This lady knows what she is doing and talking about and gets right to the essential points. It's incredible how the majority of food in a supermarket is fermented and yet dead pasturised food. It's an analogy of how we live in a society like robots. Everything is 'sterilized', stripped of the original all life energy, and "artificial-ised". The human being is like pasteurize through education, soul less job, and technology to become like a ... dead bacteria.
the whole problem is that the majority of the food in supermarkets ISN'T FERMENTED and it's all pasteurized! only a small amount is fermented and everything gets the pasteurization treatment, so it's all dead food, whether fermented or not.
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.
I always wonder how this method was discovered. Perhaps someone went to their basement and was like, "oh look, I made this a year ago and forgot about it. Most things spoil in a week but we should totally taste it."
This is what we need our diets to get back to.would make for a healthier society.keep up the good work.somebody like this should be your supplier you can see this is her passion so what you get is food with love in it.the trick is finding the fermented foods that hit your individual palet.
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.
really awesome and I totally get it. At my old apartment I used to make a bit of fermented foods. Alot of people are freaked out by "live" food your so right. I've had many people look at me crazy when the see kombucha,etc in the kitchen. I just stopped telling people what fermented foods ends up on their plates. no point in freaking someone out by something that is going to help them
You are my idol!!!!!! I make kombucha and pickle veggies 4 a small business of mine as well as 4 myself and family. There's just sooooo much time and effort 2 keep up with production, sometimes it feels like I'm losing my head but after seeing your workshop, it totally inspired me to keep on trucking and experimenting with new products! Your beyond AMAZING! Keep up the awesome work! See you soon! :D
@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".
Great stuff here. I think she's taking it to a modern level of care with these foods, a lot of them were made with loose regard to food hygiene and safety around the world
Very informative video. I learned a lot. You talk so very fast that it's difficult to keep up with your train of thought and direction. I'm just getting started in vegetable fermentation and your video opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Thanks and keep sharing.
@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.
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.
Love the video - wish I could come by there. Anticlimactic when I find they "DO NOT SHIP"... UGH. So I am salivating for some of these well tended fermentation's... and alas I am S.O.L.!
For those of you still looking for these jars, if you look up "glass agua fresca beverage barrel jar" or "vitrolero" you will find some sellers (including Amazon).
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!
Amazing stuff. I am trying to brew a big batch (5 gallons or more) of kombucha and was wondering where I might get jars like the ones seen in this video. I cannot relay the frustration I have had in finding glass jars of that size and shape.
thanks for sharing! this is amazing. it's 6 years later and i wonder if the business is still around. she started before the popularity really hit the roof.
Thanks. There is no link to your website or even the name of your company on here, just thought I'd mention it since it's probably good for marketing. Added you on FB, would love to check the place out when I'm in Cali in November. Keep up the amazing work, looks beautiful!!
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?
beautiful statement in thiz video about the microbs and there tyme and not ours and waiting and entering to there "world" ...there speed...there tyme...calls for patience ...this was a very real statement for :] ...she is living that...itz a very humble statement
@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.
It is an impossible mission to ferment over12 batches in a kitchen and have any time left over because tasting and tweeking every batch takes so much time, and it's addictive....all our baby bacteria and yeast...oh my, they need our( love, your video), is great tastingfood fermented! YES :)
I found this whilst looking for a vid. on fermenting hard-boiled eggs....Been fermenting veggies for a couple of months now, with great success, but would love to know if the same process would work with eggs. As we only eat organic eggs, it's quite expensive just to experiment, so if anyone knows a tried and trusted method, I'd be sooo grateful for info!! Thanks x
Did you know that fermenting vegetables in metal that is not stainless steel leaches heavy metals into the product? due to the increase in lactic acid.
You like saying they're breathing and I like saying they're farting :D I have some lovely garlic in cabbage juice farting away in my cupboard right now ;)
@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.
I'm really curious, but also scared. The only fermented foods I've had were miso, which was really weird and what I call "pickles" (pickled cucumbers), which are ok. I've smelled other fermented foods and they smell horrible! I'm afraid to taste them! And I know they are beneficial, but I have this great fear of food poisoning.
