Sauerkraut and Stories

FERMENTING: On Tuesday evening, Annabelle and I attended a class about fermenting. I think I found out about it via a Facebook post from the City of Renton. We were actually lucky to get a seat in the class - there was only space for 25, and one of the organizers said the waiting list was another 25 long. I guess people are interested in fermenting.

The class announcement read, "Come learn to preserve food with only a little salt and water! This workshop will provide you with a basic working knowledge of how to brine ferment your own vegetables.

The kefir fermentation of dairy products will also be discussed and demonstrated. All participants will have the opportunity to prepare their own jar of brined veggies to take home and enjoy. Kefir grains will be available for those interested in fermenting their own dairy at home."

The class was held at Renton Technical College, about a 15 minute drive from our house during rush hour, which it was. It was dark, and the campus was pretty big, but we managed to find the building the class was in. Once in the building, though, we weren't sure where to go. Participants had been asked to bring their own knives, so I said to Annabelle, "Look for people with knives, and follow them!" That is not normally advice I'd give her.

All of the necessary ingredients were provided for us, which was nice. What was not quite as wonderful, is that we were all invited to come up to the front of the demonstration kitchen and grab what we wanted. I'm a little bit of a clean freak when it comes to prepping food, and I wasn't wild about everyone and their god-knows-where-those-have-been hands pawing all over everything.

A volunteer from Sustainable Renton led the class. It started off with an explanation of what kefir (pronounced key-fur) is (fermented milk) and samples were offered.

Now, I'm not much of a milk drinker to begin with, but I was willing to give it a go.

Annabelle, however, was not. Not after the look I got on my face after trying it, and what I said to go along with it. "Tastes like someone poured vinegar into milk," I described, grimacing.

So, we're not going to be kefir producers any time soon.

Sample number two was MUCH better. Some fermented green beans. They were snappy, spicy, and super garlic-y. Delicious! 

The host, who is apparently a chemist by trade, told us all sorts of things about fermenting. For instance, he claimed "Fermented food is medicine." He said he's a gleaner, and basically lives off of food other people throw away. 

He's also a bit of a mold advocate. "Mold isn't all bad," he insisted. He said the only kind that will kill you if you eat it is some bright pink strain from South America. I'm not sure I'd take that assertion  to the bank. 

Eventually, we were invited down to the demonstration kitchen to grab things to put into our jars. (All of the food and even the jars were provided, which was nice.)  Annabelle went for mostly cabbage, hoping to make a sauerkraut. In the photo below, she's adding brine to her jar.

I grabbed whatever I could. Each of our jars were topped with a lettuce leaf that acts like a cap, of sorts. Now, we wait for the fermentation process to work its magic.

If it turns out OK, we'll be making lots more fermented veggies! (We owe a big THANK YOU to Aunt Ruthie for giving us a bunch of big jars that will be perfect for it!)

WET WEATHER CONTINUES: Have I mentioned how dreary it has been around Seattle this winter? Yes, I thought so. I've mentioned it multiple times. But it's really just so oppressive. Another week of rain here, complete with flooding and landslides around. On Tuesday, we even had about three hours worth of snowfall. 

The t-rex didn't seem to mind, and it didn't bother Bexley, either (we're cat sitting).

Kirby and Laika weren't big fans, though.

MORE STORIES: Storytelling continues to be a theme in CJ's English class. As part of his homework this week, he was to listen to a short story by cousins James Ransom and Cherie Johnson, who were recalling their fearsome Sunday school teacher, Miss Lizzie Devine. We really enjoyed it.

You can hear it here: https://youtu.be/KQF79ch6mA8

The story is part of StoryCorps, which has been working since 2003 to help preserve the stories of more than half a million people of all backgrounds and beliefs.