Fermentation Resources

see also here

Books

• Appetite for Change: How the Counterculture Took on the Food Industry, by Warren Belasco. A fascinating documentation of the ongoing culture war surrounding access to food.

• The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World, by Sandor Ellix Katz. A (the?) definitive modern masterwork on the subject of food fermentation.

• Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia, by Natasha Campbell-McBride. This book makes a very strong case for links between digestive problems and neurological and behavioral problems.

• Home Cheese Making, by Ricki Carroll. The reference how-to book by the person who started the modern small-scale cheese making movement in the United States.

• The Jungle: The Uncensored Original Edition, by Upton Sinclair. A singular document of the horrors of the early industrial meat industry, unexpurgated and as the author intended it to be read.

• The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for an American Kitchen, by Maria Vongerichten. A beautiful book that includes a lot of ideas for how to cook with one of our favorite fermented foods.

• Kombucha: Healthy Beverage and Natural Remedy from the Far East, by Günther Frank. A meticulous and thorough book about "do"s and "don't"s of making kombucha.

• The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, by James Howard Kunstler. A convincing case for the urgency of the problems facing our world, and why you should learn to make your own food!

• Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed, edited by Vandana Shiva. A collection of compelling essays on the problems of modern industrial food, and a bold attempt to solve these problems.

• Meat: A Benign Extravagance, by Simon Fairlie. The author makes a meticulously crafted argument that meat production and consumption can be environmentally sound, even advantageous, if done properly.

• Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, by Anne Mendelson. Everything you never knew you didn't know about milk and dairy, including recipes, in a thoroughly entertaining and lovely book.

• Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon Morell and Mary G. Enig. The best modern nutrition writing I've come across--followed by a unique description of a wide range of traditional food preparations.

• Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, by Weston A. Price. Dr. Price's detective work uncovers 14 isolated groups of people with exemplary health, and finds and documents commonalities among their diets.

• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee. The modern food science reference. Anyone wanting to know about the "why"s of food can get this book, and chances are they will find their answers within.

• The Raw Milk Revolution, by David Gumpert. A very engaging window on the current ongoing battles between food regulators and big business on one side, and individuals and small farmers on the other, over the question of who gets to decide what foods are legal and illegal, written with the pace of a good thriller.

• The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements, by Sandor Katz. Reading this book helped me understand how all the pieces of the food puzzle fit together, and along the way managed to excite and move me more than any book in recent memory. Informative, authentic, and passionate.

• Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating, by Jeffrey M. Smith. A provocative look at the increasing evidence that genetically-modified foods are a growing disaster.

• ServSafe Coursebook, by Association Solutions National Restaurant Association. This is the United States food industry reference on food safety.

• Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson. The book that started the modern environmental movement.

• Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, by Sandor Katz. An awesome look at the ancient art of fermentation, and its place in the context of our modern existence, including lots of recipes. A must-have for any serious--or even casual--fermenter. The book that started the modern fermentation movement and put sauerkraut back on the map.

Films

• Farmageddon (2011) (DVD) (Instant). Kristin Canty sheds light on egregious over-reaches by regulatory and law enforcement agencies, creating and imposing unreasonable policies at the expense of farmers and private individuals.

• Food, Inc. (2008) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (Instant). Exposes how modern food production feeds the wallets of food industry hegemons at the expense of ordinary, particularly rural and lower-income, people.

• Fresh (2009). Some of the problems with our food system, and some of the innovative solutions that people are coming up with.

• The Future of Food (2004) (DVD) (Instant). Director Deborah Koons Garcia presents a disturbing picture of food technology trends and their impact on society and the environment.

• The World According to Monsanto (2008). Filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin tells a disturbing story of collusion between industry and government to control food production at its very root: the farm.

Organizations

• Cornucopia Institute. Seeking economic justice for the family-scale farming community. They provide a plethora of useful information about food--for instance, an egg-buying guide that goes beyond "free-range", "cage-free", and "organic".

• Environmental Working Group. A group focused on environmental toxins. Their "Clean 15/Dirty Dozen" shopper's guide is a great outline of which foods are most important to buy organic.

• Weston A. Price Foundation. A fantastic, fast-growing non-profit foundation dedicated to restoring healthy, nutrient-dense, real food to the human diet. Their website is a treasure trove of information about food, diet, and physiology.

Other Blogs And Websites

• The Complete Patient: David Gumpert's blog defines the cutting edge of raw milk and food freedom journalism.

• Feed Me Like You Mean It: My blog, where I talk about fermentation, real food, raw milk, and where it's all leading, with some recipes.

• The Kombucha Exchange: A great place to find kombucha starters, or to give away your extras.

• Kombucha Fuel: Annabelle Ho's blog follows her extensive experience brewing kombucha, doing live demonstrations, and documenting other kombucha-related events.

• The Kombucha Journal: Günther Frank's extensive, multi-lingual site for kombucha information.

• Real Food Media: A network of first-rate bloggers who provide inspiring and informative recipes, stories, and commentary on the subject of real food.

• Wild Fermentation: A fantastic "Fermentation Portal", Sandor Katz's companion site for his two modern classics of fermentation, Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation.

Food Producers, Stores, and Schools

• Amazon.com: They sell most of the stuff you might need for fermenting, including kitchen gear and homebrew equipment. (But consider: small, independent, and especially local shops offer the great advantage of personalized service.)

• Caldwell Bio Fermentation: A resource for fermentation starters.

• The Cheese School of San Francisco: A great cheesemaking school in the heart of San Francisco.

• Filters Fast: Where I have bought my water filtration systems.

• Giant Microbes: Stuffed animals, but instead of animals they're microbes. Buy one to make sure you don't raise bacteriophobes.

• The Homebrew Emporium: A great place for brewing-related gear.

• New England Cheesemaking Supply Company: Ricki Carroll's unique cheesemaking school, and an online resource for cheesemaking supplies.

• Newpages Boostore Finder: A great resource for finding local, independent bookstores in the US and Canada. Preserve the browsing experience by supporting these shops.

• Pickl-It: Very reliable fermentation vessels.

• Taza Chocolate: A cutting-edge, small batch chocolate producer.