I’ve never been a huge fan of canning. It’s a sort of sore spot – farmers are supposed to be food preservers. It’s a homesteading skill right up there with milking cows and making yarn.

But come on, admit it – isn’t canning kind of a pain in the ass? The giant cauldron of hot water, the fussy metal rack, moving everything with tongs. Is it clean? Did it seal? Can you say botulism?

Since coming to Homestead, I’ve been introduced to natural fermentation, and am pretty much completely hooked. It’s dead easy and the food is delicious. Once Muriel coached me through my initial hesitation (you just put the food in salt water? really? that’s it?), i went on a little fermentation spree – radishes, beets, turnips, and kimchi. I love watching the bubbles rise to the surface, the colors change, the brine stain purple and pink, the mason jars lined up on a shelf in the cooler.

It’s addictive.