Fire Cider: Food as Medicine for Candida Overgrowth

Candida Overgrowth is something that you may have been hearing more about lately, or maybe you’re like me, and have had a personal experience with too much Candida. Candida Albicans is a naturally occurring type of beneficial yeast found in every body’s mucus membranes. Under certain conditions the Candida mutates into a fungal form. This fungal Candida grows roots and can penetrate the walls of your intestines or other areas of the body causing all kinds of symptoms. Unfortunately, the conditions that can cause Candida to multiply in it’s damaging fungal form are all part of a typical American lifestyle: use of synthetic hormone based birth control, antibiotic consumption/use, too much stress, not enough movement and deep breathing, a diet high in processed sugars, alcohol and/or carbohydrates and the consumption of processed foods and body products loaded with chemicals, hormone disruptors and antibiotics.

The symptoms of Candida Overgrowth are many but here are the highlights: sugar cravings, bloated abdomen, gas and digestive pain, especially after consuming carbohydrates or sugary foods, IBS, weight gain, joint pain, feeling sluggish or tired, brain fog, itchy skin, chronic vaginal yeast infections, bladder infections, jock itch and/or thrush which usually means a white or yellowish coating on the tongue. Not everyone has all the symptoms and Candida Overgrowth can overlap with other imbalances. It’s best to get tested and properly diagnosed before treating yourself for any health issue. The test for Candida Overgrowth should include an in depth medical history and a lab test on saliva, blood and stool samples.

The good news is that the way to get Candida back into balance is all about using the food you eat everyday as medicine, no drugs or prescriptions necessary! My blog, The Candida Diaries, is dedicated to sharing delicious recipes and remedies so that you can eat your way back to health. The Candida diet is actually pretty simple and similar to the Paleo or Atkins diets: no sugars, no carbohydrates, yes to lots of green veggies, fresh herbs, organic proteins and fats, nuts and seeds and naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut, crème fraiche and raw apple cider vinegar. These fermented foods help to repopulate your digestive system with beneficial organisms that help support a healthy internal balance.

When I was first diagnosed, I worked with my doctor to come up with a list of supplements, herbs and medicinal foods to help me recover. I started by complimenting a no sugar, no carbohydrate diet with a lot of immune support. I took high does of Vitamin C with Quercetin as well as Osha, Ecchinacea and started eating more fresh green herbs, bone broth, raw sauerkraut and aloe vera juice. After I was on the diet for a few weeks, eating well and supporting my immune system, I added in antifungal foods and supplements: raw garlic, oil of oregano, pau d’acro tea or tincture, chaparral tincture, digestive enzymes and caprylic acid aka coconut oil. There are many anti fungal, anti viral and anti bacterial plants out there so you can easily rotate your foods and herbs for maximum effect and support.

Me with Unsweetened Fire Cider in front of a wall of food starch packing peanuts (yes, they are biodegradable!)

 

In 2009 my husband Dana introduced me to a vinegar and honey based health tonic that he had been making for his seasonal bouts of allergies and bronchitis for the past 10 years. Without adding the honey in at the end, this tonic is a mix of a lot of the foods I had been eating for their anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and immune boosting properties: organic, raw apple cider vinegar, citrus, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, horseradish and habanero peppers. I used Dana’s tonic, now known as Shire City Herbals Fire Cider® and also called master tonic, plague tonic, etc, as a digestive aid after meals to reduce excess Candida, gas and bloating. It also helped me to avoid getting sick all the time during the winter.  Unsweeteend Fire Cider was a life changing experience and I have been using it daily ever since to keep my Candida in balance and my immune system supported. In 2011 my husband, brother and I decided to start Shire City Herbals so we could make Fire Cider on a large scale and share this traditional remedy with as many people as possible.

I have also found a lot of non food things to support my health, like loving what I do for a living! A regular yoga practice, deep breathing, getting exercise outside, these activities keep me grounded and help me manage stress. Keeping a food journal and working with a naturopath have been tremendously helpful. A holistic approach to health and wellness is one that recognizes that everything is connected, you food, your environment, your relationships, your job, everything! Using your food as medicine is a great way to start reconnecting with your healthiest self.

Dana’s Pork or Chicken Stock Recipe

The secret to amazing pork stock?  The answer is trotters, aka pigs feet!  The same goes for chicken stock, it’s best with chicken feet.  Now don’t get all ewwww about it, the feet are perfectly clean.  You eat animals, they have feet, it’s really not a big deal. When we kill animals for food we should use every bit, nose to tail, because all those bits in between are full of health building essentials!  The reasons this specific part of the animal is so great for making stock are threefold:

1. Trotters especially are known for their gelatin, so when you simmer them for hours, they make a naturally thick, deeply flavorful stock that is soothing to the digestive system, full of cartilage repairing collagen and deep immune support.

