Giveaway: Win a Case of Zukay Probiotic Salsa & Relish

Ever heard of probiotics? How about naturally fermented food? Maybe you just want a shot at 6 free jars of salsa and relish?

Well now’s your chance. Read below to see how to get your chance to win a full case — 2 jars each of hot salsa, mild salsa, and pickle relish — a $42 value.

UPDATE! This contest has ended.

All of Zukay’s products are naturally fermented. In other words, this is a probiotic food. Adding a little salsa or relish to your food will actually help you digest and absorb the nutrients in your meal.

Fermented vegetables are rich in nutrients … and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria. Source: Herb Companion

These products are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and raw. And every time you open a jar an angel gets his wings. (Okay, not that last one.)

Because Zukay is right next door in Pennsylvania, I was able to find it at the local Whole Foods, and got a jar of the mild salsa.

It seemed a little thinner than commercial salsa I’m used to. I gave it a stir and found that it had settled some.

I called Scott Gryzbek, Founder and CEO of Zukay Live Foods. He told me they had gotten a batch of heirloom tomatoes that were a bit different from their regular supply, but they’d already figured it out and adjusted the recipe.

That’s such a refreshing change from industrial food where, first of all, everything is so generic and regimented that they’d never think about buying a load of fresh, local tomatoes just because they’re local … and fresh. I wish more products showed seasonal variations as different crops became available.

And in the second place, I love that the CEO is also the guy buying the tomatoes and tweaking the recipe. When lobbyists for giant agribusiness tell sob stories about family farmers, they’re lying. Scott is the real thing.

Oh, right, the salsa. So I poured some out …

… and gave it a taste.

Wow. that tomato can’t be in a jar. It tastes like I just sliced it. All the vegetables are bright and fresh, like this was just made. And it has a very distinctive tartness to it. Not at all what I was expecting, and not really like any salsa I’ve had before.

I thought it was almost a citrus flavor, like lime. My wife identified it as vinegar. But there isn’t any citrus or vinegar. That’s the fermentation. I didn’t really know what to expect, since this is my first experience with fermented food.

In a way it reminds me of very spicy foods. Some people think ketchup is spicy (Hi, Nancy!) and would have a heart attack if you gave them a jalapeño. Others pop scotch bonnets like candy. The tartness in this is similarly pronounced. I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone, but the people I’ve talked to who have had fermented foods before absolutely rave about it.

I guess you’ll want to know how to win, huh?

Okay, so the first way to enter is to click here and sign up on the Zukay website.

Registering on Zukay is your first entry. For more chances to win:

1. Blog about the giveaway and link back to this page on your blog. Comment below with the link.

2. Sign up for my email updates. (The form is right at the bottom of this post.) Leave a comment below telling me that you signed up. You will also get an entry if you already subscribe — make sure to leave a comment so I know!

3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Leave a comment telling me that you followed & tweeted.

4. Stumble this post and leave a comment with a link to it.

This contest will end Thursday, April 2nd at 11:59 PM EDT. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced Friday, April 3rd. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with his or her full name, address, and phone number.

Sorry, but due to shipping costs, only those living in the United States are welcome to enter this contest.

Good luck, everybody!

Oh, and if you can’t wait that long …

If you absolutely must have your fermented salsa or relish right away, you can get a 10% discount for the next two weeks only when you order on line. Use the coupon code “GRAND_1″.