Fermented food: not just for hipsters

It may come as a surprise, but it’s not a prerequisite to have a beard and ride a fix-gear bike to like fermented foods.

Sure, hipsters have seemingly co-opted everything from kombucha to sauerkraut, but that doesn’t mean fermented foods aren’t great.

If you want the best, get some from Seattle’s Firefly Kitchens. The 4-year-old company makes naturally fermented foods, including kimchi, sauerkraut and salsas. This isn’t the store-bought stuff either. Firefly uses raw organic ingredients and a natural preserving process instead of high-heat pasteurization or a bunch of chemicals to ferment its food (Hence the reason you’ll find them in the refrigerated aisle). That means they’re full of good bacteria, or probiotics, which have been found to aid in digestion and help the immune system.

So go with your gut and add some kraut to your salad or a little kimchi to your morning eggs.

You can find Firefly Kitchens products at the Sno-Isle Co-op in Everett.