I don't remember what first triggered me to make my own sauerkraut. I didn't even eat the stuff at the time, and it was years before I was level 19 concerned with gut health. But whatever the source of the fermentation inspiration, I was going to make this thing happen.
You Say Condiment, I Say Ferment
Until relatively recently, when refrigeration stepped in and simplified our worlds and before canning put our foods in suspended animation, we relied on ferments to preserve nearly everything. Vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, and grains all have traditional methods of preservation, unique to each corner of the globe, that rely on a combination of time and microbes. The resulting product has a depth of flavor and an array of health benefits not found in the original food.