LOCALadk Magazine

attraction. Conventional items become healthy and robust – such as her raw, heirloom, fermented ketchup, which took Cori a year and a half to perfect and is made from a blend of dehydrated and brined heirloom tomatoes, without vinegar, sugar, or thickening agents. Or, there's Cori's pesto, which marries the familiar structure of pesto with the added vi- brancy of garlic scapes and cilantro. And then there are her ferments that are stand-alone sen- sations, wholly unique in their profiles. These include combi- nations such as wild rose slaw, turmeric carrot spears, curried and brined daylilies, strawberr y beet stem and garlic scapes, and fermented wild knotweed relish. These concoctions give the pallet an unexpected twist on familiar flavors. Small Town Cultures is truly a family affair. Based in Co- ri's hometown of Lake Placid NY, she uses her sister Kayte's commercial vegetarian kitchen, The Good Bite Restaurant on Main Street, as her fermentation HQ. Cori's parents help with babysitting so that Cori and Shawn can ferment at odd hours of the day and night, during the restaurant's off-hours. Shawn is in charge all things visual, including Instagram (@ SmallTownCultures), SmallTownCultures.com, and photogra- phy. Their son Liam ser ves as Cori's most reliable taste tester and foraging partner. Cori said that it is essential that she use organic vegetables at the peak of their freshness, when they are rich with lac- tic acid bacteria, the group of microbes responsible for gut health. She mainly sources her produce from two local organ- ic farms, Fledging Crow Vegetables and Juniper Hill Farm, neither of which spray their produce with chemicals which could stunt microbial growth. In keeping with her commitment to living a balanced life- style, Cori also wild forages for many of the ingredients in her ferments. This is an activity she deeply enjoys, and which she can share with her young son. She explained that this ac- tivity connects her energetically to the land that provides for her well-being, and imparts her product with a reflection of regionality, seasonality, and wildness. Small Town Cultures is a name that perfectly reflects Co- ri's business ethos. Each business decision is made with the health and vitality of the consumer and her community in mind. Cori puts her money where her mouth is. By sourcing the produce locally, her money stays in the community and adds to the economic health of our region. Also, her prod- ucts help reduce the food waste that many farms contend with when they have a seasonal abundance of produce. Cori and Shawn are steadily introducing new products to the Small Town Cultures lineup. A notable new addition are the fermentation starter kits, which they created in re- sponse to the feedback that Cori was receiving at the farm- er's markets. Her customers wanted an easy way to create their own ferments at home, to help them use the bounty from their own gardens and CSA shares. Also, for the holiday season, Small Town Cultures is offering a Pickle Box, which is a sample pack of four different ferments in 8-oz glass jars, packaged in a cooler with ice packs. Other exciting new prod- ucts are wild-apple sauce, and pablano spears seasoned with Queen Anne's lace seed. Small Town Culture products can be found at local retail- ers who focus on quality and local sourcing around the Ad- irondack Park and Capital Region. The Good Bite Kitchen and Smoke Signals in Lake Placid feature the ferments on their menu. Jars of ferments and fermentation kits can be found at the Snowy Grocer y at Sugar House Creamer y in Jay, Cedar Run Market in Keene, Green Goddess in Lake Placid, Nori's Market in Saranac Lake, and at Clovermead Cafe in Keese- ville. All products are raw, vegan, gluten free, probiotic-rich living foods with no added sugar, vinegar, preser vatives, or other additives.

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