01/29/2026
Miso day!
Some herb-and-client friends have been asking, what can I do to prevent colds and flu bug illnesses, sore throats, aches and pains etc.? Well first of all, my training is that so much illness and imbalance is so unique to each person, that it is hard for me to generalize an answer. But!
One thing I have been talking about is using your kitchen as your first clinic and pharmacy. Cook everything with aromatic herbs and spices, make tangy tasty sauces and soups...generally speaking.
Here's another "first line of defense" thing to do..make and use fermented and cultured foods. Recently we made cheese, and we usually make yogurt every couple of weeks. In our household we do not eat or drink plain cold (uncultured) milk...except for the occasional ice cream sundae, which is medicine.
Today we are starting a crock of miso, another cultured food. This batch is made with our regionally grown, organic non-gmo soybeans. I would like to try making some with barley too, I understand that is really good.
Next we will make a jar or two of fruit vinegar, which has a live culture of Acetobacter which makes the tart vinegar when they nom up the fruit sugars. Apples work, but we have made pineapple vinegar (awesome) and pear vinegar among others. Maybe next week!
So...cook with aromatic spicy herbs. Make soup. Make and use cultured foods. You might be surprised at how much these kitchen medicine habits will help lower your tendency to get sick...generally speaking
What are your favorite cultured foods, how do you like to use them?
