ANTIOXIDANT RICH LACTO FERMENTED RECIPES
CULTURED WITH EM

Disclaimer: Please note that these are my personal recipes and that they presuppose that you have a science background and some expertise in brewing lacto fermented beverages with a wild culture such as home made ginger beer, and beverages cultured with wild kefir, or a proprietary culture such as Grainfields from AGM Foods. As with all fermented products there are a number of potential health risks and the onus is on you to educate yourself on what they are. Do not use any herbs without the guidance of a herbalist. Also please note that I have devised my own way of fermenting lacto fermented beverages that suit my brewing room, ingredients, containers, lifestyle and the climatic conditions of the Gold Coast of South East Queensland, which is close to being subtropical at times. And please note that the recipes and guidelines on this page will change with time, so you may wish to check in periodically.

Warning: Do not ferment beverages in sealed containers as there is the risk of explosion and implosion which could cause serious injury. For more information on how to brew antioxidant rich beverages cultured with EM, I suggest that you do an Internet search for Vinny Pinto and read some of his articles and books.

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FIRST RECIPE: FOR THOSE NEW TO BREWING

RECIPE FOR EM EXTENSION
The EM culture that you buy will probably have been made with a recipe somewhat similar to this. This recipe allows you to extend that culture at a fraction of the cost of drinking the proprietary culture.

INGREDIENTS FOR EM EXTENSION
This recipe makes 3.8 litres, enough for 5x 750 ml beer bottles.

• 3400 ml filtered water.
• 190 ml blackstrap molasses (5%).
• 75 ml barley malt extract (2%).
• 190 ml EM microbial inoculant (5%).

• 1 tablespoon rice bran.
• 1 tablespoon dulse powder.
• 1/2 teaspoon rock, (or colloidal minerals.)
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt.

INSTRUCTIONS
Please read the General Guidelines for Brewing at the bottom of the page. Some of the notes could be critical to the success of your brew.

Add a third of the water to a 5 litre brewing container. Dissolve in the blackstrap molasses and the barley malt extract, then mix in the EM and the rest of the water. Cover the container with a cloth held in place with an elastic band, or fit an airlock if you have had previous brewing experience. Stir once a day for 7 days. Once the pH has dropped to below pH3.9 (sometimes Vinny recommends pH 3.5), and this may take 7 days depending upon the brewing temperature (see General Guidelines for Brewing at the bottom of the page), then add the rice bran, dulse, rock dust and Celtic sea salt. It may help to dissolve the salt in a little water first. Stir once a day for a further 7 days.

After 14 days measured from day 1, it is time to bottle the EM extension. If you are familiar with making home brews or have brewed the EM extension in a container with a spigot then fit a hose to the spigot and decant the liquid with as little agitation as possible into PET bottles or glass beer bottles. If you have brewed your EM extension in a jar or a bucket then you need to find a way to decant the liquid without mixing in the scum and the sediment, and without agitating it and adding air. You may wish to skim off most of the scum with a spoon, and them gently pour the liquid into a food grade bucket, leaving the sediment behind. Another option is to siphon the brew with a piece of food grade plastic tube (available from home brew supplies or hardware shops.)

Caution: If you are storing your brew in plastic PET bottles then you can probably safely screw on a lid, as the bottle should be able to handle a buildup of gas pressure. If, however, you store your brew in glass bottles, then on no account should you cap the bottles as a buildup of gas pressure could explode the bottle, or a negative gas pressure likewise could implode the bottle, either way possibly causing serious injury.

My preference at the time of writing these notes is to store my brew in a glass beer bottle and to cover each bottle with a piece of unbleached calico (4 x 4 inches) held in place with an elastic band. The problem with using a cork is that the cork invariably pops and the brew foams over leaving a mess on the inside of the bottle, where it may leave an environment conducive to the breeding of undesirable organisms. I usually replace the calico with a cork after about four weeks. Ferment for a total of about four weeks in the bottle before consuming. Most of the antioxidants are to be found in the liquid and one generally does not consume the scum or the sediment, though I have done so with no apparent problems.

A SECOND RECIPE: FOR INTERMEDIATE BREWERS

INGREDIENTS FOR EM JUICE
5 x 750 ml bottles = 3.8 litres.

• 190 ml blackstrap molasses (5%).
• 1 litre juice (cherry, prune, grape, etc. Not concentrated).
• 380 ml EM microbial inoculant (10%).
• 1830 litres water.

• 400 ml of tea made with 1/4 cup lyci (wolf) berries.
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt.
• 1/2 teaspoon rock dust, (and or colloidal minerals.)

INSTRUCTIONS
Choose a suitable brewing container. Dissolve the blackstrap molasses in the water then mix in the juice and the EM. Ferment for about 7 days, stirring once each day. Check pH.

