Fermentation is a means of preserving, of enhancing and shaping flavors, of breaking down and building up.  In breaking down - is the process of naturally existing bacteria permeating, evolving and 'composting' food in an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment.  After weeks to months of 'breaking down' we are left with a food containing more bioavailable nutrients.  The gut-loving bacteria present in fermented food aid in 'building up' our digestive health.  

Fermenting was a passion long before it was also our business.  The process, the flavors and the health benefits leave us looking at every food item for its 'fermentability'.  Are we coining a term here?!  

Every year we ferment a gallon or two of lemons to add to drinks, salads, dressings, grilled fish and roasted vegetables.  For those new to fermentation, it doesn't get any easier than this!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ferment Time: 2 weeks to months  

Ingredients: 
Lemons
Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt
Dechlorinated water (we use reverse osmosis water which removes much of the chlorine)

Equipment:
Sanitized jar with screw top lid or swing top (with gasket)
Pitcher or other that can hold at least 2 quarts of water
We find wide mouth canning jars work great for small batch ferments.  This batch of lemons was a gallon jar.  1/2 gallon and gallon jars with wide openings and tapered tops work great.

Sanitize your jar and lid in a bleach solution for a couple minutes and let dry.  

Mix 45 grams of salt per quart of water in a pitcher and stir to dissolve the salt.  

A gallon jar will hold 10-14 lemons depending on size.  
Wash and dry the lemons.  Cut both ends of the lemon off to the flesh then cut the lemon into quarters about 2/3 of the way down to the base (leaving them still fully connected).  Pack them in your sanitized container in layers, so they are snug side by side.
Orient your top layer of lemons so their is still 1-2 inches of headspace.  If you are using a straight sided jar and the lemons aren't snug, simply cut additional wedges of lemon to pack around until the top layer is tight and won't float to the surface.
Pour the salt brine over the lemons and mix more brine to cover your lemons, leaving about 1/2" - 1" of space from the water to the lid.

If you've an airlock lid setup use that.  It will take the added step of burping the lemons out of the equation, but is not necessary.  Place the lemons in a space where the temp is reasonably constant, kitchen counter or cupboard is just fine.  A catch tray (sheet pan or bowl) for particularly active batches isn't a bad idea either to eliminate the possibility of overflow.

You will start to see bubbles forming 2-3 days into the process.  Release a little of the trapped gas briefly every couple days or as need be, by slowly turning your lid until the bubbles slow or cease.  Much of the heavy fermenting happens in the first weeks.  You can leave the lemons for months to break down the bitter peel or simply move the lemons to the fridge when the 'active' stage is over.

The finished lemon is great sliced and added to fish, hummus or pureed into dressings.  We find ourselves often adding slices to sparkling water and tea.

Other lemon ferment additions that have been good:
Mint
Ginger
Chili Peppers

Hope you enjoy this one and feel free to share your love of fermented lemon!

The last year has been an unprecedented one for sure.  Many of you have spent a lot more time in the kitchen.  Sometimes making lists, shopping and prepping feels like more than a chore and at others it may even feel meditative.  In our house much depends on our mood, energy and what we've on hand less than what we have planned.  We like to get fancy on occasion, but generally the mission is to see how much flavor we can get out of simple/quick dishes.  We like sliding a bowl or plate of something new in front of our now 4 and 5 year olds to broaden pallets as well.

Most of us are feeling more and more like creatures of habits in our daily lives and in what we eat.  Minutes after waking I'm rummaging through the refrigerator.  Personally breakfast seems the most challenging meal as I tend to get stuck in a creative rut.  Well this oatmeal is quickly becoming one of the quick, savory, winter favorites!  

Savory Oatmeal
Prep Time: 15 minutes
4 Servings

4 cups steel cut oats
5 cups water (+/- 1/2 cup of water depending on how thick you like it)
sprinkle of salt (optional)

Toppings:
2oz Pangea Ferments Kimchi
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (crushed walnuts or peanuts are a great option too)
1/4 sliced avo
1 stem diced green onion
1 tsp chili sesame oil
sprinkle of ground pepper

Other great additions: 
Miso paste 
Natto
Tamari
Coconut Aminos

Enjoy friends and as always feel free to share your 'fermented dishes' with us!

Fermentation as a means of preservation, allows us to carry summers harvest into fall and winter.  Cucumber season always seems to us the shortest season, perhaps because we are so anxious to share our Spicy Sliced Pickles!

