Today for “Tried it Tuesday,” I tried a bunch of great new, all natural foods/drinks that have a unique preparation. As you may know, I am not much of a cook, but I love to try new, healthy foods and am fairly adventurous about. So without further ado, here is what I tried that is pickled, fermented and brined!
I love pickles and I am not a natural chef. So when I had the opportunity to try Connoisseur Creations’ Quick Pickle Kit, I thought it could be a great new tool for my kitchen. It looked cool and easy. The Quick Pickle Kit is a fast, simple and all natural way to make great tasting pickles that are ready to enjoy in just 3 days! You can pickle any type of vegetable. The kit includes a large reusable glass jar with top, instruction/recipe booklet (with a TON of recipes) and three packets of seasonings to get started.
I decided to make dill pickles with the spices in the kit. I got persian cucumbers (because the pickling cucumbers were not at the farmer’s market yet), cauliflower, small carrots and radishes. I chopped up the vegetables and got some vinegar (the only other ingredient I needed with the kit.)
I put together the kit as instructed in the recipe book. It was in fact very easy. There is helpful information about how to treat each type of vegetable so it evenly pickles and suggests which veggies are best with each pickling recipe. I loved this information as a novice cook. I sealed the jar and heated the pickles for 75 minutes as instructed. Then I flipped the jar to create a vacuum and let them cool. I put the pickles in the fridge and then waited the prescribed three days. Voila! Pickles. They were delicious! The husband and I agreed that they were as good as store bought and were so fresh. I can’t wait to try many more recipes and veggie mixes this summer.
The Quick Pickle Kit is available in the US direct for $29.99 plus $12 shipping and handling. It is a great gift for the home gardener or home chef or anyone like me who lives near an awesome farmer’s market. Additional spice packets are available. Each package makes 3 batches of pickles. They are available in Bread & Butter, Dill and Sweet for $9.99 ea and $2.95 shipping. The original kit also comes with recipes so you can make your own creations time and time again. Right now, they sell locally in Central California or take orders via phone at (408) 981 – 8263.
You can follow Quick Pickle Kit on Facebook and I will let you know when they launch online sales!
When we visited Findlay Market in Cincinnati a few weekends ago (when I found the BANDI belts), I also tried some awesome Beet Kvass and sauerkraut from Fab Ferments.
What is Beet Kvass? According to Fab Ferments, “Beet Kvass is said to have originated in the Ukraine, but is also enjoyed throughout Russian and Eastern Europe. It is a naturally fermented beverage made with organic and/or local sustainable beets and spices, filtered water and Celtic Sea Salt. Beet Kvass ferments in small batches in stone wear crocks. Each batch is handmade and enhanced with healing vibrations from crystals, music, art and LOVE.”
Although it is not FDA approved, they say that Beet Kvass may support digestion, live cleansing, alkalizing of the blood, regularity, healthy gut flora and metabolism. It has a strong taste (and color) and the recommended serving is 2 – 3 oz of Beet Kvass in the morning and evening. I have been swigging my bottle in the mornings. I figure it can’t hurt and I like the idea of an old fashioned, all natural tonic! Charlotte mentioned that she read about the benefits of fermented foods in Michael Pollan’s book Cooked and then she sent me this link to an article about home fermenting. Seems worth a try!
Charlotte and I also tried some sauerkraut. I tried the Spicy Dill and Cosmic Curry. We both enjoyed the natural flavors and loved the packaging and chatting with Jennifer – one of the owners of Fab Ferments.
Fab Ferments takes orders online and sells directly in many health food stores around Cincinnati and a few in Kentucky and Michigan. You can like them on Facebook to keep up with new developments.
You may remember that I worked at the Snacks and Sweets show a few weeks ago. I worked with Simple Squares and we shared our booth with Dang Foods.
I was SO excited because I love, love, love the toasted coconut from Dang Foods! Dang Foods makes awesome toasted coconut chips from a family recipe. The original flavor has only three ingredients: coconut, salt and sugar. They brine the coconut in salt and sugar and then toast the chips. The recipe was from Vincent and Andrew’s mom whose name is Dang. It helps that they can also use the English slang for their slogan, “Dang! That’s good.” Dang Foods values friends, family, food, fun, cuture, community and creativity. What a cool company – right?
The chips are vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, high in fiber and lauric acid and contain no cholesterol. Oh, and they are delicious and addictive. They also have a Salted Caramel flavor and this summer they are launching Greek Yogurt and Dark Chocolate toasted coated coconut chips. I got to try all of these and they are all amazing. The Original is still my favorite, but Salted Caramel is not far behind.
I love the texture of these chips. I like to add them to cereal, granola, trail mix or just eat them straight from the bag. In truth, I mostly just eat them by the handful from the bag. I am not sure how they do it, but they stay crisp and fresh and have a long shelf life! They also have an online recipe book you can check out.
I gobbled up my goodies but Dang agreed to send THREE lucky readers each two bags to try. The giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 and over and is void where prohibited. The giveaway ends Wednesday, June 25 and winners will be notified on Thursday, June 26th. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. There are two more bags up for grabs on my Facebook page, too!
In the meantime, you can follow Dang Foods on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also buy online or find a store near you. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!
That’s all for today! What interesting foods/preparations have you tried lately?
PS. Please don’t forget to check out my other active giveaways!
Please note: I was not compensated for these reviews. The Quick Pickle Kit and Dang Toasted Coconut were provided to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.