On the seventh day simmer the lyci berries in filtered water for ten minutes, strain, add more water and simmer again, repeat twice. When the lyci tea is cool then add it to the brew. Add the rock dust and Celtic sea salt. It may help to dissolve the salt in a little water first. Make the volume up to 3.8 litres. The additional fruit juice in this brew means that it could take some months for all of the sugars to completely ferment. Also please not that the concentration of sugars in this recipe may be somewhat higher than what Vinny Pinto recommends. Stir daily.

Ferment for a total of 3 - 4 weeks in the brewing container before decanting the liquid to bottles. Please note once again, do not seal glass bottles with anything more than a cork pushed in lightly as their is a serious risk of explosion or implosion. Ferment in the bottle for another 4 weeks before consuming. Refrigerate before use.

A THIRD RECIPE: FOR ADVANCED BREWERS

INGREDIENTS FOR EM JUICE
5 x 750 ml bottles = 3.8 litres.

• 190 ml blackstrap molasses (5%).
• 75 ml barley malt extract (2%).
• 1 litre of fruit juice (cherry, prune, blueberry and cranberry, etc. Not concentrated.)
• 380 ml EM microbial inoculant (10%).
• 1000 ml water.

• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt.
• 1/2 teaspoon rock dust.
• 1 tablespoon dried fish powder or paste.
• 1 tablespoon rice bran.
• 1 tablespoon dulse or kelp powder.
• 2 tablespoons colloidal minerals.
• 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid.
• 1 teaspoon malic acid.
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder.
• 400 ml tea made with 1/4 cup lyci berries.
• 400 ml nettle leaf and thistle lea tea made with 1/4 cup of leaf.
• 355 ml filtered water.

Make the volume up to 3.8 litres.

INSTRUCTIONS
Choose a suitable brewing container. Dissolve the blackstrap molasses and the barley malt extract in the water then mix in the juice and the EM. Ferment for about 7 days, stirring once each day. Check pH.

On the seventh day simmer the lyci berries in filtered water for ten minutes, strain, add more water and simmer again, repeat twice. When the lyci tea is cool then add it to the brew. Steep the nettle leaf and the thistle leaf in 400 ml of boiling water. When cool, strain and add the tea to the brew.

Add the rest of the ingredients, dissolving the Celtic sea salt first in a little water. Make the volume up to 3.8 litres. Stir daily.

Ferment for about 10 - 12 weeks in the brewing container before decanting the liquid to bottles. Please note once again do not seal glass bottles with anything more than a cork pushed in lightly, as their is a serious risk of explosion or implosion. Ferment in the bottle for at least another 4 weeks before consuming. Refrigerate before use.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR BREWING EM

The following notes have been gleaned from Vinny Pinto's book:
(Fermentation with Syntropic Antioxidative Microbes: An advanced guide to brewing EM fermented secondary products. By Vinny Pinto. Referred to as EM Brew Guide and available from http://www.scdworld.com).

• Containers: Use a suitable container for anaerobic brewing with an airlock that allows gas to vent in both directions without sucking water from the airlock back into the brew.
• Ratios of EM/molasses/sugars: Use ratios from 1:1:8 to 1:1:20 of EM-1 : blackstrap molasses : water. (1:20 = 5%) At lower concentrations of EM the PNSB's tend to diminish. Generally use 1:1 ratio, EM: to simple carbohydrate, though you can increase the ratio of EM. Blackstrap molasses should be about 5% of the volume. Keep all additional sugars at the same ratio, though sometimes I think Vinny may be referring to fruit juice concentrates rather than to 100% or less fruit juice. Additional sugars should not exceed the concentration of blackstrap molasses. If using high quantities of sugars then you may need to add half of the sugars after the brew has fermented for 7 days and the pH has dropped to below pH3.7. Maximum sugar concentrations should be between 14% - 19% by volume. Fermentation times increase considerably with higher sugar concentrations.
• Barley malt: Barley malt extract at the rate of 1-2% of the brew accelerates pH drop.
• Head space: Leave a head space of about 1/7 -1/8 of the volume of the liquid in the container.
• Temperature: To shorten the fermentation time brew between 32 - 43 C (90 - 110 F) for the first few weeks at least, and extend to more than 9 weeks. Minimum recommended temperature 80 F. Optimal 85/90 F. See page 97 - 98. Allow the temperature to cycle to a cooler temperature at least twice during the fermentation. Storage temperature between 7 - 26 C (45 - 78 F).
• Storage temperature between 7 - 26 C (45 - 78 F). Refrigerate before use.
• Agitation: Oxidative stress from aerating the brew causes the microbes to increase the production of low molecular weight antioxidants. Page 105. Stir daily for at least ten days, and at least once every 2-3 days until ready to be bottled. But decant anaerobically. Some brews may be aerated for the first 6 hours with an aquarium pump and air-stone aerator.
• Acidity: pH needs to drop to less than pH 3.5 for the brew to be usable.
• Fruit juice: Fruits that are high in antioxidants include most berries such as wolfberry (aka lycii berry) the main ingredient in Goji juice), blueberry and blackberry, cherry, elderberry, grape, pomegranate and prune juice.
• Brix: In general keep starting Brix score below about 9. (And or limit starting sugar/carb sources to 11% - 13% by volume.)
• Time of fermentation: AEM should be brewed for about 4 weeks, while other brews need at least 2 months to mature. Some brews will last for a few years if stored correctly.
• Light: Exposure to light increases the growth of the PNSB's. Exposure to a strong fluorescent light (or sunlight ) in a transparent container or one which transmits at least 35% light from 12 -24 hours per day should increase the antioxidative, syntropic and regenerative activity. Light exposure may start immediately at start of fermentation or after the pH has dropped to below pH 3.7
• Decanting: Decant anaerobically with a food grade plastic tube from a home brewing shop. If transferring the brew to the bottles within 14 days then you probably don't need to transfer the brew anerobically. Allow some air to enter the brew during the active stages of the fermentation. First 6 weeks, seal the container and stir daily. See page 102.
• Antioxidative activity: ORAC testing see page 127 for web addresses.

