Frequently asked questions

Direct to your door, anywhere in the continental United States.

We hand-pack every order in our Cortland kitchen and ship Monday through Thursday. To keep things fresh and out of weekend transit, orders placed Friday through Sunday go out the following Monday. You'll get a confirmation email with tracking the moment your box is labeled.

USPS Ground Advantage and UPS Ground. Rough transit once it's picked up: Northeast & Mid-Atlantic 2-3 days, Midwest & Southeast 3-5, South Central & Mountain 3-5, West Coast 5-6.

Yes, free on every order over $100. Under that, shipping is calculated at checkout by package weight and your zip code.

Many of our core vegetables are organic or grown on local organic farms. We use Certified Organic beets in our Ginger Beets and Beet Kvass (the ginger and garlic in those are conventional). The napa cabbage for our kimchi and the cucumbers for our pickles come from local organic farms, and our signature sauerkraut cabbage is grown by a multi-generational family farm in Central New York. Secondary aromatics and spices come from trusted conventional partners.

We'd rather build real relationships with Upstate New York growers and get crops into the crock at peak-harvest freshness than chase a label. Whether it's a local organic farm or a long-standing family farm, freshness and regional sustainability come first.

All of our krauts, kimchi, pickles, and beet kvass are 100% gluten-free, with no added sugar, vinegar, or artificial preservatives. Almost the entire line is vegan, including our Vegan Kimchi and White Kimchi. The one exception: our Traditional Kimchi is made with real anchovy sauce for depth, so it isn't vegan.

We pack with biodegradable and recycled materials, no plastic ice packs. In warmer months your jars may arrive at room temperature, or even a little warm. That's fine: the natural acidity of a live ferment keeps it safe. Just pop it in the fridge and enjoy.

Not at all. Lactobacillus are tough little warriors, they shrug off anything from an arctic chill up to about 143°F. It's only at 144°F that they start to get too toasty.

No. Thanks to their natural acidity, fermented products can safely travel without refrigeration for several days. As long as they arrive within standard carrier transit times, there's no risk of spoilage or safety concerns.

That's active fermentation saying hello. Temperature changes make the cultures produce natural CO2. If a lid is puffed, just open it to "burp" it and release the healthy gas. If a little brine escaped past the seal, rinse the jar under cold water, wipe it down, and dig in.

A clean, smooth, ruby-red tonic, vibrant red to deep purple, without heavy sediment. If a bottle ever arrives brown or oxidized-looking, reach out right away and we'll replace it.

Yes. Refrigerating stops any active fermentation from the trip and keeps everything crisp, fresh, and delicious for longer.

Unopened, jars and bottles keep 6-9 months in the fridge (check the Best By date on the bottom). Once opened, krauts, kimchi, and pickles stay good about 6 months, as long as you use a clean utensil and keep the vegetables submerged under their brine.

Keep the veggies packed down under the liquid. If you're running low after eating your way through a jar, top it off with a simple home brine: 1 teaspoon of pure salt stirred into 1 cup of cold water.

Because everything we make is perishable and alive, all sales are final and we can't accept physical returns.

Transit accidents happen. If a glass jar arrives shattered or broken, email us at orders@foodandferments.com within 48 hours of delivery with your order number and clear photos of the damaged items and the shipping box. We'll promptly replace or refund them. (Claims after 48 hours, issues from an incorrect shipping address, or minor leakage from active fermentation don't qualify.)