A visit to the land of “Fermentia” with Elizabeth Tomicki

In anticipation of Fresh-Picked's second birthday on December 2, this week I'll be posting some reports back from the wide variety of Seattle food events I've attended during the past two years. Monday's theme is homesteading-related events.

This is a new post about a unique class that focuses on fermented foods like sauerkraut and homemade sodas. I enjoyed this class quite a bit and highly recommend it. Check out the report and pictures (there are more in the slideshow at the bottom of the post).

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Canning is currently in the spotlight in the world of food preservation, but it’s not the only method of stretching the life of seasonal produce. There’s also drying, freezing, and of course, fermenting.

Red cabbage sauerkrautLocal licensed massage practitioner, doula and master food preserver Elizabeth Tomicki offers fermented foods classes Goods for the Planet on the second Saturday of the month. Although I am making some progress against my Botulism Terror, I must admit I was excited to consider another method of preservation, so earlier this month, I checked out the class.

Elizabeth has a passion for fermented foods, and says that her boyfriend jokes he’s "going to the Land of Fermentia" when he enters the kitchen full of her jars of preserves. She’s an excellent advocate for this style of preservation; it’s clear she’s spent a lot of time researching and experimenting with the process of fermenting foods.

Fermented pumpkin & green appleAs mentioned, Elizabeth is a body worker, so she’s especially interested in the healthful benefits of fermented foods. She noted she’d tried a variety of various diets – raw, vegan – to help improve her health, and she feels that including fermented foods has been helpful to her overall well-being.

One of the books she recommends is Wild Fermentation, by Sandor Ellix Katz. Here are some the notes on fermented food health benefits from this adaption of part of his book:

“Fermentation not only preserves nutrients, it breaks them down into more easily digestible forms…Fermentation also creates new nutrients. As they go through their life cycles, microbial cultures create B vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and biotin…Some ferments have been shown to function as antioxidants, scavenging cancer precursors known as ‘free radicals’ from the cells of your body. Lactobacilli create omega-3 fatty acids, essential for cell membrane and immune system function.”

Draining labneh, collecting wheyAfter discussing these and other benefits, Elizabeth brought us into the kitchen to get started with tasting and making the foods. First up: labneh, a Middle Eastern strained yogurt cheese. Elizabeth showed us how to tie up the yogurt in a cloth to drain away the whey. It makes a tasty, cream cheese-like cheese with a nice tang.

The labneh-making served another purpose: the drained whey would be used in the ferments we’d be making shortly.

Finished labneh The bacteria used in ferments are lactobacilli. It’s found in leafy greens that grow close to the ground. Ingredients like cabbage and kale already have some on board; but for all fermented foods, the whey serves to inoculate your food with the bacteria. (The milk has it from the grass the cows feed on.)

Before we got started with the rest of the cooking, we took a quick break to snack on the labneh, a red cabbage sauerkraut and some pumpkin and green apples preserves – it was all delicious.

We also got to sample some of her fermented cranberry soda with its natural carbonation.  I loved the soda – it was just the right amount of tartness without being too puckery, and the fermentation brought out an interesting lightly floral flavor from the cranberries.

Massaging carrotsAfter the snack, it was into the kitchen for some prep. Elizabeth chopped cabbage and fennel while we shredded carrots and ginger.

The cabbage and carrots were each massaged well with salt and whey until they were soft and reduced in size. Everything went into jars (clean, but, Elizabeth notes, with ferments, sterile isn’t necessary the way it is with canning) and was ready to go.

Juniper berries to flavor the cabbageWe were sent home with the jars of ferments and instructions to “burp” them occasionally over the next few days until they’d reached the flavor we like, at which point they’ll move to the fridge. In addition to the jars of vegetables, we also received a detailed handout with recipes and information.

Like the canning class at Goods for the Planet, the class format allowed for lots of questions and chatting with fellow students. We had two sisters in class who were of Korean ancestry, and it was great to hear about their mom and her kimchi making.  I learned that there are actual kimchi refrigerators – special appliances designed for the right temperatures just for kimchi!

Ready to go home and later, to be burpedI don’t see very many classes for fermented foods, so this is a special one worth checking out. Elizabeth seems very dedicated to providing a content-rich class and makes herself available afterwards for questions via email or phone. Check it out! Definitely an interesting and tasty way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Lacto-fermentation classes: 2nd Saturdays at Goods for the Planet 525 Dexter Ave. N - S. Lake Union - 11am-1pm $45 Class space is limited, register in advance.

Birthday cake image used in front page icon via Flickr user nerissa's ring