I’m a farmers’ market ho. I feel like I hit up different veggie stands nearly every day of the week thanks to the explosion of local farmers markets in this town. Of course, all my trolipping around (or should I say turniping) will soon be coming to an abrupt end by month’s end. Every year I plan to make the most of the harvest by pickling and canning my heart out, but, well, I never get around to it. Sorry, it’s just the truth. That’s why I was so pumped to take a food preserving class over at Evergreen Brickworks Chef Series. Figured it would be give me a shot of inspiration – and holy bok choy, did it ever. You can read all about my new found crush on lacto-fermentation in the latest Ecoholic column.

Gotta say my kitchen has definitely come alive with some funky, gaseous aromas in the process, but it’s so worth it. Though my partner and I have been trying to figure out whether our fermented cauliflower now falls into the category of good stink versus bad stink. Still not sure. The Sharkey chefs from Ursa (my Brickworks teachers) told me if it smells bad then start again, but I’m having trouble trusting my “animal instincts” on this one. Okay fine, my animal instincts tell me I screwed that one up, but I’m feeling too guilty to toss it! My ‘pickled’ eggs and Indian carrots, on the other hand, are pretty tasty, though I might do a little tweaking next around. If you’ve got some recipe suggestions, please share!

Also in this issue, my guide to veggie washes – do you need them? Are they worth it? When should you use them? That and Girl Guide’s GMO cookies. Find out all the dirty deets here.

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