There are very few savory sandwiches that don't deserve these pickles, but this Cuban style sandwich was made for em'!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours

Ingredients:
2-3lb pork loin roast
1lb sliced ham
Mustard
Swiss cheese
16oz Pangea Ferments Spicy Sliced Pickles
French bread - we used a large rustic loaf
olive oil

Pork rub mix:
2tbsp ground mustard
2tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
10 garlic cloves finely minced

Directions:
Combine the ingredients for the pork rub mix and work around your roast.  Heat a skillet with 2 tbsp of olive oil and place your roast in the pan.  Sear each side for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic and spices brown/blacken.  Take the roast off the stove and place in a slow cooker.  Cover with water and on the low setting and let cook for 3-4hrs or until the internal temp reads 145deg.  Alternatively you can cover the loin in an oven safe pan with 1 cup of water at 225deg (approx 2hrs per lb).  The low and slow cooking gives you a tender pulled pork.  When finished, let rest for 30min and shred the pork with a fork.

Grilling the sandwich:  You can press this sandwich on on your bbq, a George Foreman grill or even in your fry pan.  The idea is simply to toast the outside. If you've a panini press you've the perfect tool for this sandwich.  Preheat what you've got.

Cut your loaf in half and layer in your mustard, pickles, swiss, ham and pulled pork.  Lightly butter the outside of the bread.  Press the sandwich onto your preheated tool for a minute on each side or until nice and toasty.  Turn off the heat and let the sandwich rest in the warm space covered for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

Farm fresh eggs are in abundance, which makes them an even tastier reason to add one to any grain or noodle dish.  These brined soft boiled eggs add an umami depth to the flavor of this yolky protein.   

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
8oz Pangea Ferments Kimchi Brine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1" ginger fine grated or minced in food processor
5 garlic cloves minced

Directions:
For soft boiled eggs:
Bring approx 6cups of water and 2 tbsp vinegar to a boil, add your eggs, cover and continue to boil for 7min.  Immediately remove eggs from water and place in container of ice water to halt cooking.

Brining:
Grate and/or mince the ginger and mix with kimchi brine and soy sauce.  Peel your eggs and place in a the brine mix.  Any sealed container that allows you to fully submerge your eggs will work.  Place the container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days.  Day 4 gives you the richest umami flavor and a creamier, less fluid yolk.  

Cold noodle soup can be a great way to keep it light, fresh and flavorful.  This soy milk noodle soup is known as Kongguksu 콩국수 and is a summertime favorite in Korea.  Our variation of this recipe adds a little more depth with an added umami element from the kimchi brine.  This also happens to be a great way to retain the probiotic goodness!  Keep it raw when you can.

We make plenty of time to ferment foods and occasionally plenty of time to prepare meals, but always look for ways to trim prep time down without sacrificing flavor.  Often the soy broth is made from the whole dried beans, but found using a pack of tofu to be just as tasty and saved us hours in the kitchen.   

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 16oz pack of tofu
 3 tofu packs full of cold water
4oz Pangea Ferments Kimchi Brine or reserve brine from Kimchi
4 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tbsp raw cane sugar (optional)
1 tsp sea salt

Toppings:
8 tsp toasted sesame seeds (1 tsp per bowl or as desired)
1 tomato cut into wedges
1 cucumber julienned
16oz Pangea Ferments Kimchi

8 packs ramen noodles (approx 2.5oz) - our pick: Lotus Foods Gluten Free Noodles

Directions:
​Blend all the ingredients together on high for 15 seconds or until a watery consistency and move to the fridge.

For soft boiled eggs:
Bring approx 6cups of water and 2 tbsp vinegar to a boil, add your eggs, cover and continue to boil for 7min.  Immediately remove eggs from water and place in container of ice water to halt cooking.

In a separate pot cook the noodles according to packaging.  Lotus Foods ramen takes about 4 minutes.

While bringing water to a boil prep your toppings.

When the noodles are fully cooked place them in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Place your noodles into bowls and fill with chilled soup just up to cover noodles.  
Add your eggs and toppings.  Enjoy!

SUPPORT
 
We are going into April with the word SUPPORT being the mantra, the need, the challenge for my family and our business during this chapter of 2020.  Indeed, the pandemic has brought about many unique challenges for all of our families.  With these challenges also comes an opportunity to grow together.
 
Never have we felt more privileged to be a part of this community that has worked hard to support one another through these uncertain times.  This epidemic is for most a first, and hopefully a last, but WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!  We’ve identified a few areas where our business can make an impact.
 
Supporting our local food economy
We’ve sourced over 90% of our vegetables from farms in the Skagit Valley thus far in 2020 and shall always work at maintaining relationships and supporting our local farmers. Many of your small farmers are working hard to find new and unique ways of connecting you with overwintered and spring vegetables.  I encourage all to find ways of supporting those same local farmers via your local Co-op or by signing up for a CSA.
 
