Producers Guild holds annual Fermentation Fest

The Gunnison Valley Producers Guild partnered with Gunnison Extension and Gunnison Gardens to host their annual Fermentation Fest on Sept. 27 at the Fred Field Center.

Fermentation Fest, now a six-year tradition, is a three-hour community workshop started by Sue Wyman at Gunnison Gardens to support food security, gut health, and the local community by teaching people to preserve their produce.

Participants were given two jars: one Fido jar, which is an airtight storage and canning jar, and the other a standard mason jar. They were encouraged to use the provided recipes or create their own to start their own fermentation using produce from Gunnison Gardens and Mountain Roots.

Joseph Kean gave a quick safety lesson. He demonstrated knife safety, emphasizing that a sharp knife is safer than a dull one, reminded everyone to always wash vegetables, avoid touching cell phones while cooking, and to give other people space and communicate where you are so as to avoid an accident.

The valley’s strongest fermenters gave two presentations. Jeff Dautrich gave his take on controlled fermentation, while Nic Easley gave the other on wild fermentation.

Dautrich’s approach is more front-heavy but allows for a smoother handoff in the long run. He described controlled fermentation as managing salt levels, keeping vegetables submerged to prevent mold, choosing the right jar, and adjusting fermentation time based on temperature. To create a self-brine, he recommended weighing prepared vegetables and adding about 2-2.5% salt by weight, which works well for foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. For brined recipes requiring a salt-water brine, such as pickles, green beans, and other vegetables, he demonstrated how to calculate a water to salt ratio based on the contents in the jar, rather than having a flat ratio. He prefers using Fido-style jars, which let gas escape on their own while limiting air exposure, and usually leaves them unopened in a cool, dark place with a tray underneath them to catch any brine that may escape. In his experience, Fido jars have an almost 100% success rate.

He taught how to keep vegetables snug and under the brine level using various items such as a glass weight, horseradish leaf, small jars, or even rocks. However, he advised caution with the types of rocks used because some minerals react poorly with acids.

He moved on to discussing temperature and time, stating that warmer conditions ferment faster and cooler ones slower. When his ferment is done, he transfers the contents from the Fido jar into mason jars for easier storage in the refrigerator, which slows the fermentation process and frees the Fido jar for reuse. He doesn’t recommend using old brine as a starter, and if the brine level drops in an open jar, top it off with some brine of the same salt concentration.

Dautrich gave the floor to Easley, who presented on wild fermentation. His method is a low-tech way to preserve abundant produce using naturally occurring microbes rather than relying on scales, special equipment, or a starter culture. He discussed the vast array of options that fermentation offers, including making pastes, pickles, wine, and more. Much like Dautrich, he keeps his brines submerged with leaves, smaller jars, or rocks and puts them in his root cellar to ferment. He suggested roughly a tablespoon of salt per quart of water. He brought various examples of his ferments, including fermented peppers that he blended into a homemade hot sauce, kimchi paste, and a ginger bug for making fizzy drinks. He encouraged experimentation with seasonal produce or whatever is on hand, but cautioned against fermenting beans, meats, or fish heads to avoid making yourself sick.

After the presentations, participants got out of their seats, took their jars to the long spread of local produce, and started fermenting their own pickles, kimchi, and more. Dautrich helped weight and salt vegetables while Easley answered questions on participants' past fermentations and gave advice on techniques to try in the future.

After filling their jars, attendees could sample and vote on ferments provided by Dautrich, Easley, and other participants. The voting method was simple but effective: drop peach pits into a jar to vote on your favorite ferments. Some of the most raved-over ferments were sauerkraut, sour tomatoes, and hot sauces.

Winners of the tasting competition each received a giant kohlrabi to use in their own fermentations. Upon entering the building, participants could enter a raffle, and raffle winners could choose among another giant kohlrabi, mason jars, hats, and tote bags.