One of the cool features of writing here is the opportunity to work with so many brands. But the reality is, I only end up partnering with a handful of the ones that reach out.
For two reasons:
I refuse to work with brands caving to the enshittification model. Now more than ever, there’s a strong tendency for health brands to sell out and cut corners.
I also refuse to back any product I don’t habitually use & fully believe in.
Very few brands clear both. The gentlemen at Central Coast Live Foods are one of them.
What’s In Them
“The preservatives are in there because they have to be. Otherwise it goes stale.”
We’ve all been fairly asking Big Food the same question for at least a decade now: can’t we do without the additives, the trash oils, the preservatives, all of the bullsh*t we don’t want?
Central Coast answered it by saying: F*ck it, we’ll just make it ourselves.
7 ingredients. Simple.
Can you really do that…without everything else?
Yes. Apparently you can.
Side note: I tested the staleness theory myself. I’ve got an open bag sitting in my pantry for 12+ weeks now. Still as crispy & satiating as the day I opened it.
If there’s anything the founders care about, it’s doing the customer right.
That means sourcing the cleanest organic ingredients they can find from family-owned farms with rich, biodiverse soil and never taking shortcuts on what they’re creating.
The philosophy is simple: Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
How They Taste
I get it. You look at the ingredients on these & naturally think: “no way in hell these taste any good”.
I’ll walk you through the taste life cycle though.
The first thing you notice is a subtle saltiness. One of the less obvious signs it was fermented into the pulp rather than simply dusted on the surface at the end.
If you’ve had the Kraut Krackers before, expect something milder. These are much less sour. Overall, they’re less assertive and closer to a mild sourdough than to eating straight kraut.
You get a very subtle cabbage touch on the front end, but fermentation takes over and mutes it into something more savory. So if you’re not a huge cabbage respector (like me), you’re all set.
A couple things I expected (was a little worried about honestly):
Bitterness from the flax
Green & grassy flavor from the parsley
Neither is there. Not even subtly.
No aftertaste at all.
Texture is a feature here as well. They don’t do the thing where they crumble into pieces the second you look at them.
Best way to describe them is they snap, but don’t annoyingly shatter.
How to Use Them
A few ways I’ve been enjoying these over the last couple months:
Crushed into bowls → Every bro bowl deserves a crunch. Break them into crumbs and swap out the wonton crisps or croutons.
Anything fermented → Pickled onions. Kimchi. Sauerkraut. There’s something about the way these pair with fermented foods that’s become my lunchtime ritual. A gut health pairing elixir here too.
Tzatziki → The cucumber & dill pair well against the cracker’s base. Ideally use a low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt since the fat is what makes the cracker more satiating.
Whipped feta → Can’t believe it took me as long as it did to tap into the whipped feta lore. Exceptional pairing. Here’s an easy recipe.
Salsas → Pairs immaculately with my favorite salsa…Cowboy Caviar.
Crumbled into soups → Now that’s mid-September, it’s soup season. A much healthier oyster-cracker alternative.
After three orders with more inbound, these are definitely a crunch vehicle.
I enjoy them most with something else on top. But I’ll still grab one or two plain ones (sometimes add a little sriracha) and they taste terrific on their own.
Where to Pick Them Up
Big Food gets shelf stability at the cost of adding more slop ingredients.
Trail Salad gets it with a little more work & patience on the front end with their fermentation & dehydration process.
Try them once & you’ll never return.
Support the grassroots movement taking our food supply back.
Vote with your dollar.
Get 15% OFF with PHYS15.
And if you want the more fermented, sour version of this, the OG Kraut Krackers are worth trying as well.
Until next week. Stay after it.
Your friend,
Phys
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I don’t doubt they’re high quality as you say, and maybe they taste great. My question would be how expensive these are if you only get eight crackers and about 3.5 ounces per package? Seems like a very small amount.