Soaking

[aenea]

Now maybe I just haven't gotten to it in the book. Just got my book today and i'm on page 106 very easy reading i love it, any ways, does that always mean in water, and how long of a process is it?


Thanks A million

Aenea

[Rawkinlocs]

Usually, unless otherwise specified, when a recipe says to soak (nuts, seeds, grains, raisins, dates, etc.) it means in water.

Now with raisins or dates and other dried fruit such as apricots or figs, those can be soaked in water BUT for some things like frosting or other desserts where it wouldn't matter, I've soaked in orange juice (freshly squeezed, of course).

As for how long, it depends on what it is. For nuts, seeds and grains, the time frames vary - I usually soak them all overnight and if it's something to be sprouted, I drain and sprout until I see a tail - there is a chart in the book...don't have it in front of me to tell you what page.

But with dried fruit, it's done to make them softer for easier blending. That could take anywhere from an hour to 6 or so hours depending - for example, if the dates are very hard and dried out, then it may take longer than some that are softer before soaking.

[aenea]

very cool thanks for speedy response:)

Also another question.. Now previously I have had some food allergy problems with fruit, like watermellon, cantalope, bananas, oranges. Do you think buying organic would make a difference? I hate to get discouraged already cause I know bananas are used a lot and I also love all hte fruits I listed but can no longer eat. I'm not sure whether to be brave and try a piece of organic or just kind of scoot along using things I know I can eat and hope that my allergies will get better.

[Rawkinlocs]

It may or may not make a difference with it being organic. I have shared this before, but my husband used to be "allergic" to strawberries and bananas (cats and other things too) and my daughter's eczema used to flair up if she ate nuts or citrus fruit.

But when their diets got cleaned up and their systems cleaned out, they were able to re-introduce those foods into their diets with no problems.

So, most times allergic reactions aren't actually the natural foods, but rather toxins in the body reacting to certain foods. Once your body gets cleaned out, then you may find you are no longer allergic/intolerant to those foods.

I'd suggest maybe eating the raw items you CAN eat with no problems and allow your body to heal and cleanse for a while and then slowly reintroduce the items you temporarily eliminated and see how it goes.