+Theo Rodriguês -I also have a very sensitive stomach and GI tract..and all I can tell you is that my experience has been great with fermented foods. Remember..these are the foods our ancestors ate..unlike the processed garbage most of us eat/drink now..which is what usually causes our sensitive stomachs/GI tracts in the first place. The only way to find out is to try these foods. If you get a stomach ache, diarrhea, gas or whatever..it will go away quickly and won't kill you. But what is really bad is to do nothing and not try new things to find out what you can tolerate. For myself..I've noticed the more natural and uncooked a food is..the better it is for me and my digestion. But the more processed and cooked a food is..the worst it will be for me. For example..when I was young I could eat a whole big bag of Doritos chips and nothing bad would happen. Now..if I eat more than a cupful..I have heartburn. Of course your stomach/GI tract may be so damaged now that you can only tolerate small amounts of fermented food..so always start small. Eat only a spoonful with a regular meal. Or only drink half a cup of a beverage at a time along with a meal. It's always safer to start out small and in conjunction with your regular food..and then build up to larger amounts so you can reap the benefits of the probiotics. =)
I like the idea but I'm still a little squeamish after getting botulism from a sauerkraut experiment in 7th grade science club :/ When I look at those kombuchas I think vomiting and diarrhea for 5 days.
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.
Zac james yea... but in a pinch plastic would be okay. I tried to make sauerkraut in a stainless container from Walmart... it dissolved the bottom and turned the kraut a ghostly blue. I don't think you want to take your chromium supplement that way.
Good job on your company, but can you please stop saying 'sort of' and 'very much' every other word? Using 'sort of' and 'kind of' constantly is annoying and generally a mark of pretentiousness.
Joe Mama Sorry, but it's an annoying trend and she and many other people overuse the words to an extreme extent. I do agree that she has a cool company, she's promoting good health, she is well spoken minus the sort ofs, and it was an informative interview.
This lady knows what she is doing and talking about and gets right to the essential points.
It's incredible how the majority of food in a supermarket is fermented and yet dead pasturised food.
It's an analogy of how we live in a society like robots. Everything is 'sterilized', stripped of the original all life energy, and "artificial-ised". The human being is like pasteurize through education, soul less job, and technology to become like a ... dead bacteria.
Jonathan Z There's a very important place for pasteurization, but fermented foods have been neglected for too long.
the whole problem is that the majority of the food in supermarkets ISN'T FERMENTED and it's all pasteurized! only a small amount is fermented and everything gets the pasteurization treatment, so it's all dead food, whether fermented or not.
Amazing dedication! The intense care she puts into her products is becoming rarer these days. This is truly inspiring.
What a great comprehensive guide to living cultured food!
+dirtpatcheaven I Agree!!!! Learning to do this stuff is fun
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.
AWESOME!!!! What a fun job! Working hard to help others get and stay healthy!!!! Good for you and for us! Thanks for sharing!!!!
great video and I found her very interesting I wish all of our food was made with so much care and love. I am sure they are great.
I always wonder how this method was discovered. Perhaps someone went to their basement and was like, "oh look, I made this a year ago and forgot about it. Most things spoil in a week but we should totally taste it."
This is what we need our diets to get back to.would make for a healthier society.keep up the good work.somebody like this should be your supplier you can see this is her passion so what you get is food with love in it.the trick is finding the fermented foods that hit your individual palet.
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.
I live, Eat, & Breath Fermented Foods and this is a really good presentation. As Hippocrates said, "Let your food be your Medicine".
I ferment all kinds of vegetables and fruits too. I love watching this video. I just made some fermented chili paste. great stuff!
really awesome and I totally get it. At my old apartment I used to make a bit of fermented foods. Alot of people are freaked out by "live" food your so right. I've had many people look at me crazy when the see kombucha,etc in the kitchen. I just stopped telling people what fermented foods ends up on their plates. no point in freaking someone out by something that is going to help them
You are my idol!!!!!! I make kombucha and pickle veggies 4 a small business of mine as well as 4 myself and family. There's just sooooo much time and effort 2 keep up with production, sometimes it feels like I'm losing my head but after seeing your workshop, it totally inspired me to keep on trucking and experimenting with new products! Your beyond AMAZING! Keep up the awesome work! See you soon! :D
I just got done making 4 jars of fermented pickles, will be ready for the fridge in 5-7 days.
