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News & Notes GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 BY MICAH CHEEK Fall is fermenting season, and that means pickled peppers, crunchy cucumbers and sublime sauerkraut. Focuses on healthy eating and probiotics have made fermen- tation a popular option for preserving produce. The process of vegetable fer- mentation, commonly done by encourag- ing natural lactic acid bacteria growth in salt water, is new territory for many home cooks."Ninety nine percent of the people have a positive attitude and interest, but are clueless about these modern types of fermenting," says Bill Hettig, Founder and CEO of The Perfect Pickler. This renewed interest has created a group of customers interested in making their own ferments. "I notice that [the trend] tends to get people to think more about vegetables that are healthy in general. It helps explain the kimchi phenomenon," says Dan Rosenberg, Founder of Real Pick- les. "Cabbage is known to be a high nutri- ent vegetable. So I think that kind of helps people flock more to fermented vegeta- bles." One of the big things that deter potential first time fermenters is the prospect of growing bacteria on the kitchen table. "A lot of it is emphasizing how simple the process is," says Rosenberg. The keys to a successful fermentation are adding the right amount of salt, sealing air out and maintaining temperature. These factors will keep homemade pickles from turning into a moldy mess. Bill Hettig, CEO and Founder of The Perfect Pickler, created the Perfect Pickler to simplify this process by creating a jar with an airlock system to keep all air out. Hettig says, "It's pressurized so that when it's sealed so there's no opportunity for yeast and mold to be activated, which is a com- mon thing that happens with the Old World crock process." Vegetable fermenta- tion is accomplished by encouraging anaer- obic bacteria, and removing air also limits the ability of aerobic bacteria to take over and spoil the food. An essential part of home fermenting is education. Making food without pasteuriza- tion or preservatives is an appealing prospect, but comes with some risks. If per- formed incorrectly, fermented pickles can spoil or rot. In a paper called "The Future of Fermented Foods," author C.W. Hesseltine says "Without some knowledge of microbi- ology, disaster is just around the corner." To alleviate these fears, consumers need a source of information. Eileen Leverentz, owner of Leener's, an Ohio company that produces kits for home fermenting food and drink, says that retailers can be an im- portant source of knowledge. "The biggest thing is educa- tion and know- ing your product," she says. "If some- one comes in and you know your product, you're going to be able to tell them in the simplest terms what it is, and how long it will take to make it." Demon- strations have proven to be a great way to get people started. The Perfect Pickler has been demonstrated in conjunction with Wegmans Food Market vegetables. "We're able to make sauerkraut out of their pre- washed, precut cabbage. We were able to pickle hydroponic cucumbers. In the cen- ter we put garlic pickling spice and dill; it looks like it was made for the kit," says Hettig. Rosenberg has used demonstrations and classes to promote fermented foods in his community. "I think one of the most excit- ing aspects of the fermenting trend is how it connects to the eating local trend," he says. Local food enthusiasts can use the process to preserve local produce for the winter, to reduce their purchases of out-of- season vegetables. Customized seasonings can add a whole new dimension to fermented foods. The classic spice combination for pickles is mustard seed, dill, coriander and bay leaf, but these flavors can be expanded upon. A currently popular flavor, ginger, works ex- tremely well with pickling. "I would say ginger is a particularly popular ingredient," says Rosenberg. The current trend of spicy, bold flavors works very well with kimchi as well. A traditional kimchi spice, gochugaru, can be used in many other pickling recipes for a striking chili flavor and color. "Gochugaru is especially rele- vant, because you usually have to go to an Asian store to purchase, when all the pro- duce is common to gourmet and supermar- kets, which is not always convenient. This chili is milder than jalapeño, and can actu- ally be used in place of many dried varieties," says Hettig. "It's not ex- pensive, but will add gravitas to the stores who are marketing veg- etable fermenting kits." Even products with natural antibiotic prop- erties, such as cinna- mon and garlic, can be added to the recipe without harming the bacteria that ferment the vegetables. "Lactic acid fermentation is an amazing process, in how robust it is. It's amazing how much the fermentation