My Kitchen: Land of the Living Dead

"Fermentation is an act of life upon death. Living organisms consume dead food matter, transforming it and on the process freeing nutrients for the further sustenance of life." Sandor Katz, Wild Fermentation

About once a week my kitchen counter is filled with food projects, mostly having to do with fermentation. I have learned that incorporating fermented food and drink into the diet is a very healthy practice. In the process of fermentation, starches and sugars get converted to lactic acid by lactic-acid-producing bacteria, or lactobacilli. The lactobacilli colonize the intestines with "friendly" bacteria, supplying the digestive system with living cultures necessary for breaking down food and assimilating nutrients. Fermented foods have been predigested by enzymes, so they have an enhanced enzyme content, which improves our digestive health, and a healthy gastrointestinal tract is critical for a strong immune system. Fermentation is a way of preserving food without losing nutrients but actually enhancing and creating more nutrients. It even removes toxins from foods.

"Fermented foods aid in digestion, promote healthy flora in our digestive tract, produce beneficial enzymes, offer us better nutrition and allow our bodies to absorb vitamins (in particular C, and B12), minerals, nutritional value and omega 3s more effectively from foods. They regulate the level of acidity in the digestive tract and act as anti-oxidants. Fermented foods contain the same isothiocyanates found in cruciferous vegetables and therefore fight and prevent cancer." From Delicious Organics

What do I have on my kitchen counter in the photo above? In front is fermented ketchup, a recipe from Nourishing Traditions that involves mixing tomato paste with salt, garlic, maple syrup, and whey and letting it sit out for a couple of days. To the right is sauerkraut, super easy to make by shredding cabbage, mixing it with salt, and letting it ferment until it's soft. To the left I'm got some seeds sprouting, which I guess isn't actually fermentation, but sprouts are a raw, enzyme-rich, easy to digest, nutrient-rich superfood. There's kombucha in the right back, a little more complicated to make but well worth it. In the left back I'm brewing kefir, a cultured milk product made by adding kefir grains to milk and letting sit for a day. And in the back is my compost bucket, the contents of which supply beneficial microorganisms to my garden, and in turn back to me.

Sometimes it's a challenge to have lots of kitchen projects going while I've got kids and family to be with, but I do enjoy working hard to provide nourishing food for us. And it's fun to have all these interesting food creations going on in my kitchen. Anyone into fermentation? What are your favorite fermented foods?


Related links/posts:
Wild Fermentation
Lacto-Fermentation, by Sally Fallon
Homemade Fermented Ketchup recipe
Benefits of sauerkraut
Making sauerkraut
Sprouting: A Brief Overview
How To Make Kombucha Tea
Wikipedia Kefir
Dom's Kefir Making In-Site- a must read for kefir-makers
Want to Live Forever? Drink Kombucha!
Homegrown Wine