2. They are cheap and plentiful.  For every hog that’s butchered, there go 4 more trotters.  Your local butcher or farmer can hook you up with feet for cheap, just ask!

3. Waste not, want not: chicken feet and trotters can certainly be deep fried into one of the best bar snacks you’ll ever eat but I’d argue that making stock from the bones and feet of an animal is the best and easiest way to use them.  And you’ll be sure you are making the most out of the food you raise or buy.

Bone Broth or Stock is relatively easy to make in large amounts, it just takes some time.  I eat a bowl of broth a day during the winter months, dressing it up with kelp, mushrooms and chickpea miso.  Or making traditional chicken soup.  You can also add frozen cubes of stock concentrate to all kinds of recipes to add deep nutrition and lots of flavor.  I recommend a bowl a day to stay warm and healthy til Spring.  Here’s the basic recipe and method my husband Dana uses-

Ingredients for 2 ½ quarts Chicken /Turkey /Pork Stock:

• 5 pounds assorted organic, local farm raised chicken parts (2-3 pounds of feet plus backs, necks, legs, and wings), rinsed.  For pork stock, use the bones from your last roast plus several trotters.
• Handful dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 medium carrot, chopped into 2-inch lengths
• 2 celery stalks, chopped into 2-inch lengths
• 2 medium leeks or one onion, chopped into 2-inch chunks
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1-2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar, or 1-2 Cups wine/hard cider

Optional, but highly recommended for ultimate, health enhancing stock add:

• 2-4 tongue-depressor sized pieces Astragalus root (available from mountainroseherbs.com)
• Small handful dried Reishi and/or Maitake mushroom
• 1-2 ginseng roots

Method:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a stockpot large enough to hold them with about 3 inches of room above (an 8-quart pot should do) and add enough water to cover by at least 1 inch (about 3 quarts).
2. Heat until bubbling, then reduce heat to a bare simmer (bubbles should just gently break the surface). A slow cooker works well for this if you have one. Simmer for 8-48 hours.  I think the longer the better.
3. Pass stock through a sieve into another bowl or pot, line the sieve with cheesecloth if you want clearer stock.  I never bother.  Discard the solids, I recommend composting them, or feed to your chickens.
4. You can use the stock for soup right now, yummmm!
5. If you are planning to store it without reducing it, stick it in the fridge or freezer.  The fat will rise to the top as it cools, and you can remove it, or leave it in. You can also boil the stock uncovered and reduce it by as much as 90%.  This makes for easier storage of large amounts of stock concentrate.
6. Note: I use ice cube trays to freeze cooled stock.  Then I keep the cubes in a container in the freezer for use whenever I need.  It’s easy to make a cup of hot broth by adding cubes to a mug with boiling water or throw a bunch into soups.  Sometimes I sauté greens until almost done, then add a cube of stock to finish for extra flavor and health benefits.

Spring Salad! Celery and Radishs With Gorgonzola

Here’s a Candida diet friendly recipe I found in the New York Times and it’s prefect for Spring!  Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health” so check her book out if you like her style:

For this salad, use the delicate hearts, or inner stalks, of celery.  Slice both the celery and radishes very thin; it goes faster than you’d think but you can use a food processor to speed up the process.

Watermelon radishes are pretty enough to eat.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds celery hearts (about 2), stalks separated, rinsed, dried and sliced very thin (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 bunch radishes, sliced very thin (if they are very round and fat, cut them in half lengthwise and slice half-moons)
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1 ounce gorgonzola, crumbled (about 1/4 cup) (you can substitute other blue cheeses like Roquefort)
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (original recipe calls for sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the celery, radishes, parsley, chives, walnuts and gorgonzola in a salad bowl. Toss with the vinegar, olive oil and walnut oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve.

Advance preparation: The salad will hold for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Toss again before serving. It is a good salad for a buffet as it will remain crunchy.

Nutritional information per serving: 136 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 117 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 2 grams protein

Original recipe HERE!

Coconut Bread

This recipe belongs to Kelly and came from her amazing blog:  The Spunky Coconut, lots of other great recipes to check out there but first: bread.  It is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and, if you leave out the touch of molasses, it’s as near as you can get to carb free bread, thank you Kelly!!

