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Curious if other members make fermented probiotic rich foods?  Have you made any or still making?  I have some digestive issues and got very interested in these foods the last 10+ years but even before then, I have made miso, natto, umeboshi, yogurt,  and  saurkraut.  I continue to make natto, umeboshi and salt brined lacto cucumber dill pickles on regular bases.  Have not attempted kimchi, but I make Japanese version without the spicy component of kimchi using napa cabbage.  

I have been contemplating making tempeh, but still not sure if I will be successful with it.  

Fellow fermenter here. :)

I make yogurt every week, and regularly make sauerkraut. I've fermented other vegetables, like beans and a few others, but haven't found one I like as much as cabbage/ other brassicas. The beans I did tasted like canned beans that had been doused in vinegar, not appealing in the least. I have also made kimchi, kombucha, kefir, ginger bugs (also good for digestion - I add to sparkling water), and preserved lemons. I have some miso in the fridge that I made and forgot about in the back of a cupboard - it fermented for 2+ years, and is nearly black, but it's great.

While I like various kvass drinks, I haven't made any myself yet. I've never made tempeh, natto or umeboshi. 

I do a fair bit of fermenting. I make sourdough bread, yogurt (both cow and goat milk), kombucha, and various kinds of fermented veg such as sauerkraut, fermented tomatoes, tomatillo ferment etc.  One of my favourite things to make is goat milk yogurt; the milk is inexpensive while goat yogurt is very costly here, so I end up saving quite a bit.  I recently got the River Cottage Fermenting Handbook out of the library, and I plan on making quite a few of her recipes. (I can't wait to make her fermented veg stock paste!)

Recently there have been numerous health claims around fermented foods, and I do think fermenting renders some foods more digestible to some people.  A case in point is my friend's daughter who can't eat regular bread, but can eat my sourdough bread that has had at least 15 hours of fermentation.  Also, there have been people who feel better if they drink kefir, especially goat kefir, and I've seen one study in which kefir increased diversity of gut bacteria. My own opinion of fermented foods is that they are very tasty, have been eaten for many years in many cultures, and are often plant based. Eating a wide variety of plants is good for gut bacteria, so if fermented foods help me do that, I will continue them. I personally do not see them as a "cure all", but I think they are definitely worth trying since there aren't any downsides to them. 

I have dabbled in making probiotic/fermented foods. I have all of Sandor Katz's books starting with Wild Fermentation. He definitely makes health claims, crediting these foods with managing his HIV infection. I make them for the taste, my favorite being lactofermented turnip pickles, Middle Eastern style pickles served with schwarma. I had a Salton yogurt maker in the '70s but found the yogurt too sour. I've made sauerkraut and kimchi but don't actually like to eat them. I tried to keep up a "gifted" Amish sweet bread starter- this was about as welcome as a chain letter. I did not jump on the sourdough bandwagon with the pandemic as I go to work every day in a hospital and would not be able to nurture it or bake bread regularly. Lately my goal has been to avoid natural fermentation taking place in my vegetable bin! 😉

Japanese consider natto superfood but unfortunately it takes exposure to it to get used to natto smell.  I find fresh natto have the least smell and ones I make have limited smell.  The longer it sits, the stronger smell. I make mine in the oven with lights on for heat only with two layers of aluminum cover with perforations in the the first cover and second cover with more random perforations.  Takes about 1 to 1 1/2 day to ferment.  It is very economical to make at home.  

I have two ume trees producing small fruits as well as larger ones.   So ume making has been annual work for me.  

Rinshin,

I have looked at photos of natto in the past, and I just can't get past the stringy look. LOL Maybe someday. I think I would like to try some in a restaurant before going through the effort of making it.

I know what you mean about the annual work of fruit trees - you have to follow their dictates. I have a large variety of fruit trees, and there is always something ripening. It's a lot of work to put everything up, but worth it. 

I just cleared out my winter veggie beds - I harvested turnips, kohlrabi, rutabaga and beets. I usually roast or mash them, but I think I may try fermenting some of them this year. I have a recipe for kohlrabi-kraut with Meyer lemon zest that looks interesting. 

I've made yogurt on and off for years. Nothing beats homemade plain yogurt!

I took a fermented vegetables class in January - the teacher said not to call what we were making kimchi because it's not authentic, which I get, but it was definitely kimchi-inspired. And it was soooo good! I've already started my second batch and I don't think I'll ever buy store bought kimchi again. It's so easy. 

Years ago when I first started making natto, I was using soy beans called Laura beans purchased directly from farmer online.  It was perfect beans for making tofu and soy milk, but too big for proper natto.  But that was all that was available then.  Now from the same source, they sell smaller soy beans meant for natto making. 

There are other foods which may be considered fermented that I also make such as nukazuke using rice bran mash for pickling vegetables.   

I should really try my hand in making tempeh. 

kitazawa Seeds is great source for Asian vegetable and herb seeds.  Another source is Nichols Garden in Oregon Willamette Valley.  They have good amount of Asian seeds too.