37 posts
The debate on bread/gluten in the nutritional blogosphere is rather sad. On one side you have alarmists who use weak evidence to make the case that bread is toxic and on the other side you have...
Read more →I want to thank Stephan at Biohacks.net for sending me an email about natto. I was well aware of how healthy the Japanese ferment was, especially its very high vitamin K2 levels. What I didn't know...
Read more →I am a big fan of making ferments. I love my kimchi and sauerkraut. However, I have heard 4 reasons why someone may want to avoid fermented veggies. In this post, I'll do my best to explain their...
Read more →In the comments of the post Celery Resurrection, I got an idea from Mark to ferment celery. I sliced a bunch of celery and placed it into a jar. Then I added a tablespoon of sea salt, covered it with...
Read more →I started making dairy kefir again in December and I'm loving it. Not only do I like the taste, but I'm no longer buying containers of yogurt, which means I'm saving money. And unlike the crap kefir...
Read more →Most best-of lists for a given year are published in late December or early January. Not this one. I needed more time to finish reading the books that were published at the end of the year. Here are...
Read more →I few weeks ago I kicked off three new food projects. From left to right: 1. Beet Kvass - Basically ferment some beets for a couple of days and then drink the juice. It tasted fine, but since I have...
Read more →I've been making kimchi on a frequent basis now for almost three years. Each time I make kimchi, I tweak the recipe. I'll add something new or take something out. Then I'll increase or reduce...
Read more →One of the easiest things to ferment is carrots. Earlier this year I posted Fermented Carrots and Ginger as a kid-friendly sweet-tasting ferment. I make this frequently, especially when I buy too...
Read more →This summer, I've made some of my best ferments to date; however, this week I had two failures. It happens from time to time, especially when you are trying something new. I want to share what I...
Read more →I've made pickles a few times this summer. They tasted great, but they weren't crunchy. Then I read on a forum how one can use a tea bag in the ferment to preserve the crunchy. I tested it out this...
Read more →I'm often asked if I juice. Not steroids, but with fruits and vegetables. The answer is I don't. I remain unconvinced that juicing offers the health benefits its fans claim. Before I get attacked in...
Read more →There a few schools of thought when it comes to making vegetable ferments. One is to create an anaerobic environment using stronger seals or airlocks. Someday I plan to experiment with those, but for...
Read more →I'm way behind on my nutrition book summaries. In this post, I'll cover three excellent books that approach nutrition from different viewpoints that compliment each other nicely. Deep Nutrition: Why...
Read more →Probably the most asked question to me about making kimchi or sauerkraut is about salt levels. How much salt should one add to their ferment? My experience tells me that there isn't a single perfect...
Read more →I decided to take a break from the spicy ferments and focus on making something sweet. Something kid friendly! This ferment is super easy to do. You can adjust the salt and ginger level up or down...
Read more →In the post Hunting Headaches: Remaining Suspects in Early 2012, I listed a few ideas to test that might be causing my late night headaches. Idea #2 was histamines in food. It is unfortunate that...
Read more →I've been making kimchi now for over two years. I'd say that about 90% of the people who have tasted my kimchi have found the heat level to be perfect. But I have yet to win over that last 10%, who...
Read more →I can't stop making new vegetable ferments. I've ran out of jars and containers to hold the ferments. At this time, I have over 25 pounds of vegetables fermenting and I'm thinking about going out and...
Read more →I just finished watching Fermentation Workshop with Sandor Ellix Katz twice. If you are interested in getting started with fermented vegetables or kefir, it is must see. !Fermentation Workshop with...
Read more →Earlier this week someone asked me if I had seen the humongous cabbage at Central Market. They were being sold as Kraut Cabbage for 25 cents a pound. I had to see just how large they were. At first I...
Read more →A few weeks ago I came to the obvious conclusion that making fermented vegetables was a hobby that I was not going to get tired of anytime soon. I also realized that I was eating and gifting these...
Read more →Are you ready for a sauerkraut with some heat? If you fear spicy, you can stop reading now. The Bhut Jolokia chili pepper is also called Ghost Pepper. How hot is it? According to the Wikipedia, it is...
Read more →My vegetable ferments are taking over. !veggie-ferments Back Row: Ghost Pepper Sauerkraut, Green Cabbage kimchi. Front Row: Smoked Alderwood Salt Sauerkraut, Carrot and Ginger (2), more Green Cabbage...
Read more →My latest vegetable ferment is a dill and caraway seed sauerkraut. Even though the standard advice is to use fresh dill, I used a spice jar of dill to see what would happen. Dill is known to be...
Read more →A year ago I shared some photos of food projects I was working on in the post Nourishing Kitchen. Here are some more. Today I finished a Goat Bone Stock. I did it exactly like I described in my...
Read more →If you find kimchi is too spicy or have a food intolerance to nightshade vegetables, you will want to make your kimchi without red pepper flakes. The first time I made White Kimchi, I was unimpressed...
Read more →I just sampled my best fermentation to date. It took 3.5 weeks, but it was worth it. Inspired by Firefly Kitchens, I decided to make my own Cortido Sauerkraut. This is Latin American style...
Read more →In the past year, I've read or skimmed numerous books from the library on fermentation. Most were OK. None of them seemed complete. Until now. !The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for...
Read more →Regular readers of this site know that I am a huge fan of kimchi. I love eating it and love making it. It is a nutritional powerhouse and I credit it with restoring my gut flora and greatly improving...
Read more →Several people have asked that I post an updated kimchi recipe. I've learned a lot since my original Bok Choy kimchi recipe was posted. One of the things I learned is there are infinite ways to make...
Read more →This past Saturday morning, I met up with some friends at a local tea shop. The woman to my direct left was just starting to come down with a cold. I didn't realize it at first, but I wasn't...
Read more →2019 UPDATE: This post has not aged well. There is a lot I would remove or change. It is only remaining on the site for archival purposes. It is true that I no longer follow a vegetarian diet. It...
Read more →This morning I looked around my kitchen and saw just how far down the path of nourishing food I've gone. Nourishing is a term I borrowed from the Sally Fallon book Nourishing Traditions. It is a...
Read more →Last year I made pickles for the first time. The problem was it wasn't a true Lacto-fermentation. All I did was dump pickling cucumbers into old pickle juice. Bathing cucumbers in pickling juice is...
Read more →Why make 2 pounds of kimchi, when you can make 6? 
Read more →UPDATE October 2011: I no longer use the Brine method described in this recipe. Instead, I prefer the "Rub in by Hand" method, which I outline in the post Kimchi 101. !bok-choy-kimchi Ingredients - ...
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