Fermented Sodas Workshop at Dawes Arbor Day - Free - Multiple Sessions - 1 hrHosted by Dawes Arboretum and Community Cultures
Learn How to Ferment Soda at Arbor Day
(Free admission for Arbor Day Celebration and free tree seedlings while supplies last)
**To sign up for these workshops, please sign up when you visit The Arboretum during Arbor Day at the Zand Garden Classroom.**
**There will be three sessions:**
**10 to 11 a.m.**
**11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.**
**1 to 2 p.m**
Community Cultures is a Pittsburgh-based organization that has provided virtual and in-person fermentation workshops, private events, consulting and fermented products for over a decade. It began when Trevor Ring, its founder, was in college and tried kombucha for the first time.
Ring was intrigued by the flavor and used a kombucha mother, which is necessary for kombucha brewing. Shortly after he tried it, batches of vinegary kombucha dotted the floor underneath his dorm bed. Since then, Ring has been creating fermented products and encouraging the community to learn about fermentation.
“It became a passion where I was fascinated to see food evolve over time,” he said. “Whether it’s under your bed, or on your countertop, you can experience these wonderful flavor changes and then nutritional benefits.”
The process of fermentation is a “metabolic process where microorganisms like yeast and bacteria convert sugars into alcohol, gases or acids.” Simply, fermentation is the breakdown of food through microbes, according to Ring.
Fermentation is also considered food preservation. According to Ring, it’s likely one of the most ancient forms of food preservation aside from drying. Simply fermentation is engaging with the microscopic world so humans can preserve food, improve flavor and make it last longer.
One of the most interesting things Ring has learned about fermentation is the exploration of people's origins and how they used fermentation as preservation historically.
“There are so many ferments that exist all around the world,” he said. “A lot we don’t know about because they’re not shared in textbooks or aren’t studied. I encourage people when I’m teaching my workshops to reflect on their ancestry to explore what fermented products their ancestors were making.”
Ring feels like, as a society, we generally have a fear of bacteria. Although there are bacteria to genuinely fear, he wants people to remember that, if done correctly, fermentation practices are very safe, and humans have been practicing them for thousands of years. Beginner fermentation activities include fermented vegetables or fermented sodas.
On Arbor Day at The Dawes Arboretum, visitors will have the chance to meet Ring from Community Cultures and participate in his fermented soda workshop!
The workshop will entail a brief overview of fermentation and a demonstration of how to make fermented soda at home using simple ingredients paired with a simple process. Participants will be able to taste various sodas and leave with knowledge and a recipe handout so they can practice fermentation on their own at home.
Please email information@dawesarb.org if you have any questions.