It’s springtime at the cottage, and we’re excited. The asparagus patch has already produced a couple of batches of delicious shoots, we’ve pruned the Gooseberry bushes, and cleaned the beds. All the fruit trees have been cut back, and the cherry tree is covered in blossoms. We have tomatoes and peppers started in window-sill greenhouses, and we’re ready to put in the early garden crops. We’re just waiting for the final High Plains freeze, which we expect any day now.
In anticipation of all the fresh veggies coming our way soon, I’ve been having fun fermenting everything I can get my hands on. The science and art of fermentation are not new to us. I began crafting beer a couple of decades ago after training in the high art of brewing with my friend Ed, and sourdough baking has become one of my favorite creative kitchen endeavors. I started making Kefir (fermented milk) from our A2/A2 Raw milk last year and enjoy it with homemade granola or in a smoothie with wild blueberries a couple of times a week.
Lacto-fermentation of vegetables is the new piece for us. We had never tried it, and it was not something that got passed to us from our ancestors. We’ve made pickles using vinegar, and we love to eat sauerkraut, especially slathered on a big brat in a homemade sourdough bun, washed down with a cold schooner of fresh, homemade Pale or Amber Ale. But we never made our own sauerkraut until recently. So far, we have fermented onions, carrots, purple cabbage, and green cabbage.
Fermentation is right up there with cooking as one of the most powerful methods to transform food. — John Durant
A few days ago, as I was finishing up a dozen hamburger buns and a half-dozen hot dog buns, getting ready for springtime BBQ season, I got really hungry and decided to test out a “Fermentation Burger.” That’s the picture at the top of the article. A big beef patty on a bed of fermented onions, topped with a dollop of purple sauerkraut and smashed in a sourdough bun; delicious fermentation fun.
Fermented vegetables are a rich source of beneficial microorganisms, bioactive peptides, and naturally occurring acids that help with inflammation, improve digestion, and strengthen the gut lining. Research shows these beneficial bacteria provide powerful immune and anti-inflammatory benefits—especially when consumed consistently. Our bodies contain more bacteria than cells, over 37 trillion.
All life has evolved alongside bacteria. In the soil, bacteria help plants access minerals. In our bodies, they aid digestion, modulate immunity, and protect against disease. When vegetables are fermented in a salt brine, beneficial bacteria flourish. These microbes consume starches and sugars, lowering the pH and producing lactic acid—a natural preservative that also supports digestion, microbial balance, and nutrient absorption.
Fermentation may have been a better invention than fire. — David Wallace
Fermented vegetables are more than food—they manifest the intelligence of nature and the symbiotic dance between microbes and humans. They remind us that healing can be as simple and enjoyable as eating lunch or dinner. It begins with a few ounces of vegetables, a glass jar, and a pinch of salt—transforming not just your food, but your inner terrain.
Another exciting discovery we made on our fermentation journey is the magic “Ginger Bug.” Ginger root contains beneficial bacteria and wild yeast, and when you culture it like a sourdough starter or a scoby for kombucha, you can make fun, exciting carbonated beverages (Ginger Beer). Our first attempt was really exciting because we over-fermented it, and the fizzy drink exploded out of the bottle, sending the sticky beverage across the kitchen counter.
We are working on the right amount of “bug” and the right amount of time to produce the best result. Until then, we are very careful when we open a bottle. But oh so delicious in a tall glass of ice. A natural probiotic fizzy soda that improves gut health, what’s not to like? Two things: the fermentation process yields alcohol (1-2%), and what sugar doesn’t get made into alcohol is still sugar. Everything in moderation, I suppose, even moderation.
