This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

While the Downtown Farmers Market is the place to get fresh produce, coffee and jam, it also has become Salt Lake City's newest fermentation station.

This summer, vendors are selling five uniquely preserved foods. Some are familiar, like yogurt, sourdough bread and vinegar; others are more curious, like kimchee (fermented cabbage) and kombucha (fermented tea).

All are part of a growing national trend toward preserving and eating foods that our great-grandparents enjoyed.

"There's been this comeback in the last 10 years of fermented foods," said Martha Levie, whose family owns Abigail's Oven, a sourdough bread bakery in Spanish Fork.

After refrigeration and the invention of commercial yeasts, people changed the way they made and preserved food, she said. "But they didn't realize they were giving up good nutrition for convenience, and now their great-grandchildren are feeling the effects."

Fermented foods have experienced a resurgence as scientists learn more about the benefits of having good bacteria or probiotics in the body — which can aid digestion and boost the immune system.

At its most basic level, fermentation is the process in which an organism — usually bacteria or yeast — converts a carbohydrate, such as starch or sugar, into alcohol or acid.

But long before our ancestors understood the chemistry, they were making beer, yogurt, pickles and sauerkraut for survival, basically preserving the harvest for times when fresh food wasn't available.

Utah producers are taking a cue from the past and returning to those age-old methods. Take a closer look at these five fermented foods available at the Downtown Farmers Market through October.

Kimchee

Considered the national dish of Korea, this savory, yet pungent mix of shredded cabbage, onions, garlic and red peppers is used on everything from steamed rice to tacos.

"The red mix looks a little horrifying at first," said Kayla Merten, creator of Yummchi.

An avid cook, Merten was introduced to the side dish/condiment by her husband, who had lived in Korea. She started making it at home and decided her recipe "was better than any store-bought version." When the couple switched to a vegetarian diet, they eliminated the fish sauce and salted shrimp added to traditional recipes. Merten uses miso paste and tamari (not soy sauce) so the product also is gluten-free.

While purists might hold their nose at this Americanized version, Merten said the switch has made it more palatable for many. "It is still fermented at room temperature, so it has the same sourness and pungent taste," she said, "but not the fishiness that turns a lot of people off."

Kombucha

Historians believe this fermented tea originated in Asia around 220 B.C. and was prized for its detoxifying and energizing properties.

At the Downtown Farmers market, there are two options for this effervescent drink: Mamachari Kombucha, which opened in 2013, and newcomers Cru Kombucha.

To transform the tea into kombucha, a SCOBY — or symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast —floats on the surface of the tea for about 28 days. Its magical enzymes and bacteria eat the sugar and alcohol and ultimately turn the tea into a sparkling beverage, which tastes similar to apple cider.

The Cru Kombucha co-founders can attest to the popularity of the nonalcoholic drink. Since launching five months ago, Christian Alber and Zach Twombly have gone from making a few gallons in their basement as a hobby to producing and bottling 360 gallons a month in a rented commercial kitchen. Besides the Downtown Farmers Market, Cru Kombucha is sold at Sugar House Coffee, Vive Juicery and Zest Restaurant.

"We usually pair fresh fruit with an herb or botanical for our flavors," said Twombly, resulting in offerings such as strawberry/rhubarb, blackberry/pear and watermelon/basil.

Sourdough bread

Abigail's Oven in Spanish Fork makes 800 to 1,000 loaves of sourdough bread each week, and every one of them can be traced to a starter that originated in San Francisco, America's sourdough capital.

Martha and Allen Levie feed the starter daily and use it to make the dough for the different sourdough breads they sell, including whole grain, white/wheat blend, cinnamon swirl and jalapeño cheddar.

The dough is divided and placed in individual Dutch ovens and left to rise overnight (12 hours). In the morning, the cast-iron pots are placed in a commercial oven and baked until the bread's trademark crispy outer crust and chewy inside form.

"The beauty of the bread," said Martha Levie, "is that it's only three ingredients: flour, water and salt."

During the fermentation process, the gluten in the flour breaks down, making sourdough easier to digest and preventing spikes in blood sugar. "It's how we made bread for the last thousand years," she said. "It's only been in the last 100 that we've gone away from it."

The bakery is named after the Levies' 15-year-old daughter, Abigail, who "begged and begged" to learn how to make bread when she was 8. She ran a successful small business selling to nearly 300 neighbors and friends. The family moved out of state for several years, but when they returned, they resurrected the bakery.

Vinegar

Slide Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar, which gets its name from the bare swath of mountain behind owner Martin James' home in Mendon in the Cache Valley, has been a favorite since it was introduced more than five years ago.

To make the vinegar, Slide Ridge mixes some of its raw wildflower honey with water and yeast and then lets it ferment for about eight months until it turns into a mead or low-alcohol wine. A "mother" bacterium is then added, which turns the alcohol into acetic acid or vinegar.

Unlike other vinegars that are often muddy brown in color, honey wine vinegar has an inviting golden hue, which is part of its allure.

James said the company continues to expand and now has five flavors of vinegar — original, apple cider, green chile, jalapeño and dark malt — with a light malt coming soon.

Yogurt

Jolene Hale of Springville started making yogurt for her family after her first child was born, using a German recipe that she learned from her mother-in-law.

She began sharing some with neighbors and friends, who suggested she try selling the yogurt at the farmers market.

Hale now is the owner of Milk Honey Fine Yogurt. Made with gently pasteurized — but not homogenized — whole milk from Utah's Redmond farms, the yogurt comes in several flavors, from vanilla and honey to coconut to lavender and lemon.

After heating and adding the bacteria, Hale lets the yogurt culture for 24 hours, which is longer than most commercial yogurts, she said. The longer fermenting time allows the bacteria to really break down the lactose and sugar in the milk, making it easier to digest. "I didn't expect it to be as successful as it has been," she said, "but I think it was good timing."