I watch from the window as I feed our baby girl. These two boys, too old to be my babies and too young to be anything else, walk down the road toward their Papa to help build a chicken coop.

Each boy wears a straw hat, but that is where the similarities end. The smaller boy is disheveled with his shirt most likely buttoned wrong, his face most likely dirty, talking happily the whole way about this or that. The other boy has his pant legs rolled up just enough to look like some cross between James Dean and Huck Finn. His top button is buttoned, as always despite the heat, because he’s "afraid that leaving it unbuttoned will make his shirt fall off."

These boys are dirty all of the time. Even right after they have a bath it seems. Always. Dirty.

These boys spend just about every waking second together. They play house in which the one makes supper and they sit down to a meal which the other prays over. They play teaching and singing in which the one gets up and gives a sermon while the other one calls out 22c and they sing the Psalm loud enough for the neighbors to hear, I’m sure.

And it always makes me smile.

They know their Papa. They know he is here most every day working on this project or that and that they will, most likely, be working on it with him. They know he is consistent in his love, his teaching, and his discipline and I see their respect for him grow daily because of it.

They think Mamas "Make food, wash dishes, and give children hugs." I can live with that.

They plant seeds. They haul water. They plunge laundry. They collect firewood. They sweep floors. They grind grain. They learn to read and write and add and talk to adults while looking them in the eye. They chase chickens, kill bugs, and brag way too much about getting smiles from their baby sister.

And as I watch it all, the passing of days and the learning of life, I realize why we are here. My husband and I may never live to see our dream of not having to rely on the industrial world to live our live. We may always have to buy this or that or work here or there.

But as I watch them skip down the dirt road I realize that our hope can be for them. A hope to live this life close to the land, close to their family, close to their community, and close to their God. To be able to hold their babies and watch their children from the window, heart overflowing for all they have been given.

My plan to do another week on lacto-fermentation got away from me when I woke up this morning and realized it was Thursday. I guess gardens needed watering, families needed feeding, dishes and laundry needed washing, writing projects needed… writing, so week number two will have to be a short one.

So let’s get to the winners of last week’s giveaways, shall we?

The winner of the Get Cultured! ecourse is… Crayl. You will be contacted soon by Jenny, Crayl. If you are interested in taking the Get Cultured ecourse then use discount code NOURISHING to get $25 off!

The winners of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods are… Lindsay and Samantha. Look for an email from me, ladies. If you didn’t win and are interested in learning to ferment foods then be sure to check Wardeh’s book out.

Thanks to Jenny and Wardeh for offering up their helpful products!

If you read the interview with Jenny McGruther, creator of the Get Cultured! ecourse then you might excited to try your hand at all of the various fermentation techniques. In her course she covers fermenting everything from dairy to vegetables to meat.

If that sounds like it’s right up your alley then you’ll be glad to hear that Jenny has agreed to give one Nourishing Days reader free enrollment into the course. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and we’ll choose one random winner next week.

Comment away!

After yesterday’s review and interview I hope you’re as excited to win a copy as I am to give it away. So I will make this short and sweet.

Today we are giving away two copies of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods to residents of the U.S. or Canada. All you have to do is leave a comment below.

I will announce the winners of this giveaway (and tomorrow’s) next week. We’ll choose two random comments so comment away!

Ya know how you get super excited when a good friend or family member of yours gets to do something they are really good at and are helping other people at the same time? That’s the feeling I get when I think about Wardeh writing this book.

Ya know how you get super excited when a topic you’re really passionate about comes up and you could talk and talk about it for hours? That’s how I get when people start talking about fermented foods.

So now that Wardeh Harmon’s book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods has been released I can finally role those two experiences into one. I’m excited, y’all.

This book is for anyone intimidated by fermenting foods. It starts you from the ground up, explains the ins and outs, gives you step-by-step recipes that will ease you into this age-old healthful, sustainable practice. This is the book for anyone wanting to learn to ferment foods.

This book is for anyone who is already into fermenting foods. Whether you’re a kefir strainer or a kraut maker, this book will give you all sorts of new recipe ideas, more insight into the full process, and exciting new things to try like sausages and fermented beans.

The bottom line is you need to own this book.

An Interview with Wardeh Harmon

Here’s a fun little interview I conducted with my friend Wardeh:

How did you first get interested and involved in fermenting foods?

