Where have we been all this time? Summer has come and gone.By now our gardens have been put to bed and we are slowly processing all of the fall produce. We are filling our crocks with the cabbage, greens and root vegetables that have been waiting patiently in cold storage.

Earlier in the season, our harvests waxed and waned. Some weeks were bountiful, others less so. When we have a meagre harvest (one good example is the obligatory thinning of beets and carrots, pulling small roots out of the ground that are often cast to the side). Rather than compost these precious little veggies we prefer to clean and pack them into jars, topping it off with brine (1 tbsp sea salt per litre of dechlorinated water {ie. boiled and let cool or water from the tap left out for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate} stirred to dissolve). We leave these jars on the counter for a week or so, keeping our eyes on them to ensure rogue veggies do not rise to the top and get exposed to air and ensuring that it doesn't bubble over causing a slippery mess. Then we transfer to cold storage (most likely a fridge), let those flavours build and add a dash of this tasty liquid to soups, stirfries, cooked greens, you name it! Be sure that whatever you add it to isn't hotter than body temperature (use your finger to check) so you don't kill those precious enzymes and beneficial bacteria.

selling our wares at rainbow trout music festival in August {my pet SCOBY, DIY kraut kits and prints, oh my!}