About TLC In The Kitchen

Welcome to TLC In The Kitchen! My name is Sue Fase. I live and work on our Nebraska flower farm alongside my husband Ken and our Goldendoodle Riley. We are the owners of TLC Country Floral where we proudly grow rare and unusual plants in a natural and organic environment. We try to care for ourselves and those around us in the same healthy manner as we care for our plants.

Five years ago I was introduced to the ancient practice of Lacto Fermentation by a gardening friend. With apprehension I took my first bite of fermented carrots. I loved them and was intrigued by the process. The thought of consuming food that had been allowed to sit at room temperature for days or even weeks was a bit unnerving at first. In our industrialized society we are taught that food must be refrigerated, pasteurized or processed.  I began my extensive research to discover what this was all about.

I learned that mankind has been preserving food through the process of Lacto Fermentation since the beginning of time. It is our God-given and natural instinct to preserve food in a way that provides the nutrition necessary for basic survival. Fermentation is an accepted practice in many cultures but is considered cutting edge in our country. New research is discovering that these probiotic-filled foods are necessary for our gut health as they aid in digestion and boost our immune system. Exciting studies are proving that the ratio of bacteria in our system has a direct link to certain diseases and the prevention of them including depression.

I love to cook and growing a huge vegetable garden has always been a big part of our summer routine. My attention also focused on the labels of certain foods in our pantry only to discover the list of ‘ingredients’ in these foods…well, they really weren’t food. We now keep three refrigerators stocked with fermented foods including vegetables, fruits, salsas, relishes and condiments. My pantry includes a brewing station for Kombucha…a fermented tea. Our ‘Lacto Fermenting 101’ classes introduce others to the process and health benefits of fermented foods. We do not eat processed foods or factory farmed meats and work hard to connect consumers to local family farmers. We bake our own bread, freeze and pressure-can the produce from our garden and we continue to learn. I garden, cook and create my own farm to table recipes with more passion than ever before. Welcome to ‘TLC In The Kitchen’ … a place created to share our recipes, gardening wisdom and this amazing journey with you.