Supporting our local businesses
Our local retailers have been amazing in their support; many going above and beyond to see that you’ve a safe place to shop when your shelves run dry and doing their utmost to see that theirs do not.  We continue to work with local food vendors and grocers to keep them stocked and you with access to our fermented foods.  When your supply runs dry and you find yourself making the next run to the grocer, do protect yourselves first.  We make deliveries wearing gloves and masks.   Your delivery drivers, stockers and cashiers shouldn’t feel they are on the front lines and will take care as they perform their duties.  YOU are the first line of defense!  Stay safe and appreciate!  That is, be sure to thank and tip (if you are able) all of those serving you.  I’m sure you will see that line on a bumper sticker soon;)
 
Supporting our customers
We’ve been running regular promotions through our grocers to see that you’ve access to the same probiotic rich foods at discounted prices.  We recognize that this is a financially stressful time and hope that these promotional prices make our products more accessible.  Find reduced pricing on select products throughout Whatcom County.  Feel free to reach out to us if you’ve questions about access to any of our regular and/or seasonal fermented foods.
info@pangeaferments.com
 
In addition, we’d recently dropped our online pricing.  You can now get a pack of four products shipped to your door for as little as 40$, anywhere in the US!  Have a friend whom loves fermented food or has a compromised immune system?  Share this page or ship em' some goods.
 
Supporting your gut biome
The business of fermenting food is certainly a means of preservation, but as a raw, unpasteurized and un-pickled (not a word;) food it retains all the nutrients of its original self plus has the added benefit of being probiotic.  This word is thrown around quite a bit, but for good reason and reasons of which are not foreign anymore.  Probiotic rich foods, among other things, are great for improving digestion and boosting immune function.  We encourage all to discover the flavors of fermented food and see how transformative adding these foods can be on your overall health!
 
Be well!

​Braeden

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Makes approx 4 12oz drinks

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
4 sprigs of parsley
2inch piece of ginger
4oz Pangea Ferments kimchi brine
2 tbs coconut aminos
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried sage
garnishes: 
celery stalk
Pangea Ferments Spicy Brussels
kale stem
whatever you’ve on hand
Also try with a
splash of hotsauce
splash of lemon juice
Endless ways to do this one up, but this one was refreshing and opened up the sinuses!  The ginger and pepper add a decent bite, so add the amount of ginger juice after to control the heat.  In ours we added a splash of locally made hot sauce to finish it off.  
Directions:
Juice the tomatoes, celery, carrots, ginger and parsley. 
Add your kimchi brine, coconut aminos, ground pepper and garlic powder. 
Grind or rub the sage into fine pieces and add to mix.

Chill for 3-4 hours or add ice.
Add your favorite garnishes.

Recognizing that not everyone has a juicer, a high speed blender can work also.  To keep a smooth drink, forgo the carrots and celery.  Instead add celery seed to the blender, peel the tomatoes and blend with the wet ingredients.   Grate the ginger with a fine grater and simply wring out the juice.

Enjoy!

https://www.pangeaferments.com/store/p22/brine4pack.html​

This quick and easy gluten-free stuffing is gonna leave you wanting it more often than that one family get together!  The addition of kraut adds a subtle sour flavor, a little crunch and a dose of probiotic goodness.
​ 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Makes 5-6 servings

Ingredients:
·      1 loaf of gluten-free sliced bread 
·      3 tablespoons olive oil
·      1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
·      3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
·      1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 
·      1 teaspoon ground sage
·      1 teaspoon rosemary
·      1 teaspoon salt 
·      1 cup veggie broth (or more as needed)
·      ½ cup minced Pangea Ferments Traditional or Three Seed Sauerkraut

Recipe
1.   Toast bread in a toaster or quickly under broiler.  Cube into pieces and set aside.
2.   In a skillet under medium heat add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and celery and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
3.   Stir in thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
4.   Add bread cubes and mix until evenly coated.
5.   Slowly pour broth over bread, reduce heat to low and cover for 10 minutes.
6.   Just before serving mince sauerkraut and stir into stuffing 

We love fall in the PNW!  Fall hiking, changing colors, cool crisp air and cabbage!  It does happen to be our busiest time of year, which is why this simple appetizer is a win.  There is still a huge bounty to be found at local farmers markets, so this can be a great way to showcase and have fun with all that is still local or just chop up whatever you might have on hand.  

Prep Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Makes 3-4 servings 

Ingredients:
Pangea Ferments Curtido Sauerkraut chopped, Garlic Dill Sauerkraut chopped and Kimchi
1 avocado sliced
1/2 red onion thin sliced and pickled in 1/2 apple cider vinegar, 1/2 white
1-2 roasted sweet peppers sliced
1 slicing cucumber
1 cup Cashew Cream Sauce or Farmers Cheese

Cashew Cream Sauce:

• 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water 2-3 hours
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard

Recipe

1. Drain cashews and puree all ingredients in blender until smooth.  Add a tad more water if needed.  Makes approx 1 1/2 cups.  It will thicken slightly under refrigeration.
2. Heat oven to 350deg.  Slice baguette and brush with olive oil.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 15min or until lightly toasted.
3. Roast peppers or any other veg you've on hand
4. Evenly spread your cashew cream sauce on toasted slices and top in any order you'd like.
5. Enjoy!