Savoring Small Town Cultures

Small Town Cultures Sliced Red Onions are perfect on homemade pork burritos, and so many other dishes.
Small Town Cultures Sliced Red Onions are perfect on homemade pork burritos, and so many other dishes.

Sometimes I think I ought to be nicknamed “Condiment Carolyn.”

That’s because my fridge is usually filled with all manner of condiments. My husband even jokes that if I packed a hot dog or burger bun with condiments — and nothing but — I would be quite happy.

So, when samples of Small Town Cultures landed on my porch, I couldn’t wait to try these small-batch, fermented condiments.

Cori Deans started her company in the Adirondacks to manage her Crohn’s disease, after finding that symptoms of her autoimmune disease began to subside after changing her diet to include more fermented foods rich in prebiotics and probiotics.

I test drove the Sliced Red Onions and the Turmeric Kimchi, both sold in recyclable glass jars.
I test drove the Sliced Red Onions and the Turmeric Kimchi, both sold in recyclable glass jars.

She now has a whole line of raw, fermented foods made without preservatives, added sugar or added vinegar. They are also all gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO.

They’re available at Whole Foods in 12-ounce jars for about $9.

The Sliced Red Onions may look exactly like slivers of red onion you might pickle quickly with sugar, salt, and vinegar, they taste nothing like that. Instead, these Barbie-pink onion slices are neither overwhelmingly tart or salty. Instead, they have the fermented depth of sauerkraut but are milder tasting.

These are so versatile. I dolloped them on pork burritos with avocado and salsa to enjoy. They’d also be fantastic on sausages, pork chops, Vietnamese banh mi, grilled fish or shrimp, or a lobster roll.

The Turmeric Kimchi is a mix of cabbage and carrots.
The Turmeric Kimchi is a mix of cabbage and carrots.

The Turmeric Kimchi is a vibrant mustard gold color with a mix of carrots, cabbage, and garlic. There’s an earthiness from the turmeric, along with moderate heat from cayenne. It’s plenty perky tasting, and less aggressively acidic and searing than classic Korean kimchi.

It would be dynamite on a rice bowl with an egg on top, tucked into veggie salads, mounded on tacos, piled atop chilled silken tofu or as a garnish on cold noodle salads.

A bonus is that neither variety is glaringly high in sodium, with the Red Onions and the Turmeric Kimchi having 170mg and 280mg, respectively, per 1-ounce serving.

Count me as a new fan of these products.

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