Dear friends, here we are in deep winter slumber, hopefully embracing slowness and the silence that comes with this season. It is so quiet here, everything under a blanket of snow, and I feel like I can let out a deep sigh. It feels so good to rest, and really take the time to honour the inner stillness that is reflected everywhere in the world around me. Because, before we know it, the days will lengthen and the snow will melt to water the rebirth. There is always something happening, something stirring, even underneath many feet of snow where it looks like there is no life at all.
The same can be said for a ferment… a seemingly inert jar of ingredients sitting in what appears to be stillness, is actually a cauldron of quiet activity. Bacteria and yeasts creating colonies of life; transforming sugars, breaking down fibres, converting non-digestible compounds into ones that our body can receive and utilize. It's a miraculous process that feels very much like the birth of a new year (which, in my mind, happens in the spring!). And this is why I thought sharing a sauerkraut recipe would be the perfect thing in this moment. A way that we can connect to this present point in the yearly calendar, and also the future of burgeoning life.
I developed the recipe below especially for the cooking class I taught at Goop, about a year ago. Everyone in the class loved it, but Gwyneth especially - and so it has become "GP's favourite" Purple Ginger Sauerkraut in my household - what can I say - the woman has exceptional taste! So I hope you're as "obsessed" as she is, and that you find it easy enough to fold into your monthly repertoire. I like to make a jar every few weeks to ensure that I always have a homemade ferment on hand to complement all of my meals. This one, due to the ginger, is less neutral than other versions, but I like the distinct spiciness of this addition, and it's particularly delicious with sesame-spiked dishes, mushrooms, lemongrass, lime, and chilies. If these are ingredients you work with regularly, then this sauerkraut will be a welcome flavour blessing.
If you're intimated to make this or any ferment on your own, you can check out the recording of the live class that I gave on
Grow. If you're not already a member, you can
sign up here!
I hope that wherever you are, you can connect to the slower pace that this very special time deep winter offers us. I know it's difficult when it seems the world is perpetually and frantically buzzing around us, but it is up to us as individuals to set the stride, and live the example we wish to see.
Big love to each and every one of you,
Sarah B
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