Hummus and Sauerkraut

I mostly go to the Campbell Farmers' Market and other markets to get locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables, but there's a whole other side to the market that I've been exploring: prepared foods.

I bought some spicy olives from The Hummus Guy recently, and they were amazingly addictive. The Hummus Guy, owned by Mohamed Cherif and based out of Petaluma, has a reputation for charismatic salesmanship and delicious products that people look for religiously whenever they come to the market.

Some recommendations from Yelp reviewers include the pita chips (which come in lemon, garlic, white and whole wheat), black bean with chipotle harissa hummus, and the artichoke hummus. I like to make my own hummus, but next time I'll try one of the Hummus Guy's famous flavors, which I'm sure will blow mine away.

I like that the ingredients are simple and natural. The Hummus Guy sources organic vegetables used to make the hummus come from Sonoma County, his website says, and uses a generations old family recipe from Tunisia, where Cherif was born and raised.

Across the street, Farmhouse Culture caught my eye, with shots of kraut juice for $1! I'll let them tell you about the health benefits they say it has.

I've loved sauerkraut since I was a kid, so this stand just sucked me in and even makes my mouth water now. Big wooden barrels filled with locally sourced and sustainably grown sauerkraut in a variety of flavors—horseradish leek, smoked jalapeño, and classic caraway.

Their ingredients are all natural, they buy their cabbage, onions, carrots, peppers, and apples from local farmers, and they share a lot of information about how they make their kraut.

A lot of their website is dedicated to describing the traditional lacto-fermentation process used to make sauerkraut. They start with nothing but shredded cabbage and chunks of vegetables layered with sea salt from the Sonoma coast. The salt pulls moisture from the vegetables, and after a few weeks that brine has tenderized the now tangy and rich cabbage blend.

Like pickling, which is a different process entirely, fermentation and culturing is a natural food preservation method that humans have used for thousands of years, and Farmhouse Culture is trying to bring it back because of its sustainability and other advantages.

Their kraut goes for $6 or $7 per pint, but it packs a punch and will go a long ways. For a $2 deposit, you can take your kraut in a reusable and distinctive crock—very sustainable. You can even take classes to learn how to make sauerkraut if you're interested in trying at home.

Grab a loaf of bread from a market baker and a jar of kraut from Farmhouse Culture, some humus and pita chips from The Hummus Guy, and you've got some fantastic snacks.