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How to make limewater for soaking corn in accordance with traditional Native American cultures for improved digestibility and bioavailability of nutrients.
Corn has a bad rap these days primarily due to the pervasive presence of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the food supply. This frankenfood is generally made with GMO corn and laced with mercury residue from processing. (1)
It is in the majority of processed foods and drinks and is being blamed for all sorts of health woes including a role in the obesity epidemic.
The truth is, however, that corn is a traditional food! When high quality, nonGMO corn is sourced and prepared properly using limewater, it can be both delicious and healthy!
And, if you are a Southern gal like me, you like your corn โ am I right?
Grits and homemade cornbread anyone?
Why Soak Corn?
Soaking corn or cornmeal overnight in limewater releases Vitamin B3. It also improves the amino acid profile of the corn making for easier digestion.
Note, you do not have to soak cornstarch. The reason is that the nutritional value of cornstarch is very low as it is basically just pure carbohydrate.
If whole food forms of corn are a staple in your diet, then soaking in limewater is a must. The disease pellagra is caused by Vitamin B3 deficiency. Symptoms of pellagra include sore skin, mental problems, and fatigue. Most doctors fail to ever diagnose it!
Even if you donโt eat corn that frequently, limewater is easy to make and lasts for a long time in the refrigerator or cool pantry. Why not soak your corn to create homemade corn dishes? It is an easy to do step that improves the nutrition and digestibility of the meal.
In the video included with the recipe below, I show you how to make limewater using the Nourishing Traditions method. It is the proper soaking medium for corn in North and South American traditional societies. The healthy, strong, and fierce Seminole Tribe of Florida, for example, sustained themselves primarily on soaked corn gruel.
Masa Harina?
Note that preparing masa harina is slightly different. This type of corn flour has already been treated with lime. Thus, limewater is not needed, however, it will still require soaking in a slightly acidic medium like buttermilk or water with a squeeze of lemon juice. This serves to deactivate anti-nutrients like phytic acid.
Homemade Limewater Recipe
How to make limewater using the traditional method that will create more nutritious and digestible corn based dishes for your family. Can also be sipped as a beverage for extra calcium!
Ingredients
- 4 Tbl dolomite powder
- filtered water
- 1 quart mason jar
Instructions
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Spoon dolomite powder into a 1 quart mason jar. It should be spread evenly about 1/2 inch deep at the bottom of the jar.
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Fill the mason jar with filtered water. Leave about 1 inch at the top.
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Screw on the lid tightly and turn a few times to mix the dolomite powder in the water.
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Leave the jar on the counter until the dolomite fully settles out at the bottom of the jar. This will take a few hours, and then the water will be clear.
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Place the jar in the refrigerator or cool pantry. Use this water for soaking corn and corn flour for any corn based dishes.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Use 1 cup of limewater for every 2 cups of corn or cornmeal for making cornbread, corn casserole and other corn based dishes.
Pour the limewater out of the mason jar carefully - you don't want to use the lime that has settled at the bottom, only the limewater. Soaking for 12-24 hours is sufficient to release the nutrients but cornbread in particular will rise better if soaked for 24 hours.
Recipes using Soaked Corn
With your limewater ready to go, here are a few recipes to try that require the soaking of corn flour and meal.
I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime. Its only ingredient is calcuim hydroxide. Is this ok?
Iโve always loved corn, too. This is very helpful information.
Another real food blog I was reading said to use Pickling lime ( which appears to be different to dolomite powder). Which is best to use?
Many thanks
Could I use Diatomaceous Earth in this way also?
No, it must be dolomite powder.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for this video on how to make lime water. I am confused by which type of lime to use. I just bought โCalโ (calcium oxide) from a Mexican food store, because this is what I was directed to if I wanted to make my own masa. You are insisting on using Dolomite lime, but this is the first time I have heard of using it. Everything else I have read has said that traditionally the South Americans used the caustic forms of lime.
What have you learned about the use of Dolomite lime over the other forms of lime? Why is is superior to the form of lime that was used traditionally in South America? I donโt know the answer and am confused by the differing opinions on the matter.
My concern is if I soak my cornmeal in the caustic lime and then take that mixture to put in my cornbread recipe, wonโt I be consuming caustic lime?
All the traditional recipes I have read say to soak the WHOLE KERNEL corn in lime water first, then RINSE, then GRIND. I donโt have a way to grind wet corn. My electric grain mill will grind dry grains, but wet corn would render it ruined. I could of course dry the wet soaked corn and then grind it, but that would add an extra step that could lead to reduced nutritional value.
Thank you!
Josh
Dolomite is tested to be free of contaminants which is why this is the one I suggest using.
I would love to hear more about soaking corn and creating foods out of corn. My youngest does not do well with any unsoaked grain so I have been unable to eat corn for awhile. And our go-to meal used to be taco salad, so thatโs had to change! Unless I make flour tortillas anywayโฆ. But we would LOVE to learn to make our own corn tortillas or chips. And cornbreadโฆsince I like to serve it with chili. Iโd love to see more info on this and recipes.
Food is to be enjoyed as well as to nourish ourselves and what in the world would chili be without cornbread?????
I think it is important to remember that food is for pleasure and enjoyment .. when food is enjoyed and relished it will nourish you better too as the body will receive it in a more relaxed manner which improves digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Do you need to soak freshly ground cornmeal if it is sprouted?
Yes .. you still need to soak to release the B3. Sprouting can be sufficient for other grains though.
Thanks Sarah! I am a southern girl too โ love corn, cornbread, grits but have been avoiding all thinking all corn is GM these days. This gives me hope I can enjoy these again! ๐
Where do you find organic, non-GM cornmeal?
Where do you find organic, non-GM corn on the cob?
Where do you find organic, non-GM grits?
Re: the limewater. Once you have used the water in the mason jar, can you refill the jar with water, reusing the same KAL powder? Or do you need to start over with new powder?
Thanks!
Beth
You can get organic corn from a grain co-op. Great prices this way and the quality is very good.
You cannot reuse the powder. It turns hard as a rock at the bottom of the mason jar and needs to be discarded after one use.
Ditto! I thought corn was a thing of the past for discerning folk even living in the south. Thank you!
Just wondering how you felt about Dr. Mercolas claim that fermented or regular cod liver oil is not the correct choice because once it hits the air it gets oxidized and makes your body need more antioxidants than before? Have you heard this?
The cod liver oil Mercola is talking about is not the one I recommend which is raw, fermented and purified without any heat (see my Resources page for companies to get this from. Healthfood stores do not sell quality brands). He is talking about industrially process cod liver oils that are heated to obscenely high temperatures.
Thanks for this.My husband has diverticulitis and corn,a favorite,hurts him.I believe if I soak it it will be easier on him to digest.
Hi, Love all your information and videos. Would you soak dry or frozen organic corn and then dry it out to make Masa for corn tortillas. I use powdered masa right now that is soaked in lime, but realize that the corn used is probably not organic. I was wondering how I could make this myself using the method you are mentioning?
Thanks
I would grind the corn into cornmeal and then soak before making the tortillas. You can do it your way but then you have the extra step of drying the corn before you grind it.
I soak the corn overnight, rinse well and then process in the food processor immediately so I omit the extra step in making tortillas.