Welcome to WiseCrock & thank you for taking the time to read about me and my passion for fermenting food!
My story began at a very young age (about 6 years old) when my Grandmother (Baka) Elvira began teaching me how to make sauerkraut and pickles in her basement. Baka immigrated to Canada from Croatia in 1957, she brought with her the knowledge and traditions from home; one of them being the art of fermenting foods.
I'm very lucky that I was that rare child that was actually interested in fermented food and learning how to make it.
It’s was a good thing that I paid attention because now I can carry on the traditions and hopefully pass on what I learned to you as well because there is nothing better tasting than a legit fermented dill pickle or sauerkraut; once you’ve tasted it you will never go back to the processed store bought jars again.
Over the years I have noticed an increasing interest in fermented foods and the realization of how healthy it is for you, however so many people are uncertain of how the process works.
The question always is "how can you leave food at room temperature for days or weeks and it's still safe to eat?"
The answer is a huge YES IT IS! And it is extremely healthy for us!
It is because people have this fear and/or doubt that I feel the need to share my Baka Elvira's knowledge, she taught me to be fearless when dealing with these finicky and amazing life forces; at the end of the day it’s just science.
Sure you might have some failures, I had them too but that is how I learned what does and doesn't work within my environment. Let me assure you that you will have many more success stories once you get the hang of it than failures and you will be proud to show off and share your final product; it will become your pride and joy and the motivator for you to create batch after batch of fermented delicious goodies...did I mention that this is an addictive hobby?
On this website I will do my best to relay the way I learned how to make fermented foods and hope you'll try it and it will work for you as well. So many foods and beverages can be fermented such as cabbage, pickles, beer, wine, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, sour dough bread, strudel dough and the list goes on and on. The possibilities are endless and very tasty and heck if you have a batch that fails it'll make great compost for your garden, ha! Be creative!
So please stay tuned and check back often to read new blog posts on this website where I will share with you my Baka’s knowledge and my Croatian heritage; I will write and share with you some amazing family recipes that might just become a tradition in your home one day. There will be new items being added on a consistent basis; if the ideas and recipes are on here you can trust that I have tried them and use them myself.
Please join me on this journey of bringing back the old school culinary delights and making them new again; by sharing with you the knowledge from generations past I hope to make all of my elders proud and honour my Croatian heritage.
Cheers to all of the amazing fermented food out there and to all of the fermenting pioneers past, present and future!
Kindly,
Jamie & somewhere up there, Baka Elvira
WiseCrock Inc.