On Saturday we went to the Fun with Fermentation Festival in Eugene, Oregon. I know we thought about going last year and maybe even the year before, but it didn’t work out for one reason or another. This year we were happy to check it out for the first time. We love fermenting foods. We eat something fermented with almost every meal. Usually sauerkraut. We want to branch out, which is one reason we wanted to go to the festival. We thought it might inspire us to start making a wider variety of fermented vegetables. When we got there we hardly saw any fermented vegetables (we wanted to sample different kinds), but there were lots of fermented other things and we did get to sample some kombucha. The festival is still fairly small, we walked through the whole thing in not much time at all. It will be fun to see it grow over the years and I’m so glad the interest in fermented foods is spreading and we have a gathering about ferments in our area!
The more I learn about health, the more it all comes back to the gut. Making fermented, live cultured foods are such an important part of having healthy gut flora. I tell people that if you’ve tried fermenting foods before and didn’t have much luck, don’t be afraid to try again! Jeff and I experimented until we were happy with our ferments and even after so many years of fermenting, we still have batches that flop on occasion. (And to share some of what we’ve learned with you, here is our favorite sauerkraut recipe.) We’ve made sauerkraut, pickles, and fermented beets that we’ve been really happy with. Now we want to start experimenting some more and discover some new vegetable ferments we love.
What are your favorite fermented foods?
I don’t do a whole lot of fermenting at home. I live in an area where it is really easy to find raw fermented foods (Nelson, BC), so I eat a lot of sauerkraut and kimchi. The fermenting I do do at home is usually beet kvass. I use the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, and it is so good!
So fun to see the great stuff that’s happening in Eugene through your blog. It’s happening where we are too…but still miss that Eugene energy!
I make our kombucha – jasmine green tea with ginger and org cherry juice. Yummy!!! If you ever want to start making – I’ll give you a scobi (starter).
Yum, that sounds so good!! Jeff’s favorite part about kombucha is when it is really bubbly and carbonated. We’ve never been able to get ours that way when we make it at home. Have you tried Jun? That’s another fermented drink that we are curious about.
That looks like so much fun!
My mother and I have been talking about making our own sauerkraut lately. We both remember how our dear friend up in a little mining community in the Appalachian mountains used to make the BEST sauerkraut from her own cabbage. So many fond memories of sitting at the table in her log cabin, eating fantastic, real food…
That sounds like some wonderful memories. 🙂