Julie Feickert owns Cultures for Health, an online store featuring all kinds of starters and equipment needed for making feremented foods and drinks. She supplies what you need to make everything from kefir to kombucha to sauerkraut to cheese.

I really enjoyed talking to Julie and learned a lot! We discussed techniques and tips for making kombucha, kefir soda pop, sauerkraut and pickles, as well as yogurt and sour cream. I guarantee you will learn something you didn’t know from this podcast. I did!

ENTER TO WIN! Learn to cook healthier meals for your family! Click here to enter to win Real Food for Rookies, a new online class — retail value $120, plus over $60 worth of discount coupons. Don’t miss out! contest ends this SATURDAY Sept 4th at midnight Pacific. I have a t-shirt that says, “The [...]

I used to be addicted to Diet Coke. But not anymore. Ever since I learned how to make kombucha, those days are over.

What’s kombucha? It’s a naturally carbonated, sweet and tangy drink. It’s essentially a mildly fermented, fizzy sweet tea. It is not alcoholic, though, and has very little caffeine. Since it’s naturally fermented, it’s a living food with active cultures. Good for the gut!

Are you plagued by bad digestion? Do you have chronic constipation, hemorrhoids, diarrhea? Do you have acne or other skin issues? Do you have heartburn or gas?

I’ve had my own personal journey of recovery in this arena. I’m amazed at how much better I feel now that I eat fermented foods, soak my grains, and eat lots of raw dairy products. It’s not hard to overcome digestive issues, but it can take time. For me, when I was in my twenties, suffering from all kinds of health problems stemming from a candida overgrowth, it took me about two years to correct it. It was so worth it, though. I think I’m as healthy as I am today because I took the time to work on my digestion.

Humans all over the world have been fermenting food since ancient times. The earliest evidence of winemaking dates back to eight thousand years ago in the Caucasus area of Georgia.

It’s very recent that fermented foods have begun to disappear from our plate. Modern pickles and sauerkraut are made with vinegar instead of the traditional method of lacto-fermentation using salt. Bread and pasta are made with commercial yeast instead of being naturally leavened with wild yeast (sourdough). Wine, beer and cheeses are being pasteurized — killing off all the good bacteria we so desperately need to maintain health.

But there are many advantages to going back to the traditional ways of our ancestors, and eating more fermented foods.

Good morning, readers! It’s time to announce another giveaway. This week Zukay Live Foods is giving away a case of their new raw, fermented salad dressings. If you win, you’ll get all 6 delicious new flavors: Carrot Ginger Tomato Provencal Cucumber Mint Sweet Onion Basil Red Pepper Cilantro Tomato Pepper Pesto These salad dressings all [...]

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays. Visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for more stories about real food. The other day I went to the farmer’s market in Santa Monica and spent some time talking to Jack Bezian of Bezian’s Bakery, the home of Los Angeles Sourdough. I say “spent some time” which makes [...]

Here’s a very entertaining and interesting video from the Fork You! blog (great name, and it’s a fun blog). Learn to make naturally fermented, probiotic sauerkraut with a pro! It’s a fermentation demonstration with Scott Gryzbek, Founder and CEO of Zukay Live Foods. And by the way, in case you missed it, I’m currently running [...]