Cooking culture: tangy, tasty, and teeming with health benefits, fermented foods are the new stars of a wholesome diet - Healthy Appetites

Yogurt can be made by heating milk and then adding a "starter," which is a quarter-cup of cultured yogurt that contains live bacteria. Once heated, the bacteria "wake up" in the warm environment and begin multiplying rapidly as they digest the milk sugar. For those who don't like milk, Gates invented a kefir drink with cultured coconut juice, made from the sweet water of young white coconuts and a starter that her company manufactures.

Freshly made kefir does have a sour taste that may take some getting used to. Some fermented-food enthusiasts recommend tempering the tang with fruit in a smoothie.

For those who are worried that they might end up propagating unhealthy bacteria, Gates says that safe cultured veggies are bright in color, and they taste tart and juicy.

Yogurt and sauerkraut are generally quite safe to make at home as long as they are made according to research-based recipes, says Brian Nummer, Ph.D., project coordinator of the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia in Athens. "Heating milk to a high temperature will destroy any bad bacteria," says Nummer, "and the milk won't turn into yogurt until the healthy bacteria have produced enough acid to coagulate the milk." The center provides precise directions at a university-sponsored URL: uga.edu/nchfp/how/can6a_ferment.html.

"Human beings have recognized the magic and power of fermentation for as long as we've been human" says Katz. "I just love the taste of these foods, but the best thing is that eating them is an incredibly healthy practice."

cultured cabbage salad with tarragon kefir dressing

This recipe combines three fermented elements in one bowl. It isn't necessary to add the starter culture, but Gates recommends it to ensure that your vegetables begin fermenting with a hardy strain of healthy bacteria. Plan ahead: The salad takes at least four days to make.

Serves 4

CULTURED CABBAGE
1 large or 2 small heads red cabbage,
  cored
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and
  cut into pieces
2 beets, peeled and cut into pieces
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 packet culture starter (optional)

1. Remove 4 outer leaves from each head of cabbage; wash, dry, and set aside for step 8.

2. Rinse remaining cabbage, apple and beets under cold water and drain.

3. Shred the cabbage, apple and beets in 2 batches in a food processor. Transfer the shredded mixture to a large bowl.

4. Place 3 to 4 cups of this shredded mixture into a blender.

5. Add 2 cups or more of filtered water and blend well to make a "brine" that's the consistency of a thick vegetable juice. (For added safety, boil and cool the brine at this point.) If using culture starter, add it to the brine before returning the mixture to the bowl of apple and vegetables.

6. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

7. Pack the mixture in a 2-quart glass jar that has been washed in hot, sudsy water and rinsed in very hot water. Use your fist, a wooden dowel or a potato masher to pack the mixture tightly into the jar, so that the rim of the jar is 4 to 5 inches above the cabbage and the brine covers the cabbage by at least 2 inches.