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.

Summer’s almost here. This is the time of year when a cold refreshing soda pop really hits the spot. Unfortunately, soda pop is really, really bad for you. First of all, you’re drinking a ton of sugar which sets you up for obesity and diabetes. But it’s not just sugar you have to worry about anymore. These days, soda pop is made with high fructose corn syrup or, just as bad, aspartame. These are not things you want to be putting in your body. Enter kefir soda pop. Not only is it delicious and refreshing, it’s so easy to make.

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The other day, an envelope from Northern California appeared in my mailbox. It was full of dehydrated water kefir grains (sent by Claire, a WAPF member I met on the Yahoo Discussing NT mailing list — thanks, Claire!). I put the grains in some distilled water and BOOM they tripled in size within an hour [...]