The following is my opinion. I’m not a health practitioner. I don’t play a doctor on TV and I haven’t stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in years..

Folks, it’s salt. There are more than 30 references to salt in the Bible and countless references in secular literature common culture.

Leviticus 2:13 (The Scriptures) Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your Elohim to be lacking from your grain offerings. With all your offerings you bring salt.

Matthew 5:13 (The Scriptures)You are salt of the earth: but if the salt becomes tasteless, how shall it be seasoned? For it is no longer of any use but to be thrown out and to be  trodden down by men.

Isak Dineson, “The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears or the sea.”

Salt of the earth…

Worth your salt…

Salary…

For centuries salt has been used flavoring, preserving, sterilizing, sacrificing, destroying and fertilizing.

If you are reading this post I can safely assume you have traveled around the sun more than a couple of times on this planet called Earth. I can also assume that you as have I heard all of the white noise regarding salt.  “Experts say… blah, blah, blah…Low salt diets. Heart healthy diets. Eat less salt to lower your blood pressure.”   Starting in the late 1970’s, government suggested guidelines advised restricting salt intake.  Only now 50 years later researchers and consumers are realizing that salt is not the boogeyman threatening our health. The real white granular threat is sugar. An in-depth exploration of sugar requires a separate post.

Humans and animals crave salt.  I have a small salt lick in my south pasture where the cows and wild game gather in summer. I put three different types of salt blocks in the lot where my horses are pastured. They visit the different blocks as needed. The 50 pound cubes are plain white salt, brown mineral salt and yellow/green sulfur salt. Horses instinctively know what they need. Unfortunately, most humans have had their instincts “educated” out of them and turned over their health to people with letters after their names.

Chapter two titled,  We are salty folk, in Dr. DiNicolantonio’s book, “The Salt Fix”  perfectly explains our need for salt.  The last section in the chapter explores the salt and sex connection. He cites references of reduced birth rate and litter size, reduced mating and reproduction failure in livestock. Dr. DiNicolantonio references the book, “Aphrodite, sex and salt – from butterfly to man”, when he states, “ a low salt diet seems to act like a natural contraceptive in both animals and humans”.

So salt is essential for metabolic processes. Now the question is refined or unrefined. Refined salt is just that refined through harsh chemical processes that remove impurities, i.e. minerals. The end product is dead lifeless substance consisting of sodium and chloride along with anti-caking chemicals and possibly iodide added. This is not a substance that I choose to ingest.

Unrefined salt has not been subjected to chemical processes so it retains the minerals and trace elements which are advantageous to the human body. Three major brands of unrefined salt are Celtic Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt and Redmond Real Salt.  

Celtic Sea Salt which has more than 80 minerals and trace elements is collected on the southwestern coast of France. The sea water is allowed to gently dry in the sun and the wind. I started using Celtic Grey more than 14 years ago. I would order 25 pounds at a time.  Currently, I using up the remainder of my Celtic Grey. I do have concerns  about micro-plastics in oceans. It may not be a valid concern but so be it. They do sell a very fine finishing salt called Flower of the Ocean that I continue to buy. As a finishing salt very little is used on any single dish. Please visit www.selinanaturally.com for more product information. I receive no compensation for any clicks or products you might make.

While I was using Celtic Sea Salt I was also using Pink Himalayan Salt.  Although called Himalayan, it is actually mined in Pakistan. The salt is mined and sold in bulk to many companies and then retailed under many different brands. Some are unrefined while others may undergo a refining process and have iodide added. I looked for brands that featured the NON-GMO Project label on the package. I also have several of those Himalayan salt lamps scattered around my house. If worse comes to worst I’ll wash the dust off those and start grinding!

Currently I am using Redmond Real Salt, coarse and fine grind.  It is unrefined and has more than 60 minerals and trace elements and is sold only through the Redmond Real Salt company in Utah. Their salt is mined from an ancient underground dry sea. It has none of the concerns of evaporated fresh sea water.  I appreciate that they are an American company. Please visit www.redmond.life  for more product information. I receive no compensation for any clicks or products you might make.

Other types of salt in my pantry are Kosher Salt, pickling salt, Black Hawaiian salt, smoked salt, and Prague Powder #2 curing salt. Kosher Salt and the curing salt are the two I use the least for differing reasons. When I first started cooking most recipes and cooking shows recommended Kosher Salt. Now setting aside the religious Torah requirements of drawing out the blood from the meat, I find the taste of commercial Kosher salt a little harsh. I’m talking Morton’s Kosher. It is an industrialized salt that is cheap to buy. That is a consideration  for a restaurant’s bottom-line. I still have a small container of Kosher salt but it is not my go to anymore.

The reason that curing salt, Prague Powder #2 is one of my least used salts is because I have not done a lot of home curing meat. However, I have included  a recipe for homemade beef summer sausage at the end of this post. Curing salt is a salt to treat with respect. DO NOT eat this pretty pink salt raw sprinkled on food. It can be deadly. It is used for dry curing meat. It penetrates deep into the meat to kill botulism.

On to pickling salt. If you have done any hot water bath canning of pickled “anything” you probably used pickling salt. Pickling salt should be free of any chemical addictives such as anti caking agents or iodide. These chemicals can react with the vinegar and cause bitterness or discoloration in the pickled product. I have used fine grind Redmond Real Salt in my pickled recipes with no ill effect. If you are unsure about the salt you have to use in pickled recipes, buy some Morton’s Pickling Salt.

I have not used Black Hawaiian Salt or Smoked Salt very much but they are awesome as finishing salt right before you serve your dish.

The range of flavored salts is limited only by your imagination. Dehydrated fruits, herbs spices etc can be paired with your choice of salt to add flavor to your dishes. I have made small jars of flavored salts to give as  gifts.

This simple post is just a first level introduction of salt and the ones I use regularly. In my opinion the book “Salted, a Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral With Recipes” by Mark Bitterman is an exhaustive tome  on salt. It is my go too reference. Now I will leave you with the recipe for homemade Beef Summer Sausage. This is a two day recipe. It follows the references.

• “Salt Cooking With the World’s Favorite Seasoning”, by Valerie Aikman-Smith
• “Salted” by Mark Bitterman
• “Salt Your Way to Health” by David Brownstone, M.D.
• “The Salt Fix” by Dr. James DiNicolantonio
• “Salt, Sugar, Smoke” by Diana Henry
• “The River Cottage: Curing & Smoking Handbook” by Steven Lamb
• “Cold –Smoking & Salt-Curing Meat, Fish & Game” by A.D. Livingston
• “Preserve Meat, Fish and Game” by Ken Oster

Keto friendly, no carb homemade beef summer sausage

• 4 pounds very lean Ground Beef (at least 90% lean)
• ¼ cup Curing Salt
• 2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
• 2 Tsp coarse ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp Garlic Salt

In a large bowl mix 4 pounds of ground beef with the curing salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. At least 12 hours.

The next day add liquid smoke, black pepper and garlic salt. Mix well.

Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into 8 inch long logs.

Set the sausage logs on a wire rack in a roasting pan or on a cooling rack in a baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Bake sausage for at least 4 hours.

These can be refrigerated for immediate use or they can be frozen.