021 - Fermentation Flavours & Festivals with Austin Durant of Fermenters Club
A Journey From Fermenting At Home To Running Fermentation Festivals
When Austin Durant is not busy fermenting he runs Fermenters Club. He also organises the annual San Diego Fermentation Festival, and the Oregon Fermentation Festival.
Join us as Austin shares a bit about his journey, and how he went from fermenting at home, to starting the Fermenters Club, to organising fermentation festivals.
Fermentersclub.com has a mission to improve the overall health of the human population by teaching and encouraging people to make and share their own living, probiotic foods, thereby fostering communities that are "connected through their guts."
Be inspired to ferment and put this episode on while you are making some sauerkraut or kimchi!!!
Check out all the links here for some great value:
http://www.fermentersclub.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fermenters/
http://youtube.com/fermentersclub
http://twitter.com/fermentersclub
http://instagram.com/fermentersclub/
http://pinterest.com/fermentersclub
Show Notes
Austin’s Background
- a few years ago he made sauerkraut and it “lit him up”, reminded him of what his grandfather fed him when he was young
- this inspired him to get serious about fermented foods
- started a journey to learn about the food system & food history
- began to meet with his friends, all sharing what they had made themselves
- creating community through food
- this led to online blogging & public speaking
- reconnecting people to this ancient way of making food
- this led to organising festivals, as the next logical step
What’s Next
- creating online content
- Austin’s Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/fermentersclub
- what he is teaching publicly he is also learning personally: his work is much more effective and far-reaching when he is open to community helping him, allowing others to contribute
Getting Into Fermentation
- Austin always has at least sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha on the go
- keffir-based ice cream
- plays with putting different flavours together: salty, sweet, etc
- Sandor Katz is his go-to resource
- check online for how others do it
- then try your own variations
- farming & growing your own food goes hand in hand with fermentation
- discussion about growing food conditions in different parts of the world
- fermentation is something of a lost art
- restoring a symbiotic relationship with the earth
Relationship Between Probiotics and Nature
- modern science is catching up with traditional wisdom
- how can we use this info to heal ourselves?
- feed the microbiome within us so it can look after us
- what’s going on in the jar, & in the soil, is very similar to what’s going on inside our gut
Creating Community
- allows for people with different skills to all contribute their part
- Austin runs bi-monthly chapter meetings, working on making these scalable
- coming together and geeking out!
Flavouring Ferments
- fruit trees in your yard
- chili peppers
- length of time letting ferments sit changes the flavour
More Upcoming From Austin
- soon to release a comprehensive video on fish sauce
Austin’s Message
- fermentation is nothing to fear
- wants to integrate people who don’t get it yet, with people who do
- fermentation is easy and safe
- total vilification of all bacteria is starting to come to an end
Final Thoughts
- more discussion of different kinds/flavours of ferment
- trust your senses
- be genuinely curious, question everything
- magic happens when you stop projecting & start taking in new ideas