In midlife I happened on cooking as a hobby and eventually I went all in. I began a journey into the delicious science of fermentation that led me to teaching cooking and sharing home meals with an ever curious crowd in the 80’s.

I happened on a Japanese based diet called macrobiotics—a cooking style of mostly vegetables, rice, and fermented foods that was proving effective for people suffering modern day illnesses. Eventually I began to extrapolate this diet to a more Western style and created a cooking school. For over 30 years I shared experiences in both cooking and raising a small garden full of herbs, greens, and produce in a common suburban plot in Central Florida.

One of the foods I discovered transcended this macrobiotic diet and is now seen as a keystone component in many world diets. Fermented foods and beverages are served in most meals of these long-lived people . I was intrigued that food teeming with microbes could be a value other than their funky deliciousness. I also was intrigued by the longevity of peoples that shared this common link with probiotic-rich foods.

What an adventure! I began making sauerkraut, beer, and sourdough bread. After getting iffy results with my kraut making I hatched an idea for sealing small amounts of veggies in canning jars. In 1992 I perfected a home fermentation kit that could easily make lacto-fermented “pickles.” I called it the Perfect Pickler and eventually sold over $1,500,000 of them on all continents [except Antarctica].

Along the way I got to meet and collaborate with some of the key leaders in holistic cuisines. Dr. Andrew Weil, a leader in integrative medicine, has been a ferment friend for over 17 years. Paul Stamets, of Fungi Perfecti, a master of mycology, found the Perfect Pickler made exceptional mushroom ferments.

I have since sold the business and continue to do some lecturing while transcribing decades of notes and publications onto this site. I have so many exciting ways to share my odyssey with you.

I hope you continue reading and find the amazing benefits of home fermenting.

What I can guarantee— to become a home fermentor, you will add a simple skill in the cooking arts that will produce delicious foods—and build upon your digestive core

Begin YourJourney Here with These Charts

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© 2024 B. Hettig