I started making homemade yogurt for my first baby eight years ago, I was die-hard, bringing it and making it on vacations. When I learned about kefir, hello! 300% more live cultures than homemade yogurt. The kids loved it right off the bat, I took a while to get used to it.
Three years ago I decided I wanted to venture into fermenting vegetables. I did a lot of research and tried my hand at it a few times. I had all kinds of problems, molds (which I didn't know was okay), bitter sauerkraut (which was because I use radicchio instead of red cabbage) mushy pickles (fermented too long) and acetone flavored ginger carrots (still not sure about this one, maybe since I didn't peel the carrots.) I was discouraged with all my vain efforts and backed off the project.
Jenny's Get Cultured Online Class restored my confidence completely. She is a pro, her information is clear and concise. She keeps her recipes simple for the newbie and gives ideas for those who are ready to start branching out. I would play her videos on my laptop, placed on my kitchen counter and make the recipes right along with her. The recipe would turn out, I was not afraid to eat it in the end and the next time I made the recipe it was no big deal.
This morning I listened to Jenny's webinar replay as I was unable to attend the live webinar and WOW! Loads of great information focused on troubleshooting, safety and starter cultures. I love that she points out all you need is something to ferment (a single vegetable), something to ferment it in (a mason jar, crock-pot insert, food grade bucket), and time. The time it took when I was learning compared to the time it takes now is a completely different measure and that time decreases quickly after just one recipe, so jump in! Remember to use coupon code "TRUMP" to save $50 off the sale price of $147 (through May 31).
If you can't afford to sign up for this excellent online class check out the payment options, be sure to listen to the FREE webinar replay and enter to win my giveaway!
To enter for your chance to win Get Cultured Online Class ($199 value) you must be a public follower of Taste is Trump and leave a comment sharing how you will benefit from the series. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. mountain time on Sunday, May 27, 2012 and the winner will be announced on Monday, May 28, 2012.
I am a follower! I would love to learn more about fermentation in hopes of becoming healthier. I just had a dr's appt this morning who told me that my cholesterol was slightly up and my thyroid was slightly down. Nothing to be too worried about but I would like to be as healthy as I can possibly be and learning about fermentation is something that could be on that path of becoming healthier.
ReplyDeleteI'm always looking for ways to help my family to eat healthier. I think this course would be a great way for me to learn a lot and in turn help my family to become healthier!
ReplyDeleteI am a follower. I have gotten my feet wet with fermented foods, and would love to learn more about it and take it to the next level. This class would be perfect!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited about this course. I've felt for a while that increasing my family's cultured food intake is the next step in our whole foods journey. My husband and I both have what I now feel are gut-related issues, though they are manifest in very different ways. Cultured foods is a crucial part of addressing these issues. And the timing is perfect! - right after the all-consuming project I'm working on now. :)
ReplyDeleteI follow you! Fermenting has always seemed like a really good thing to do but I just don't even know where to start. I know that my family could really benefit from cultured food. I have asked my local food preservation extension for more information on the subject but they were not really sure how to ferment properly either. (They are just starting the extension)I would love to have the opportunity to take this class.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there were local food preservation extensions. How did you go about finding yours? I just googled it and didn't come up with anything.
DeleteI found ours at the county fair. They had a booth on canning and preservation. It is usually done through state schools. For example in my area it is found at this website http://efnep.ucdavis.edu/?blogpost=4388&blogasset=17351. But you can usually google food preservation extension with your state and come up with something. The national website is this, http://nchfp.uga.edu/. Most extension have area offices which offer classes and information. Hope that helps! :)
DeleteI have been a follower of you and Jenny at Nourished Kitchen for quite sometime. We eat real food not only because it is so good for our bodies and so yummy, but because it is imperative that my husband, me, and my two little ones stay in tip top shape. We live in Morocco, and although there are some very good Doctors, they are far and few between, and most definitely none that take holistic approaches. I can't afford to risk my family's health- we need to do our best to stay out of the Doctors office, where we've been frustrated and dissatisfied too many times. I currently make kombucha, sauerkraut and salsa, but everything else I have tried has not turned out well (including the acetone flavored ginger carrots- what is with that???!). I would love to become more skilled at fermenting foods, as they have already proven (even on a small scale) to be instrumental in my family's health. I would love to win this opportunity to take Jenny's class. Thanks for the offer!
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower! We have only recently started reading into fermenting. I've always been afraid of it, in the past, because store-bought or concession stand sauerkraut just isn't very appealing. But after reading all the benefits of it we are ready to give this a try. I think Jenny's series would be a nice help from the beginning to assure we are doing things right. :)
ReplyDeleteI subscribed to your blog feeds earlier this week and love what I'm reading. I began the move to traditional foods at the beginning of the year. I'm now making kefir, and from that, whey and cream cheese that I can use in multiple recipes. I would love to learn more!!
ReplyDeletei'm a follower! I have heard so much about fermenting foods, especially on your site. I've always been WAY TOO SCARED to try but know how much my family would benefit from it. My family's health is SO important to me. I'd love to learn more:)
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to add more fermented food to my family's diet to promote our health, but haven't really done much fermenting before! I would love to learn more about how to do it!
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn more about fermenting. I've been trying to teach myself by researching online, but this course would be a great help!
ReplyDeleteI subscribe and I would love to take this class. I had a baby 3 months ago and since then I know things aren't right with my body and the way it is reacting, and I just feel like I need to pursue better health and natural healing methods vs. western medicine to help my problems. This would be a great help.
ReplyDeleteI am a newbie at fermenting so would love to win this class! I will be starting the GAPS diet soon and need to learn.
ReplyDeletei've followed for years. is there any question that i need this class? i'm totally clueless on this stuff but i REALLY want to start fermenting and culturing foods for my family because i know the benefits are awesome.
ReplyDeleteso please. pick me :)
I am a follower & would love to win this...we are starting GAPS this summer & although fermenting foods intrigues me, it also scares me...
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower, and want to say thanks for offering this great opportunity! I've recently begun revamping how my family eats. Tired of being dependent on grocery stores carrying the products I need in the quality that I want. I want to feed my family better, and improve the health of me and my husband, and keep our two boys healthy. The idea of making my own yogurt, my own fantastic sourdoughs, other condiments and pickled and fermented foods that I've only just recently begun thinking about... it's all wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI'M A FOLLOWER. I WOULD LOVE TO WIN THIS CLASS IVE LEARNED A BIT ON MY OWN, BUT WIYH 7 KIDS ITS HARD TO FIND TIME FOR RESEARCH.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing some of these things, but I have so much more to learn. I need to perfect my sourdough usage. I am anxious to try out my first kefir and kombucha. thanks so much fo this opportunity to win this class! :)
ReplyDeleteHeather