Rose Cottage

 On the weekend I was able to get Natto at Market of Choice in Bend - I'm excited to try this commercial Natto from Portland! I also got organic dried soybeans in the bulk section.  Mischievous natto I find the taste quite mild, and reserved some to use for starter. I'm trying a new fermenting method - it's in a baking dish on my seed starting mat for 24 hours - then it will ferment another day in the fridge.  Natto fermenting on seed mat I streamed the beans, mixed in a spoonful of natto, then spread them out in the baking dish. I laid an opened compostable sandwich bag on the surface of the beans, having poked holes with a toothpick. The whole dish was placed in a larger bag, and set on a potholder in the tray over the seed warming mat. I'm hopeful they will develop the nattokinase 'halos'! Here's a quick tutorial Natto (L) Steamed soy beans (on Rt) I'm excited to add more of this heart, gut and bone healthy food to my repertoire! Recent studies show t...

 Yesterday I crotched a little Nebaaru-kun amigurumi ❤  Nebaaru-kun and Raku vase  I've been reading 'Cultured, how ancient foods can feed our microbiome,' by Katherine Harmon Courage. Her chapter on bean ferments, including Natto, (popular in Japan) had this sweet bit: 'In Japan, charming characters pop up almost everywhere - on mobile phones, on bags, practically out of the ether. There are countless cute animals, but there is also a cranky egg and a depressed burned roll. 'And the character de résistance: Nebaru-kun, or Little Sticky Boy. ... He is the natto character, meant to represent the dynamic nature of natto!' I found this amigurumi cupcake pattern , which even included a cherry on top, that I adapted for the topknot! In Japan, human in Nebaaru-kun costumes can stretch up/ spring tall, to mimic the sticky natto threads. Nebaaru-kun In process Fermented foods are eaten in cultures around the world, and are often included daily by folks who live lon...

  Fermented foods come in many forms, and can offer great support for gut health.  Asian countries have many processes for fermenting beans - in Japan, one of these is Natto. I was intrigued to discover rather than purchasing inoculant, you can use a handful of mint stalks! (The first Natto was likely made using rice stalks.) Natto with avocado and fresh herbs On his ikigai diet youtube channel, health enthsiast Sachiaki Takamiya offers videos with  tips and recipes for making this superfood at home, plus info on healthy lifestyle. Protein levels in fermented beans are often double that in the same beans when simple cooked.  I enjoyed this video , highlighting 4 generations of a family (4-88) evoking good health and daily natto, plus the process and health benefits.  In the Shiga prefecture, it is common for elders to eat soybean natto several times a week, along with seaweed, vegetables and other whole and fermented food. As in the Blue Zone Okinawa, many cont...