Farmstead Ferments

We’re so excited to continually expand our market to include some of the best locally crafted artisan products we’ve tasted. In the case of Farmstead Ferments (FF), based in Charlottesville, it was love at first taste.

Fermenting foods is one of the oldest methods of food preservation and is still quite pervasive in other cultures (with pickles and sauerkraut being two of the commonly fermented foods here in the U.S.) Fermented foods are foods that have been transformed by yeasts, bacteria, and fungi. Dawn at FF admits that this might sound a little gross, but says the key to a successful fermentation is to create the proper environmental conditions that encourage good bacteria to grow and proliferate but where bad bacteria can’t survive. While bacteria has gotten a bit of a bad reputation, good bacteria (and the vast majority of bacteria) is crucial for overall health, especially when it comes to digestion.

Farmstead Ferment’s products begin with fresh local crops, most of which they grow themselves. Anything they don’t grow they source from neighboring local farms – talk about supporting local through and through right? Then, they shred the vegetables, massage them, and let them sit in their own brine and salt until they’re properly fermented. That means the end product is full of good bacteria, aka probiotics, and incredibly safe and healthy. So far, we have featured Farmstead Ferment’s Winter Roots Kraut, Thai Chili Lemongrass Kraut, Kimchi, and water kefir soda, but they make all sorts of seasonal ferments that you can look forward to on upcoming menus!If you’re not a fan of traditional store bought sauerkraut, prepare to be converted! Farmstead Ferments takes traditional fermenting techniques, local food, and seasonal flavors to create authentic krauts that are incredibly versatile in the kitchen. While most folks think that they need to plan a bratwurst night when they order kraut, Dawn insists that it’s much more versatile than that! She eats her products on everything from salads, to eggs, to meat in the slow cooker. “Just put it on the plate” she insists! Dawn feels so rewarded when she hears about how much folks love her products, and she can’t wait for Seasonal Roots customers to have access to her products. Let us know what you think!