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Beet Kavasa by Vrindavan dasa Posted May 8, 2009
It is very simply grated beets and water left in a crock to ferment for 6 days. Then strain the red liquid through a cheese cloth which makes beet kavasa, a
healthy and tasty living culture live enzyme nutritious raw drink. No salt,
no yeast, no vinegar, and no other ingredients are required except beets and
water. Simple living.
Is a rule to offer Ekadasi foods on Gour Purnima? Has Iskcon GBC given a instruction on that? Any info please email me at jagadbharata@yahoo.com.br. Please I need this information. Thanks. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
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Raw Mung Bean Milk by Vrindavan dasa Posted August 6, 2009 1) Soak green mung beans at room temperature in water for 1 hour. 2) Pour the mung beans into a strainer and discard the water. Then add new, fresh water and again soak for 1 hour. 3) Again, pour the mung beans into a strainer and discard the water. Now add new, fresh water and soak for 1 more hour. 4) Finally, after a total of 3 hours of soaking with the water changed once per hour, pour the mung beans into a strainer and discard the water. 5) Place the mung beans in a grinder or blender, and add none or only just enough fresh water to blend. 6) Pour the blended mung bean mix through a cheese cloth to filter out the fibers, and keep the juice. Squeeze the cheese cloth to extract any additional juice from the beans. 7) Offer the juice to Sri Krishna and serve! Please be very careful to follow the instructions above, because otherwise, if you try it without changing the water, then you will end up having to discard the whole thing.
Mung beans are the only bean type that is considered Havisyana food, and thus can be eaten on Dasami (for those who follow a 3 day Ekadasi Vrata). All other bean types are considered Kasara and should not be eaten on the Dasami. Also, it is recommended that pujaris and Brahmans who are engaged in deity worship should eat only Havisyana food as long as they are engaged in worship. So, enjoy the raw mung bean milk every day, except on Ekadasi!
This is in response to Jagad Bharata prabhu's inquiry re. prasadam restrictions on Gaura Purnima. Here is what Prabhupada wrote in 1968-1970: "So far the Advent Day of Lord Caitanya is concerned, I have written a full suggestion to Montreal, in which the main points are that we should all observe strict fasting up till moonrise, and at that time, an offering is made to Lord Caitanya of Ekadasi foods, fruits, peanuts, milk, and so forth. Then, on the next day, Friday the 15th, a full-scale feast is held to celebrate His Advent Day. On the 14th, chanting, reading of Srila Bhaktivinode's book, Life and Precepts and Caitanya Caritamrta, Introduction to Bhagavatam, may be held all the day in the Temple." (San Francisco, 12th March 1968 letter to Balai) "Lord Caitanya's Appearance day falls on March 22 (1970), that is on a Sunday. The devotees should fast until evening, when there is a ceremony and offering of a small amount of Ekadasi preparations. The next day, the devotees should celebrate amongst themselves with a small scale feast. You may hold the celebration open to the public on the following Sunday. The preparation to be offered specially on this occasion is bhuni kichri: Fry equal parts dal and rice in ghee and massala. Add two times water as dal and rice, and add vegetables (if you use more ghee, use less water). Cook it until it is dried and the rice is soft."(Letter to Krishna dasa. 18th February 1970. Los Angeles.) "P.S. No feasting in the evening of Caitanya's birthday. Fasting all day till evening moon rise. Then take Prasadam like Ekadasi. Next day you can have full swing feasting. On the birthday if can take a procession of Kirtana on the street it is very nice." (Post Script to Letter to Rayarama dasa. September. Unknown place unknown date Ref:91-05-14.) "You can take quotations from the above mentioned books, and have discussions. Fasting should be continued up to evening, then you may have food like on Ekadasi, fruits, milk, etc. On the next day you may observe festival. Janardana consulted me and said he thinks Sunday feasting would be best, so you may do that if you like. Or you may do both days, as you feel best." (Letter to Mahapurush. 7th March 1968. Regarding Gaura Purnima)
Proof that Srila Prabhupada followed this too:
"We performed Lord Caitanya's Birthday ceremony, not very gorgeously,
but amongst ourselves, and Govinda dasi cooked very nice Ekadasi
foodstuffs. (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Letter to
Purusottam. 6th March 1969. Hawaii)
For a year and a half, I made miso broth without a blender, and there was no problem. It was always good. Then I started to use a blender, and the problems began -- although I didn't know that the blender had anything to do with it. My thinking was that the temperature must be the problem. Now I am discovering that not the temperature, but the blender, is the cause of the problem. A good comparison is "cold pressed apple cider". Why is it "cold pressed"? The reason that apple cider has to be "cold pressed", is that if it were spun through a machine like a juicer or blender, too much oxygen would enter into the juice, and then when it is left for fermentation there would be more vinegar or alcohol being produced. So, a good apple cider has to be made "cold pressed", without a blender.
Similarly, with miso, I am finding that it is better to make without a blender. Simply stir lightly by hand, and the miso dissolves very easily. There is no need for a blender, and if you did use one it could ruin the miso broth because of oxygen saturation.
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