Enjoy the health benefits of fermented foods
Canadian farmers’ markets are showcasing the season’s beautiful bounty, so kitchen MacGyvers can have fun fermenting.
Over the past two years, home cooks have become obsessed with making sourdough. Take your newfound knowledge of microbial science from the banneton basket to fermentation of jar. Fermented products like pickles, kimchi and sauerkraut are known for contributing to gut health.
The award-winning Noma Guide to Fermentation, published by the Copenhagen restaurant voted number one on Pellegrino’s annual 50 Best Restaurants list by a on panel of more than 1,000 gastronomes, offers plenty of gourmet recipes to get you started. (amazon.ca)
Fermentation kits can be purchased at nellacutlery.ca, Amazon and local D IY beer shops.
Homemade butter
We’re smack dab in a nostalgic foodie renaissance, with some of the world’s top with food influencers sharing videos that showcase pioneer food-prep how-tos.
Kilner’s Butter Churner lets you make creamy butter at home: Just put cream into the jar churner and turn the handle for about 10 minutes. the A lot easier than in the old days!
Available at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond or online at Amazon.
Canada’s edible bounty
Canadian cookbook author Blanche Pownall Garrett celebrates the joy of foraging in your own backyard with A Taste of the Wild, with 160 recipes for drinks, mains, desserts and more using 40 commonly foraged plants that can be plucked from coast to coast. The book is organized by season and features multiple recipes for each edible plant, with a handy section of useful info about where to find them. It even comes with full-colour photography to help you identify what to you’re foraging for. Available at chapters.indigo.ca.
Sustainable kitchen tools
Cuisinart’s six-piece Oceanware Collection is crafted from recycled ghost fishing nets pulled from the Pacific Ocean. The durable, eco-friendly teal-coloured tools come with nylon heads that can resist heat up to 420°F (215°C). You can use them on nonstick cookware and they’re dishwasher safe.
Available at your favourite kitchen supply or department store, or online at cuisinart.ca.
A healthy dose of fresh flavour
Acid League, founded by an eclectic group of personalities including food scientists, a serial entrepreneur and a wine and sake expert, is a one-of-a-kind pioneer in acid-driven food and drinks. Using ingredients like coffee, bourbon, cantaloupe juice, saffron, fresh strawberries and kombu, the Living Pantry collection is transforming pantries with unique, flavour-forward living vinegars, vinaigrettes, hot sauces and condiments.
Available online at acidleague.com and gourmet grocers.