Turning sauerkraut haters into sauerkraut lovers

Tim and Monique Marshall run a booth at the Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market called "The Holistic Guy." They sell a variety of healthy foods such as apple chips, organic garlic powder and sprouted hummus.

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Their most popular item, however, is sauerkraut, which they sell in a number of flavours, including jalapeno, roasted curry and cinnamon. 

"I never thought anyone would buy it," Tim Marshall says with a laugh. 

The most popular flavour is the garlic sauerkraut. It's a business that they never intended to get into. 

"I've been working in the nutrition business for almost 20 years now. We were talking with the market manager at the downtown farmers' market, and he suggested I set up a booth down there," Marshall said.

"I said it was a great idea, but I knew if I did, I would be just giving away nutritional advice for free for five hours a day every Saturday. So I thought, 'what sort of foods ... could I take down and sell while I was there?'" 

According to Marshall, raw fermented sauerkraut is full of probiotics, which many people believe are good for digestion. The basic variety has just two ingredients: salt and cabbage, which then ferments over a number of days. He estimates that they've gone through nearly 1,400 kg (3,000 lbs) of locally grown cabbage since starting production in the spring.

Marshall says there is a key difference between his product and most sauerkraut available at the grocery store.

"They [commercial producers] cook it. They cook it to a point of pasteurization — and the definition of pasteurization is typically when all enzymatic activity is ceased."

So unlike Marshall's product, commercial sauerkraut generally does not contain any active probiotics. It also tends to contain wine, which Marshall doesn't use.

As a result, his sauerkraut is a lot crunchier, less wet, and has a much more pronounced cabbage taste. It's almost like a slightly tangy coleslaw.

It's an extremely versatile condiment — Marshall suggests that it could even be incorporated into Thanksgiving dinner by adding it to mashed potatoes.

According to Monique Marshall, this different tasting sauerkraut is changing how Windsorites look at the condiment. She loves seeing the look on people's faces when they try raw sauerkraut for the first time. 

"[They] say 'Oh, I like this!' — and then they're pulling out money to buy it!"

You can try the Marshall's sauerkraut at the final Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market of the season this Saturday, as well as at the New Walkerville Block Party on Friday.

Tim and Monique plan to be at a number of other events over the new few months, and have plans to start a pick-up and delivery service very shortly. You can find out the latest on their Facebook page - just search for "The Holistic Guy," or look for the link in the "External Links" section on this page.

Hear Jonathan's latest food adventure every Thursday at 8:10 a.m. on CBC Radio One - 97.5FM in Windsor, 91.9FM in Leamington, 88.1FM in Chatham & 90.3FM in Sarnia. Do you have a food, restaurant or dish that you think Jonathan should explore? Call (519) 255-3400, email [email protected] or tweet him directly at @jonathan_pinto.