Those of you unfamiliar may think I am a bit wacko with all of my talk about fermenting foods.  Most people think of fermentation as something that happens to produce alcoholic beverages, such as wine or beer. But that is not the only type of fermentation out there.
Fermentation is the process by which a compound is broken down by enzymes.  (Thanks Webster’s). It’s also one of the oldest means of food preservation in the world.  It is commonplace in many foods such as pickles, cheese, and sourdough bread.

Using traditional processes of fermentation allow good bacteria (hello those probiotics yogurt commercials always speak of) and discourage bad bacteria (goodbye botulism.)  Often people can greatly increase their digestion and health by increasing, a small amount at a time, their intake of fermented foods.  Dr. Oz has even talked about him on his show– for those of you who are fans, and wrote about the benefits of them on ShareCare.

Some recipes I’ve used:

• Sauerkraut
• Ketchup
• Brussel Sprouts
• Lacto-Fermented Dilly Carrots (not my recipe, but a family fave from the Nourishing Gourmet)
• Kimchi
• Fermented Ginger Carrots