Fermentation Fetish

This past autumn, my cousin Rachel, who lives on a farm in Maine, sent me this book. It is full of all sorts of recipes for weird and wonderful fermented foods. Live, unpasturized fermented foods (and drinks) carry beneficial bacteria directly into our digestive systems, where they break down food and aid digestion. Many people believe that up to 70% of our immune system in located in and around the digestive tract, so these foods can be very beneficial to overall health. Some favorites from this book include: seaweed sauerkraut, nasturtium capers and several amazing infused vinegars. The most beloved of all however, is kombucha. I have been drinking kombucha for several years now and once I finally calculated how much I was spending per month on the stuff, I decided to try making my own. In order to make the culture you need a “mother” also known as “tea beast” and it really does look like an odd, beasty mushroom. You can usually find these mothers through a local health food store, or you can buy one here.
Once you have the kombucha mother, the rest is pretty simple.