Discovering NC Agriculture is a year-long series focusing on twelve N.C. grown, raised, caught, and made commodities. Tune in each month to see how an N.C. commodity is grown, harvested, packed for consumer use and more. Learn nutritional value, find fun recipes to try, hear from local chefs who use that product, and other unique commodity facts throughout the series. We look forward to helping you better understand some of our N.C. commodities and how they impact your everyday lives!
Cabbage has been a staple crop in North Carolina for many years. Not only is it used in many entrees and side dishes, but also in a variety of value-added products, including sauerkraut. Meg Chamberlain, owner of Fermenti, enjoys making fermented products with cabbage, as well as educating the community on its importance.
Established in 2016, Fermenti provides living probiotic rich fermented foods to customers across the state and beyond. In fact, they are currently the largest fermenter in North Carolina! “After working in the education industry for many years, I became a stay-at-home mom where I fell in love with fermenting,” Meg said. “You could say I hit my Homesteading Momma phase!” From hobby to career, Fermenti is a dream born from a love of fermented foods. Today, Meg and her team produce nine fermented food products for customers, with four of those products featuring local cabbage.
All ingredients used in Fermenti products are either grown by Meg and her family or acquired from local farmers, markets and businesses, including Against The Grain Biodynamic Farm in Boone, WNC Distributors, Olivette Farm in Asheville, Well Seasoned Table in Candler and Selina Naturally Celtic Sea Salt in Arden. “We love supporting local farmers and using the freshest ingredients available for our products,” Meg said. Although Kimchi is their best-selling product, they also produce three types of sauerkraut that customers across the country enjoy: (1)Sauerkraut, a clean and classic featuring cabbage and sea salt, (2) Ginger Turmeric Pink Kraut featuring black peppercorn, cabbage and turmeric, and (3) Apple Carrot Kraut featuring local cabbage, carrots and apples. “Sauerkraut is a delicious addition to any meal, and we aim to create a product for all pallets to enjoy,” Meg said. “My favorite way to eat our sauerkraut is on a poached egg with an avocado slice on a toasted English muffin.” Check out the Fermenti website for recipes and serving suggestions on how to use all their products!
In addition to creating delicious, fermented food products, Meg and her team also offer a variety of educational events, classes, and festivals throughout the year. In fact, her team is responsible for creating and organizing the WNC Fermenting Festival, which is celebrating its 10th year this upcoming fall! “Fermenti is all about the community and teaching others how to create fermented products for themselves,” Meg said. “We all need to be eating something fermented with every meal, so teaching people how to not only enjoy fermented products, but create them is essential.” Be sure to follow their social media platforms for the latest event information and class sign-ups!
As a member of our Got to Be NC Program, Fermenti takes great pride in sourcing local ingredients and encouraging customers to shop locally. “The Got to Be NC Program has an important mission that I can align with,” Meg said. “It’s an honor to be a part of this program that supports the economy and encourages the community to buy local.” All products from Fermenti come with the promise of a clean and bright taste, healthy ingredients, and living probiotics that are good for your body. Even though Meg encourages customers to try her own products, she is also a huge supporter of other fermenters across the state.
Throughout our state’s history, cabbage has been a versatile crop for farmers, product producers, chefs and more. “Cabbage is a cultural staple in our state’s agriculture industry, and has been important throughout our history,” Meg said. “It can be used in a plethora of ways, and I encourage everyone to enjoy as much of it as they can every day.” We are so proud of Meg and her team for all that they do to further our state’s agriculture industry. Currently, their products can be found in 50 stores across the United States. Check out their website to search for stores in your area and try their products for yourself today!
