Fermentalism

and all things fermented...

According to Caroline Gilmartin, who knows all about these things, the world was brewing beer 13,000 years ago which means our ancestors knew a thing or two about the fermentation process. That knowledge and those skills have persevered over the centuries, possibly laying the foundations of our microbiomes today and at the very least preserving food harvested during gluts to be eaten in leaner times. Fermented foods are currently having a moment in the sun in the western world as we wake up to the fact that processed foods are the devil’s work and that in order to keep our inner biomes healthy we must ingest more fermented stuff. Which is to say, eat some sauerkraut with that toastie.

I met Caroline a couple of years ago when I attended her Kimchi College in a tiny little container shop on Bristol’s Wapping Wharf. There were three of us on the half day workshop, rubbing shoulders, literally, with each other, and having our eyes opened to glories of fermented this, that and everything in between. I have been hooked on making ferments ever since, but erratically and with varying degrees of success, so it was high time for a little refresher course.

All of this is leading up to the Fermentation Roadshow Workshop, held here in Cardigan at the weekend. Caroline hit the road from Bristol on Friday night and delivered a dynamic, informative and fun workshop on the Saturday in my kitchen, before hitting the road again to attend a wedding that evening back in Bristol - her energy alone is a very good advert for health benefits of fermented foods.

Seven workshopees (two others couldn’t make it) plus me and Caroline made a good line up. We started the day at Glebelands Market Garden, looking at a small scale food growing operation which I have the huge privilege of living 5 minutes walk from. It was enlightening and sobering to hear of the challenges in this kind of set up, not least of course because of the climate crisis. But it was also hopeful because just seeing vegetables growing in healthy soil is a hopeful thing.

Back at the ranch I served up Caroline’s sauerkraut cake (yes, really - just like carrot cake) and tea while she talked about why, where, and when she became a ferment evangelist. Then onto making the Kimchi, sauerkraut and beet kvass, broken up only by a delicious lunch made by me. Yes, I am blowing my own trumpet - it was really good. And yes, I am for hire, thank you kindly.

We ended with a demo of milk kefir , which incidentally was first made accidentally by goat herders in the Caucus Mountains. The milk they carried in their goatskins fermented in the heat and some how they figured this was a good thing and then did it on purpose from then on. Needless to say Caroline explains it better than me. We also looked at kombucha and vinegar but time was running out and the full joy of the strange placenta like collection of microbes floating in sour liquid will have to wait until the next workshop.

Everyone left full of enthusiasm for their new craft, laden with jars of bubbling ferments and an eye to a future filled with gut friendly bacteria, with all the notes being winged to them by the inter web afterwards.

Being chief cook and bowl washer for the day I was pretty pooped by the end, and so was wafted to my favourite local bar by my husband and dearest friend (chief moral supporter and now fermenting convert) Maire for a glass of fermented grapes with a touch fizz. Cracking day Gromit.

If you’d like to be on the mailing list for future workshops (more fermenting, painting food, embroidery & food, whatever else pops in to my mind…) message me on here and I will add you.

If you’d like to buy Caroline’s book please do, you won’t regret it.