FSC Academy Fermenting Class

There is this really, really cool group of folks in my area - they're big on making food and consumables from scratch; they're called the From Scratch Club. 

I can't remember how I first heard about them - perhaps it was a retweet on Twitter, but for months I've 

been eyeing their classes and swaps. I've got a major crush on the group but my schedule (er, it was mostly my husband's schedule) wasn't panning out for him to watch the little guy so I could take a class. But the stars must have aligned right for me because a giveaway popped up on the awesome Saratoga Mama and I won a class! 

And for that, I am super appreciative. (Classes are $48, which is a steal when you think about the time, effort and goodies that go into each class.)

I recently took Elissa's Fermenting class in Ballston Spa. It was so very cool.

We started off the class listening to a bit about fermenting, then we sampled some of Elissa's great ferments (think dilly beans, crisp savory asparagus, and ginger cabbage...) and then we got in the kitchen. 

When it comes down to it, fermenting can be super simple. All you need is spring water and sea salt (and jars and your veggies). We chopped, stirred and got our hands dirty and by the end of class we all took home samples of our ferments: cabbage, green beans, and carrots.

I proudly kept mine on our kitchen table and just today put them in the fridge so they would stop fermenting. I'll be trying to make my own sauerkraut soon.

Elissa passed along some great handouts with helpful books and some links to videos on the subject. If you're interested in learning more about fermenting, check out these clips:

A how-to ferment vegetables by Sandor Katz and  Eat Real Food's Making Homemade Sauerkraut.

Thanks FSC and Saratoga Mama!