About Farmstead Fermentation Workshops

Throughout history, people have enjoyed the benefits of fermentation.  This amazing process preserves food, makes ingredients more easily digestible, adds flavor and depth, and provides crucial health benefits.  Come join us to participate in two full days of hands-on dairy, fish and meat processing, bread baking, and preserving vegetables here at the farm.  While learning the basic principles of fermentation, we will discuss equipment use and care, ingredients and supplies, and recipes to try at home.

During the introductory workshops, you will:

• Spend two days fermenting and processing dairy, meat, fish, bread, and vegetables;
• Learn as you cook side-by-side with us to prepare meals with fresh produce harvested from the farm;
• Tour the farm and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) gardens;
• Learn about livestock care and cow milking;
• Enjoy samples of your work including butter, yogurt, cheeses, meats, breads, and fermented vegetables you will make;
• Take home recipes, cheese making and bread baking instructions, and other related materials.

Farming interns Johanna Hök, 25, of Sweden (left)
and Vanessa Marsh, 24, of Texas, milk
Loveday the milk cow at Henning Sehmsdorf's
Lopez Island farm. They are careful to
leave some for her calf.

Workshop Tuition/Meals

Workshops are generally $200 per person.  Your tuition includes instruction, four farm-fresh meals, tent site, and samples of cheeses and other products made during the workshop.

Farm Information

S&S Homestead Farm on Lopez Island is a fifty-acre, bio-dynamic family farm owned and operated since 1970.  The farm integrates growing vegetables, fruit, and flowers with the production of beef, dairy, pork, lamb, chicken and eggs, as well as producing animal feeds and fertilizers. Besides food and fiber production, the farm mission includes education in ecological food production and sustainable living.

Sample Schedule: This is a sample schedule for a recent workshop:

Biodynamics Fermentation Workshop
Saturday, Sunday

Saturday

9-10  Health benefits of fermentation (Roy)
10-11 Fermenting fish: salmon (Henning)
11-12 Fermenting meat: leg of lamb, beef brisket (Henning)
12-1   Fermenting vegetables: beans (Elizabeth)

1-2 Farm lunch (potato salad, egg salad, fresh vegetables, fruit juices)

2-3 Fermentation in the soil: composts, Biodynamic sprays, resource cycling (Henning)
3-5 Fermenting vegetables: Sauerkraut , kim chi, pickles (Elizabeth)
5-6 Farm dinner (corned beef and Sauerkraut)

Sunday   

8-9  Farm breakfast (yoghurt, apple sauce, black berries, muffins, milk)
9-10 Livestock care and cow milking (Taryn and Elizabeth)
10-1 Dairy processing: butter, yoghurt, cream cheese, Quark and     
                    Neufchatel (Taryn and Elizabeth)

1-2 Farm Lunch (fermented salmon, sourdough bread, fresh butter and cheeses, whey smoothies)

3-5 Bread baking: sourdough rye, French bread, Focaccia (Elizabeth)

Instructors may include:

-o- Henning Sehmsdorf, Co-Director, S&S Center for Sustainable Agriculture
-o- Elizabeth Simpson, Co-Director, S&S Center for Sustainable Agriculture
-o- Roy Ozanne, M.D., H.M.D.
Homeopathic physician
-o- Taryn Hammer, Intern, S&S Homestead Farm.

Registration/Contact

To find out about upcoming workshops, register, contact:

S&S Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Homestead Farm

2143 Lopez Sound Road
Lopez Island, WA 98261
 (360) 468-2365
E-mail

Please forward this information to anyone you think might be interested in Farmstead or Fermentation Workshops.