A quick note: make sure that your ingredients are room temperature so that the bread cooks evenly.

Made with coconut flour and almond meal, I can’t wait for my sprouts to be ready so I can make one of my favorite sandwiches: avocado, sprouts, onion and mayo.

Here’s The Spunky Coconut’s recipe, I made only a few changes:

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup coconut milk, room temperature – use the canned, organic kind.

4 whisked eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tbsp organic black strap molasses (original recipe calls for 1 tbsp Honey.  The molasses adds 7 grams of carbohydrates along with some nutrition! Omit sweetener entirely for lower total carbohydrate count.)

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour (I have used both Bob’s and Honeyville in this recipe)

1/2 cup  coconut flour, sifted to remove any lumps

2 tbsp psyllium husk POWDER

1 tsp sea salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1) Lay a piece of unbleached parchment paper across the bread loaf pan so that it goes down one of the long sides, across the bottom and back up the other long side.  I used a metal bread loaf pan 4′ x 8′ and it worked perfectly.

2) Grease the two exposed ends of the pan. Set aside.

3) Add dry ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

4) Add wet ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer.

5) Add whisked dry ingredients to wet mixed ingredients. Mix with an electric mixer.

6) Using a flexible silicone spatula, scoop half of the batter into the prepared pan, and press it down firmly.

7) Add the rest of the batter to the dish using the flexible silicone spatula, and press down firmly again. (The top should

be smooth and level when you’re finished.)

8) Bake for up to 1 hour. In the metal bread pan I baked my bread for 50 minutes, a knife inserted in the middle came out clean, the top had risen, felt a bit springy to the touch and was nicely browned.

9) Let the bread rest in the pan until cool.

Say cheese! A small and very filling little sandwich that goes great with soup.

Dressing Up

This past weekend Dana and I followed our friends Mike and Becca to Falmouth on Cape Cod for the Harborside Music Festival; we sold Fire Cider and enjoyed the music, they silk screened tee shirts to go, you don’t see that everyday!

Mike silk screening tee shirts for his nephews, the ones they were wearing!

As part of our four days on the road, we drove to Springfield where we went to another Big E meeting; we are going to be exhibiting at the Massachusetts building for sure, we just have to figure out the dates.  From Springfield we went to Boston and got a chance to get out on the water, it helps when your sister is a sailing instructor!

Captain Elise with Dana, showing off her skills and the coolest Coast Guard approved P.F.D.’s

From Boston we drove to Cape Cod for the Festival and then back home to Pittsfield.  Dana and I were fairly well prepared as far as food goes but had to rely on some local grocery stores from time to time.  It is definitely more challenging getting enough green veggies to eat while on the road.  One of my favorite things to do is buy a box of spinach, slice up an avocado and add dressing- my kind of fast food.  We forgot to bring salad dressing so decided to buy some Annie’s Goddess dressing.  This used to be my favorite but I haven’t bought any in a long time.  You know me, I hardly ever buy something I can make myself so I was kinda looking forward to this but it was…disappointing.  Homemade is the way to go.  Not only because it tastes better but it’s fresher, has no ‘natural flavors’ or other mysterious ingredients in it and is way more cost effective.  So, here are some salad dressing ideas you can make in just a few minutes and have on hand for days.

Fresh Herb Dressing

I have been making variations of this all summer since we have lots and lots of parsley, basil and cilantro in our garden. Herbs are so easy to grow, they just need a sunny windowsill and some water.  Grow your own and skip the high priced packaged bundles in the store.

Chop up a handful or more of your choice of herb, feel free to mix them up too!

Use a ratio of 3 to 1 Olive oil to vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar if you are on a strict Candida elimination diet, otherwise red wine vinegar is a good choice.

Add salt to taste, a mashed clove of garlic (this will help preserve the dressing if you want to save some for later in the week) and pepper, black or red hot, to taste.

Mix well, use a wand blender if you want a smoother, emulsified dressing.  Taste and add more of the above ingredients until the dressing is flavored to your liking.

Basil Balsamic

Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped basil, parsley, a pinch of dried or fresh oregano and garlic.  Salt to taste. Hot pepper optional.

Creamy Tahini Dressing

Start with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of Tahini (sesame seed butter) and mix with some sesame oil or olive oil.

Add apple cider vinegar and salt to taste.

Add your choice of one of the following combinations:

1. chopped cilantro, lime juice, chipolte pepper

2. minced ginger, chopped parsley, mashed garlic clove

Fire Cider Dressing

Mix 3 to 1 Olive oil to Fire Cider, salt to taste, a couple teaspoons of spicy Dijon mustard and mix well to emulsify.  Add a mashed clove of garlic for extra health booting properties!

