026 - Food, Fermentation, And Flavours With Carly Smith From Cultures For Health
An Everyday Hero Spreading The Message Of The Probiotic Life Through Fermentation.
Today we’re going to be talking to Carly Smith. She is a lover of all things fermenting…
I got connected with her when I was reaching out to sponsors one day. She works at cultures for health, and no, this is not an infomercial episode… they decided not to become a sponsor, but I thought it would be fun to interview someone who works in a fermentation company, and just have a good chat about fermenting in general.
I consider Carly to be an everyday hero spreading the message of the probiotic life through fermentation.
Join us as Carly shares her story, and we both share a few fermentation stories.
Also, what did you think of Confiture’s music? do you want to hear more of it on the podcast?
-The transition music in this episode is from their debut album… check it out at confitureband.com
I’m super excited to announce that it’s confirmed we’ll be having Jack Gilbert of the Gilbert Lab on the show soon. He is one of the leading researchers of the microbiome and how it interacts with the urban environment. Stay tuned for that episode!
Check out where Carly works at culturesforhealth.com based in North Carolina.
Also, if you are enjoying this content, will you take a minute to give us a rating and review on whatever platform you listen to us on.
SHOW NOTES
Background in Fermentation
- Carley works at Cultures For Health
- fell in love with Sandor Ellix Katz’s Fermentation book
- started experimenting with fermentation on her own
- discussion of cooking with seasonal produce
Love For Cooking
- grew up with meals cooked from scratch every night by her mum
- learned gardening from her dad
- these created an appreciation for food from scratch and fresh produce
- missing these led her to teach herself to cook
- the camaraderie of sharing food with others inspired her to make it her career
- before that, studied environmental conservation, but was put off by the approach to using the forest as a utility instead of restoring it to its original state
Carley’s Fermentation Adventures
- making sauerkraut with red & white cabbage, carrying on family tradition
- made kombucha, yoghurt, viili (Scandinavian yoghurt)
- koji, tempeh, naaco: all Japanese ferments
- corned venison
Cultures For Health
- they sell water kefir, milk kefir, kombucha, gluten-free sourdough
- discussion of watching these cultures grow
- works with lots of people who have little to no experience with fermentation
- people who have health issues and want to get more cultures into their diet
- sharing a largely lost art, bringing to back a wide audience
- giving good info without overwhelming people
Fermenting at Home
- discussion of dehydrating and rehydrating scobys and grains
- discussion of making kombucha
- alcoholic ferments: mango cider!
- putting beetroot in kimchi
- social aspect of fermentation: share with people around you, everyone gets a variety & helps nourish each other
- discussion of WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms)
- traveling was a great way of exchanging info, learning farming techniques
- discussion of fermenting mishaps
Carley’s Future in Fermentation
- strong interest in fungi, their medicinal and environmental uses
- discussion of Paul Stamets’ books
Final Comments
- check out all the stuff available on culturesforhealth.com
- can get access to free ebooks, recipes, instructions, and background info
- can buy cultures & fermenting equipment