Wild Fermentation 101

The High Country’s Fermentation Queen: Rashell Fall

Today was another Wild Blessings class here on my mountain top.  Rashell Fall, a veteran wild foodie and fermentation expert, was our teacher.  Rashell’s meads are reknown in these parts!  In no time at all Rashell had turned my kitchen into a chemistry lab.  Siphons and corks, and bottles, and fizzing bubbling brews danced in their jars.

The first hour was spent listening to Rashell regale the mystical history of fermentation.  A miraculous discovery that preserved foods without refrigeration, balanced gut dysbiosis with good microflora, and created spirit libations.  She told her own story of how fermentation literally saved her life after a close call with a Mersa infection that she contracted in Thailand.  Incredible!

Skipper guarding the brew

Listening to Rashell talk made be yearn to be better connected with the earth for true well being.  Our germ conscious society is literally making us sick to the core.

Upon being deeply impressed with the importance of regaining this time honored tradition of fermenting we moved to the kitchen where Rashell demonstrated a variety of fermentation skills: how to make a brine, how to use yeast from raw blueberries and grapes as starters, how to make a sourdough starter, how to make kumbucha….kimchi….  She showed the many wild fermented creations that I had made to preserve last Summer’s wild harvest: Nettle kraut, Milkweed bud pickles, Milkweed pod pickles, Lambs Quarter kimchi….  Here is a post I wrote about my fermenting frenzy last Summer in an attempts to preserve my wild harvest:

https://wildblessings.com/2011/05/19/my-fermenting-frenzy/

Rashell gets excited about pickled Milkweed

While Rashell demonstrated how to brine Jerusalem Artichokes we all drank a healthy mug of Wild root chai with heated raw milk and honey, and snacked on wild energy balls.

For a break and a very special treat, one of my teachers, Serene Dae took everyone on a wild plant walk.  Being February, not much was above ground but there was still much life to be seen and Serene can make plants ‘talk’.  With a bag full of some early Spring greens: wild Onion, Chickweed, Mustard, Ground Ivy greens Serene whipped up a spicy batch of Wild Hummus to eat with our lunch.

A Winter plant walk with Serene Dae

While lunch cooked everyone chose a work station: soda and wine making in the kitchen and kraut and kimchi veggie chopping on the back porch.

Kimchi and Kraut Station

Station two: making wild sodas

Rashell opens the Sassafras soda with caution OUTSIDE

Lorien sampling the Sassafras soda

Rashell had soaked flour to make sourdough bread for us and I had pulled out 3 different types of wild jams that I had made from last Summer’s berry harvest: Blackberry Peach, Crabapple and Stone Cherry, and Autumn Olive berry jam.

Rashell’s Sourdough Bread and Chocolate Mate Mead

A few Wild Jams

She had also made Sassafras soda, Chocolate Mate mead, Blueberry mead for us to sample.

Mark, Steven, Rashell, Mason, Samantha, Lorien, Loretta, Serene, Mariyah, Jennifer

Here was the menu (the hyperlinks will take you to the recipe)

Sassafras soda, Bee Balm tea, Spearmint tea

Wild Meads: Blueberry, Chocolate Mate

Wild Hummus & Chips

Wild Kimchi and Wild Krauts

Sourdough Bread

Autumn Olive Berry Jam

Sumac Berry Jello

Cream of Nettle Soup w/ Sweet and Sour Burdock Root

Sumac Rosemary Grilled Chicken / Elderberry Plum & Pine Grilled Chicken

Blackberry Balm Crunch

Chai

Pine Needle Popsicles

February 18th is a bit early to be eating outside in short sleeves but the weather was in the 60’s and delightful.

Wild Friends

 Lorien samples her first ever Pine Needle popsicle!

 Rashell recommends Sandor Katz’s book, Wild Fermentation for anyone serious about reclaiming this magical healing art.

I am confident that Rashell will be teaching this class again.  It is too important for people to miss.  I’ll keep you all advised via eVite for the next class or you can check my Wild Blessings Events page for a heads up.  She will also be teaching a Wild Fermentation 102 where she will teach us dairy fermentation with yogurts, kefir and a variety of healthful cheeses made from raw milk from healthy cows.

Thank you Rashell for all your energy, effort and wisdom you put into this class.  We all loved it!

Sassafras Rootbeer Bubbling with LIFE

What students had to say: