Texas Farmers’ Market (TFM) is hosting its 8th Annual Austin Fermentation Festival every Monday during the month of October, with online workshops by experts in the industry and a silent auction that will be available to the public all month.

TFM is pivoting their operations to make the event as accessible as possible to fermentation enthusiasts. To host a festive and safe event, the format is modified this year from its original structure and will be spread across five Monday evenings in October from 7 – 8:30 p.m., each with a fermentation-focused workshop on Zoom, presented by a local leader in the industry.

Executive Director for Texas Farmers’ Market, Nena Johnson, says, “Over the years the Austin
Fermentation Festival has become a flagship event in the local food community and we know that
Austinites were eager to have the festival return. We think the expansion of the festival across October
will provide even more access to food preservation enthusiast across Central Texas. We’re glad we can
offer this free event to the Austin community over a longer period of time and welcome as many people
to our event and farmers’ market as possible.”

The event is free and open to anyone, but guests need to sign up for a ticket for each Zoom workshop.
Attendees can also make a $10 suggested donation per person. Proceeds from donations and silent auction will benefit Texas Farmers’ Market and their Ag Producer Support Fund, which supports farmers, ranchers and all producer vendors during times of crisis (like winter storm Uri where TFM gave out over $20,000 of immediate assistance) and provides funding for their scholarship for new BIPOC farmers joining Texas Farmers’ Markets.

Below is a detail of the weekly workshops and presenters:

Workshop #1 — October 4: Soy-Free Miso & Incorporating Umami Flavors into Vegan Ice Cream
Speaker is Jam Sanichat of Thai Fresh. Learn how to make your own soy-free miso with locally grown fresh
black-eyed peas. Miso is a staple in Japanese kitchens, and it adds a lot of depth to the food. It is versatile and can be added to many recipes like salad dressing, stir-fries, soup, and even ice cream. After demonstrating how to make miso, Jam with teach attendees how to make coconut milk-based ice cream with homemade miso. Jam will show how to create a base recipe for the perfect consistency from ingredients you already have.

Workshop #2 — October 11: Pickled Vegetables & Fruits
Speaker is Sheena Moore of Sheena’s Pickles. In a Pickle? Learn how to pickle some of your favorite vegetables and fruits to last all year long. Sheena can help you learn the basics of pickling and food preservation. After this hands-on workshop, you’ll be able to create your own pickled goods at home. Sheena’s Pickles uses only fresh, organic, and seasonal produce that is locally sourced here in Austin, Texas. In 2012, Sheena received a pickling kit for her birthday. With her passion ignited, Sheena’s Pickles was born. Fast forward to 2021, and you can find Sheena’s Pickles at Antonelli’s Cheese Shop.

Workshop #3 — October 18: Killer Kimchi
Speaker is Uyen Pham of Killer Kimchi. Chef Pham is thrilled to be returning to the Austin Fermentation Festival as a presenter for the third year in a row. Growing up, her closest friends were Korean, and she spent many meals eating kimchi. Over time, she learned how to make it and quickly realized how different it is in every household and region. Kimchi is a traditional banchan or side dish served and consumed at every meal year-round. This food dates to the 600’s as it was used for medicinal purposes. It is delicious on its own but can be used in many culinary applications. There are endless varieties made for different seasons as a form of food preservation. The most common ingredients include garlic, ginger, scallions, Napa cabbage, Korean
radish, and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flake). In Korea, some people still make kimchi in clay pots
and bury it in the ground for a slower fermentation. Chef Pham will cover different methods of making
kimchi and demonstrate how to make this Korean staple.

Workshop #4 — October 25: Variables in Sourdough Fermentation
Speaker is David Norman of Easy Tiger. As sourdough baking went viral in the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, Easy Tiger sold thousands of sourdough starter kits, countless pounds of flour and gave recipes and advice to many home bakers. They were not alone, as bakers across the world offered recipes, methods, and tips for baking with sourdough. Because there is myriad of ways to make and bake with sourdough starter and no definitive “right” way, David will present some key variables that a baker can manipulate to create different flavors in their sourdough bread and make it their own. There will be starter feeding demonstrations, tips on mixing and kneading the dough and samples to taste.

Workshop #5 — November 1: Living Vinegar Production & Its Applications Within Restaurants &
Agriculture

Speaker is Alfred Francese of Emmer & Rye. At Emmer and Rye they produce all their vinegar for cooking in the restaurant. They use a combination of enzymes, yeast, and bacteria to create their product. They never pasteurize during the process which ends up creating unique flavor profiles based on the base ingredients they use, and the climate during each season. This vinegar is packed with flavor but also contains probiotics, and b vitamins. During Alfred’s workshop he will discuss how he produces vinegar, what inspires him to choose which ingredients he uses and different cooking applications. You will also be hearing from one of the producers they partner with, Westfold Farms, and how they incorporate Emmer & Rye’s vinegar into
their chickens’ diets.

About Texas Farmers’ Market
Texas Farmers’ Market operates two year-round, rain-or-shine markets in the Austin area – Lakeline in
Cedar Park/North Austin area on Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 11200 Lakeline Mall Drive, and the
Mueller market at the new Pavilion at Mueller’s Mary Elizabeth Branch Park at 2006 Philomena Street on
Sundays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. TFM is organized under F2M Texas as a 501(c)4 non-profit corporation
centered around hosting and educating Central Texas producers and consumers to grow a sustainable
food system.

For more information and tickets to this year’s festival, go to TexasFarmersMarket.org.