@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".
Great stuff here. I think she's taking it to a modern level of care with these foods, a lot of them were made with loose regard to food hygiene and safety around the world
Cool, I love how passionate & knowledgeable you are about this
Very informative video. I learned a lot. You talk so very fast that it's difficult to keep up with your train of thought and direction. I'm just getting started in vegetable fermentation and your video opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Thanks and keep sharing.
@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.
This is an incredible work.
Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkeley, CA.
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.
This has inspired me to brew my own beer and kombucha next summer!
Love the video - wish I could come by there. Anticlimactic when I find they "DO NOT SHIP"... UGH. So I am salivating for some of these well tended fermentation's... and alas I am S.O.L.!
KIRSTEN!!!! WOW! So amazingly interesting! Loved it! I am a sucker for Kombucha.
For those of you still looking for these jars, if you look up "glass agua fresca beverage barrel jar" or "vitrolero" you will find some sellers (including Amazon).
I wish I could come and live with you. Love all fermented food.
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!
Amazing stuff. I am trying to brew a big batch (5 gallons or more) of kombucha and was wondering where I might get jars like the ones seen in this video. I cannot relay the frustration I have had in finding glass jars of that size and shape.
Very informative video. Thank you for sharing
Yeah its pretty deep more power to her. I doubt I eat any of it but I respect her hustle
thanks for sharing! this is amazing. it's 6 years later and i wonder if the business is still around. she started before the popularity really hit the roof.
I Love her and this video!!!!!
That's so cool. I'm so excited to start pickeling!
She's got a whole heap load of babies to care for : ).
You can find therse large glass jars at mexican stores or mexican flea markets. Ask for punch jars.
loved seeing this with my strong tasting ginger soda first time making ferment supper fun
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.
nice operation n your so attentive.
Thanks. There is no link to your website or even the name of your company on here, just thought I'd mention it since it's probably good for marketing. Added you on FB, would love to check the place out when I'm in Cali in November. Keep up the amazing work, looks beautiful!!
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?
Fantastic
Reminds me of Portlandia. "We can pickle that!"
WOW bloody awesome, where do i get a fermenting vessel like tose?
@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.
beautiful statement in thiz video about the microbs and there tyme and not ours and waiting and entering to there "world" ...there speed...there tyme...calls for patience ...this was a very real statement for :] ...she is living that...itz a very humble statement
@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.
It is an impossible mission to ferment over12 batches in a kitchen and have any time left over because tasting and tweeking every batch takes so much time, and it's addictive....all our baby bacteria and yeast...oh my, they need our( love, your video), is great tastingfood fermented! YES :)
I found this whilst looking for a vid. on fermenting hard-boiled eggs....Been fermenting veggies for a couple of months now, with great success, but would love to know if the same process would work with eggs. As we only eat organic eggs, it's quite expensive just to experiment, so if anyone knows a tried and trusted method, I'd be sooo grateful for info!! Thanks x
love Kombucha,used to make it from special mushroom???
sauerkraut also, but how is it best to eat it & what with/
+Valerie Linney yes and i am not sure what bacteria to add to culture it
I almost died with excitement watching this video! I am very curious about the metal vessels. very unusual in my part of the world.
where do I get those huge glass jars they look amazing
Is it good to ferment vegetables in stainless steel? I read it is not good, only in glass or clay terracotta containers.
Did you know that fermenting vegetables in metal that is not stainless steel leaches heavy metals into the product? due to the increase in lactic acid.
PLEASE tell me what VATS are used there. Thanks
Can fermented foods have negative side effects?
how do u repack them? how long it last?
Hi- Old thread here. Does anyone know if they really brew their kombucha with the glass lids ON the jar? I thought it needed to breathe...
i love you love this video
how long is saurkraut good for?
I'm having a hard time finding the name of your company.