can work through that," says Rosenberg. Some vegetables, such as garlic and onions, do not host much lactic acid bacteria on their own, but can be fermented well as long as other high bacteria products such as cucumbers are added. Many companies suggest starting a fer- mentation project with a quart Mason jar. This limits initial investment, and lets you take a taste of fermented foods without making a large batch. Eating a gallon of pickles is a daunting prospect if it turns out with a flavor you don't enjoy. "We do a quart of this, a pint of that, so you don't have a whole bushel to go through," says Hettig. With proper preparation, consumers can enjoy homemade pickles of all kinds, using ingredients they trust. Rosenberg adds, "It's a new and exciting way to eat local food. It's traditional, but it's coming back to people." GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN Cathy Strange, Global Cheese Buyer for Whole Foods Market, was presented with the American Cheese Society's Lifetime Achievement Award on July 30. This award was created to honor individuals who have made a lasting impact on the American cheese industry. Past winners have included Ig Vella, Daphne Zepos, Steve Jenkins and Ari Weinzweig. "The person at Whole Foods who has not just supported cheese but made it her passion to bring it to the public is Cathy Strange. What Cathy has done and continues to do includes not just global cheese-buying duties, but a worldwide effort to provide her customers with the finest specialty foods available, fighting for right to choose raw milk cheeses, supporting re- gional small producers with a high-profile venue for them. Her reach and influence is impossible to exaggerate. We applaud her visionary advocacy and championship for good, safe and delicious food," said Peggy Smith, who presented the award on behalf of the society. GN Getting Familiar with Fermenting Cathy Strange Awarded for Lifetime Achievement BRIEFS Newly Published Spices and Salt Prints Now Available A new series of six prints illustrating the spices and salts of five regional cuisines is now available through MondoFood.com. Designed by Chef and Spice Master Tim Ziegler and Tea King Brian Keating in partnership with American Image Publishing, these colorful 1-foot by 3- feet wall prints are an expansion of the duo's popular SPICES print (published in 2002, 2012), currently used in restaurant kitchens and culinary schools around the world. Steve Millard Named CEO of Best Cheese Best Cheese Corporation, importer and distributor of Dutch cheese brands and owner of Artisanal Coach Farm has named Steve Millard as its next CEO, succeeding Steve Margarites, effective August 12, 2015. Best Cheese Corporation is a full subsidiary of Uniekaas Beheer B.V. based in the Netherlands. Best Cheese Corporation markets and sells cheese and dairy products under brand names as Parrano, Uniekaas, Coach Farm and Melkbus. Best Cheese Corporation is based in Purchase, New York and operates an artisanal goat farm in Hudson Valley, New York. Millard brings more than 15 years of strategic leadership, brand development and key account management experience in the dairy industry. He most recently served as Vice President of Sales at Alouette, a division of France based Groupe Bongrain. Snap Kitchen Prepares for Further Expansion Snap Kitchen, an Austin, Texas-based retailer that provides freshly prepared, healthy takeaway meals, has named David Kirchhoff as Chief Executive Officer. The company has also raised $22 million in new capital from existing investors Catterton and Co-founder Bradley Radoff. The addition of Kirchhoff, coupled with the new capital, will drive accelerated retail growth and enhanced innovation, allowing Snap Kitchen to further its goal of providing compelling and convenient solutions for customers seeking healthier eating options. Store Brands Offer Savings on Specialty Products Consumers trying to maintain or improve their health are increasingly seeking specialty food and non-food alternatives. Whether they are organic, gluten-free, dye-free or lactose-free, these products can be costly, but a new survey of special needs store brands items shows significant savings for consumers. The research, conducted by the Private Label Manufacturers Association, assembled a market basket consisting of 27 typical specialty products that consumers might purchase as healthy alternatives or for special dietary needs. When a national brand was available for comparison, private label products saved consumers 15 percent. When comparing gluten-free products, the PLMA market basket study found the private label products cost 17 percent less on average when compared to their national brand counterparts, while some store brand products saved shoppers as much as 41 percent.

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