Can you believe that microorganisms can enhance our foods? It blows my mind a little that microbes can transform cucumbers into pickles or cabbage into sauerkraut. It utterly amazes me. Because of this incredible microbial trick, I have the pleasure of making my own fermented foods at home regularly. But I wasn’t always this enthusiastic about home fermentation. The idea of fermenting food at home used to make me a little nervous. As a microbiologist who studied pathogens for my PhD, I couldn’t help but think about what could go wrong.
At the same time, though, the idea of growing microbes at home appealed to me because I made a living growing microbes for 10 years. And people have been fermenting food for thousands of years without trouble. On top of that, my friends were brewing their own beverages and fermenting vegetables, and I, a self-proclaimed microbe expert, felt a pang of “Fermented Foods FOMO.” This realization sparked a journey of exploration fueled by a desire to understand the magic behind these delicious and gut-healthy foods.
This series is your guide to the wonderful world of fermented foods. We’ll explore what fermentation is, why it’s good for you, and how to overcome any apprehension you might have about getting started. Along the way, we’ll hear from experts and enthusiasts who are passionate about bringing the joy of fermentation into your kitchen.
So, whether you’re a complete fermentation newbie or a curious fermenter-in-training, join me as we delve into the bubbly, tangy, and fascinating world of fermented foods!
Fermented Foods FOMO
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What pushed me to try it out was when I discovered some of my non-scientist friends were making their own pickles, kombucha, sauerkraut, kefir, and beer. And I felt a little left out like I was behind somehow. I thought to myself, I am a microbiologist, so isn’t it strange that I know so little about this microbiology topic that brings so many people joy?
The little that I had learned about fermented foods in school was not enough for me to feel comfortable trying it out on my own. I knew I needed to do some reading. So, I picked up the book The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz, and that was all I needed to start imagining the possibilities of making my own pickles, sauerkraut, and kombucha. Soon it became obvious to me that I needed to continue learning, but from some experts.
My First Fermentation Experiment
Meanwhile, I made my first attempt at home fermentation, but in an unconventional way. I tried making kombucha, which is a type of fermented beverage made from sweet tea. It is especially popular right now in the US, and I wanted to understand why. So, I did an experiment using bottled kombucha from the store.
Usually, you would buy the microbes for the starter culture in the form of a scoby, which is a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. Instead, I felt clever and thought, I wonder if you can grow a scoby from a store-bought bottle of kombucha because they are supposed to contain live cultures. I did some googling and read that people have had luck with this method. Not every brand of kombucha actually contains live cultures, though, just to be clear. I found one that did, and then drank most of it (not straight out of the bottle, because I was worried about contaminating it — you know, being a microbiologist who studied pathogens). And when there were a few sediments left at the bottom —where most of the microbes in store-bought kombucha are — I added that to some sweet tea I made and let it sit in the cabinet for about a month. Eventually, I grew a pretty thick scoby. When I told this story to one of the people I interviewed—Arthur Serini, the co-owner of a company called The Crafty Pickle Co.—he said, “You grew a baby!”
When I posted this story on Instagram, one person responded that, “in the mid-90’s (my late teens/early 20’s) we had this slimy ‘pet’ that we fed sugar and tea, which I recently learned was kombucha.” She said they grew it just for fun and never drank it. I completely relate to that story, because it’s mostly fun knowing you have something brewing that you can check on every once in a while—like a super low-maintenance pet. (I guess that’s why I like succulents so much.)
It was thrilling and satisfying, especially because, with making fermented foods, it feels like I can bring the lab into my home and do experiments. Lab research and experimentation will always have a special place in my heart. Just because I’m not working in a microbiology lab anymore, doesn’t mean I will stop doing experiments.
Fermented Foods Series
To really do this topic justice, I decided to seek out the advice and wisdom of fermented foods experts and enthusiasts. So, I turned to Twitter, as you do when you have a science question, because you will instantly have experts ready to contribute. We truly live in an amazing time.
After I tweeted asking if anyone would like to be interviewed, I received many responses and recommendations. In the end, I interviewed seven different experts and enthusiasts, which expanded one blog post into five and, thus this series.
Here’s what the fermented foods series covers:
Part 1: Fermented foods series introduction.
Fermented Foods Part 2: The Joys and (Few) Risks of At-Home Fermentation: An introduction to fermented foods. What are they? What types of foods can we ferment? What do people love to ferment and why? Are there any safety risks?
Fermented Foods Part 3: Can fermented foods make us healthier?: Do fermented foods make us healthier?
Fermented Foods Part 4: Incorporating Food Fermentations Into Microbiology Courses: How fermented foods are being used as educational tools to teach microbiology students basic concepts as well as how to do research.
Fermented Foods Part 5a: A Fermented Foods Company Fighting Food Waste: Parts 5a and 5b are a couple of interesting takes on fermented foods. The story in Part 5a comes from the company I mentioned above, The Crafty Pickle Co., which is marketing their business from a different angle than most fermented foods companies — to fight against food waste.
Fermented Foods Part 5b: The Many Uses of Kombucha Scoby Cellulose: The second interesting fermented foods story is about a lab that uses kombucha scobys for alternative purposes in ways I could have never imagined.
Slowly but surely, especially after interviewing the wonderful experts and enthusiasts who actually knew what they were doing, my perspective changed. I was no longer nervous doing my own at-home ferments. Along the way, I also learned many interesting bits of information, so be sure to check out the entire series!
Additional Resources
- A Guide to Kombucha Fermentation and Microbiology
- The Microbiology And Making Of Milk Kefir
- How To Make Sauerkraut In A Jar
- Exploring Traditional Mexican Fermentation: Tepache
- Microbes play the music of fermentation on the fermentophone
- Podcast episode: The Microbiology of Fermented Foods: Dr. John Leech
Want to take your kids on a hands-on exploration of the microscopic world? Be sure to grab my ebook, ‘Joyful Microbiology Activities,’ which has 10 fun and simple microbiology activities you can do at home or in the classroom!
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