Wild Alive

Sarah Salzman

Lawrence, KS

Wild Alive has been in business since 2015, but its foundations were laid even earlier, when a group of friends started getting together to make ferments using produce grown in their backyards. It was a place to connect, learn and share. Today, Wild Alive employs around 7 part-time staff. They offer a variety of fermented foods like kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, gut shots and drinks, plus local honey and bee pollen.

Wild Alive processes tons of vegetables — literally! They process over 1,000 pounds of cabbage alone in the spring and again in the fall. Veggie scraps get turned into compost, which in turn supports the growing of new vegetables to be fermented.

One of Sarah’s joys of running the business is being able to use locally-grown and in-season vegetables (like the Moon on the Meadow red napa cabbage used in their Indigo Kimchi and red-skinned turnips from Juniper Hill). “I get so excited about how beautiful the vegetables are, seeing them when I go pick up the vegetables from the farms, seeing the farms, talking to the farmers… Just really supporting each other’s businesses and trying to keep everything within this community as much as possible.”

“Locally Grown Bacteria” is Wild Alive’s tagline. “When you’re eating vegetables grown in the soil in the community you live in, the nutrients the microbes are tailored to this place, and place-based eating is something that is up and coming.”

One of the questions that Sarah hears often about her ferments is, “What do I do with this?” — so now Wild Alive also runs a food truck (give their Kimcheese (kimchi grilled cheese) a try on Saturday at the Lawrence Farmers Market)! “When in doubt, just add cheese!” Sarah says you should not be afraid to cook a ferment. Cooking does not destroy the bioavailability of nutrients that fermenting unlocks, and many ferments are delicious when cooked. Try her recipe for Kimchi Quesadillas.

So what’s next? Sarah loves teaching and is working on putting together fermentation retreats, where she plans to share her love of fermented foods and teach attendees how to cook and eat place-based ferments in an immersive multi-day experience.

In addition to being the owner of Wild Alive, Sarah is chair of the Board of Lawrence Farmers Market, where Wild Alive products are sold every Saturday. Visit them there, and find their products at the co-op!