How to make sauerkraut – fermenting veggies


FERMENTING VEGGIES: This small haul from the Murfreesboro Saturday Market got made into some tasty sauerkrauts we hope will be ready late next month. These are recipes with ginger that we make at home for ourselves and decided to add to the krauts we currently offer at Wellness Emporium – Woodbury. One is Ginger Beet. The other is Carrot, Ginger, and Turmeric.

HOW TO MAKE SAUERKRAUT: Sauerkrauts are easy to make and so good for you. They are rich in dietary fiber, nutrients, andgut-healthy probiotics.

All you need to do is chop up a blend of 75% cabbage with 25% other veggies and 2% salt added. Weigh all your cabbage and mulitply the weight time 0.33. The resulting number is your 25% of other veggies. After chopping or shredding your ingredients, mix them together and weigh it. Multiply the total weight with 0.02. This is how much salt you need to add, which is 2% of the total weight.

Mix all these together kneading the veggies in a bowl. You should see brine dripping from each fist full. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, then place in a fermentation vessel for about three weeks making sure all the veggies are completely submerged in its own brine. You can use fermentation weights to hold your fermenting veggies below the brine surface, or fill ziplock bags with water and place on top.

Fermentation will go through a couple of phases. If you use an airlock or airtight lid, you will need to burp the ferments. This will take about 3 weeks. When it’s done, jar it up and refrigerate to slow or stop fermentation. It should be a crunchy, tangy, probiotic bite of fermented goodness you can add to most meals!

NEW: Golden Milk Coconut Milk Kefir!

GOLDEN MILK: Our new Golden Milk coconut milk kefir is a delightful cloud of all organic turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and agave in fermented coconut milk. It’s a probiotic, dairy-free, vegan yogurt with gut health and inflammation in mind.

We start with fermenting organic coconut milk until it is thick and separated from whey for yogurt consistency. Then, we add all organic spices and jar it up for good gut-health! Stop by Wellness Emporium – Woodbury and grab one!

Elderberry Syrup now in larger 16 oz bottle!

ELDERBERRY SYRUP: Half Hill Farm’s popular Elderberry Syrup now comes in a 16 oz bottle of family-sized immune support! Elderberries are packed with phytonutrients that support a healthy immune response when your family needs it the most.

We make ours with only the best and most simple ingredients: organic elderberries, local honey, organic ginger, organic cinnamon and organic clove. This refrigerated product is not available to ship, but you can buy both 8oz and 16oz sizes at our stores:

Introducing our farm’s Ginger Beet Water Kefir Shrub

We are starting Spring early this year with the release of our farm’s new Ginger Beet Water Kefir Shrub! This is our third water kefir release this year and our second shrub, an old American Colonial era beverage made with spiced vinegars.

Our Ginger Beet shrub is made with our Ginger Beet Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic and all its mineral-rich organic beets, ginger, nettles, red clover, dandelion leaf and root and local honey in a probiotic water kefir ferment.

Get a free sample and purchase by the cup or growler on tap exclusively at Wellness Emporium of Woodbury, TN (110 W High Street Woodbury, TN 37190) .

Want to retail our farm’s kombuchas, kefirs and other products in your store? Sign up for a wholesale account here.

Please consult your doctor before taking any of our products for health reasons. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Introducing Half Hill Farm’s Ginger Turmeric Water Kefir

Now you can take Half Hill Farm’s newest fermented beverage on the go with our 14 oz Ginger Turmeric Water Kefir! This gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, probiotic ferment is proudly made and bottled with love at our kitchen in Woodbury, Tennessee.

We use the best all organic, sustainably farmed ingredients in our live culture, probiotic ferments to keep your guts happy and healthy. Our Ginger Turmeric water kefir is fermented using purified water, kefir grains (individual colonies of yeast and bacteria encased in a polysaccharide biofilm), raw sugar, a pinch of Himalayan salt, molasses and figs to keep our continuous cultures happy and working hard.

Get a free sample and purchase by the bottle or on tap by the cup or growler at Wellness Emporium of Woodbury, TN (110 W High Street Woodbury, TN 37190) and the Wellness Emporium of Bell Buckle, TN (13 Webb Rd. E, Bell Buckle, TN 37020).

