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NOFA food preservation workshops on September 19th
Thu 3 Sep 2009 9:13am
The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA/Mass) is holding workshops on how to preserve food from the fall harvest in two Boston area locations on September 19. The event is part of the Massachusetts Food Preservation Workshop Day, which has been organized to meet the resurgence of interest in local foods and self-reliance. One workshop will be held from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Natick Community Organic Farm on 117 Eliot Street in South Natick and another will be held from 9:00am to 12:00pm at the home of Jill Ebbott on 70 Beaconsfield Road in Brookline. Similar events will be held in 9 other towns and cities throughout the state (link) on the same day.
“Every year people are making more backyard gardens and enjoying the tremendous wealth of produce available from local farms in the fall. To enjoy this bounty into the winter it’s helpful to re-learn some techniques for preserving food at home that our grandparents probably used but that many of us haven’t learned yet,” said Ben Grosscup, the event organizer. “With this event, we're offering the public an opportunity to learn from experienced food preservation educators the basic skills they need to get started.”
Sharon Kane of Ashland is a major proponent of lacto-fermented foods, which is the food preservation technique that she’ll be focusing on at the Natick workshop. In lacto-fermentation, salt is added to suppress the bacteria species that cause food to spoil while also fostering the growth of beneficial lacto bacillus bacteria that produce the natural preservative, lactic acid. “Lacto-fermentation works on the principle that fresh vegetables are covered with beneficial microbes, which given the right environment, multiply and then transform the sugars and the starches in produce into beneficial bacteria, yeasts, vitamins, and enzymes,” said Kane.
Kane got started as a food educator based on her own personal struggles with illness. “I was once quite over-prescribed with anti-biotics, and the result was that the beneficial bacteria in my body had been severely diminished,” she said. “When I first started incorporating lacto-fermented vegetables into my diet, I immediately felt a boost in my energy level and overall health. When you eat lacto-fermented vegetables, you are getting a really powerful dose of pro-biotics, and for just a few dollars – the same cost as the vegetables themselves plus a little salt.
“Live foods like this are the best kind of food we can be eating. The process is also simple and ancient, and it adds both flavor and nutritional value to everyday foods like cabbage and cucumbers.”
The workshop will provide hands-on opportunities to learn the techniques, as well as explaining the scientific principles that make the process work, and the health benefits of lacto-fermentation.
The workshop in Brookline will be taught by Jill Ebbott, NOFA/Mass board member, pregnancy nutrition counselor, and avid practitioner of lacto-fermentation, which is the food preservation technique on which her workshop will focus.
Ebbott says that although many people today are not familiar with lacto-fermentation – largely due to the packaging standards of commercial agribusiness – many cultures throughout the world have been using this technique to preserve food for millennia. “Fermentation is part of our ancestral wisdom. It allows us to step back in time, take control of our health as our ancestors did, and turn away from our toxic food culture. Real food is powerful, and it's a part of self-reliance.”
Participants in Brookline will also learn techniques for culturing dairy and making yoghurt, whey, and a simple cream cheese, and brewing some very nutritious non-alcoholic beverages including lacto-fermented sodas, beet kvass, and kombucha. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring their own questions to the workshops.
"You can save money, lessen your dependence on the global corporate food chain, and provide wonderful flavor and nutrition all year round for your family by incorporating these food preservation techniques into your life,” said Grosscup. “The best time to preserve food is the same as when backyard gardens and local farm stands reach the height of the season’s harvest. Savoring fresh summer flavors is an enjoyable way to make it through the winter.”
In addition to South Natick and Brookline, workshops are also being held in, Concord, Groton, Princeton, Winchendon Springs, Shelburne, Cummington, Northampton, Springfield, and Great Barrington.
To register, visit www.nofamass.org, or contact Ben Grosscup 413-658-5374, <ben.grosscup
nofamass.org>. The Natick workshop cost is $50, and there is a $5 discount for membership in NOFA/Mass. There is also a $5 discount for registration on or before September 5, 2009. Pre-registration is requested, but on-site registration is available for an extra $5 charge. If you plan to do a walk-in registration, please call in advance to find out if there is space availability. A potluck lunch will be shared at the Natick event, and registrants are invited to bring something to share or bring their own lunch. The Brookline workshop is $35 with a $3 discount for non members.###
CALENDAR LISTING
FOOD PRESERVATION WORKSHOPS IN BOSTON AREA
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009
A) Natick Community Organic Farm, 117 Eliot St, South Natick
10am-4pm $45 NOFA members and $50 non members
B) Home of Jill Ebbott, 70 Beaconsfield Road, Brookline
9am-12 noon
$32 NOFA members and $35 non members
The Natick workshop will focus on lacto-fermentation a process in which salt is added to suppress the bacteria species that cause food to spoil while also fostering the growth of beneficial lacto bacillus bacteria that produce the natural preservative, lactic acid.
Participants in Brookline will learn techniques for lacto-fermentation, culturing dairy and making yoghurt, whey, and a simple cream cheese, and brewing some very nutritious non-alcoholic beverages including lacto-fermented sodas, beet kvass, and kombucha. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring their own questions to the workshops.
This event is part of the Massachusetts Food Preservation Workshop Day, which has been organized to meet the resurgence of interest in local foods and self-reliance. In addition to South Natick and Brookline, workshops are also being held in, Concord, Groton, Princeton, Winchendon Springs, Shelburne, Cummington, Northampton, Springfield, and Great Barrington.
To register, visit www.nofamass.org, or contact Ben Grosscup 413-658-5374, <ben.grosscup
nofamass.org>. Pre-registration is requested, but on-site registration is available for an extra $5 charge. If you are planning to do a walk-in registration, please call in advance to find out if there is space availability. A potluck lunch will be shared at the Natick workshop, and registrants are invited to bring something to share or bring their own lunch.