Fermenting Foods with Garden Goddess

December 18, 2015 — fermented foods, Garden Goddess, healthy eating, Phoenix, sauerkraut

questions answered

paleo snacks

bone broth explained

kraut fans

kraut fans

My latest craze is making sauerkraut. I discovered Garden Goddess Ferments products at a farmer’s market in Scottsdale a couple of weeks ago. We returned to Phoenix the following weekend to buy more sauerkraut and attend a workshop about making fermented foods. Suzette Smith of  Garden Goddess Ferments organized an expo with break out learning sessions at the Office Pile.  The space was perfect for the event, and many interested patrons turned out to learn more about eating healthy food.  Healthy snacks, bone broth, personal chef services, and health coaching tables greeted guests, and classes were held both upstairs and in a conference room.

The fermented food class Suzette taught was so basic, simple, and informative that anyone could leave and go make kraut after attending.  She told us about the benefits of the natural probiotic cultures and how she created her own delicious line of small batch artisanal krauts which she sells to the public.  She also has for sale hand made crocks and cabbage shredders for the home fermenter.  She forgot to bring the tool with which she had planned to mash the cabbage, so while she gave her informative lecture she pounded the cabbage with her fist until it yielded enough liquid to submerge itself.  It really drove home the primitive, and as Suzette stressed in the class, forgiving nature of this process.  If you have a glass or stainless steel vessel, a cabbage, a small amount of salt and a fist you can preserve food like our ancient ancestors.  The mixture was rubbing up immediately, demonstrating the basic chemistry involved.  This is the most natural way to preserve food and keep it alive.

It is so simple I can’t believe we are not all doing it all the time. I am hooked.  I had both succeeded and failed in the past with large batch kraut in a ceramic crock.  After seeing the class I understood that I had used too much salt and left it in the crock too long.  Other students reported the same thing.  This is what we got for following directions.  This is one of those hands on experiences, like bread baking, that can be best learned by personal observation. Suzette is enthusiastic about the healthy possibilities and has developed a range of zesty flavorful krauts containing very healthy ingredients such as ginger, garlic and turmeric.  The difference between her products and commercial krauts is the living probiotic culture present in the home made version.  Bubbbie’s is the only live sauerkraut I know on the market, but she does not have anything like the range of flavors Garden Goddess offers.  Suzette also creates seasonal varietals.  Right now at home I have Kowboy Kraut, finished with cumin, Kristmas Kraut with some apple and my favorite, Power Kraut, made with red cabbage, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. She is constantly creating new and exciting combinations.  If you live in the Phoenix area I urge you to run right out and buy some Garden Goddess kraut.  Your digestion will thank you for it.

Suzette in her kitchen

Suzette in her kitchen

The Garden Goddess