“I want some of the pickled carrots, Mama!”

Believe it or not, I’ve heard this sentence quite a few times this week. Lucy has developed a true fondness for the sea salt and ginger-pickled carrots from Firefly Kitchens. Almost every breakfast we’ve eaten this week has been festooned with bright-orange carrot slivers.

She’s got good taste, this kid. These carrots — as well as the other pickled products from Firefly Kitchens — have a fresh, vibrant flavor. These taste healthy. They taste good.

If you live anywhere near Seattle, grab a jar of one of these fermented foods. Sauerkraut, kimchi, salsa sauerkraut, and these carrots — they’re staying in our refrigerator until they’re emptied. And then we’re going back for more.

These lovelies are fermented, a group of foods some folks swear bring better health from eating them. The probiotics in fermented foods can help damaged guts. After years of eating eggs when they were causing me havoc, I could use some probiotics. I’d much rather stir a couple of spoonfuls of these gingery carrots into a bowl of thick yogurt and top them with sunflower seeds than take any pills.

I love that Julie O’Brien and Richard Climenhage, who founded Firefly Kitchens, use produce from farmers of the Pacific Northwest. They involve the community in the process. And they have some tempting recipes on their website.

Plus, these foods are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and raw.

However, really? It’s the taste. I’m not at surprised that the Yin Yang carrots won a Good Food Award for 2011. They’re just about the best pickled thing I’ve ever eaten.

Lu approves. That’s enough for us.

Full disclosure: Firefly Kitchens sent us these jars, but we are buying more as soon as they are empty.

{ 16 comments }