When I got into traditional cooking and read about traditional cultures and their habits and what they ate, I noticed they consumed fermented foods regularly. The gut’s link to overall health is undeniable, whether we’re talking allergies or immune system or good digestion. Since fermented foods keep a healthy gut populated with good guys, it seemed like a no-brainer that we get into it.  So I started learning how to do it. Of course, I love to eat fermented foods — I love the salty, tangy, sour, spiced, even sometimes sweet, flavors.  But more importantly, I fell in love with the process.

Fermenting suits my style of cooking. A few rules keep the ferments safe, and after that you have freedom to play around, combine flavors, try new things. I am not a big recipe follower, more of a formula follower, and fermenting fits right in with that. I tried to write my book with that in mind. Of course there are lots and lots of recipes in the book, but the first few chapters give the big picture so readers can feel the freedom to tweak.

What was your family’s response to these "odd" (by most westerner’s standards) foods?

They have been champs, but like anyone who is not used to fermented foods, there have been transition periods learning to like new fermented foods. Plus, I usually take a try or two to get something right. I have to say, they’ve been very supportive and willing and I appreciate that very much. And the rewards have been great. Not only am I proud of my family, especially my children, for their bravery in trying new things, but we’re all healthier for it.

Do you really eat fermented foods at every meal like so many folks recommend?

Yes, we do. It is much easier than people think. All it takes is a dollop of homemade sour cream. Or a spoonful of sauerkraut. Or some crumbled raw feta cheese. A glass of Kombucha. Spreading your sandwich with lacto-fermented mayonnaise. Fermented foods are not usually main courses, they are complimentary condiments or sides to enhance the meal. A little goes a long way in terms of flavor and health impact.

What are the top three most frequently eaten ferments in your home?

Let’s see… sour cream, kefir, and Kombucha. With sauerkraut coming in a close fourth.

What do you recommend fermenting newbies start with?

Homemade sour cream (your recipe ) or no-pound sauerkraut (recipe here). Both are well-loved foods and very easy to make.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I’m continually working on my online classes, producing videos and print tutorials. Currently we’re working through more fundamentals of traditional cooking (I call it Fundamentals II). I have some writing projects on the back burner, but nothing definite. Thanks so much for having me, Shannon!

Be on the lookout for a giveaway of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods tomorrow.

There was a time that fermenting anything would have freaked me out. The idea that something could sit out, without refrigeration or boiling, and then be kept without refrigeration for months seemed unbelievable… and kind of gross.

But here I am hosting a whole week dedicated to this practice. You can read a bit more about my journey to lacto-fermenting vegetables and all of the benefits of the practice in this article over at Saving Naturally.

Yesterday I shared with you why I am a huge fan of fermentation and what the vegetables I fermented last summer look like now. Today I thought I’d share an interview I did with Jenny McGruther of Nourished Kitchen.

Jenny has put together an online class covering 13 topics in fermentation – from dairy to non-dairy kefir to vegetables to meats. I had a few questions for her, and I know you did too, so let’s find out why Jenny thinks fermentation is so important.

Why is lacto-fermentation nutritionally superior to canning?

Jenny: I’m a big believer in food preservation and while our growing season in the mountains is only about 75 days long, we preserve so much that we’re still eating summer- and fall-harvested vegetables well into April and May.  I don’t typically use canning any more because other methods of preservation are so much better.

Fermentation is my method of choice, along with sun-drying.  Fermentation preserves the foods in their raw state, providing a nutritionally superior method of preserving foods. Vitamin content, particularly B complex vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin K2, is actually increased through fermentation.  In this way sauerkraut or kimchi – both naturally fermented cabbage dishes – are nutritionally superior than raw cabbage.  Additionally, food enzymes which help us to better digest our foods are increased with fermentation as are beneficial bacteria which help to bolster the immune system. 

By contrast, heat-sensitive food enzymes are destroyed with both water bath- and pressure canning as are most vitamins. Up to 90% of the vitamin C content is lost during canning.  So home-canned or commercially canned foods might fill you up, but it provides very little actual nourishment.

Why is lacto-fermentation for those interested in sustainability?

Jenny: My husband and I created and continue to manage one of the most progressive farmers markets in Colorado, so we place exceptional value on local, sustainable foods.  For us, fermentation affords the opportunity to not only nourish our family in better, more traditional ways, but also preserve the harvest. Fermentation extends the harvest – cucumbers last months longer as true sour pickles, cabbage can last for years as sauerkraut.

