Discover sun-fermented soy sauce-making and application with third-generation black soy bean sauce maker Ozzy Hsieh, brewer at Yu-Ding-Shing and Founder and Chef of Future Dining Table.
Yi-Cheng Hsieh (Ozzy) is the third-generation black soybean sauce brewer of “Yu-Ding-Shing”, Taiwan. He is also the founder and chef of “Future Dining Table”, a series of food events connecting local farmers and consumers with vegetarian/plant-based cuisine, using Yu-Ding-Shing’s artisanal black soybean sauce.
Besides promoting black soybean sauce brewing culture of Xiluo, Taiwan, Future Dining Table aims to introduce the terroir of Yunlin county (Midsouth Taiwan), inviting experts from different fields to lead discussions about agriculture, placemaking, and regional revitalization. The ultimate goal is to make Taiwanese black soybean sauce worldwide.
Register Now, Watch Later
Get your tickets at KojiCon.Org and make sure you tune in for sessions from experts who are dedicated to keeping traditions alive, transferring knowledge, and saving delicious, nutritious, culturally significant techniques that are in danger of being lost.
Don’t worry if you can’t attend all of these amazing virtual sessions live – all presentations will be recorded and available for a full year after the conference, along with content from Kojicon 2021 and 2022!
Yellow Farmhouse is committed to community building and inclusion and offers different ticketing tiers to Kojicon to provide access for as many people as possible.
Connecticut Residents
Thanks to a generous sponsorship from CT Humanities, we are also offering free Kojicon 2023 registration to residents of Connecticut and for teachers working in Connecticut schools. Register at the link in our bio or at kojicon.org.
Kojicon 2023: Preserving the Past, Fermenting the Future runs from February 20 to March 5 and is presented by @yellowfarmct, an education center on a working farm in Stonington, CT, and @ourcookquest, Co-Author of Koji Alchemy.
Whey based thermophilic starter culture at Cascina Lago Scuro – Mozzarela
Wooden vats as microbe reservoirs – Ragusano
No added starter culture but udder microbes – Langhe Tuma
Specific temperature starter cultures from selected animals – St. James
Cross cultural observations on natural or no starter culture cheeses. The notion of slow fermentation, which like sourdough can lead to more complex flavor and is the antithesis of the industrial approach (fast=safe). The diversity of pastoralism. Transhumance. Taking cheesemaking to its source, teat and udder health, how fresh healthy milk from healthy animals is the starting point for great cheese.
There is no fee for this event, but it is still part of a benefit for #wckitchen. Whether or not you are making a donation you must register at the paypal.me/FermentsandCultures link. Hit Send and fill in the information. Or jump on now, and do it later if you want to watch later. That includes any of the sessions from this year as well. This $45 benefit package is available until December.
An annual subscription of $75 to Ferments and Cultures – or creating a video for any event during 2022 – gets you in as an annual subscriber with access to hundreds and hundreds of videos in our library as well as future events in 2022. Everything viewable until 1/1/2023. #cheese #fermentation #wildfermentation #artisancheese #culturesgroup #fermentsandcultures
Schedule for remaining May events. These events are free, but you must use the PayPal link to register (therefore, whatever minimum they have). To register it’s $45 for the entire month and all events, plus all the events from March and April with related videos you can watch until the end of the year. If you have already donated for April or purchased an annual subscription you are not required to do so again for May. $75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
May 20, 2022, 4PM EST (Streaming now for subscribers) The Silk Road and the Origins of the Foods we Eat Rob Spengler
May 21, 2022 , 4PM EST (Live) The History of Perso-Arab Cuisine Charles Perry
May 22, 2 PM EST (Live) A tour of history and culture through Russian cuisine Darra Goldstein and Kirsten Shockey
May 23, 12 PM EST (Live) Bread and Community Soiree-Leone, Dawn Woodward, Naomi Duguid
May 28, 7 AM EST (Live) Naturally Fermented Cheeses Trevor Warmedahl
Kundiumi, baked then steamed dumplings filled with mushrooms, sorrel or mustard greens and buckwheat from Darra Golstein’s Beyond the North Wind. Photo by Stefan Wettainen
Schedule for May events TBA, although most likely all live events will take place between May 20 and May 25th. To register it’s $45 for the entire month and all events, plus all the events from March and April with related videos you can watch until the end of the year. If you hav e already donated for April or purchased an annual subscription you are not required to do so again for May. $75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
Videos being Edited
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch)
Sechskornbrot (six grains and seeds bread) and Whole Wheat Sourdough Flatbread (Sangak)(Peiman Khosravi)
Comparing approaches of pastoral/agropastoral cultures to dairying, cheese making, and land use: Mongolia, Sicily and Albania. (Trevor Warmedahl)
The Traditions of Ukrainian Dairy Fermentation (David Asher)
Real Bread Bakers by Zev Robinson of TheArtandPoliticsofEating.com with panel discussion on how bread, community, nutrition and agriculture are closely intertwined – (Zev Robinson, Naomi Duguid, John Hutt and William Rubel)
Sourdough Yeast Extract and Applications (Heather Willensky)
Kaja’s Sour Milk Lady with Berries, Zurek, Hemp Seed Butter, Kama, Winter Kvass (Zuza Zak)
“Ukrainian cheesemakers are facing great uncertainties and challenges. Listen to some of their stories, including Olga Ternytska’s @karote777 whom I met on a visit in 2017, on an excellent program recently released by @cuttingthecurd radio with @carlosyescas .
