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Fermentation Made Easy! đŸ„•đŸ§„

@ MakeSauerkraut.com with Holly Howe

Want to use fermented foods to improve your health? Hi, I'm Holly and I teach fermentation. Learn how to safely transform everyday vegetables into superfoods. Join 12,000+ Fermentation Ninjas and enjoy delicious homemade sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, and... more.

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Featured Post

​Why Do We Eat Pork and Sauerkraut on New Year’s Day?​

Do you want to increase your luck this coming year Reader? Serve a roasted pork and sauerkraut dish on New Year’s Day! I know the new year is a few weeks away, but it helps to know what you'll need to stock your fridge. Plus, I won't be sending my weekly emails to you until the new year. Enjoy the holiday season with a bit less clutter in your inbox. The first day of January is special all over the world. Starting a new year gives us a new beginning with the desire for a bountiful year ahead....

about 2 months ago ‱ 2 min read

Hey Reader, If you’ve ever wondered what to get the fermenter who seems to have everything
 or you just want to spoil yourself with a tool that makes fermenting easier, safer, and a whole lot more fun—I've put together something just for you. 🎁✹ Every year I update my Fermentation Gift Guide with the tools I personally use, love, and recommend to students. Like, the weights that actually keep your cabbage submerged, the jars that make fermentation feel effortless, and the books that inspire...

about 2 months ago ‱ 1 min read

Hey Reader, Just in time for the holidays
 barely! Cranberry-Orange Relish, Raw Cranberry-Apple Chutney & Pickled Cranberries Three delicious recipes — but my personal favorite is the Cranberry-Orange Relish. Not only do I serve it with my holiday turkey, but I also enjoy its tangy-sweet crunch as my “dessert” most evenings. It feels nourishing for the soul and satisfies any sweet cravings that pop up. Holly’s Tip: Grab fresh cranberries while they’re in season (right now!) and stash a few...

2 months ago ‱ 1 min read

Hello Reader, Do you even like sauerkraut? I didn't when I first tried it as an adult twenty-plus years ago. Growing up, sauerkraut was that nasty stuff slathered on a hot dog. No, thank you! It wasn't until my 40s, when I read that healthy traditional societies all consumed some type of fermented food, that I got the courage to try it and... convince my family to eat it. And, as we slowly added it to our diets (My eldest son, that was trying to repopulate his gut after a round of antibiotics...

4 months ago ‱ 1 min read

Hi Reader, Last Saturday I had the joy of meeting local fans, signing books, and sharing sauerkraut and kimchi tastes at Volume One—our independently owned bookstore. Supporting a beloved local shop while swapping fermentation tips? The best kind of win-win. If you’re on Instagram, peek at this reel. Mel’s editing magic turned the day into a highlight reel—I’m in awe of how beautifully she captured it. Kimchi Tasting notes? All over the map! Some found the kimchi fiery, others said it was...

4 months ago ‱ 3 min read

Hi Reader, 🌟 Spotlight on Holly I was thrilled to see my name pop up - more than once! - in this piece by Sarah Moore over at Chowhound: 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Making Homemade Sauerkraut You can effortlessly put your gut health on autopilot with one to two forkfuls of probiotic-rich sauerkraut added to one or two meals daily. 🙌 That’s me! Pretty Exciting. The article breaks down the most common missteps—like worrying you’ll need fancy equipment, fermenting at the wrong temperature, or...

5 months ago ‱ 3 min read

Hi Reader, This past weekend I whipped up a triple batch of Sweet Garlic Sauerkraut to prep for my upcoming book signings—and it reminded me of a few tricks you might love for your next sauerkraut-making session. Here’s how to make sauerkraut easier, faster, and foolproof: Go big with a triple batch.Triple the ease, triple the joy. All my recipes scale beautifully: 200 grams of carrots? Make it 600. 20 grams of garlic? Scale up to 60. Simple math, big payoff. Weigh before you prep.I pile...

5 months ago ‱ 4 min read

Hi Reader, Ever opened a jar of fermented pickles, beets or beans only to find
 mush? Or worse—fuzzy growths staring back at you? 😬 Don’t worry—you’re not alone. With just a few simple tweaks, you can stack the odds in your favor and enjoy crisp, tangy, mold-free pickles every time. These are the exact tricks I rely on in my own kitchen: Use fresh-picked local produce. You can ferment just about any vegetable, not just cucumbers. So, if the farmers give you peas, ferment peas. Success is...

5 months ago ‱ 4 min read

My first batches of fermented pickles were made by pouring a salty brine over a jar of packed cucumbers, just like almost all the other online recipes. Some batches turned out perfect, some moldy. Some of the pickles stayed crispy; others turned to mush. Have you had a similar experience, Reader? I wanted to know why, so I started researching and experimenting đŸ‘©đŸ”Ź 🔬 and eventually switched to calculating the amount of salt I added based on both the weight of the vegetables packed into my jar...

6 months ago ‱ 2 min read

HeyReader, It’s peak season for fresh vegetables—and the perfect time to turn cucumbers, beans, carrots (and more!) into crunchy, gut-loving pickles. đŸ„’ But before you dive in, there’s one essential thing to get right: keeping everything safely submerged under the brine while it ferments. That’s where a fermentation weight comes in. I have not found one weight that works for all types of pickles. Thankfully, I have a stockpile of various weights to choose from. The three I most often use when...

6 months ago ‱ 2 min read