Supplementary ingredients.

• Ingredients which may inhibit microbial growth are best added to the brew after 1 week when the pH has dropped to below pH3.7.
• Fish paste or emulsion at rate of 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per gallon.
• Shrimp paste at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon or more per gallon.
• Dehydrated shrimp or fish powder at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon or more per gallon.
• Rice bran at the rate of 1/4 - 1 tablespoon or more per gallon. The bran needs to have been stabilised to prevent the oils from going rancid.
• Rock dust, powdered bentonite rock dust, Azomite rock dust clay at the rate of 1 teaspoon to 6 tablespoons per gallon.
• Celtic sea salt up to 2 teaspoons per gallon.
• EM ceramic powder, a pinch per gallon.
• Paramagnetic rock dust.
• Kelp or dulse powder/granules at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon.
• Colloidal minerals, coenzyme minerals.
• Molybdenum, 2-8, 150 mcg tabs per gallon.
• Vitamin C as ascorbic acid up to 1 tablespoon per gallon.
• Malic acid at the rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon (from home brew suppliers).
• Raw bee pollen at 2 - 4 tablespoons per gallon.
• Herbs and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, and green super foods at the combined rate of 6 - 14 tablespoons per gallon.
• Turmeric, beetroot juice, wheatgrass juice, nettle leaf or root, thistle, milk thistle, rosemary, oregano, basil, olive leaf, chlorella, spirulina, blue-green algae, dulse, kelp and Chinese herbs.. (Page 82).
• Herbal decoctions - As a rough guide use herbs at the rate of about 40 grams dried herbal mixture per gallon (as prepared by a herbalist). Simmer the herbs gently with a reasonable quantity of water in a stainless steel saucepan with loosely fitting lid for 20 - 30 minutes then let it stand for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Leave lid on until cooled to minimise loss of volatile substances. Strain and add the tea to the brew.
  

End Notes

"Efficient Microbes (EM)™", "Xtra (EM)™" and "Beneficial and Efficient Microbes (BEM)™" are trademarks owned by Sustainable Community Development (SCD).

"Beneficial Microbes (BM)™" and "BM Ecology™" may be trademarked names belonging to Crown Biotech and Crown Organics in Australia.

Source of the above trademark information: http://www.eminfo.info/disclaimer.html

EM-1 is a trademark of EMRO.

Source: http://www.eminfo.info/moreem1.html. See also: http://www.emrousa.com/

MEASUREMENTS 1 teaspoon = 5 ml / 5 gm. 1 tablespoon = 15 ml / 15 gm. 15 tablespoons = 1 cup / 225 ml. 1 cup = 8 fluid oz / 225 ml. 1 US gallon = 3.6 litres. 1 lb = 16 oz / 454 gm. Temperature 20C = 68F. Conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius: °C = (°F - 32) / 1.8. Conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit: °F = °C × 1.8 + 32 Post your comments at the Rejoice Newsgroup. Exchange recipes and experiences with others interested in traditional food preparation at the Rejoice-In-Life News Group. Sign up at rejoiceinlife newsgroup MORE RECIPES MAKE FRIENDS WITH GoodBugs Simple recipes - great results. Culture: probiotic sauerkraut. Make: kefir and simple cheese. Bake: Sourdough bread, cakes, Christmas cakes and puddings. - Easy sourdough starter recipes. Brew: Refreshing probiotic ginger beer type beverages made with a probiotic starter culture that you can buy at your health food shop. Get Abby's recipe for low alcoholic real beer. It is easy to make; just brew it in the bottle and ready to drink in 5 days. .