Fermented: A Four-Season Approach to Paleo Probiotic Foods

The ferments are fermenting, so this is the preliminary review. I'll update once everything is ready for tasting!Jill Cicarelli did a fantastic job making fermenting foods approachable and beautiful in Fermented. The information is presented in a user-friendly format with lots of extra tips. She struck a great balance between giving too little and too much information on the world of fermenting. It is all too easy to get bogged down in the details of how and why it works and what all can go wrong (as other authors have done before her), but Jill is encouraging in her presentation and motivates the reader to just try it out. The individual recipes are easy to follow and well-articulated.Each recipe is accompanied by a picture, a definite preference of mine, and the photography is fantastic. No drab khaki-colored sauerkraut here! You might actually want to eat these foods after seeing how delicious they can look!So now we wait and let the carrots and cabbages and kombucha do their magic. I'll be back with updates on the final products!

I was excited when I first bought this book. I was ready to delve into the world of probiotic rich foods and I had heard so much praise from other people in the paleo-sphere that I was sure I was going to love this book. When it arrived I quickly flipped through it and was blown away by beautiful everything looked. It wasn't until I sat down to read the entire thing cover to cover that I began to become slightly discontented. While some things are covered fairly comprehensively, there are some large omissions. Some recipes don't mention how much salt to use, others don't tell you what size jar you need. Both this things are key elements that can lead to an inedible product if you just guess - especially since too little salt or too much airspace can cause your ferment to mold. I was a total fermentation beginner and I found out both these things the hard way. Other things are just poorly laid out and you have to flip back 20 pages because, "wait, I thought she said something about X when making Y..." You shouldn't have to read a cookbook cover to cover to not mess up what you're making.This brings me to my next point, where I'm slightly aghast that the author makes the recommendation of simply scraping off the moldy parts if your ferment goes bad. The first time it happened I did some more research and as it turns out, even if the mold is floating on top and is completely removed, the spores will still be found throughout the jar. It makes sense - if you wouldn't eat moldy tomato sauce, why would you eat moldy sauerkraut?Despite this, the book does have some useful advice and recipe gems. I loved the fermented cranberry sauce and have made it several times. The kombucha instructions are fine and some of the second ferment ideas are really creative. The yogurt instructions are great will ruin store bought for you. It's just that if this is your only reference for fermentation, you're going to have a bad time.

I just got this book in the mail today and I couldn't put it down, so I had to read the whole thing. It has so much awesome information. I am not a total newbie to fermenting, having put quite a few batches of Kimchee and Kombucha under my belt, but still. This cook book is inspiring! Not only are the photographs stunning...but it is a wellspring of useful information on various types of ferments and their processes. It is spiced up with just the right amount of history and anecdotal info. I can't wait to get started on some of these recipes. Love the way it is set up, first by types of ferments, and then how to incorporate those basic ferments into wonderful fresh, seasonal recipes throughout the year. I pretty much love everything about this book--highly recommend if you are looking for a good book on fermenting. I can tell it will be my go-to reference for years to come.

I love this book. I heard about it while listening to a podcast and was surprised to find out that the Author lives in my city. I went to her website and learned about an introductory fermenting class that she was holding and was able to attend. What a great teacher as well as a kind and sincere person. She is very passionate about fermenting and health. Between the book and her class, I won't hesitate to try the different recipes in the book and ferment wonderful fresh veggies regularly.In my opinion, this is a great book with wonderful recipes for all types of fermenting. The information is clear, direct and the instructions are easy to follow. The photos are also well done and will further inspire you to actually go ahead and try the recipes. It is a great introduction to fermenting for the beginner and has additional information for those that have fermenting experience.

I was excited about this book and then dissappointed when I received it. I did not come away with the feeling that Jill Ciciarelli was an expert at fermenting. The book does have beautiful pictures but they need to be referenced. It was missing content for me. I think that if you are just starting fermenting and need the very basics that his book is a good starting point but you will rapidly have questions not answered. I just came away feeling like fermenting is not a 'way' of life for her. Because for me its messy and time consuming and part of my everyday routine. I also don't always get what I expect. But I love the work involved and taking care of our bacteria and yeast.When I buy a book I want their experiences and knowledge and not someone else's. I want the ups and downs. This book is very lacking in the downs. Working with a live food was very different for me. I kept looking at my ferments wondering if it was done? What is done? As I noted the pictures are beautiful but they certainly do not look like a lot of my ferments. What about ferments gone bad or wonky? Pictures of those would be helpful.There are experts out there: Sandor Katz, Sarah Pope, Donna Schwenk and Sally Fallon. These people have been fermenting for years for their families. It is part of their life and they haul stuff out of the back of the fridge 6 months old just like I do wondering about the mystery of lost fridge items and socks.

Reads like a novel. Easy to understand.Great recipes. I have made many from this book - all meeting with great success. I recommend as a good book to have if you are starting out.

This is a great Book. Beautiful photos and recipes compliment each other. I look forward to trying out some recipes this Summer.

Good book, well written, requires more start to finish recipes. This is more of a guide than a recipe book. It can benefit from 50-60 recipes in an appendix

nice recipes

great book! Easily detailed with pics