What does ‘Brassica&Brine’ mean?
What is a ‘living food’?
What is lacto-fermentation?
Is lacto-fermentation safe?
Why does your product have to be refrigerated?
How am I supposed to eat this stuff? What do I eat it with?
Will I like it if I don’t usually like pickles/sauerkraut?
What kind of live cultures are in your products?
Are your products vegan?
Are your products organic?
Are your products kosher?
Why isn’t “water” listed as an ingredient in your sauerkraut?
I ate a good helping of your product and it made my stomach uncomfortable… and I thought it was supposed to aid digestion, not disrupt it?
What does ‘Brassica & Brine’ mean?
‘Brassica’ is the Latin name for cabbage (specifically Brassica Oleracea and Brassica Rapa) and ‘Brine’ refers to the salty liquid in which sauerkraut ferments. Therefore, ‘Brassica & Brine’ is like a fancy way of describing sauerkraut. Traditional sauerkraut was the food which first drew Brassica & Brine founder Uri Laio into the world of lacto-fermentation and inspired the creation of this company.
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What is a ‘living food’?
‘Living food’ means that our foods are teeming with beneficial microorganisms. Familiar foods made through the action of microorganisms are yogurt, kefir, kombucha, tempeh, miso, and vinegar. These microorganisms are part of a healthy digestive system. They help us digest food, absorb nutrients, and generally boost the body’s functionality.
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What is lacto-fermentation?
Lacto-fermentation is the process by which lactic acid bacteria metabolize vegetable sugars and create lactic acid and carbon dioxide. The process is completely vegan and should not be confused with the word “lactose,” which refers to milk sugar. Since our vegetable products are vegan, they are safe for those with milk allergies to consume.
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Is lacto-fermentation safe?
From an article published in the SF Gate:
“U.S Department of Agriculture research service microbiologist Fred Breidt says properly fermented vegetables are actually safer than raw vegetables, which might have been exposed to pathogens like E. coli on the farm. ¶ ‘With fermented products there is no safety concern. I can flat-out say that. The reason is the lactic acid bacteria that carry out the fermentation are the world’s best killers of other bacteria,’ says Breidt, who works at a lab at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, where scientists have been studying fermented and other pickled foods since the 1930s. ¶ Breidt adds that fermented vegetables, for which there are no documented cases of food-borne illness, are safer for novices to make than canned vegetables.” Link to full article here.
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Why does your product have to be refrigerated?
Since our products are actually teeming with beneficial microorganisms, they will continue to ferment after you take them home. However, at low temperatures (like those inside a refrigerator) this continued fermentation is slowed down to the point that it will have little effect.
However, if left at room temperature or above, our products will continue to ferment and the flavor may eventually change. Therefore we recommend keeping them refrigerated.
How am I supposed to eat this stuff? What do I eat it with?
Living foods like sauerkraut and kimchi are an integral part of food cultures the world over. In those cultures, these foods are served as side dishes with most meals, or added in as ingredients. Don’t hesitate to add some to your salads, soups, and of course they go great with sausages and hamburgers. But really, they are versatile and you can maximize their health-giving properties by including a little bit in each meal.
Will I like it if I don’t usually like pickles/sauerkraut?
It’s possible that you’ve never tasted real pickles or sauerkraut in your life since what is sold in most markets is pasteurized or sterilized. All of our products are actually teeming with beneficial microorganisms. You won’t find a similar flavor at your supermarket. Trust us, it is worth a try.
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What kind of live cultures are in your products?
All of our vegetable ferments are wild-cultured which means we do not add any starter culture. This traditional method, also called spontaneous fermentation, relies on the lactic acid bacteria already present on the surface of vegetables.
As lactic acid bacteria metabolize the vegetable sugars, they produce lactic acid which is what gives fermented pickles their characteristic flavor. This should not be confused with the milk sugar lactose.
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Are your products vegan?
Yes, all of our products are vegan except for the raw, unfiltered 100% treatment-free honey we occasionally sell and use in some of our kombuchas. Other than that, we use no animal products in any of our ferments. What you see on the ingredients panel is what you get.
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Are your products organic?
Yes, our products (including sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha) are certified organic by CCOF. We also try to incorporate locally wild-harvested ingredients when possible.
Are your products kosher?
Yes, our products are certified kosher-pareve (see our Certificate of Certification here) by Rabbi Binyomin Lisbon of KSA and we have a shomer shabbos staff member overseeing all operations.
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Why isn’t “water” listed as an ingredient in your sauerkrauts?
We do not add any water to make the brine in our sauerkrauts–rather, the liquid is drawn out from the vegetables themselves. This method requires exacting care to the fermentation process and packing but produces what we consider a superior product. Because growing conditions fluctuate throughout the year, some batches produce more brine than others. This is normal when working with seasonal supplies of produce.
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I ate a good helping of your product and it made my stomach uncomfortable… I thought it was supposed to aid digestion, not disrupt it?
Some people’s digestive systems are so bacteria-poor that they receive a detoxifying shock when first exposed to bacteria-rich foods. If your diet is usually lacking in live-culture foods, then live culture fermented foods should be introduced to your diet gradually.
Start out with one teaspoon per day, then after a few days try two teaspoons. In no time your digestive system will be well-equipped and stronger than ever.
For maximum benefit, it is best to eat a little bit of live-culture foods with each meal throughout the day rather than one large helping on its own, although one large helping doesn’t hurt, and many of our customers have told us they like to eat forkfuls of their sauerkraut or kimchi right out of the jar.
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