Body care

Microbiome-Conscious Body Care

The same microbiome philosophy as our ferments, applied to skin instead of supper. And the baking soda in our deodorants is made right here in Cortland.

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a note from the kitchen

Good things take time.

Small batches mean some jars disappear fast. If your favorite's gone, it's probably just fermenting, check back in a week or two!

Small batch, big opinions

What makes a Food & Ferments jar different

Every jar we make is fermented in small batches, by hand, in Cortland, New York: raw, unpasteurized, and alive. Where most supermarket kraut is quick-pickled with vinegar in a matter of days, ours ferments slowly, the old way, for weeks or months. No heat-treating, no vinegar, no preservatives, no rushing. Just real vegetables, real salt, real time, and the wild cultures that show up when you let good ingredients do their thing.

Raw & unpasteurized

Nothing is cooked or heat-treated, so the live cultures and their probiotics stay alive all the way to your fork.

Slow, never rushed

We don't rush good food. Our sauerkrauts wild-ferment a patient 4 to 6 months, building the deep, complex tang you cannot fake with vinegar.

Grown down the road

Cabbage from a multi-generational family farm in Central New York, organic beets from Chicory Creek Farm, napa cabbage and cucumbers from Plowbreak and Stick & Stone. Farmers we know by name.

The crossover shelf

From the ferment kitchen to the medicine cabinet

This is the crossover shelf: the same microbiome philosophy as our ferments, applied to skin and body instead of food. We got interested in natural body care while learning to make ferments on the West Coast. Once we figured out how to make a natural deodorant that could stand up to long days in the ferment kitchen, we were hooked, and started selling our Stinky Girl deodorants and body products at the farmers market right alongside the ferments.

The active ingredient in our deodorants, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), is made right here in our hometown of Cortland, NY. Start with the Lavender Cream Deodorant, and grab the bug spray when summer rolls around.

Living foods

Why the wait matters

We don't rush good food. While mass-produced kraut is quick-pickled with vinegar or hurried out in days, ours undergoes a slow, traditional 4 to 6 month wild fermentation. That patient aging lets waves of beneficial lactic acid bacteria flourish, fully breaking down the cabbage for better bioavailability and developing a rich, complex, tangy flavor.

The long ferment also generates postbiotics: beneficial compounds and organic acids made by the probiotic microbes, associated with gut lining integrity and immune health. Raw, alive, and honest. That is the whole point.

Naturally gluten-free · no added sugar, vinegar, or preservatives · nothing you can't pronounce.

From real kitchens

What people keep telling us

Good to know

Questions about the shelf

See all FAQs
Are your products organic?
Many of our core vegetables are organic or from local organic farms. Certified Organic beets in the Beet Kvass and Ginger Beets, local organic napa cabbage and cucumbers, and Central New York family-farm cabbage for our krauts. Secondary aromatics and spices come from trusted conventional partners.
Are they vegan and gluten-free?
Everything is 100% gluten-free, with no added sugar, vinegar, or preservatives. Almost the whole line is vegan too, the one exception is our Traditional Kimchi, which uses real anchovy sauce.
Do you offer free shipping?
Free on every order over $100. Under that, it's calculated at checkout by weight and zip code. We ship Monday through Thursday across the continental US.
What if a jar arrives warm?
No worries, live ferments are kept safe by their own natural acidity, so a warm trip won't spoil them. Refrigerate on arrival and they'll firm right back up.