Gutsy Ferments

16/08/2026

Five days ago I packed paperbark flowers into a jar with filtered water and let wild yeast take over. Today's the taste test, a drink Aboriginal Australians fermented and drank, documented well over a century ago. Tangy, sour, a slight touch of alcohol, full of good bacteria. What's the wildest thing you've fermented?

15/08/2026

Hiking isn't just good for your gut because it's exercise. Hormesis (moderate stress = stronger) explains the exercise side. Forest walking specifically also boosts immune markers, more white blood cells, better gut lining protection. Two separate benefits, one hike.

13/08/2026

Cold, windy, last 5km of a long hike still to go, time for a gut shot. Electrolytes, obviously, but the probiotics matter too: raised muscle glycogen, lower blood lactate, reduced inflammation, possibly less mental fatigue via the gut-brain axis. A fuel strategy, not just a habit.

12/08/2026

Fermented food is the original shelf-stable food. 20km through remote bushland near Mount Superbus tomorrow, no fridge for 8-plus hours. Gut shot, fermented Kulin, 24-month aged cheddar, and fermented carrots, all fermented, all pack-safe. Kombucha's staying in the car for the finish.

09/08/2026

People said Australia doesn't have a fermentation tradition. Wrong. Fermenting gep, a paperbark flower drink, fermented by Aboriginal Australians, just flowers, water, and wild yeast. No added culture. Leaving it 3 days. Follow for Part 2 when I filter and taste it.

08/08/2026

Recreating the vacuum seal from yesterday's video. Heat the sauerkraut, that's also how manufacturers get the long shelf life, the heat kills the probiotics. Fill the jar hot, seal it, and as it cools it creates a vacuum and sucks the button down. Living kraut still fizzes, this doesn't.

07/08/2026

That button on your sauerkraut jar lid isn't decoration, it's a vacuum seal indicator. Negative pressure sucks it down flat, and it stays that way until the jar's opened. Manufacturers heat the kraut and seal it hot to create it. I'm attempting to recreate this at home. Part 2 tomorrow. Follow to see how NOT to do it

06/08/2026

Left 3 products at room temp for 2 weeks: a traditionally made kombucha, a raw kraut, and a supermarket kombucha claiming live cultures. Living bacteria keep fermenting at room temp, that's why we refrigerate. One of these three opened completely flat. Which two actually benefit your gut?

05/08/2026

Part 2. This kombucha's label says 330 million live cultures at bottling. Living kombucha keeps fermenting at room temp though, producing CO2 as a by-product. So I left a bottle at room temp for two weeks and opened it on camera to see what happened.

04/08/2026