Lemons are in The Brine in New Hampshire & a 9000 Year Artisan Tradition is Back

WANT A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT

Ok.  when did human kind first start fermenting?  Most anthropologists agree it is about 9000 years or so ago.  Don't quote us, but that is a rather long time.

Preserved lemon, Salted Lemon or lemon pickle are the names for a condiment that is common in Indian and North African cuisine.  [IT HAS NO VINEGAR ADDED HOWEVER AND IS MADE ENTIRELY FROM AN ANCIENT PROCESS CALL LACTO-FERMENTATION].  It is also known as "country lemon" and leems.   Diced, quartered, halved, or whole, lemons are pickled in a brine of water, lemon juice, and salt; occasionally spices are included as well.^[1]   The lacto-fermented pickle is allowed to ferment at room temperature for weeks or months before it is used.  The pulp of the preserved lemon can be used in stews and sauces, but it is the peel (zest and pith together) that is most valued.  The flavor is mildly tart but intensely lemony.

There are many recIpes at our Pinterest site to the right where you can find many ways to use salted lemons.  Yes you can use salted lemons in tequila and vodka mixed drinks and the effect is from another dimension.  Check out our Pinterest site for updates on the various uses of salted lemons ... and more on their use in our cultural history.

Chef Dennis Pitchford says they a jar of Salted Lemons is the perfect holiday gift.  The flavor and texture of preserved lemons are unique and cannot be replicated with other ingredients.  They can be added to soups, stews and salads to give familiar dishes new life.  Preserved Lemons make a lovely and practical holiday gift for the food lover on your list. Chef Dennis Pitchford shows you how to do it, step by step.  LINK 

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1.  Herbst, Sharon. Food Lover's Companion (3rd ed), pg 492, Barron's Educational Series Inc.

Host a Fall Harvest Fermentation Party at Your Home

As a part of an on-going outreach into the Lakes Region, we are continually reinventing ways to share Lacto-Fermentation and its Benefits with the Community.  Food is a communal experience.  Modern marketing gurus call food lovers a tribe, particularly when they share a common interest like healthy eating and lacto-fermentation.

It’s worked in other communities in the country.  We came up with our own idea of Fermentation Events in your home where we teach a bit and then help you and your guests to learn how to take cabbage and fruits and make kimchis.  We use only local ingredients, promote local farms and CSAs and local stores where you can obtain future ingredients.  We have a number of ways these events can take place in the afternoons and evenings.  And we will bring some of our outstanding kimchis to the event which you can pair with other foods and beverages which you serve your guests.

The latest culinary fad: Wild Foraging

The Latest Culinary Fad: Wild Foraging

In her discussion of the recently published cookbooks of super chefs René Redzepi of NOMA (Copenhagen) and Daniel Patterson of Coi (San Francisco), science journalist Emma Marris describes how they, and a few other jet-setting local foragers, have taken SOLE (Sustainable, Organic, Local and Ethical) food to a ‘wilder, weirder and more tech-savvy’ level.

Needless to say, Redzepi and Patterson are nothing short of ‘heroes’ to (usually highly educated and affluent) activists and writers who advocate a carbon-fuel and processed-food detoxification diet, along with the development of self-reliant communities that will break the industrial ‘food chains’ which shackle the consumer.  Read rest of article