How can your online class benefit someone who has read Nourishing Traditions or Wild Fermentation?

Jenny: Nourishing Traditions and Wild Fermentation are both essential books for traditional foods enthusiasts, locavores and those interested in fermentation; however, Get Cultured! provides instructional support through videos – home cooks can actually see the methods used, improving their skill at preparing fermented foods; moreover, through conference calls with other participants and interviews with leaders in the field like Donna Gates of Body Ecology Diet, participants learn a lot more about how probiotic fermented foods contribute to systemic wellness.  They’re also afforded the ability to troubleshoot potential issues like runny yogurt, moldy sauerkraut or kombucha gone funky.  Even the best books on the subject don’t offer that kind of comprehensive support.

Why is now the time to learn how to ferment food?

Jenny: Many participants have registered for Get Cultured! now precisely because it’s not yet the growing season.  Now is the time to learn the techniques of food fermentation and preservation through fermentation before you’re swamped with planting or harvesting.  By learning the techniques now, and reviewing them later since you have lifetime access, you’ll be fully prepared when he growing season arrives. 

Nourishing Days readers can use the coupon code NOURISHING and get $50 off  early enrollment for the Get Cultured! ecourse.

Welcome to a week of lacto-fermentation! Every post this week will be geared toward this traditional, sustainable, and healthy method of food preservation. Don’t forget to look for giveaways at the end of the week!

When I first read Nourishing Traditions the concept of just letting things sit out with some salt and having them "magically" turn into a healthy, preserved food seemed crazy. But that’s because we grew up in a pasteurized, sterilized society.

The truth is lacto-fermentation and dehydration are my food preservation methods of choice. I actually really, really don’t like to can things, though I do can tomatoes and a few others. But it just seems so wrong to take food alive with enzymes and natural bacteria and go ahead and kill it all for the sake of shelf life.

Granted, I live a pretty easy life right now with a refrigerator able to store my fermented foods for winter, but I am hoping the things I have learned over these past few years will translate to a more sustainable and healthier way of preserving food when we move onto some land.

I wanted to show you how well these fermented vegetables hold up over the winter:

• Kimchi – Fermented in July (see my method here). A full 7 months old.
• Sauerkraut – Fermented in October. 4 months old.
• Cortido – Fermented in August. 6 months old.
• Dill Pickles – Fermented in July. 7 months old.
• Salsa – Fermented July – September (see my method here). 5-7 months old.

We have been eating our way through these vegetables throughout the winter and it appears as though they will bring us right up to our first harvests. You can see the various ways we use them in Simple Food {for winter}, but today I want to emphasize three things about lacto-fermentation:

1. Fermented foods are infinitely more healthful than their canned counterparts.
2. Fermentation is a more traditional & sustainable method of preservation that existed before water bath canning and oil were abundant.
3. Fermentation is much easier and faster than canning. Like you can make a few gallons of dill pickles easily in an hour.

Clearly, though, I am not the only fan of fermentation. My friend Jenny from Nourished Kitchen wants to help people learn the lost art of fermentation through an online class called Get Cultured! Tomorrow I will share an interview with her about why fermentation is so beneficial and why even those who have been fermenting for a while can benefit from the class.

Boy howdy do I need to figure out how to grow peanuts here in our clay soil. Peanut butter has got to be one of my favorite foods of all time, but you wouldn’t know it unless you saw me drizzle it over pancakes, or spread it on bread/apples/bananas/paper and eat it like it was going out of style.

Okay, maybe not paper, but as I type there is a tiny bowl with a spoon in it next to me that once contained a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, a spoonful of butter, and a sprinkle of coconut sugar. Did I mention that I like peanut butter?

So I combined it with bananas, rice, and the other makings of a rice pudding and it did not disappoint. It’s also great in that there is no sugar needed due to the bananas and it is allergen-friendly for those who need it.

You can find the recipe at the Plan to Eat blog.

Okay, so by now y’all now that my first tip, financially, is to be a producer rather than a consumer. Being a producer has tons of benefits for everyone that go far beyond saving money.

When it comes to saving any money that you do have, though, I share my number one tip for saving it over at Saving Money Plan. There you can also read a bit about my grocery budgeting tactics since we dropped the bi-weekly paycheck to move off-grid and start a homestead.