Okay, I’m not a complete foreigner to lacto fermented food. I’ve made the occasional jar of lacto fermented pickles with a recipe from Nourishing Traditions. This is a great cookbook. But, to be frank, I find many of those recipes a bit unrealistic for a modern family of kids who like fun food. I don’t think ketchup should involve fermented fish heads.

So I was very excited to receive my copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods. Wow! Many of you will recognize the author from gnowfglins.com. She has put together a very accessible collection of recipes that will appeal to every taste.

Alright, I admit it. I went a little crazy. But, hey! I couldn’t decide on just one or two recipes. So here’s what I’ve made so far.

• pickles
• sourkraut
• pickled radishes
• spiced applesauce
• blueberry sauce for pancakes
• hummus
• guacamole
• salsa

I plan to make

• kimchi (korean sourkraut)
• bean paste
• peaches
• honey dill mustard
• ketchup
• kombucha
• mayonnaise
• date butter

I am really enjoying the flavors and the benefits of fermented food. I would encourage you to do some research. There is such a variety of possibilities beyond sourkraut and pickles. YHVH surely gave us wonderful gifts of healing in our food, if we are willing to learn His ways of preparing and eating it. Praise YHVH! And I hope everyone has a wonderful Shabbat this week!