SigMT

SiG MT 64 Customers say 406 Ferments' super-charged kraut has boosted their immunity because it is so jam-packed with vitamins and minerals. "e amount of vitamin C and other nutrients is just incredible," Karina says. "It also helps to fight fatigue, because when your body is in sync, it doesn't take as much effort to get things done, leaving you with more energy." Karina was introduced to the benefits of fermented foods while she was struggling with her own health issues in early 2018. Her fellow Fort Benton High School classmate, Jules O'vern Von- Kae, gave her some of her coconut kefir and sauerkraut. "e very next day, I felt a difference," Karina recalls. "I began to really heal. At that point, I knew I must share this amazing food with everyone, because it had done so much for me." It takes about two weeks to turn out a batch of 406 Ferments sauerkraut. "I focus on small-batch, wild culture, locally grown and sourced foods," Karina says. She generally spends an entire day singlehandedly combining cabbage and other organic ingredients and placing it into her crocks. Aer two weeks, she returns to spend another full day packaging the final product. "It's a passion, not a job," she laughs. "Just give it a lile love, patience and time and it turns into this lovely, delicious, nutritious food. To me, that's kind of a miracle." 406 Ferments currently provides four different types of kraut: traditional with caraway seed, dill-garlic, kimchi, and a pink kraut made with purple cabbage. Karina also recently introduced "Get Your Gut Rite" probiotic "shots," which are comprised of the concentrated juices at the boom of the sauerkraut crocks. While some customers enjoy using the shots as a super-charged probiotic booster, others have been adding it to cocktails such as martinis or red beer. Some customers have also found the shots to be helpful in combating hangovers, Karina laughs. It takes just one or two tablespoons per day of 406 Ferments sauerkraut to unlock its beneficial properties, so incorporating it into daily life is simple. "It goes so well with burgers," she says. "I use it like a condiment on the side of my plate." It is also important to never heat up your 406 Ferments kraut. "You will kill the probiotics if you do," Karina explains. "It is shelf-stable, but you can store it in the fridge to slow fermentation and to keep it crunchy and fresher." Many cultures throughout history have referred to our digestive systems as the body's "first brain," she says. You can find 406 Ferments sauerkraut at Pizazz in downtown Great Falls, or at the Project Merc Food Farm in Worden. Customers can also place orders through the 406 Ferments Facebook or Instagram pages, or at 406ferments.com. "e goal is to help people feel good. I know what it did for me, and if it can help me, it can help a lot of people," Karina says. "at's how I view fermented food – it's the elixir of life." Holly Matkin has spent most of her life on her family's fourth-generation cattle and elk ranch, where she also works as a freelance writer for various local and national publications. S MT It takes approximately two weeks to produce a batch of 406 Ferments sauerkraut.

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