Ferment fans will flock to Sauvie Island this Saturday, September 10, for the second annual Oregon Fermentation Festival. (That’s not to be confused with the stalwart Portland Fermentation Festival, scheduled to return to Ecotrust for the seventh year on October 27.)

Held on the 150-acre Kruger’s Farm, the ultra-healthy harvest festival promises a kombucha “kompetition,” a do-it-yourself pickling station (insert your own Portlandia reference here), and a makers’ marketplace, as well as an assortment of workshops, presentations, and live musical and entertainment acts. If you’re not already stoked on the many, many health benefits of foods like kraut, kimchi, yogurt, and tempeh—not to mention awesome adult beverages like wine, cider, and mead—here are six reasons to join the probiotic party:

1. Probiotics aid immune health. In 2005, OHSU’s Dr. Robert Martindale initiated a “probiotic protocol” requiring the hospital to serve yogurt to every patient receiving antibiotics, in order to prevent infections and antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
2. They can protect against winter colds. According to the Mayo Clinic, probiotics can prevent or reduce the severity of colds and the flu.
3. They fight Irritable Bowl Syndrome. Several scientific studies have shown that probiotics can help alleviate many of the symptoms associated with IBS, which include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. (Sincerest apologies for saying “diarrhea” twice in one article.)
4. They can ease inflammation, which might aid people suffering from arthritis, psoriasis, chronic fatigue syndrome and related illnesses.
5. They can prevent and treat infections, especially painful (and sometimes painfully awkward) maladies like vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections.
6. They can soothe anxiety and depression. One scientific experiment found that rats consuming probiotics suffered from less existential despair. Another study suggested fermented foods as a treatment for social anxiety.

Ready to boost your health by snacking on soft cheese, sour pickles, and sourdough bread? Head to Kruger’s Farm this Saturday for a fermentation fete. Tickets are $19-30, available here. 

Oregon Fermentation Festival
Kruger’s Farm, 17100 NW Sauvie Island Road
11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10
$19 general admission
$30 admission & beer garden ticket