Vegetable Fermentation Workshop

Thank you to Cindy from Elgin Harvest for teaching a vegetable fermentation workshop here at Backus-Page House Museum.  Six attendees learned that many cultures have traditions where fermenting is used for flavour and preservation.  Unfortunately most North Americans have lost this food art.  Fermentation is controlled decaying to make nutrients more available.  The bacteria are essential for gut health. 

Items we eat regularly have fermenting somewhere in there processing like sauerkraut, tea, chocolate, pepper, yogurt and much more.  Cindy brought some items to taste test including green strawberries, beans, and sour cherries.  We made salt brine and all chose to layer locally grown vegetables in our jars. 

<-----Angela's ingredients 2 tsp each of dill, yellow mustard, dark mustard, fennel; 1 tsp of black pepper corns, 1 garlic clove.  Asparagus, sweet peppers, red onions, green and yellow beans.

Next week I'll take a picture of my jar and post about its progress and taste. 

You can contact Cindy at www.elginharvest.ca and visit her Saturday's at the Horton Street Market in St. Thomas. 

by Angela Bobier, Cultural Manager

Beryl, Edith, Paula, Betty Ann, Patrusia, Angela