"In the dark fermentation of earth, in the never idle workshop of nature...ye shall find yourse

Early mornings are my favourite so - before the world wakes and the day has the chance to run away with me - being two phalanges deep in red cabbage before 7am is an unsurprising delight. I had been taught that oxygen was an essential component for life on earth but, as Louis Pasteur pointed out, "fermentation is life without air" which blows my mind every time.

It was chopped, given the salt massage of its life then massaged some more, squished, wedged and sealed before being offered pride of place in our kitchen for the magic to happen. A process so magical in fact that I simply have to trust it is happening over time, like the yin yoga of metabolic processes. Nurturing gut flora is a deeply nourishing practise and I have come to crave the soft acidity of pickled organic brassica so here's hoping I stay forever fascinated by fermentation.

#fermentation #redcabbage #sauerkraut #morning #organic #MatthewArnold