Also; this Saturday at 12pm EST I’ll be talking about the traditions of Ukrainian dairy fermentation as a fundraiser for the @wckitchen and their excellent efforts to feed refugees fleeing the violence.Organized by @cultures.group as part of their April Flours event” by David Asher
To register just for one day of sessions, full schedule below, we are asking for a $15 donation. No replays are promised unless you donate $45 for the entire month and all 20+ sessions that you can watch until the end of the year, however. $75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
Friday, April 29
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST (ZOOM)
Sechskornbrot (six grains and seeds bread) and Whole Wheat Sourdough Flatbread (Sangak)(Peiman Khosravi)
Whole Grain Fermented Dumplings and Whole Grain Misos ( Eiko Takahashi) Live 4 PM – 6 PM EST (ZOOM)
Saturday, April 30th
Crème fraîche – No Chemicals, No Inoculants, Lots of Goodness by David Asher
Comparing approaches of pastoral/agropastoral cultures to dairying, cheese making, and land use: Mongolia, Sicily and Albania. (Trevor Warmedahl) Live 11 AM – 12 PM EST (ZOOM)
The Traditions of Ukrainian Dairy Fermentation (David Asher) Live 12- 1 PM EST (ZOOM)
Real Bread Bakers by Zev Robinson of TheArtandPoliticsofEating.com with panel discussion on how bread, community, nutrition and agriculture are closely intertwined – (Zev Robinson, Naomi Duguid, John Hutt and William Rubel) Live 1:30 to 3 PM EST (ZOOM)
Sourdough Yeast Extract and Applications (Heather Willensky)
Kaja’s Sour Milk Lady with Berries, Zurek, Hemp Seed Butter, Kama, Winter Kvass (Zuza Zak)
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST
To register just for this session, full schedule below, we are asking for a $15 donation. No replays are promised unless you donate $45 for the entire month and all 20+ sessions that you can watch until the end of the year, however.
$75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
Friday, April 29
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST (ZOOM)
Sechskornbrot (six grains and seeds bread) and Whole Wheat Sourdough Flatbread (Sangak)(Peiman Khosravi)
Whole Grain Fermented Dumplings and Whole Grain Misos ( Eiko Takahashi) Live 4 PM – 6 PM EST (ZOOM)
Saturday, April 30th
Comparing approaches of pastoral/agropastoral cultures to dairying, cheese making, and land use: Mongolia, Sicily and Albania. (Trevor Warmedahl) Live 11 AM – 12 PM EST (ZOOM)
The Traditions of Ukrainian Dairy Fermentation (David Asher) Live 12- 1 PM EST (ZOOM)
Real Bread Bakers by Zev Robinson of TheArtandPoliticsofEating.com with panel discussion on how bread, community, nutrition and agriculture are closely intertwined – (Zev Robinson, Naomi Duguid, John Hutt and William Rubel) Live 1:30 to 3 PM EST (ZOOM)
Sourdough Yeast Extract and Applications (Heather Willensky)
Kaja’s Sour Milk Lady with Berries, Zurek, Hemp Seed Butter, Kama, Winter Kvass (Zuza Zak)
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST
To register just for one of these sessions, full schedule below, we are asking for a $15 donation for each one. Some of the sessions each day are pre-recorded, others are live.
No replays are promised unless you donate $45 for the entire month, however. $75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
From StoryCooking.com – “Food has a way of transcending circumstances, time and place. My friend Amy Halloranand I read and cooked from @oliahercules book Summer Kitchens today and Amy reminded us of our connections to Turkey Red Wheat, brought to the United States by Mennonite immigrants from Russia then, now Ukraine and how it is part of our daily bread. I made varenyky two ways – one using my 321 sourdough egg pasta recipe and the other whole wheat dumplings adapted from ilia’s book Summer Kitchens. Amy showed us how to make Pampushky, sourdough garlic bread.”
