Let’s talk beans. They’re super nutritious, filling (largely due to their balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats), grow robustly in a variety of climates and areas, and are thus also usually quite affordable. For these reasons, they have been staple foods for the “masses” since ancient times. The chickpea is […]
Recent Posts
Jrouk Spey (Cambodian Pickled Mustard Greens)
There are countless versions of this dish across Asia. In Cambodia, there is Jrouk Spey. In Vietnam there’s Dua Chua. In Thailand there’s Pak Gard Dong. We could go on and on. Although the specific mustard plant varieties one finds more readily in the US differ from those in Cambodia […]
Holiday Cheer Mulled Cran-Ginger Soda
Just in time for Thanksgiving! Unless you don’t have a ginger bug starter culture… in which case you can definitely be drinking this by Christmas, so stay with me! This cranberry soda is crisp, tart, refreshing and great by itself or as a mule mixer (just about any type of […]
Kvashenaya Kapusta (Russian Quick “Kraut”)
One country that may eat and love cabbage with even greater zeal than Germany is Russia (along with its slavic neighbors like Poland, Ukraine and Belarus). This is one of those foods, like chickpeas in the Middle East, that grows robustly in that area, is cheap, hardy, accessible, and nutritious, […]
Fiery Hot Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic soda)
Ginger is a common ingredient in my soda recipes. I love the spicy bite of ginger so much it’s hard for me to resist adding it. (Even if it has to be a minor component when it can’t be the star of the show, like my sparkling strawberry lemonade.) But […]
Sparkling Berry Lemonade
This summer I made several different sparkling lemonades and I enjoyed all of them. You also can use the quantities in this recipe and swap out the strawberries for any other berries or fruit you like; I’ve had consistently good results this way, making lemonade sodas with blackberry, raspberry, cranberry, […]
Green Pinecone Starter Culture + Lemon-Juniper-Pine Soda Recipe
Are you ready to start making some Autumn-themed homemade sodas? I have just the thing! In his The Wildcrafting Brewer, noted wildcrafter and fermentation revivalist Pascal Baudar discusses various ancestral methods for creating carbonated and alcoholic drinks. In that discussion, he gives examples of rich sources of natural yeasts which […]
Lacto-Fermented Mustard (Unlike Any Mustard You’ve Had!)
Yes, you can ferment mustard. I’m not sure why it isn’t more of a thing. In the same way that Dr. Andrew Weil called vinegar pickles “dead pickles,” (fermented pickles being living pickles, of course), we can say that the normal store-brand mustard is “dead.” Tasty, sure. But from a […]
Southern “Peppa Sauce” (Pepper Vinegar)
As a kid, when we moved to Georgia, I started noticing many restaurants had bottles filled with little peppers and clear liquid. It became pretty clear all the “country,” “southern,” “soul,” and “barbecue” restaurants always had a bottle at every table. I came to learn it’s a classic southern condiment […]
“Hot Apple Pie”
In spite of the fact that it’s been a scorching summer (or maybe because of it), I started thinking of all the delicious fall foods I love. Moreover, I started thinking of fall foods that have yet to exist and how I could maybe change that a bit… And then […]