In June, a former student stopped by the booth to tell me about her ongoing sauerkraut adventures. She shared that — by far — her family’s favorite combination is cabbage, apples, and onions.
I said, “Wow… I bet Curious Farm customers would love that, too! The apples would bring tartness, and the onions would bring sweetness… Hey, Mary, would you give me permission to make that and share it with my customers?”
Thankfully, she gave me permission (and I paid her in Curious Farm products). This weekend at the Beaverton Farmers Market, you can taste Mary’s Special Sauerkraut for yourself. It’s delicious!
I think there is a re-skilling and a re-learning that is necessary for our modern culture! I like to remind people that fermented foods have been very common and continue to be so. Everyone knows yogurt, cheese, salami, sauerkraut. These are all naturally fermented foods. Yogurt is the perfect example, and perhaps the most socially acceptable in our modern age. It’s a much similar process with lacto-fermented vegetables. There is a modern myth that we must destroy all Bacteria. (for example anti-bacterial soap). We need the beneficial probiotics found in lacto fermented foods!