Where are you located maybe I missed it and can I order products online?
You like saying they're breathing and I like saying they're farting :D I have some lovely garlic in cabbage juice farting away in my cupboard right now ;)
It would be much healthier if they were making all of these ferments with Celtic/Himalayan salt.
Too cool.
jack orion It's extremely too cool.
Interesting....
@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.
Kombucha originated in Korea by a Dr Kombu. That's what I have been told.
You guys don't wash vegetables? Are you using organic veggies?
do you use starter cultures?do u sell cultures for diy?
You don't need cultures for Sauerkraut :) Just for Kefir and Kombucha and they're easy to get everywhere. Just google!
cheers i know now and i bought some :)
Can I pickle raw meat because I want to eat a raw foods diet including raw meat how can I do this?
Where is this place?
that was good
its better to work without clav on hand work withnicked hand so the cool bacctery travel from hand to the fermented food
HEALTH REVOLUTION :)
I'm really curious, but also scared. The only fermented foods I've had were miso, which was really weird and what I call "pickles" (pickled cucumbers), which are ok. I've smelled other fermented foods and they smell horrible! I'm afraid to taste them! And I know they are beneficial, but I have this great fear of food poisoning.
+Theo Rodriguês I also have a very sensitive stomach/digestive system, and I'm worried that fermented foods might mess with it. Any advice?
+Theo Rodriguês -I also have a very sensitive stomach and GI tract..and all I can tell you is that my experience has been great with fermented foods. Remember..these are the foods our ancestors ate..unlike the processed garbage most of us eat/drink now..which is what usually causes our sensitive stomachs/GI tracts in the first place. The only way to find out is to try these foods. If you get a stomach ache, diarrhea, gas or whatever..it will go away quickly and won't kill you. But what is really bad is to do nothing and not try new things to find out what you can tolerate. For myself..I've noticed the more natural and uncooked a food is..the better it is for me and my digestion. But the more processed and cooked a food is..the worst it will be for me. For example..when I was young I could eat a whole big bag of Doritos chips and nothing bad would happen. Now..if I eat more than a cupful..I have heartburn. Of course your stomach/GI tract may be so damaged now that you can only tolerate small amounts of fermented food..so always start small. Eat only a spoonful with a regular meal. Or only drink half a cup of a beverage at a time along with a meal. It's always safer to start out small and in conjunction with your regular food..and then build up to larger amounts so you can reap the benefits of the probiotics. =)
You can also eat the veggies raw and feed the little buggers in your gut.
she was on chow too
Is she saying breathing or breeding?
Wondering if you are pasteurizing those foods???? View the youtube video titled: APPLE CIDER VINEGAR WORMS!
I like the idea but I'm still a little squeamish after getting botulism from a sauerkraut experiment in 7th grade science club :/ When I look at those kombuchas I think vomiting and diarrhea for 5 days.
Green Tomato.... Kim Chi????
In the fridge
Id be happier if she had sleeves and gloves and possibly a hair net.
@eangeles92 someone needs to look up the difference between hipster and hippie.
MMMM! Alex,are you single?Lets do this at my treehouse on the Northwest coast.
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.
prolly some body parts in there too..... scary lady
Stomach cancer, yay
im sure it all lovely and delicious but that kabucha stuff looks seriously gross
yuck...
very very bad idea to use metal. even high quality stainless steel will eventually corrode. You'd be better off with plastic.
+NwoDispatcher spelled glass wrong there buddy
Zac james no he is right stainless steel is 10 percent nickel
Zac james
yea... but in a pinch plastic would be okay. I tried to make sauerkraut in a stainless container from Walmart... it dissolved the bottom and turned the kraut a ghostly blue. I don't think you want to take your chromium supplement that way.
Good job on your company, but can you please stop saying 'sort of' and 'very much' every other word? Using 'sort of' and 'kind of' constantly is annoying and generally a mark of pretentiousness.
Joe Mama Sorry, but it's an annoying trend and she and many other people overuse the words to an extreme extent. I do agree that she has a cool company, she's promoting good health, she is well spoken minus the sort ofs, and it was an informative interview.