1.2.10

Fermentation

I briefly mentioned our shared passion for fermentation, that we Preston Co-op house members have, in my profile, but I thought I would elaborate on the wonders of wild fermentation in today's post.

We have various fermentation projects going on continuously under our roof and many more which we have hopes and dreams about experimenting with in the future. Our current and previous projects include, yogurt making (which I plan to post about in detail tonight), sauerkraut and kimchis, mead, sourdough breads, kombucha, rejuvelac, and pickles of all kinds. We also have a tempeh starter on the way in the mail!

If you have any interest in getting into fermentation I highly recommend the book "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz. If you are at all into things homemade, fermenting can be a very exciting and rewarding experience for many reasons but some that have jumped out at me recently are:

1. Most fermentation projects are super easy and super cheap. (I was at a local health food store the other day where they were selling tiny jars of sauerkraut for $17 each and we have literally gallons of it in our house that we have been giving away and trying to come up with new creative uses for!)
2. Going through the process of fermenting foods is exciting, kind of like watching a child develop and age. Fermented foods are literally a product of their environment; a sourdough starter or sauerkraut will taste totally different depending on the weather, location, season, and year in which it's made.
3. They are easily digestible, delicious, and nutritious.
4. Fermentation is an ideal way to preserve foods, especially if you have a garden--you can live off of your bounty all year long.















I leave you with a picture of our humble kitchen.

If you are interested in making your own yogurt, check out tonight's post. It's unbelievably easy and takes no special equipment; yogurt makers are totally STUPID and make your own is as cheap as buying milk. At our house we make about 2 half gallon jars a week; it has definitely become a staple (we tend to flip if the yogurt has run out).

Happy February everyone!

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