In a perfect world, there's no need to add a starter-culture when creating lacto-fermented organic or biodynamic vegetables in the Pickl-It hermetic (airtight) system.  The Pickl-It lacto-fermentation system efficiently increases acidity, drops pH, and locks out damaging oxygen that neutralizes a wide-range of beneficial components including antioxidants, enzymes, bacteriocins, as well as probiotic bacteria.

But we live in an increasingly imperfect world.  For the past year, we have experimented with Caldwell's Starter Culture, discovering a wide-range of benefits when....

• Food origins are unknown
• All necessary bacterial strains may not be present in raw foods
• Questionable food-crop growing and soil condtiions 
• Questionable food-crop storage (increasing fungus/mold)
• Erratic temperatures during fermentation
• Organic or biodynamic vegetables are not available
• Increase break-down of vegetable sugars if not well-tolerated even in tiny amounts
• Reduce acrylamide formation (e.g., French fries) by greater food-sugar reduction
• Uncertain water-conditions used for brine
• Adds probiotic-benefit to vegetable juices for those on a dairy-free diet

Caldwell's Starter Culture, is the only broad-spectrum starter culture of its kind, created from organic, fermented vegetables, for the anaerobic-fermentation of vegetables. 

• Developed specifically for vegetables, extracted from vegetables
• Delivers a full-range of living, active vegetable bacteria 
• Boosts indigenous bacteria, filling in gaps, even in organic produce
• Produces consistent results
• Compensates for temperatures that may not be ideal (constant 70F is best)
• Enhances taste, aroma and texture (increased crispness)
• Creates flavorful brine without watering down the flavor
• Increases anaerobic low-carb benefits - the more microbes? Increase in food-sugar elimination!
• Adds essential microbes to dehydrated foods which can be fermented (dehydrated beet, carrot, green beans are just some that we've experimented with)
• Add essential microbes to frozen vegetables which can be fermented (works well on green beans, part of our dog's raw-food, lacto-fermented diet)

The Caldwell team have independently funded and developed their vegetable-starter, employing meticulous analysis and methodology over the last 15-years.

Not content to mimic the narrow-spectrum standards acceptible to the food-processing industry, Caldwell created a broad-spectrum starter that works with, not against, the natural, indigenous microbes of your vegetables.  

Caldwell's Starter Culture is complementary, not competitive, unlike narrow-spectrum starter cultures (or the inoculant, whey) which disrupt natural, spontaneous fermentation.

The Pickl-It anaerobic-system, is further enhanced, not hijacked, by Caldwell's Starter Culture.

Easy to Use!

Simply dissolve Caldwell's Starter Culture in water, then thoroughly mix with the vegetables and brine.   This ensures that the bacteria are well distributed throughout the mixture.

Each box contains SIX 2-gm pouches of broad-spectrum cultures.  Please refrigerate for long-term storage.

Each pouch cultures 4.5 lbs of raw vegetables, a total of 27 pounds of raw food per box.

Each box contains a clear, easy-to-follow instruction sheet for creating sauerkraut, with the benefit of added brine.

INGREDIENTS: Sugar (as carrier), skim milk powder, ascorbic acid, active lactic bacteria (lb.plantarum, Ln.mesenteroides, Pc.acidilactici). 

Please note: There is an element of dairy in this product as a carrier (openly disclosed on their package, meeting FDA-requirements), but the proportion in the final cultured veggies is minute, around 17 parts per million, which is below trace level.  

We enthusiastically recommend Caldwell's Starter Culture for any, or all, of your Pickl-It fermented foods.  

Caldwell's Starter Culture  Item#:  CWS-001 Price:  $ 19.95

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