As then, when you all come together your donation will support World Central Kitchen https://wck.org work to help Ukraine.
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST (ZOOM)
Sechskornbrot (six grains and seeds bread) and Whole Wheat Sourdough Flatbread (Sangak)(Peiman Khosravi)
Whole Grain Fermented Dumplings and Whole Grain Misos ( Eiko Takahashi) Live 4 PM – 6 PM EST (ZOOM)
Saturday, April 30th
Comparing approaches of pastoral/agropastoral cultures to dairying, cheese making, and land use: Mongolia, Sicily and Albania. (Trevor Warmedahl) Live 11 AM – 12 PM EST (ZOOM)
The Traditions of Ukrainian Dairy Fermentation (David Asher) Live 12- 1 PM EST (ZOOM)
Real Bread Bakers by Zev Robinson of TheArtandPoliticsofEating.com with panel discussion on how bread, community, nutrition and agriculture are closely intertwined – (Zev Robinson, Naomi Duguid, John Hutt and William Rubel) Live 1:30 to 3 PM EST (ZOOM)
Sourdough Yeast Extract and Applications (Heather Willensky)
Kaja’s Sour Milk Lady with Berries, Zurek, Hemp Seed Butter, Kama, Winter Kvass (Zuza Zak)
Comparison of flours in cookie: Whole Rye, Buckwheat or Wheat. Guess what?
Laura Valli, a PhD candidate @wsu_bread_lab and a habitual presenter for Cultures.Group on rye and fermentation described several experiments during a recent session of April Flours – recorded thanks to the super janine Johnson. It was an absolute masterclass in rye baking and microbial interactions.
Laura Valli uses a rye starter that is very different than any starter we’ve seen.
Having @evelyns.crackers Dawn Woodward and Ed just made it all the more excellent. We have that as well on video in the April Flours benefit showcase. Most people have no idea about the aspects of rye based fermentation that makes it so unique and fascinating. We will rerun this later on. So register for the full #aprilflours benefit now to help WCK feed Ukranian refugees, and you will be able to watch it. Or subscribe for an annual membership.
Rye Starter.
A lot of baker’s won’t go near Rye. And very, very few know of the development of different raices of rye and how individual characteristics contribute to how rye performs. Lots of that information shared during this session.
Thanks to a resurgence of grain farming and milling, often in collaboration with the bakers and chefs that are using the end product, rye and whole grains like rye are more under study than ever before. That will actually b e part of the far ranging discussion of Zev Robinson’s film we are showing live this Saturday April 30th. Another reason to register now for the April Flours benefit.
Experiments in Rye Bread Baking
April Flours is our month long benefit for #wckitchen to feed the people of Ukraine. $45 for a year of viewing event related videos and live sessions and edited replays when available. We have been uploading new videos as we go along. These videos are always in the showcase for the event, regardless of when you donate. We have turned the final week into two days with many sessions.
Two of these cookie types taste almost identical, mouth feel and all.
To register just for one of these sessions we are asking for a $15 donation for each one. Some of the sessions each day are pre-recorded, others are live.
No replays are promised unless you donate $45 for the entire month, however.
$75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST
Sechskornbrot (six grains and seeds bread) and Whole Wheat Sourdough Flatbread (Sangak)(Peiman Khosravi)
Whole Grain Fermented Dumplings and Whole Grain Misos (Live ) Eiko Takahashi 4 PM EST
Saturday, April 30th
11 – 12 PM EST Comparing approaches of pastoral/agropastoral cultures to dairying, cheese making, and land use: Mongolia, Sicily and Albania. (Trevor Warmedahl) Live
12- 1 PM EST The Traditions of Ukrainian Dairy Fermentation David Asher (Live)
1:30 to 3 PM EST Real Bread Bakers by Zev Robinson of TheArtandPoliticsofEating.com with panel discussion on how bread, community, nutrition and agriculture are closely intertwined – (Zev Robinson, Naomi Duguid, John Hutt and William Rubel) Live
Sourdough Yeast Extract and Applications (Heather Willensky)
Kaja’s Sour Milk Lady with Berries, Zurek, Hemp Seed Butter, Kama, Winter Kvass (Zuza Zak)
Seasoned Sourdough Yeast Salt Popcorn and Sourdough Garlic Cream Cheese by Heather Willensky@fermentsh
Sourdough Starter, and Kvass (or bread beer) for that matter, typically contain both lactic acid, yeasts, and sometimes acetobacteria that are associated with vinegar and acetic acid. Dehydrating sourdough starters of different kinds, like dehydrating pickling or fermenting brines, can create distinct tasting seasoning agents.
