Cori Deans has one of those success stories that many of us dream about. It isn’t quick riches or an athletic conquest. No, Cori accomplished something even more important. She naturally healed her Crohn’s Disease symptoms, and her process was relatively simple. Cori cut sugar and processed foods, and then repopulated her gut biome with wild, fermented foods. Small Town Cultures was born from this experience.
Small Town Cultures are Wildly Flavorful Ferments for Good Gut Health
All snacks and condiments from Small Town Cultures are raw, unpasteurized, and made without additives, preservatives, added vinegar, or sugar. But they are more complex than you might think.
How Are Small Town Cultures Different from Pickled Foods?
Small Town Cultures are fermented, not pickled. Fermentation utilizes probiotic microbes to create the acid environment while pickling typically uses heat or pasteurization, which actually kills off good bacteria. Both fermented and pickled foods are rich in vitamin K and vitamin A, but only fermented foods contain probiotics.
The ingredients used are also different. Small Town Cultures ferments with a simple mix of vegetables, salt, water, and sometimes herbs. They don’t use sugar or any other additives. Pickling uses an acidic liquid like vinegar, which is already fermented, and often has additives like calcium chloride, sugar, or preservatives.
And of course, there is the taste. I’m not a big pickled foods fan, but Small Town Cultures won me over. Their baby carrots and dilly beans have a full-bodied flavor that is so much cleaner than vinegar-based products, and the texture is wonderfully crisp-tender. We also tried some of the condiments, which each pack a bold punch.
How Many Probiotics are in Small Town Cultures?
This can’t be easily measured. The company states, “Fermented foods are known to have microbial contents in the billions, whereas pills are in the millions, but all of that has to do with the amount of time that our products have been fermented.”
But to get the most benefit, enjoy both the food and the liquid in each jar of Small Town Cultures. The fermenting liquid is also probiotic rich and quite versatile. I inquired on the best ways to use it, and received this response:
We use it in dressings, and marinades, to add liquid when cooking veggies or rice, in cocktails, as a soup base, and so on. My personal favorite is to use the jalapeno brine in margaritas and the kimchi liquid in pancake batter for kimchi pancakes. We also just drink it straight to get our daily probiotics (aka gut shot).
Small Town Cultures Ingredients
It doesn’t get much simpler than these clean, everyone-friendly ingredients.
- Turmeric Kimchi (Best Seller): cabbage, carrot, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, cayenne
- Baby Carrots: carrot, water, garlic, salt, coriander
- Dilly Beans: green beans, water, garlic, dill, salt
- Red Onions: red onion, water, salt, sumac berry, white tea
- Jalapeños: jalapeños, water, salt
- Sauerkraut: cabbage, salt
More Facts on Small Town Cultures
- Price: $6.99 per 12-ounce jar
- Availability: Small Town Cultures are sold in Whole Foods across the North East and South West. They are also sold at The Fresh Market stores, and you can order them online at mouth.com and nopigneva.com.
- Storage: They are sold refrigerated, and the company said they will keep for one year in the refrigerator.
- Certifications: We did not note any certifications on Small Town Cultures.
- Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Small Town Cultures are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, oil-free, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian, keto, and paleo-friendly.*
- For More Product Information: Visit the Small Town Cultures website at www.smalltowncultures.com.
*Always read the ingredient and nutrition statement prior to consumption. Ingredients, processes, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company or product. Contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. No food product can be guaranteed “safe” for every individual’s needs. You should never rely on ingredient and allergen statements alone if dealing with a severe food allergy.Â
These look great but…..
These look great but you can’t get the jar opened….the first one my husband tried to open and it injured his hand so bad he had to see an orthopedic and his hand/arm is still injured. Now I just bought the carrots and I cannot get the top off — does anybody have any tips? If I can’t get the top off I’ll have to throw them in the garbage & just won’t buy this brand again.
Love these products
I’m all about getting natural supplements, and these are a tasty way to add probiotics to my diet. We really liked the different veggies, and wish they would make more of those. The sauces are good, too, but not as practical for us.
