I bought a jar of sauerkraut at the farmers' market the other day, and when I opened it, the contents of the jar bubbled out like an uncorked bottle of champagne. “Uh-oh!” Matt said, “you'd better throw that out!”

Admittedly a bit alarmed myself, I tasted it, anyway, and not only did it not taste bad, it was quite simply the best sauerkraut I have ever tasted in my life. The label on my organic Hawthorne Valley Farm sauerkraut explained that their “lacto-fermented vegetables are made traditionally. They are unpasteurized and raw; they will continue to ferment and fizz. Raw lacto-fermented vegetables contain Vitamin C and living beneficial bacteria and enzymes.”

And, thanks to a just-published study from Georgetown University, we now know that sauerkraut also contains a potent disease-fighting chemical called indol-3-carbonel (I3C), which occurs naturally in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. IC3 jump-starts the genes that work to detect and repair damaged DNA.

The fermentation process that turns cabbage into sauerkraut appears to break this beneficial chemical down into simpler substances our bodies can more readily use. And, as Hawthorn Valley Farm's website points out, the bacteria and enzymes found in sauerkraut are also believed to aid nutrient absorption and digestion, and enhance metabolic functions and vitamin synthesis.

But all this stuff about the health benefits of sauerkraut, which is being touted as a cure for everything from cancer to avian flu, may be distracting us from the fact that sauerkraut is a delicious food, and none more so than Hawthorne Valley's. Paired with Tofurkey's peppered deli slices and some grated Gruyere, it makes a killer meatless Reuben.

Hawthorne Valley has just started shipping its entire line of lacto-fermented vegetables, so you can taste all four flavors of their wondrous sauerkraut for yourself, as well as their ginger carrots, dilly beans, and pickles. Once opened, the vegetables keep for three months, but the sauerkraut's so good it won't last three weeks in our fridge.