Fermentation by Fizzeology

[Guest guest]

I just took a class at the Willy St. Coop on Home Vegetable Fermentation from Mike Bieser, owner of Fizzeology, a company that offers home cultured vegetables here in Wisconsin. (For those of you unfamiliar with Wisconsin, it is actually quite a hotbed of activity in the movements of BUY LOCAL, organic foods, artisan crafted foods [and beer], etc. Organic Valley/Organic Prairie is home based in La Farge, WI and Viroqua, nearby, has a lot of alternative medicine practitioners, etc.) Fizzeology is located in Viroqua. We received a home fermentation kit to use to try out what we learned. The class was full, BTW.He started by telling us that "he came to fermentation while improving his immune system and overcoming Lyme

disease through homeopathy. It is a delicious way to begin

to deeply understand the gut and the bacterial balance our bodies require for vibrant health." (Note: he is so handsome; is 48 but looks 30 and easily looked like the healthiest person in the room.) Anyway, I learned all about how to ferment vegetables (takes only 4 days) BUT he mentioned that his company Fizzeology also distributes his Raw Cultured Foods (Kimchi, Cortido, German) and Ferment of the Month at select retailers in Southern Wisconsin. He email is mikebieser@... so maybe he would mail it, also.For each 8 qt. jar of fermented vegetables, he uses one rounded Tbsp of (sun dried) sea salt (the sun gives it a different electromagnetic charge; can be found at Food Coops, etc.). (He uses no whey cultures like Sally Fallon talks about in her book, Nourishing Traditions.) He made a batch while we watched; looked simple: cut/chop vegetables (can be mixture of any organic vegetables—he likes to use cabbage or Chinese cabbage as a base (also used garlic and herbs like cilantro—washed but not peeled vegetables of all kinds—put in a big bowl, bruise with a potato masher or something like that, add salt & mix, put in 8 qt. sterilized jar, pack down hard to

eliminate air. We could see the juice rising over the vegetables; the vegetables should be below the juice, if not immediately, shortly. Tighten the lid and release the pressure each day for about 5 days; then it is done. Tighten the lid and keep until you want to use it (lasts months but if it molds on top or looks funky, scrape the top stuff off). When you open it, keep it refrigerated.He had a ton of books there that he recommended, many quite technical; the guy was brilliant; talked about his 5-yr-old son and him making his own fermented vegetable mix; sometimes hides it on a hamburger or in a taco.I'm fired up!sally