Rating: 
Summary: The stuff of life
Review: I didn't expect how much I'd get into this when I picked it up, but Sandor's writing is clear and engaging and the subject is universal. I love that he talks about the history and the culture of fermentation alongside the concrete details of just making it work yourself with the kinds of things you have at hand. It's true that fermentation is a fundamental chemical process that human beings have used for thousands of years to make food edible and tasty, but we've lost touch with that when we peel back the plastic on store-bought food. We've also forgotten the magical transformations involved, and this book lets you do that for yourself. Now I just have to find a good crock somewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Stick To The Recipes
Review: I used to cringe at just hearing the words "pickles" or "kimchi," as they immediately brought to mind spoiled cucumber and cabbage. After reading this book, however, I decided to give them another shot. Now, I feast on gorgonzola and tempeh as readily as I do fresh vegetables. My only complaint about this book, and it is a very minor, nitpicky point, is that it ignores concepts completely. I have tried to branch out from the recipes and make some of my own inventions, starting with fermentation of a head of lettuce that had been sitting in my refrigerator for eight weeks. A stomach pumping later that night quickly taught me not to stray from the script. Who knew the black liquid pouring forth would have been bad for me?
Rating:
Summary: Stick To The Recipes
Review: I used to cringe at just hearing the words "pickles" or "kimchi," as they immediately brought to mind spoiled cucumber and cabbage. After reading this book, however, I decided to give them another shot. Now, I feast on gorgonzola and tempeh as readily as I do fresh vegetables. My only complaint about this book, and it is a very minor, nitpicky point, is that it ignores concepts completely. I have tried to branch out from the recipes and make some of my own inventions, starting with fermentation of a head of lettuce that had been sitting in my refrigerator for eight weeks. A stomach pumping later that night quickly taught me not to stray from the script. Who knew the black liquid pouring forth would have been bad for me?
Rating:
Summary: Yummy Yummy!
Review: I've had this book for over a year, and since first reading it I have pulled it off the shelf again and again. There seem to always be something bubbling away in a big crock or bowl in my kitchen. I feel like I owe the author dinner for all the great things that have been made in my house, inspired by him.
Rating:
Summary: A rare gem
Review: Sandorkraut has done a superb job of gathering his practical experience about fermenting foods, and putting it all done in a fun-to-read book. This book became an instant favorite of mine. I finally know that I am not alone in my fascination of fermention. This book will supplement anyone with a homemade wine, beer, or mead hobby. If you've ever wanted to make your own lacto-fermented veggies, this book is a must read. Great job Sandor!
Rating:
Summary: Simply the Best
Review: This book is a rare gem. It contains all of the practical experience needed to ferment your own foods and beverages. Yogurt, kefir, country wine, T'ej, hooch, and much much more. It is all in here. Fermentation is such a fun hobby. This book is for the germo-phobe as well. Mircobes are our friends, not our enemies.
This book is truly a gift to share with others. Just like my new beverage of choice that replaced my morning brew. Its called s oyfee and taste so wonderful with no caffeine or acids. Organic and made from soya! Bye bye acid stomach and hello healthy tummy! Google it under "acid free coffee".
Rating:
Summary: There is no guide better than this one!!
Review: This book is trully awesome. My husband has Crohn's disease which affects his digestive system and he was told that he needed to recolonize his gut with good bacteria and one of the ways is to eat fermented vegetables. This book guided me thru the process joyously and easily. Well researched and fun to read. Recipes for all kinds of vegies, dairy ferments and breads. Makes you pine for the simpler life in an intentional community.
Rating:
Summary: This is the cookbook of my dreams!
Review: This cookbook has all the mundane and esoteric recipes I've ever wanted to own but have not been able to find all in one glorious place. Non-vinegar pickled pickles? It's there. Amazake? No problem! Kimchee? Likewise! And it's all written in a very intelligent, humorous and engaging manner with short and entertaining anecdotes that do not go on forever or stray far afield. **This book is a gem.** I recently attended a cooking class conducted by the author, who is just as amazing as his cookbook. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for spreading the gospel of these traditional and oh-so-nourishing foods. I own about 60 cookbooks, by the way, and this book is in my top five. I can't say enough good things about it. Buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Improving Food with Bacteria
Review: This is a rare sort of book, one in which a smart, creative person has become obsessed with a process and collected all sorts of amazing information for the reader on it. Most consumers and cooks don't really consider fermentation and what it does to so many of the foods we eat. Mr Katz has considered it a great deal, and uncovered the nutrition and chemistry that most of us are missing. It is a book for people who remember eating homemade kraut, people who are into buliding immunity, people who like making their own stuff, from beer to bread, and people just interested in food.
A magnum opus on bacteria working for you.
Rating:
Summary: Wild Fermentation
Review: This is the only cookbook that I know of that you will read from cover to cover. It is not the dry "do this in this order" kind of book, it walks with you on your culinary endevors like your mom or grandma would, telling you stories along the way, including the secrets that make not just sourdough bread, but unforgettable sourdough bread. Sandor doesn't just tell us, he shows us, how to be self-sufficient about making and storing food (with little need for a stove or a refrigerator): making sourdough, cheese, miso, making tempeh, making wine, beer and, it seems, almost every other fermented food made the world over. And he gives you a list of resources where you can order the most mundane and exotic of starter cultures and even seaweed from our own Atlantic coast. And your concept of "self" will never be the same again. He shows us how to reclaim and restore a part of ourselves that has protected us like the ozone layer protects the earth: the world of microbes in and around us, the protective cloak of the microecology that is meant to be a part of us like our skin. Fermented foods restore a health balance like no probiotics and vitamins can. Happy reading, happy fermenting, happy eating!
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