edible Marin and Wine Country Winter 2010 : Page 29
creates omega-3 fatty acids, and nattokinase , an enzyme that results from soybeans being fermented with Bacillus natto , prevents blood clots. In Northern California today, there are numerous practi-tioners of fermentation who are bringing new life and new tastes to ancient foods. From tea and cabbage to soybeans and soda, the art and craft of fermentation is alive and well in our area. These foods are, by their nature, small batch, handcrafted, and artisan. Minami Satoh, who started Japan Traditional Foods (www. meguminatto.com) in Sebastopol in 2006, uses modern equipment to replicate the traditionally home-based fer-mentation process. To produce natto, which, like miso, its culinary cousin, was an historically significant food that provided sustenance to feudal Japan, organic soybeans are soaked in water overnight, and then placed in portion-sized, porous containers. These containers keep moisture in but allow the beans to still “breathe.” Next, the beans are steamed in a controlled “sauna” together with a bacterium found in hay straw, Bacillus natto. According to Satoh, in ancient Japan natto was traditionally made in winter (but eaten year round) and the beans would be buried with straw under the snow. Properly fermented, Satoh says natto is “edible forever.” Freshly made natto has a mild, earthy flavor. The longer it ferments, the stronger the flavor and the more nattokinase present. Nattokinase look like sticky strings attached to the shiny, fermented beans. These strings pack a powerful enzy-matic punch but their stretchy character creates a culinary challenge—the diner must wrap the strings around their chopsticks or fork while keeping the beans aloft. Food that is good for you is also dinner table entertainment. Sauerkraut, a heritage food from central Europe, is best known in the United States for its German roots. Kathryn Lukas, owner of Farmhouse Culture (www.farmhouseculture.com) in Santa Cruz, came to fermented foods after years of being a chef in Germany. It was there that she tasted her first “real” sauerkraut. “Every region of Germany has its own sauerkraut flavor,” she said. Lukas ferments five varieties of sauerkraut and sources her organic green cabbage from Jeff Larkey of Route One Farm in Santa Cruz. Lactic acid is naturally present on cabbage when it comes in from the field, forming bacteria that look like a dusting of powder. When the cabbage is bathed in brine, the first step in lactic acid fermentation, the “bad bacteria” such as Clos-tridium botulinum cannot survive, but the “good” bacteria thrive. Lukas ferments her krauts for three weeks at 64° F. before offering them for sale. “It is not until the third week that the fun bacteria develop,” she said. Those “fun” bacte-ria, Lactobacillus plantarum , give the ferment its sour flavor. The longer the ferment, the more sour the flavor and the higher the enzyme levels. When properly preserved, fer-mented sauerkraut is edible for a year or more. At Wild West Ferments (www.wildwestferments.com) in Point Reyes Station, Maggie Levinger and Luke Regalbuto (pictured below) ferment the way their company’s name implies— wildly. Wild-fermented foods pick up the yeasts that naturally float all around us. “Once the cabbage is shredded and salt is added, we hand massage the kraut to help pull out the juices,” said Levinger. “We pack the cabbage into a crock, weight it down so the solids are below the brine level to prevent any nasty mold from developing, but allow the ferment to breathe by covering it with a natural fabric cloth,” Regalbuto instructs. The cloth allows the airborne yeast to land on the brine, interacting with the lactic-acid forming bacteria to begin the fermentation process. Wild fermentation takes time but it is worth the wait. “Most sauerkraut you see in the store is made with distilled vinegar, a by-product of industrial food,” Levinger said. “It is simpler to make and more predictable but less healthful.” Regardless of the season, some foods just ferment more quickly than others. “Plums ferment quickly while huckle-berries go more slowly,” Levinger said, and it can depend on the yeast of the day, the season, the level of humidity in the air. Wild West’s Smreka , a fermented juniper berry beverage native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, “just hangs out for 30 Photo: Robin Carpenter EDIBLE MARIN & WINE COUNTRY WINTER 2010 | 29
Publication List
