There’s a new class series happening at Phickle Headquarters! In addition to the summer kimchi class I have scheduled for COOK Philly next month, I’m starting a new kinda class: Wine & Brine. We’ll focus on one type of ferment, drink wine (and whatever beer, kombucha, water kefir or other fermented beverages I have on hand), eat fermented foods and do the normal class thing; eat samples, make jars of our own pickles and generally have fun while talking fermentation.
I’ll be doing one of these each month, and there will only be space for 8 people. Besides the chilled out vibe with drinks, you’ll also have the opportunity to taste pickles that have been featured on the blog, some of my everyday ferments and possibly even some ferments that haven’t been posted just yet. Bonus – you get to see just how many jars it takes to be a fermentation blogger. (Spoiler alert: a large number of jars are required to be a fermentation blogger.)
Each class will feature a single ferment, as mentioned above. The ingredients will always be seasonal and local (thanks, Fair Food, for sourcing freshly picked pickling cukes for this class), and in this small group setting you’ll have time to ask all the questions you’d like to!
This first class will feature cucumber pickles, a topic I’ve NEVER covered in a class before. Cucumber pickles can be prone to a less than 100% success rate (unlike most other vegetable ferments) and my concern in larger classes where multiple topics were covered was that I wouldn’t have the time or attention to make sure that all of the bases needed for perfect sour dills were covered. It’s not that they’re crazy complicated, it’s just that unlike most other vegetables, there are some constraints and must-dos when fermenting them. They’re also, understandably, one of the most requested vegetables and my “Tricky Pickles” post on cucumber pickles is on of the most visited posts on Phickle. If you’re not so crazy about the dill, I’ll mine my garden for something you like better. Maybe some huacatay or shiso pickles? (A shiso ginger variety will be one of the varieties on hand for tasting this Wednesday).
So please join me this Wednesday to learn how to ferment a classic while enjoying good company and good ol’ phickled eats. You can find all of the specific details on my classes and events page. And be sure to check back each month for the next Wine & Brine.
PS – If I have any spare culture lying around (I’ll only have water kefir grains for the July class, but I should have at least kombucha SCOBYs and the occasional set of milk kefir grains at future classes) they’ll be available for free adoption to a good home at these classes as well.
Ann says
Aarrgghh! You make me really wish we lived in/near Philly! We were in the airport there for a few hours recently and I kept thinking of the places that I have learned about through your posts and wishing I had enough time to go check some of them out. (BTW – the play area for kids is wonderful. My two younger kids had a fabulous time playing with other kids in the playspace. It made killing 1 1/2 hours with 3 kids much easier!)