Preserving organic produce from neighboring farms in Maryland, Baltimore’s Hex Ferments creates kimichi, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods in a nontraditional way. They don’t use vinegar or heat in the process, aiming to improve the immune system by letting beneficial bacteria (probiotics), enzymes, and acids thrive.

Putting the twist on ingredients as well, Hex (whose name draws on folklore that uses signs and symbols to secure harvests and ward off the unwelcome) makes products like a carrot-juniper kombucha, a miso kimchi, and a veg- and herb-rich kraut dubbed Glow.

Hex owners Meaghan and Shane Carpenter had been making fermented foods for themselves and refining recipes and techniques long before fermenting experienced the rebirth it has today. But the Carpenters both had other jobs, and it took some convincing from enthusiastic friends for them to launch their own business.

Now they sell out of their storefront in Belvedere Square, at area farmers’ markets, and online. Plus they give classes on DIY fermenting.