Fermentation workshop: preserving the season's harvest in salt brine
Join Slow Food Helsinki and Zestii Kitchens for a Friday evening workshop exploring fermentation and its deep connections to food, culture, sustainability, and multispecies belonging. Together, we will use the season's fresh produce to preserve and transform flavours as summer gives way to autumn.
We begin with an introduction to fermentation, accompanied by some fermented drinks. Followed by a tasting session featuring a variety of fermented foods, participants will finally prepare their own jar of salt-brined vegetables to ferment at home.
All ingredients, jars, knives, and cutting boards will be provided. You will also receive instructions for caring for your ferment at home.
What to bring?
Please bring a small weight to keep your vegetables submerged beneath the brine. While dedicated fermentation weights work well, improvised alternatives such as a small glass candle holder, a small glass jar or a shot glass are suitable alternatives.
Feel free to bring any spices or extra vegetables you'd like to experiment with in your own batch. You are also welcome to bring a bottle of a fermented drink to share with fellow participants.
About the workshop
The workshop is designed for both beginners and those with previous fermentation experience. We approach fermentation as more than a food preservation technique. It is also a way of connecting with the past, with one another, and with the ecosystems of which we are a part. The workshop is intended as a collective learning experience where we share practical knowledge, reflect on our food systems, and discuss the cultural and political dimensions that shape what we eat.
Key info
When: Friday, September 4 at 6:00 PM
Where: Zestii Kitchens, Kaarlenkatu 15
Price: €25 for Slow Food Helsinki members,
€45 for non-members.
Please note that to secure your spot, the fee must be paid – accepting attendance is not enough. :)
If you haven't attended a Slow Food Helsinki event before, you can join one event at the member price before deciding whether to become a member. Payment instructions will be shared with participants later.
About the facilitators
Andrea is a Mexican designer working at the intersections of speculative design, futures thinking, regenerative design, and sustainable food systems. Andrea is co-founder of an association exploring transitions toward more sustainable futures and brings a critical lens to questions of sustainability, food systems, more-than-human relations, and what it means to remain hopeful on a damaged planet.
Emilia is a social scientist working at the intersection of food futures and alternative proteins. She is passionate about low-tech approaches to sustainability, including permaculture design and home-scale fermentation. Emilia sees these practices as quiet forms of resistance and vital acts of resilience-building in a time when many of us are learning how to "hospice modernity" while nurturing more life-affirming ways of being on Earth.