Kathryn Lukas - The Farmhouse Culture Guide to Fermenting

Acknowledgments

The seed for this book was planted more than eight years ago. We desperately wanted to get this information into peoples hands so they could feel the same joy we were experiencing with making and eating live culture foods and drinks. But we never quite found the time to birth a book because running the business always took precedence. When we started putting our ideas into a proposal, we quickly realized that the seed planted long ago had not been dormant. In fact it had slowly been germinating through the care and love of so many people.

It all started with Sandor Katz, who is widely considered the godfather of the modern fermentation movement. His fervor, expert advice, and soulful energy are infused into each and every recipe in this book. Thank you for being our spark, Sandor.

While visions of Farmhouse Culture danced in Kathryns head, David Lukas was her confidant and sounding board. Thank you for your brilliance, David.

When Kathryn began telling family and friends about her crazy idea for a sauerkraut company, a couple of friends were bold enough to pull out their checkbooks to help fund the early days of the business. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to our angels, Peter Cornelius and Sandy and Hernan Martinez, for their trust and never-failing support through the years.

One of the first employees at Farmhouse Culture was the indomitable Toby Wingo. His ingenuity and kindred connection with the microbial world are very much a part of the Farmhouse Culture DNA. Many thanks are in order for another beloved employee, Doug Beacom. Because of Doug, every bit of our vegetable waste goes to nearby farms for animal feed or compost. Teresa Scalmanani was much more than Kathryns executive assistant. She was our mother, sister, good friend, and the glue that kept all of us functioning in harmony. Every organization needs a good soldier and at Farmhouse Culture, that person was Kathryns brother-in-law Jason Lindsay. Thank for you managing our wily farmers markets through rain and shine and for not calling in sick once in over a decade. And finally a loving shout out to Anita Hernandez who has been with us since 2009. Regardless of the day, Anita always has a smile and a kind word for everyone she meets. She makes all of our days brighter and lighter. Muchas gracias, amiga.

To Kathryns mother who instructed her in the art of bad assery. Had she lived to see the birth of the company and this book, she would have been the proudest mother and grandmother on earth. To Kathryns sister Julianne Boyajian and father Tim Boyajian for their love and support. To Jack and Louise Peterson for being the best grandparents in the world to Shane and laying the groundwork for Shane to become a fermenter. Special thanks also go out for the love and encouragement from John Lindsay, Roxanne Hart (RIP), and Leslie Lawton.

To Kirsten Shockey, fermentation expert, bestselling author and Kathryns Kulture Sister, we thank you for your friendship and the countless hours of bubbly discussion. Much gratitude also goes to Andi and Jorah Roussopoolous, the passionate homestead experts and proprietors at Mountain Feed & Farm Supply, for being our local epicenter of food craft knowledge and for lending preservationist Karla DeLongs expertise when we needed it most.

Thank you Dick Peixoto at Lakeside Organic Gardens for making sure we always had plenty of gorgeous cabbage. A big shout-out to all of you farmers markets managers who agreed to let us bring our stinky kraut barrels to your markets and also to Harvindar Singh (formerly of Whole Foods Markets), for seeing our potential and putting your card down on the counter at our Slow Food Nation booth in 2008.

As we were developing the proposal for this book, we met the amazingly cheerful and incredibly bright Irene Cho at a food conference in Anaheim where she was marketing the Burma Superstar products and their recent cookbook. Even though Carole Bidnick, the literary agent for their book, was no longer taking new clients, Irene insisted we meet. We did and from the first conversation Carole was kin. But we have no doubt that it was Irenes enthusiastic endorsement that tilted Caroles decision in favor of taking us on. Tragically, Irene passed away unexpectedly in August 2017. We miss you, Irene, and wish you could be here to see your handiwork. Without Carole Bidnicks wise advice, our book proposal may have never landed in front of Jenny Wapner at Ten Speed Press. Thank you Jenny for saying yes. Our heartfelt appreciation also goes out to Dervla Kelly, Kara Plikaitis, Isabelle Gioffredi, Jane Chinn, Allison Renzulli, Kristin Casemore, and managing editor extraordinaire Lisa Regul at Ten Speed Press. Thank you all of your thoughtful guidance and for making this book better than we ever could have on our own. To our epic photographer Eric Wolfinger and his team, vielen dank for squeezing us in even though you didnt have time and for making the photos in this book feel as alive as our ferments. And to Erics incredibly gracious partner Alma for keeping us fed and organized.

We bow in deep gratitude to each and every person who helped us weave this body of work. May it nourish All.

We dont accomplish anything in this world aloneand whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of ones life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.

SANDRA DAY OCONNOR

KATHRYN LUKAS is a former chef and the founder of Farmhouse Culture, an award-winning fermented food and beverage company based in Santa Cruz, California. She shares her love and knowledge of fermented, live-culture foods and their powerful healing qualities through workshops and retreats worldwide.

SHANE PETERSON is a master fermenter and product developer who has created many award-winning product lines for Farmhouse Culture. Peterson consults for fermented-food companies and leads fermentation workshops in the U.S. and abroad.

Resources

BREWING SUPPLIES

Adventures in Home Brewing

23847 Van Born Rd.

Taylor, MI 48180

(313) 277-2739

www.homebrewing.org

A great selection of supplies for making beer, wine, and sodas

CROCKS

Harvest Essentials

14525 SW Millikan Way

Beaverton, OR 97005

(503) 828-9820

www.harvestessentials.com/miracle-harsch-gairtopf-fermenting-crock-pots-gartopf.html

German crocks

CULTURES

Amazon

www.amazon.com/Tablespoons-Florida-Sun-Kefir-Organic/dp/B00MK3W3B4

Source for Florida Sun Kefir organic live water kefir grains

Cultures for Health

200 Innovation Ave., Ste. 150

Morrisville, NC 27560

www.culturesforhealth.com

Etsy

www.etsy.com/market/fermentation

Gem Cultures

P.O. Box 39426

Lakewood, WA 98496

(253) 588-2922

www.gemcultures.com

New England Cheese Making Supply Co.

54 Whately Rd.

South Deerfield, MA 01373

(413) 397-2012

www.cheesemaking.com

Weston Price Local Food Chapters

www.westonaprice.org/category/get-involved/local-chapters

Find sources for cultures in your community by joining a local chapter

FERMENTATION EQUIPMENT

Masontops

(800) 353-7258

www.masontops.com

Pickle Pipe fermentation lids

Mountain Feed & Farm Supply

9550 Highway 9