Want to retail our water kefir and other products in your store? Sign up for a wholesale account here.

Please consult your doctor before taking any of our products for health reasons. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Nourish your craving gut with a spoon of GingerBeet Tonic

Half Hill Farm’s GingerBeet Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic

The transition to Fall is one of our favorite times of the year. Summer harvests are winding down, the last mowing is near, and we can finally prepare wonderful treats that store away nutrients for another time like our new GingerBeet Tonic!

Our first small batch uses folate rich beets grown organically by Green Door Gourmet combined with organic and mineral-rich nettle, red clover, dandelion leaf and root as well as local honey and organic apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has many health benefits including aiding with digestion. GingerBeet Tonic also helps nourish your gut’s natural craving for vitamins and minerals.*

This is our farm’s third apple cider vinegar tonic in addition to FireRoot and Elderberry and is now available online and in our Woodbury retail store at the Arts Center of Cannon County. All three would make a perfect seasonal gift that promotes better health and well being!

How To Use GingerBeet Tonic: Before using our tonic for health reasons, please consult your doctor. You can take our tonic by the tablespoon three times a day as desired or try these ideas:

  • Add 2 teaspoons per 8 oz serving of soda water with a few pepper corns, a pinch of salt and a bay leaf garnish for a sweet and savory shrub!
  • Blend two tablespoons with one tablespoon of flax or coconut oil to make a sweet vinaigrette for salads.
  • Drizzle over vegetables or fish to replace salt or butter.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always consult with your physician before using our products.

FireRoot Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic – the troll chaser

Half Hill Farm’s FireRoot Apple Cider VInegar Tonic – the troll chaser

Our small organic apple orchard here in Woodbury, TN will never produce enough apples for market, but with a little help it will be enough to make some amazing apple cider vinegar tonics!

A famous example that inspired our farm’s first seasonal apple cider vinegar tonic is Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe for Fire Cider. We call our tonic FireRoot, a spicy decoction of certified organic horseradish, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, orange, lemon, cayenne and black pepper in organic apple cider vinegar & mother lightly sweetened with local honey.

Half Hill Farm’s FireRoot apple cider vinegar tonic is just one way our farm honors traditional folk remedies. Each ounce of prevention will chase your trolls and light a fire under whatever’s thrown your way. FireRoot is available in both 8 oz and 16 oz bottles online or in our retail store in the Arts Center of Cannon County starting Thursday February 2.

Better health and well being
Apple cider vinegar has been used for centuries as a natural folk remedy for indigestion and a host of ailments. Research shows daily use of 1-2 tbsps naturally lowers morning blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, dramatically lowers mealtime glycemic levels associated with chronic diseases, helps people lose weight and may satiate appetite. There is some evidence showing anti-cancer properties, but the mechanism is not well understood. Less is known about widely reported uses as a cold and flu prevention, but it is suspected that apple cider vinegar’s alkalizing affects in the body helps prevent cold & flu. Using apple cider vinegar to decoct ingredients like garlic, ginger, and turmeric certainly helps increase the tonic’s antimicrobial and antiviral potential.*

To make FireRoot, our farm starts with all organic ingredients and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar that contains the mother, the naturally occurring probiotic yeast and bacteria that ferments the cider into vinegar. This will appear as a light sediment, so shake well to get all the botanical goodness in every serving!

How to use FireRoot Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic
If you’re a fan of bold flavor, take a tablespoon of FireRoot every day before or after your biggest meal. By using FireRoot with food, you can also lower your intake of salt and fat. Here are a few suggested uses below. Check back for recipes using FireRoot!

  • Blend FireRoot with flax oil or coconut oil to make an amazing salad dressing!
  • Spice up your chutney recipe by replacing the vinegar with FireRoot.
  • Use FireRoot in place of butter or salt on steamed vegetables or beans or blend into marinades for meats.
  • Blend with Bragg’s, sesame oil, and lemon juice to make a tangy dumpling sauce.

FireRoot is our farm’s first seasonal tonic release this year. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to learn when other tonics will be available.

* Please consult your doctor before using any of our products for health purposes. These statements have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.