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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 – 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 don’t 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 made lime water a few months ago but it has been sitting at the back of my stove. I think I’ll make a new batch to keep in the fridge and am thinking the old lime water would be good to pour around my tomato plants. Does this sound good? Would it be good to distribute the powder portion also or is it pretty much spent?
Is this just for dried corn and corn meal? How do you drain the water from corn meal? I never understood how soaking the flours helps because the seed chemicals that you are trying to wash off (such as with beans and nuts) would be washed off when you rinse, but aren’t they still part of the flour since you can’t rinse flour? I don’t know if I worded this quite right.
Thanks for the info!
I have the lime but have wondered how to do this. The books are very vague about it. My hubby loves corn but I dont fix it a lot because he is already zapped for energy.
I usually add a few tablespoons of calcium to water and corn in a pan, bring to a boil and then turn off and allow to sit 24 hours. Does this process accomplish the same goal or do I need to change my method?
How do you soak the corn meal??
So how long do you soak? Overnight? Do you drain or rice before using? We are planting several kinds of heritage dent corn this week and I’ve bookmarked this!
Bethany Sheridan Ficks, how funny! We were just talking about this at your last class!
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I’ve always wondered about limewater, but hadn’t taken the time to look into it yet as I’m not a big corn fan. Fun to run across this info today, though:)
It says anywhere from 12 to 24 hours!
Sarah, my family and I learned so much from you in the past three years. Thank you for introducing us to the traditional methods and especially to einkorn. Our son is doing remarkably well. I am using Carla Bartolucci’s sourdough einkorn cornbread recipe. Will it be safe to soak the freshly ground cornmeal in the lime water just the way you show us, and then add the soaked cornmeal to the sourdough mixture as is, without discarding the lime water or without rinsing it?
That is such great news about your son! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yes, you use the soaked cornmeal as is when you are ready for baking.
How long would it need to soak? Thank you for the great info!
12-24 hours releases the nutrients. I soak for 24 hours if I’m making cornbread as the bread will rise better.
I recently saw tortilla chips cooked in lime water at the Pro Ranch Market which is a Mexico mercado here in Albuquerque New Mexico . There is no lard or oil used. Ingredient say only stone ground corn cooked in lime water. They are so crunchy and delicious. Do you have any idea How do you do this? And what benefits or non benefits there might be to this process?
Wow, I sure would like to know how they made them! YUMMY!