Festival of Fermentation & Pickle Party

Festival of Fermentation & Pickle Party 1:30-3:30pm

Click here to book the afternoon event on Eventbrite

For thousands of years, people around the world have used fermentation and pickling to make and preserve food, handing the knowledge down through generations. Do you want to join this long line of folk and keep it going? Whether you are a total beginner, or already surrounded by bubbling jars, come along to this celebration of human x microbe collaboration. Edinburgh Agroecology Co-op, Grass Roots Remedies and Rhyze Mushrooms are hosting a fermentation and pickling Tasting Fair, tours and workshops, and opening our brand new food processing space.

The food processing space, and this opening event, is kindly funded by Edinburgh Community Climate Action Greenlight seedgrant fund. Thank you to ECCAN and to everyone who voted for us to receive this grant. The funding means we can make this event free – but spaces are limited, please book a ticket to attend.

The afternoon programme includes:

• A celebratory Tasting Fair – with all kinds of pickles, preserves and ferments to try
• A talk from Monica Wilde about the Wild Food Gut Microbiome
• Tours of the Rhyze Mushrooms Worm Tunnel (including bokashi composting)
• Tours of our new processing kitchen and custom seed drying/ produce dehydrating cabinet
• Ceremonial opening of the new processing kitchen

(There is also a choice of two workshops in the morning – these are strictly limited spaces and need a separate ticket)

Who is this for?

This event for anyone interested in fermentation, pickling and composting. No previous knowledge needed. The content is aimed mostly at adults, but all ages welcome.

Venue and Accessibility Notes

This is a large outdoor event in the land partner hub on the west side of Lauriston Farm. Some parts will be under cover of a marquee or the Pack Shed, plus the optional tours of the wormery polytunnel and processing kitchen portacabin.

Please dress for the outdoors.

We will be on a mix of rough stone path and rough grassy ground, which may be muddy in places. There are 1-2 steps up to the processing kitchen – the rest is level (if rough) access. There is a spacious, all-gender, single cubicle composting toilet. Seating will be available. Please contact us if you have any accessibility questions or requests.

Tasting Fair – Invitation to Share Your Food

Do you love to make your preserves, pickles or ferments for others? You could bring your pickle to the party!

The Festival of Fermentation and Pickle Party will feature a tasting fair – a place to share and enjoy all types of preserves and ferments from all our cultures and culinary backgrounds. We will put up a big marquee with tables, and folk will be able to walk through, try samples and chat about recipes and methods.

If you would like to make an offering of a jam, pickle, relish, kombucha, hot sauce, ferment, cordial, chutney, or whatever else you like to make, please click here to fill in this form

Morning Workshops

***Fully booked***

Gut Microbiome & Sauerkraut Workshop, 12-1pm

Click here to book on Eventbrite

A hands-on workshop where you’ll make a sauerkraut or krautchi and explore the link with the human microbiome and health…

Come along to this workshop to make sauerkraut (tangy, salty fermented cabbage) or krautchi (a spicy and garlicky version halfway between sauerkraut and kimchi) while learning a bit about where they come from and what good they might do. In particular, we will learn about the bacteria that make the magic happen: who they are, where they come from and what they are up to. This will show us a bit about the human gut microbiome, how it changes our minds and bodies, and how to look after yours. You will need to bring your own container (big jar or tub).

This workshop is offered by Toby Pepperell, medical doctor and wellbeing economist, currently researching urban farms and public health.

***Fully booked***

Wild Lacto-Ferment Workshop 12-1:30pm

Click here to book on Eventbrite

Learn how to make easy lacto-ferments to suit your taste buds with a range of veggies and our nutritious wild weeds. We will be discussing what lacto-fermentation is, how to make tasty ferments, and tips & tricks to get the best results in your experimentations! Bring one sterilised jam jar to make and take your ferment home in. This workshop is offered by Soraya Bishop of Grass Roots Remedies.