Starting With Ferments

As I was going through photos I realized I have a lot of things I meant to share here but just haven’t gotten to. The rains came and left, company came and left, and the only excuse remaining was my broken login. Well, Stewart fixed that too so now I am out of reasons not to share when time allows.

Ferments seem the most logical place to start, right?

Vegetables

I do most of my fermenting in canning jars of various sizes. These jars become a convenience food after weeks of fermenting on the counter top. When meal time rolls around I can just plop some jars on the table and we have the raw/enzymatic portion of the meal covered.

I pretty much like all fermented vegetables at this point but one of my absolute favorites, by far, has to be cortido. That jar above on the right is one of the tastiest things you can eat and I will pretty much put it on everything – eggs, salads, tacos – until it is gone.

Kefir

We recently acquired some new kefir grains and I’m so excited because I see milk kefir as a one-stop-shop for whatever ails you. I make about a quart a day from Abby’s milk and everyone wants some. We all feel better when we’re drinking it and it makes me wonder why stuff like this isn’t used by anyone and everyone with a health issue. Maybe we should start the billion dollar milk kefir industry?

Sourdough

This was a loaf of chocolate chunk gluten-free sourdough banana bread. Yes, it is a mouthful in so many ways and it was pretty tasty too. But more importantly, hungry little Ruthie fingers.

And then there was this plate of Gluten-Free Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes. Covered in grass-fed butter. Drizzled in this delicious raw mint honey. I don’t want to tell you how to live your life… but might I gently recommend something like this for breakfast alongside a hot cup of coffee swirling with raw milk?

Kombucha

This easiest of fermented beverages is now taking over my counter tops (along with all of the other junk I haphazardly throw on there). We love kombucha but when my Dad comes to visit he seems to enjoy it as well. I don’t think he cares a whit about probiotics or liver-cleansing acids; he just thinks it tastes great!

Ruthie calls it “boochie water” and follows in line with her older siblings who just can’t seem to get enough. That’s what I love about fermented foods – not only do we feel great eating them, they’re almost always the kind of delicious you’ll never find at the grocery store.

What are you fermenting these days?

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2 Comments

Carolyn says:

March 20, 2016 at 1:17 PM

I fermented garlic cloves, which when left for a long time (about a year) became soft and so sweet. Incredibly good! Saw on YouTube that an easy way to peel a whole garlic bulb is to trim the root part off and put the whole thing in a jar with a lid and shake it like crazy until all the skins on the cloves are loose. Thanks for such wonderful, uplifting and helpful articles.
Heather says:

March 21, 2016 at 7:43 AM

Thanks so much! That brown rice starter is fascinating!

I’m doing a lot of rye sourdough and kraut lately. Kombucha too. Can’t wait for it to be pickle time here in Ohio!

How is the cortido deferent than kraut?

My water kefir and ginger big drinks keep turning into a thick gel and I’m not sure why. We have really hard water. Any suggestions?

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