There seems to be a resurgence of the use of microbe infused salts and the use of dehydrated ferment brines and cultures, including sourdough starters and leftover bread.
Sure, the idea of backslapping, or using a small portion of a previous batch of something cultured or fermented to make a new batch, is not a new concept, but it is interesting to see people realizing that unless a very specific set of microbes and environmental conditions existed in a specific area, recycling at least a few of the successful microbes is what has enabled us to create generations of cultures that can be passed down.
The problem is how these things were and are passed down, and what creates a break in the links between generations. When that happens, artificial cultures are often used to replace what would have been created naturally.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but culture is not just about specific microbes, but how we have interacted with the enormous diversity of animals, plants, insects, bacteria, yeasts, fungi that are part of the human existence in the world.
With dairy fermentations, but also with all kinds of grain and legume and plant fermentations, we are rapidly losing that knowledge due to forced relocation, the convenience and cost of processed foods, lack of financial opportunities or Amy equitable resource sharing system, irreversible climate change, and apathy.
Recycling cultures is not at all a new concept. Salt was always a very cherished commodity historically, so reusing it to create a sour, salty type of seasoning similar to citric acid or dehydrated vinegar or salt is very well documented. The tanginess of lactobacillus bacteria creates taste. It also provides safety to newer ferments by lowering the PH similar to how soluble lactic acid is used today in brewing and even things like soy sauce or miso.
Heather relates her history of craving the umami of smoked salmon with a bagel and cream cheese, but sometimes specific ingredients are out of financial reach. But substances like bacteria, fungus, molds and yeasts are everywhere, often for free when you know understand the basic methods to create safe edible items and if you have access to resources like water and land and air and sun.
Ironically, the practice of dehydrating starches that have soured or fermented (sometimes both) is at least 5,000 years old and was really the start of grain, seed and other substances that served as the substrates of levain in dumplings, noodles, and breads. The Qi Min Yao shu, for example, describes in detail how soured rice or other grain water, or the lees from wine were used as leavening agents. Often, these were dehydrated into starters for a later date. In effect, the original qu (麹)or koji as most of you know it as represented by cakes and balls and disks of mixed microbes.
Heather has some pretty creative ways to use the yeasts in breads and sourdough starters, searching for an umami taste that tasted like the comfort of home. She began fermenting in her kitchen in 2008. From the moment her swing-top bottles exploded at 4PM raining ginger beer down over her kitchen she knew she was in love. A former music licensing specialist, Heather has spent the past 14 years experimenting with fermentation from pickles to beer and bread.
The pandemic and new motherhood provided an excellent opportunity to delve deeper into fermentation, exploring its limitless applications and techniques and connecting with the online fermentation community. You can follow her adventures on her @fermentsh instagram page.
April Flours is our month long benefit for #wckitchen to feed the people of Ukraine. $45 for a year of viewing event related videos and live sessions and edited replays when available. We have been uploading new videos as we go along. These videos are always in the showcase for the event, regardless of when you donate. We have turned the final week into two days with many sessions.
To register just for one of these sessions we are asking for a $15 donation for each one. Some of the sessions each day are pre-recorded, others are live. No replays are promised unless you donate $45 for the entire month, however. $75 Annual subscription for all events and videos from the last 6 years. Please use PayPal.me/FermentsandCulturesand note what it’s for.
Time and Nature, Making Vatrushky with different fillings, Piroshky using Multipurpose sourdough Recipe – (Amy Halloran and Ellie Markovitch) Live 12 PM -1:30 PM EST
Sechskornbrot (six grains and seeds bread) and Whole Wheat Sourdough Flatbread (Sangak)(Peiman Khosravi)
Whole Grain Fermented Dumplings and Whole Grain Misos (Live ) Eiko Takahashi 4 PM EST
Saturday, April 30th
11 – 12 PM EST Comparing approaches of pastoral/agropastoral cultures to dairying, cheese making, and land use: Mongolia, Sicily and Albania. (Trevor Warmedahl) Live
12- 1 PM EST The Traditions of Ukrainian Dairy Fermentation David Asher (Live)
1:30 to 3 PM EST Real Bread Bakers by Zev Robinson of TheArtandPoliticsofEating.com with panel discussion on how bread, community, nutrition and agriculture are closely intertwined – (Zev Robinson, Naomi Duguid, John Hutt and William Rubel) Live
Sourdough Yeast Extract and Applications (Heather Willensky)
Kaja’s Sour Milk Lady with Berries, Zurek, Hemp Seed Butter, Kama, Winter Kvass (Zuza Zak)
