"Kombucha is a drink popular in the Ural mountains of Russia. It is said to have beneficial properties that assist the immune system and tastes like -- well... kombucha... "It's The Real, Real Thing."

In 2002, PBS aired a remarkable five part series called "Frontier House." The premise of the series was fairly straightforward. How would three modern day families fare if they had to give up their comfortable lives and instead live as homesteaders from the 1880s? The 160 acre homesteads were located in a remote Montana valley where the lives of the three families were documented from late spring to the first snows of early fall, 2001. Every attempt was made to make the experience as authentic as possible, from the period clothing and tools they used to the very food they ate. Despite the time-warping absurdity of the ever-present video camera that documented their struggles and triumphs, this was television at its best, without the Machiavellian social politics spawned by programs like the "The Apprentice" and other so-called "reality" shows.

I thought of this series recently as I took in the projects underway in my own kitchen. On one counter was a crock pot full of chicken parts, necks and feet mostly, along with a medley of vegetables. The pot had been going for over 24 hours, filling the house with the appetizing aroma of rich, nourishing chicken broth. On another counter sat a three-quart jar of home made ginger ale. It was in the second of a scheduled three-day brew and would no doubt make my taste buds dance at the pungent and refreshing taste of fermented ginger, lime and honey. Our gas oven hissed quietly as a dozen rust-colored red beets roasted inside. They would soon be soaking in a fermenting bath of whey, salt and honey. In about three days, these ugly ducklings would blossom into sparkling rubies of sinfully sweet, pickled beets.

Just in case you're wondering, no, I haven't relocated to the Montana Territory, although the prospect of doing so seems less daunting than it once might have. Nor have I joined some reclusive sect of Luddites and sequestered myself in an isolated backwoods commune. I still live in a quaint little house in a quiet little neighborhood somewhere in the bosom of suburban America. I still check my email on a Blackberry and log my appointments on a handheld computer. In many ways, my technology enhanced life is as modern as it has ever been. What is different is that I have discovered, and continue to discover, that some of the foods and preparation methods of our predecessors are as healthful for me today as they were over a hundred years ago.

I came to this enlightenment, as well as a greater appreciation for fermented foods, after attending the Fifth Annual Wise Traditions Conference in Arlington, VA. Running from October 1st through the 3rd, the conference is the brainchild of the Weston A. Price Foundation. The theme of the conference, "What's Happened to the U.S. Food Supply?" poses the same question put forth by Dr. Price more than seventy years ago. You may not have heard of Dr. Price, but evidence of his life's work and the proof of his conclusions are with us each and every day. Dr. Price was a dentist and is known as the "Darwin of Nutrition." He is best known for the work he did in the 1930s documenting, in words and photographs, the health of traditional societies untouched by modern civilization. He came to see that the physical degeneration common among modern societies was connected to a change in diet from traditional to processed foods. He noted, for example, that traditional people had remarkably good teeth, even though most had never seen a tooth brush.

Sally Fallon, author of "Nourishing Traditions" and president of the Price Foundation gave a compelling presentation on the work of Dr. Price. I saw photographs taken by the doctor that compared people with traditional diets to people with more modern diets. The difference was startling. Those with traditional diets had broad full faces, wide smiles and movie star teeth. These people, including the teenagers, appeared to be full of life and possessed of a positive disposition. This was in contrast to societies who had adopted modern foods. Their faces were more narrow, in some cases, deformed looking. Very often their teeth were in a state of utter disrepair, due to the malformation of the lower face and the poor quality of the diet. Even more telling, there were few smiles in this group whose dark questioning features reminded me of the faces I see at the mall. The biggest surprise was that most people today fall into the latter group. Whether you're on the train or walking down a crowded street, the narrowed faces with their expressions of discontent that we've come to think of as 'normal,' and even beautiful, are everywhere.

There were other presentations that were equally enlightening. Jordan Rubin, author of the steamrolling best seller, "The Maker's Diet, was present as was Dr. Kaayla Daniel, whose book, "The Whole Soy Story" sheds much needed light on the dark side of the soy movement. Author Jeffry Smith gave a riveting presentation on the dangers of genetically modified foods. His book, "Seeds of Deception," is mandatory reading for anyone interested in this subject. Dr Russell Blaylock spoke on the subject of excitotoxins and the problems wrought by an excess of glutamate (MSG) in the American diet. A special pleasure for me was the opportunity to speak with Dr. Mary G. Enig, a world renowned expert in the field of lipid chemistry. Her book, "Know Your Fats" is an excellent reference on the science of fat and reveals the whole truth about dietary fat in a manner that most people can comprehend.

Of course, a conference wouldn't be a conference without vendors and products to buy. Besides books, there were environmentally friendly products like air purifiers and natural fiber clothing for sale. The best thing about a conference about food is that there's likely to be food available, and lots of it. This conference was no different. Local farmers from as far away as Pennsylvania provided plenty of delectable treats to choose from. There were pickled beets, pickles, a plethora of delicious cheeses, meats from free range animals, popcorn and even - this sounds so sinful - potato chips fried in lard. I know, I know, lard is supposed to be bad for you, but if you've read any of the articles I've posted at this site, you know I don't buy that argument anymore. In fact, I brought home a small bag of chips for my two daughters to share. That was on a Saturday and the partially consumed bag is still in the cupboard, as of this writing, over a week later. What does this prove? Just this: that when children and adults eat whole healthy satisfying food, it really is possible to eat healthy snack foods in moderation. This is a far cry from over a year ago when we were still eating commercially processed foods. That bag of chips would never have survived the trip home, but if by some miracle I could have resisted eating them, they would have been inhaled by my children, bag and all, 30 seconds after I arrived home.

My favorite conference "treat" was the fermented soda bar. There, for a modest exchange of legal tender, one could purchase exotic refreshments like home made ginger beer, root beer and my favorite, kombucha. Kombucha is a drink popular in the Ural mountains of Russia. It is made from the kombucha mushroom, black tea, sugar and water and is said to have beneficial properties that assist the immune system. It's quite delicious, sweet, but not too sweet and tastes like -- well -- kombucha. Kombucha: "It's The Real, Real Thing."

As great as the food and the presentations were, the best thing about the conference were the people in attendance. I have never met such a delightful community of souls with such a high degree of concern for their fellow man. There were medical doctors and PhDs, Amish farmers, holistic healers, food producers, food consumers and a throng of laypeople interested in nutrition and health. In fact, this conference was the largest ever. Here was humanity on it's best behavior, in pursuit of knowledge with an open mind, a willing hand and a spirit committed to making the world and the food in it a little bit better.

As I reflect upon this year's conference and look forward to the next, I am learning, and continue to learn, that the best traditions of the past and the best practices of the present, create a wonderful synergy that can ensure a brighter future for each of us and our loved ones.