Why All the Fermentation Fuss
Keeping our guts healthy is extremely important, and fermentation is an easy and delicious way to support gut health. Eating foods that are rich in beneficial bacteria, like yogurt, fermented lemonade, and fermented grape jello, is one way to ensure that your family is getting the probiotics they need.
The process of fermentation increases the level of vitamins and enzymes in the food, helps to keep harmful bacteria in check, supports immune function, and improves digestion.
Fermented Jello is Healing to the Gut in Two Ways
By using fermented juice in your jello, you are getting all the benefits listed above. But there’s a second way that fermented grape jello can help to heal the gut.
One of the ingredients in “jello” is, of course, gelatin. Gelatin is derived from the collagen found in connective tissue and/or bones and is a good source of minerals and amino acids, especially glycine and proline. The best gelatin comes from grass-fed cows.
This good stuff can help to reduce inflammation in your gut and restore its protective lining, all important for healing. Homemade bone broth is both the most economical and healthy way to to add gelatin to your diet, but foods made with a good quality gelatin, like fermented grape jello, are great as well.
Blooming the Gelatin
When working with powdered gelatin, it’s best to bloom the gelatin. Don’t worry, it’s easy. This just means allowing the gelatin to soften briefly in cold water so that it will be evenly distributed throughout the final recipe and you’ll get a nice, even gel.
To bloom, simply sprinkle the gelatin evenly over cool water, stir, and allow to sit for a minute or two. Then add hot water to dissolve. This is then added to the juice. I give all the directions and amounts in the recipe below.
How to Make the Whey Needed in Fermented Grape Jello
The simplest way that I have found to make whey is to strain my homemade yogurt. The liquid is the whey. Whey from milk kefir, or cheese making may be used as well.
The Grape Juice
My post Make Your Own Facto-Fermented Grape Juice explains how to make homemade juice from fresh grapes, and how to ferment it. You may also ferment store-bought juice and then use that to make jello.
Ingredients
- 1 quart grape juice only 1 1/2 cups of this will be needed for the jello; enjoy drinking the rest after fermentation.
- 1/4 cup whey
- 1/2 cup water divided
- 1 tablespoon pasture-raised gelatin
Instructions
- Add the liquid whey (strained from yogurt or milk kefir) to the grape juice. Stir. Cover loosely, and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2 - 3 days. Cover tightly and allow to ferment 1 more day. Then refrigerate.
- Place 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of gelatin over the water and stir well. Allow to sit for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Heat another 1/4 cup of water to almost boiling. Stir this into the water/gelatin mixture.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the cooled, fermented grape juice to the water/gelatin mixture. Stir well. Refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours until set.
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Sharon Carson says
So where do you suggest buying the pasture raised geletin or the whey . This is not something available at local chains . .Is the whey nessesary ? would local pastured pasturized milk work?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Sharon! This is a high quality gelatin from cows raised on pasture: http://amzn.to/23bcoxJ (that’s an affiliate link – I get a very small percentage of your purchase which helps paying my blogging expenses, but it won’t cost you anything extra). I’m afraid that the whey is crucial to the fermentation process and it’s really easy to make. Buy a container of good quality plain yogurt – be sure the label states that it contains probiotics. Then strain it through a coffee filter. The liquid is whey, and you’ll also have some thick, Greek-style yogurt to enjoy. Any probiotics are destroyed in the process of pasteurization, so that won’t work, and I’ve never tried to ferment with raw milk, so I’m not sure that’s a good idea any way. So glad you stopped by!
Nora says
Do you use fresh grape juice or juice bought at the store?
Susan Vinskofski says
Nora, either is just fine.
Robert says
I have been lacto fermenting all sorts of veggies and have a hankering to lacto ferment our seeded garden grapes. What a brilliant idea! I will try this once I finish collecting garden grapes, supplemented with some fresh concord grapes. I’m also thinking some interesting spices to aid digestion and broaden the flavor profile – maybe some cardamom, coriander and perhaps some lemon or orange zest… or some steeped rosemary. I’ll let you know what I decide and how it turns out!
dylinda says
Hi there
Would you add these spices preferment or after?
cheers
D
dylinda says
Hi there
What if you were to add the gelatin and grape juice to the milk and ferment the three together using the yogurt starter or milk kefir grains.
or
what if you were to add the gelatin to the grape juice then ferment it with your whey or tibicos
or
exactly as you do, add the whey to the grape juice and ferment it a couple days BUT ferment with the homemade or bought gelatine,
I am Filipino and yogurt is a rare and very expensive commodity and chemically untrustworthy, alternately we have sugar laden YAKULT hence I just bought some water and milk kefir grains and yogurt starter, and am going to experiment and find a suitable probiotic, your article further inspired me as I know nothing nor knew about collagen and gelatin gut benefits.
I guess my question put simply is, “can you ferment gelatin”, would it be beneficial, pointless or harmful
cheers
D