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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Pineapple Tepache

Jul 30, 2021 09:30AM ● By Sandor Ellix Katz
Sliced pineapple on cutting board next to jars of homemade pineapple tepache

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Tepache is a wonderful, effervescent, lightly fermented pineapple beverage. It’s made from the skins and core of pineapple, making use of the parts typically discarded.

Yield: about 1 quart

½ cup sugar, or more, to taste (ideally piloncillo, panela or another unrefined sugar, but any type of sugar will work)
Peel and core of 1 pineapple (eat the rest of the fruit), cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1 cinnamon stick and/or a few whole cloves and/or other spices (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in about 1 cup of water. Place the pineapple skin and core pieces and spices into the vessel. Pour the sugar water over the pineapple, then add additional water as needed to cover the pineapple. Cover with a loose lid or cloth and stir daily.

Ferment for 2 to 5 days, depending upon temperature and desired level of fermentation. It’ll get fizzy, then develop a pronounced sourness after a few days. Taste each day after the first few to evaluate developing flavor. Strain out the solids. Enjoy fresh or refrigerate for up to a couple of weeks.


Recipe is an exclusive first look from the forthcoming book, Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys (Chelsea Green Publishing, October 2021).


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In-Print recipes vegan vegetarian National Content Plant Based Gluten Free August 2021
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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