Living food: cultured pickles, fermented soda and vegetables that breathe

[stackoleebillylions]

She's got a whole heap load of babies to care for : ).

[stackoleebillylions]

My mom always pickles at the end of her garden harvest and it stinks up the house for a solid week. I can't imagine what this place smells like to the uninitiated when they walk through the door. Bring on the brine!

[lnoagkois]

Is she saying breathing or breeding?

[12quillemall5321]

I love fermented green and red bell peppers. I can't find them at most supermarkets. I have to go online and buy them by the gallon.

[Uriel1816]

Wonderful video!

[plattawabbe]

It was interesting to watch an 11-minute video about, but none of it looks appetizing and I have a hard time believing she is going to stay afloat for very long.

[leloodallasmultipass]

@plattawabbe there is a huge market for this stuff. maybe not for you. norcal can support it better than most places. my guess is this is a thriving biz.

[pria114]

@kirstendirksen Please consider adding your videos on Roku as your own channel. I would love to enjoy your videos on television instead of my comp ;) Plus, your content seems ideal for this medium.

Thanks!

[Gardensnog]

PLEASE tell me what VATS are used there. Thanks

[Moonsabie]

loved seeing this with my strong tasting ginger soda first time making ferment supper fun

[cosmosanddemos]

This has inspired me to brew my own beer and kombucha next summer!

[hrawet]

im sure it all lovely and delicious but that kabucha stuff looks seriously gross

[TheBoyFromNorfolk]

I'm glad in your description you mentioned that she dosn't recommend using this stuff as a replacement for medicine. Too many people seem to think that just because it's the way things used to be done, it's healthier, or magically safe. Pasteurisation saves lives, and while I'm all in favour of real foods, like this video, it's important not to throw away the benefits of modern knowledge, just because big supermarkets use them to make bland tasteless tat.

Good Vid.

[HapooDog]

Green Tomato.... Kim Chi????

[szemen]

Chile....Paste????

[dothedeed]

Id be happier if she had sleeves and gloves and possibly a hair net.

[heomak]

i remember being really surprised the first time someone offered me american pickle? i recall thinking "what??this is pickle?"...lol..in india, pickles are a bit different..we have mango pickle, carrot pickle, mixed pickle, and chilli pickle...lot of variety..it can be eaten with indian potato bread in the morning or combined with the regular rice and dal or roti and curry. ...i love american pickles though!

[TheBoyFromNorfolk]

@heomak It's the same in the UK. We have Branston Pickle and Mango Chutney. But we have pickled vegtables (onions usually). We do have American style pickles. I always called them Gurkins.

[Anothercoilgun]

Very informative channel.  So this is that komucha stuff :)

[wwwTotalCollapseCom]

Interesting....

[eangeles92]

Liberal hipster

[olden89c]

@eangeles92 She's a small business owner and an entrepeneur. That's more than you can say!

[leloodallasmultipass]

@eangeles92 someone needs to look up the difference between hipster and hippie.

[ckpeltomaa]

Thank you. I just started juicing dark leafy greens and feel very much better but also live in a winter climate and wonder if fermented veggies are okay for the gut.

Do you also juice or make green smoothies for yourself?

[c33r0k33]

After several experiences and recent influences I decided to try making low salt herbed sauerkraut. I was amazed to find out not only was it not rotten, but actually edible and more pleasant to eat than most store varieties. Definitely it is a lost art and culture (knowledge) for most Americans today. I think care must be taken, just like yogurt or bread making requires care to be beneficial, but it is possible to relearn and appreciate. Alex and other "fermentists" are a treasure to value.

[amusingisthedawn]

mmmmm

[tmacc]

what

[TheDenisedrake]

Wow! So interesting. Our fermented kraut (cabbage, carrots, dill) enhance the flavors of other foods. Did you try any of the foods? Seems that they might not taste as good by themselves. Did Alex talk about eating them as a condiment with other foods? 

[kirstendirksen]

@TheDenisedrake You're right. Most people eat pickled vegetables as a condiment and not as a meal in themself. So you might use them in a salad, spread on toast, as a new addition to crackers and cheese. Perhaps in the same way in Korea, kimchi can be eaten with nearly every meal... have read that Koreans eat 30- 40 lbs per person per year.

[ahmadmawia]

Yeah its pretty deep more power to her. I doubt I eat any of it but I respect her hustle

[paulgem123]

where are these amazing product sold?

[kirstendirksen]

@paulgem123 She sells them from her Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkeley. At San Francisco Bay Area Farmers' Markets. Some local natural foods stores like the regional Whole Foods. And you can order by calling the store, but I think it's pretty expensive because they need to be FedExed since it is "living food".

[paulgem123]

@kirstendirksen Looks like a science experiment LOL. I love fermented food and am a big fan of kim chi and would love to try her stuff because of the variety. I do have a whole foods by me. Is that her web site on the video? Thanks for your answer.

[kirstendirksen]

@paulgem123 For her website google "Cultured Pickle Shop" or click on the link in the text and you'll find it on the original story.

[paulgem123]

@kirstendirksen Thank you

[Malegnius]

I knew this seemed familiar! It's the woman from the CHOW video, "Obsessives: Pickles". Alex Hozven, brings back memories. Interesting video :-) I like it.

[MigMayr]

yuck...