Fermentation Week

This week I begin a series on fermentation.  In recent months I've become fascinated by how ancient peoples across the planet turned to fermentation to preserve both food...and their long term health.  In scanning PubMed for research articles, numerous studies find people who consume more fermented foods report better health overall and a greater resilience to a number of cancers and gastrointestinal ailments.

In my readings one book shines above them all. I highly recommend Sandor Katz's Wild Fermentation.  It's excellent. 

When I started fermenting foods, I was apprehensive that I'd poison myself. Yet, I'm finding fermentation is easy. It's safe. It approaches nature as an ecology shared with our bodies, the tiny living things within our bodies and the life forms surrounding us. Try to seal ourselves off from this ecology and we quickly grow sick. 

Still, our best guides to safety are smell and taste.  If something seems off, trash it and start a fresh batch.  

Happy Fermenting!