label as ‘BBQ sauce’
- Clean up the blender and mixing bowls, leave the bottles out on the bench for a few days without tightly sealing (I used airtight seals on time and ended up with ketchup that exploded out like champagne!) then once its nice and fermented stick the bottles in the fridge where they will keep for months.
How easy is that? Now you have awesome tomato sauce on hand whenever you need it. Its also great to take camping as it survives just fine out of the fridge. I some times use them as a base for raw soups. These sauces also make great gifts, especially for anyone who doesn’t share you enthusiasm for living food… one taste of your loving creation and they’re be intrigued… but the best bit: its fermented! Its full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes, it will help your body better assimilate and utilize the nutrition from whatever food you eat it with (even if that happens to be French fries!)
I host a raw vegan potluck at my home each month. To shake things up a bit, I’ve been trying to schedule speakers to come and give talks on subjects that are a bit on the outskirts of the raw vegan community. As my first speaker, I thought it would be appropriate to invite Daniel Vitalis to come and speak about elixirs. It was fitting, of course, given that he often gets touted as “the bad boy of the raw food world.” Outskirts seems to be his forte.
First off, there are so many versions of the raw food diet out there. And so, while I am happy to share what I have found to work for me, I still think it’s important that everyone learn to be in tune with their own body to find out what is optimal for them. As raw moms who are breastfeeding our babies, I think we have probably all been there when it comes to hormonal fluctuations that are natural in the postpartum phase and breastfeeding years… You know, the ones that send you on an emotional roller coaster at meal times (and in between times too!).
A daily raw food diet for a breastfeeding mom should always begin with drinking a glass of water every time you nurse your baby. (Preferably breastfeed every two to three hours during daylight… As the more frequent you breastfeed, the higher the fat content of the milk, which is needed for optimal brain development).
Followed by a chopped salad of the same ingredients, which I like to rotate for variety.
just fruits throughout the morning and afternoon; greens, sprouts, and veggies in the late afternoon; and end the feast with a blended salad / green soup.
The 
Fill up in the day with fresh fruit, veggies and dips, raw soups and flax crackers, raw trail mixes, raw puddings and cereals, salads and garden burgers and zucchini pasta and cabbage burritos and manna bread avocado, tomato, lettuce, cucumber sandwiches or peanut butter/almond/cashew butter with banana.
Yesterday I picked up my daughter, Kim, and granddaughter Hannah, and brought them over to our house for a visit. Just like any other grandma (or mom), my first thought was that they must need to eat; so on the way to our house we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. We went to the produce department first and Hannah picked out a pint of bright red strawberries for her snack. As we browsed the rest of the store she held on to her treat. Later when it was our turn at the cash register Hannah would not release the package and protected it as if her life depended upon it. The cashier had to walk around to the cart where Hannah was sitting so she could scan the price label.
My husband Emrys may even love them more than me. My daughter Ella, will have a whole blender full, if you turn your back, your breakfast is gone!
So Benji and Ella tucked into their green smoothie soups with finely chopped fruit salad on top.
