RMSC Cumming Nature Center: FLX Fermentation Festival
*The event has already taken place on this date: Sun, 08/14/2022
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
FLX FERMENTATION FESTIVAL
Saturday, August 13 | FLX Fermentation Festival
Sunday, August 14 | Workshop Intensives
All Ages
Welcome bacteria to the Nature Center for this flavorful, funky, and fun event!
FLX Fermentation Fest is a two-day festival celebrating the science and flavors of fermentation. From cider to sauerkraut to hot sauce, we'll have something for everyone! The inestimable Kirsten Shockey of Ferment Works will be the weekend's keynote fermentationist, leading workshops throughout the weekend and offering the closing lecture on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday, August 13th, festival-goers can ignite their culinary imaginations with fermentation workshops, make their own kraut during the kraut mob, discover delicious products at the vendor fair, and hear from acclaimed fermentation expert Kirsten Shockey of Ferment Works. Families can also enjoy kid-friendly crafts, facepainting, and the fermentation petting zoo! On Sunday, August 14th, we're offering two intensive, small-group fermentation workshops with Kirsten Shockey.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE & ACTIVITIES | SUNDAY WORKSHOP INTENSIVES
SATURDAY SCHEDULE & ACTIVITIES
Saturday, August 13
10am-4pm
Discover the fun of fermentation! During the family-friendly festivities on Saturday you can:
- Explore the techniques and flavors of fermented food and drinks at workshops led by regional and nationally-known fermenters
- Connect with regional fermenters and taste their delicious products
- Try your hand at making sauerkraut during the kraut mob
- Explore the kid-friendly science corner to make your own microbe, touch scoby at the Culture Petting Zoo, and more!
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Workshop topics and presenters will continue to be added in the coming weeks. Explore last year's workshop descriptions and presenters here.
10am | Fermenting Herbs for Flavor and Health
Have you ever wondered how to retain the fresh flavors of your herbs long into winter? Ferment them! Fermenting fresh herbs does more than preserve the flavor of the herbs, it also adds amazing probiotic microbes that increase their nutritional value. Join Kirsten Shockey, co-author of the best-selling book Fermented Vegetables, for a 45-minute demonstration on techniques and tips for fermenting herbs. You’ll be inspired to try it as soon as you get home!
11am | Discovering the Delicious World of Koji
Do you love miso, soy sauce, or sake? Then you love koji! Dive into the diverse and delicious flavors of koji in this 45-minute demonstration with fermentation expert Kirsten Shockey. Co-author of Miso, Tempeh, Natto & Other Tasty Ferments, Shockey is an experienced guide for those venturing into the world of fermented grains.
1pm | Homebrewed Vinegar 101
Have you ever wanted to make your own vinegar? Apple cider vinegar has a long history as a folk remedy, but many people don’t realize that there is a whole world of options beyond store-bought ACV or distilled white vinegar. Vinegar can be made out of everything from leftover juicing pulp to brown bananas to wildflowers to beer! Join Kirsten Shockey, author of Homebrewed Vinegar, for a 45-minute demonstration where you’ll explore the wide-ranging possibilities alive in this ancient condiment, health tonic, and global kitchen staple.
Purchase Your Tickets for FLX Fermentation Fest!
Adults: $25
Kids (12 & Under): $12.50
SUNDAY WORKSHOP INTENSIVES
Sunday, August 14
Dig deeper into the world of fermented foods with an 2.5 hour hands-on, intensive workshop led by acclaimed fermentation expert and best-selling author Kirsten Shockey of Ferment Works. Each small-group class will dive into advanced fermentation techniques with the expert guidance of Shockey and will create their own fermented food to bring home with them. All necessary materials will be provided.
At-Home Cider Making
Sunday, August 14 | 9:00am-11:30am
Cost: $85
Discover the complex flavors and styles of home cider-making with Kirsten Shockey, the acclaimed fermentation teacher and best-selling co-author of The Big Book of Cidermaking. This hands-on, small group fermentation intensive will equip participants with the skills they need to make the cider they want: sweet, dry, fruity, farmhouse-style, hopped, barrel-aged, or fortified. As participants learn about the history and techniques of cider-making, they will create ferments alongside Shockey to take home.
Fermented Fire: A Deep Dive into Hot Sauce
Sunday, August 14 | 12:00pm-2:30pm
Cost: $85
Turn up the heat with fermentation expert Kirsten Shockey, best-selling co-author of Fiery Ferments. In this hands-on, small group fermentation intensive, participants will learn about the science and techniques of making hot sauce while creating their own ferments alongside Shockey to take home. You’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again after tasting what you can make at home!
ABOUT KIRSTEN SHOCKEY
Kirsten K. Shockey is the author of Hombrewed Vinegar and coauthored award-winning The Big Book of Cidermaking, Fiery Ferments, best-selling Fermented Vegetables and award-winning Miso, Tempeh, Natto and other Tasty Ferments with her husband Christopher Shockey. The Shockeys got their start in fermenting foods over twenty years ago on 40-acres of wooded hillside on unceded Takelma territory which grew into their organic food company. They realized that their passion lay in the desire to both teach people how to ferment and push this culinary art to new flavors. They lead experiential workshops worldwide and online helping people to make, enjoy and connect with their food through fermentation. Kirsten is a co-founder of The Fermentation School a women-owned and women-led benefits corporation supporting the voices of independent educators to empower learning and build culture.
Together, their days are a chaotic combination of grand-parenting, day jobs, writing and navigating whatever the climate and the rural lifestyle throws their way. Every day is different. Christopher and Kirsten can be found watering, preserving harvests, making cheese, planting trees, chopping firewood, mucking stalls, hiking, dreaming up the next project, reading, or dancing on the porch under the stars. At the end of the day they go to bed exhausted and knowing life is good.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Are you a professional fermenter, farmer, chef, brewer, scientist or artist whose work falls at the intersections of food, sustainability, and the environment? We'd love to connect with you! Fill out the form below to share your contact information and other details with our team.
FERMENTATION FEST INTEREST FORM
Contact Sarah Jacoby Murphy, CNC Events and Communications Manager, at sjacobymurphy@rmsc.org for more details.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.