New Spring Salad

Dana and I literally made room for our yoga practice.

I’ve been a bit pressed for time since there are a lot of exciting changes going on right now; the garden is growing, there are houses to bid on (woah!) and we converted an extra room in our house to a yoga/meditation room.  I have been naturally waking up consistently early for the past few weeks, a change I attribute to the new season and a sign that my health continues to improve.  The combination of getting up earlier and our yoga room means I’m able to do an hour of Kripalu yoga, mediate and start my day having already accomplished two of my most important goals for the day. Or I can work in an hour of yoga later in the day.  Either way, having hour long classes, on line, that range from gentle restorative yoga to more vigorous, challenging classes, right on the Kripalu home page, makes a daily practice pretty easy to incorporate.  If you have space for a yoga mat and an internet connection, you too can incorporate yoga into your daily routine.  Give it a try!

One of 4 post cards designed to promote the market. This one is my favorite. You can see the other designs on the New Amsterdam Market Facebook page.

Dana, Brian and I are also expanding Fire Cider to a weekly market in New York City called ‘The New Amsterdam Market’ which opens next Sunday at 11 am in the Old Fulton Fish Market.  This is such an exciting next step for us and there’s a lot  to do to get ready!  So, I find I have less time that I would like to spend writing new recipes and playing in the kitchen.  In the interest of time, mine and yours, I’ve come up with a new way to write recipes so I can continue to share with you on a weekly basis…

The ingredients will be listed in the order they are added to the recipe.  Simple instructions will appear throughout the list and the meal should take about 5-15 min to assemble or cook, sound good?  Healthy meals fast, yes please!

One dish dinner with the daffodils my mom picked for us, thanks mama!

New Spring Salad

In a large bowl combine:

1 can tuna

3-4 T mayo

2 T spicy dijon mustard

2 T raw apple cider vinegar

2 T each: Kalamata olives halved and chopped oil cured olives

salt and pepper to taste

Mix well then add

Salad greens of your choosing: baby spinach and dandelion greens are especially nutritious.

1 grated carrot

Mix again and top with

grated cheese, I used some Vermont cheese from the co-op that’s part cheddar and part Romano

a small handful of toasted, salted sunflower seeds

Serve and eat!

Exciting Updates on Farming and Fire Cider

Dana and I met Jen Morse at the Handmade Holiday Festival last December.  She asked me about our Fire Cider and what our plans were.  It wasn’t long before we were talking about our farm dream and our search for affordable land in Berkshire County.  Jen immediately invited us to come out to the farm she and her husband own; a family horse farm that goes back several generations called Green Meads Farm.

The fence is finished, time to start planning the garden.

During our first visit to their farm, Jen and Jeff offered us some space in their garden, they were planning on expanding it anyway.  This is what I love about native Berkshireites, their generosity and understanding of real community.  We helped them put up the new fencing and as soon as that project was done we started in on the planting.  Well, first there was the weeding and raking and the laying out of beds and the manure hauling, shoveling and distributing and then the planting.  It was all very gratifying work that will eventually reward us with delicious healthy food.

Jen's chickens enjoying the leftover grain from Dana's last batch of homebrew.

Then there’s the old farm down the road.  Jeff mentioned one day in early spring that his neighbor was looking to sell his family farm and told us to stop by on our way back to Pittsfield.  We did, and now, two months later we are watching our first commercial crops coming up in one of their fields.  Dana and I are also in the process of working out a rent to own deal with the current owners.  We may be farm owners, with the help of our friends and family, as soon as this fall, so very exciting!

Last week Fire Cider was approved by the state health inspector and is officially a legal and safe product (but we already knew that!), ready for stores as soon as our newest batch matures.  We have two 55 gallon drums of organic apple cider vinegar and a pending order for a ton of produce from Albert’s Organics. We will be making an appearance at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival Saturday June 25th in North Adams, so come out and see us at the open air market. We’ll be handing out free samples and selling bottles of Fire Cider!

Sesame Spinach Salad

I know spring is finally here when I start craving things like dandelion greens and spinach salad, even if the weather has different ideas.  This salad is really easy to make, it takes about 5 minutes and will feed two people as a side and one hungry lady as a meal.  The toasted sesame seeds are the only time-consuming thing so make more than you need and keep them on hand!

Sesame salad with baby spinach, mesclun greens and black and white sesame seeds

Ingredients for Sesame Dressing:

1 Tablespoon each: apple cider vinegar, tahini and sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 clove garlic mashed/pressed

Few drops of water.

This dressing can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to make some to have on hand.

Here’s what you do, whisk all the ingredients together in your salad bowl and then slowly add a few drops of water, whisking in between to your preferred consistency, usually all it takes is a teaspoon or two.

Add in greens: baby spinach is awesome, dandelion greens are a delicious detoxifier, mesclun mix, or all three!  Toss to coat evenly with the dressing.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, swirl them around in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until they start to pop and smell super sesame, about 5 minutes.

Done!  The dressing only has about 200 calories and will cover several big handfuls of salad greens, a quick and easy way to add some green to your diet.  I made this yesterday for lunch and added a chopped hard boiled egg and some hot sauce for a complete meal.  I bet it would be good with grilled spicy shrimps, chick peas or left over roasted chicken, ect, you get the idea.  Enjoy eating this healthy and delicious salad and if you have variations, I’d love to hear about them!

Goddess Dressing: Vitamin C and Liver Detox

 

Goddess Dressing with Dandelion Greens and Baby Romain

 

Last night I was craving Green Goddess Dressing but, looking over my recipe posting I realized I didn’t have much on hand to make it and I was too hungry to go to the store.  So I searched around and found a recipe using the ingredients I was really wanting to eat; parsley, raw apple cider vinegar and tahini.   I ate mine over dandelion greens, the bitter flavor of the greens goes really well with this dressing.  Dandelion greens are great for supporting your liver and kidneys and the bitter taste encourages the release of digestive enzymes which aid in digestion.  Dandelion is high in Vitamin C, Iron and Calcium.  Parsley is also high in Vitamin C and great for liver and kidney support.  I have been doing a detox diet the past week and I think my liver was asking for more support.  I felt better after eating this light meal and my craving was totally satisfied.  Ah, the power of green food!

Here’s version two, more like the Annie’s Naturals Brand dressing that the San Fran original but just as tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• 2/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar plus 2 Tablespoons or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• salt, to taste at the end
• 7 green onions, whole (scallions) or about 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 bunch parsley, with stems (this would be about 4 cups chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water (more or less, to taste)

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients except water in a food processor or blender, blend well.
2. Add water a little at a time, until the dressing reaches your desired consistency.  Taste and add more vinegar, salt, pepper, whatever you think it needs!
3. Store refrigerated, 3-4 weeks.

 

 

 

Cool Off with Rawh Cucumber Salad

My dad’s garden is overflowing with cucumbers.  The last time I went to visit I came home with a huge bag full of freshly picked cucumbers (and zucchini and basil and flowers too!).  I remember my grandmother would always make cucumber salad in the summer and now I know why!  This recipe is very simple and very good for you.  Cucumbers are a cooling food and they are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber and are also a great digestive aid.  The raw onion in this salad has antibacterial properties as well as a lot of flavor.  Raw onion has been credited with helping to raise good cholesterol, increase circulation and lower blood pressure.  Using raw apple cider vinegar for the dressing will add enzymes (and a whole lot more!) which help us digest.

Ok, enough talk about the ingerdients, here’s the recipe:

Peel and thinly slice as many cucumbers as you want to eat.  Remember this salad gets better with time so make enough to have for lunch tomorrow!  Put the slices in a large bowl.

Thinly slice enough white onion so that you have about 3 times as many cucumber slices as you do onion.  I know I justed use a ratio, don’t worry.  This is not an exact science, it’s a salad.

Mix the onion in with the cucumber and add salt.  How much salt? Well,  how much salt do you like?  The salt is to bring out the flavor and open up the pores of the veggies so they will absorb the vinegar and start to soften. Taste, add more salt, taste again.  This will prevent you from dying of hunger before the salad is ready to serve. Look at you, multitasking!

Add a splash of olive oil, the good kind, extra virgin, organic, none of that swaggy processed with chemicals stuff.  You don’t really need the oil but it does add a little flavor and it’s good for you so splash away!

Liberally add some vinegar, I recommend red wine vinegar for best taste but raw apple cider vinegar for best nutrition/health benefits.  You could get crazy and use a little of both!

Now top with as much cracked black pepper as you like, it really adds a lot of flavor to this simple salad, the more the better!

Ok, toss everything together and get the cucumbers good and coated with the vinegar.  You can eat it now or let it marinate (it will taste even better in an hour) while you make up something that actually has calories in it. This may be delicious and nutritious but it won’t fill you up.