Summer Classes: Eat, Learn, and Make Merry
This week, we kicked off the 2nd annual Preserving the Harvest series by making pickles...16 different ways.
16 people make lacto-fermented pickles at the Sustainability Academy in Burlington
This pickle class makes me think about something that Co-op member and instructor Jason Frishman of Folk Foods is really good at reminding people of: Culturing vegetables, the simple act of inviting local cultures to colonize and ferment vegetables that we have lovingly chopped by hand (or with many hands), is like a metaphor for something that happens on the human level when we take a leap and start making our own pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt, or bread: We create a cultural fermentation in our homes, schools, and neighborhoods that is as exciting as the bubbles that appear in our sourdough bread. The excitement in the cafeteria where we hold these classes was palpable as people chopped, filled jars, selected seasonings, and made brine. No doubt each jar will turn out differently.
As Sandor Katz, the guru of fermentation says in his book, Wild Fermentation: “Food offers us many opportunities to resist the culture of mass marketing and commodification….We can merge appetite with activism and choose to involve ourselves in food as cocreators.”
This summer, we have another fantastic line-up of Preserving the Harvest classes, along with a new and very fun series we’re calling Cooking with Your Farmer (as well as many other fantastic classes on a variety of food, gardening, herbal education and wellness topics, and kids’ activities at Summervale!). The many farmers we have coming to teach workshops are like the fizz in lacto-fermented sodas: they're getting us excited and inspired about taking our knowledge of the foods they grew or produced to the next level as we become "cocreators" in a very local and personal food system.
It’s going to be a fantastic summer. Here’s a glimpse of upcoming Preserving the Harvest classes and Cooking with Your Farmer classes.
Register for May and June classes on the calendar page of our website and take home a jar of jam, pickles, and kimchi when you come to those classes!
May 22: Homemade Yogurt with Lindsay Harris of Family Cow Farmstand
May 25: Canning Rhubarb Jam with Robin Berger of Hippo Flambe
June 15: Canning Strawberry Jam with Robin Berger of Hippo Flambe
June 22: Homemade Mozzarella with Lindsay Harris of Family Cow Farmstand
June 26: Lacto-Fermented Summer Sodas and Ales with Jason Frishman of Folk Foods
June 30: Buttermilk Class with Diane St. Clair of Animal Farm
(check back to register for these upcoming July classes):
July 10: Pesto Class with Rachel Schattman of Bella Farm
July 17: Canning Pickles with cookbook author Andrea Chesman
July 21: Homemade Yogurt with Lindsay Harris of Family Cow Farmstand
July 24: Kimchi 2 Ways with Michelle Guenard of Michelle's Spicy Kimchi and Creaky Knees Farm
July 26: Berry Granitas, Pops, and Vinegars with Adam Hausmann of Adams Berry Farm
July 31: Canning Raspberry Jam with Robin Berger of Hippo Flambe