Santa Barbara Fermentation Festival

Hey everyone, Kim here. So I went to this really awesome Fermentation Festival in Santa Barbara with my mom last weekend and I'm super excited to share my experience with you all! This festival celebrates the importance of traditionally fermented foods and beverages, and empowers attendees to make these foods at home. There were about 40 exhibitors, tons of delicious samples, hands on activities to sign up for, and demo stations.

Our first stop was to the DIY Pickle Station. This is where we got to fill up a jar of various veggies; squash, onion, carrots, beets, garlic cloves, sprigs of dill, and cabbage. Then we filled the jar with brine (a solution of salt in water). Took the jar home, and three days later I had delicious pickled veggies! 

Our second stop was to the dairy-free coconut yogurt demo. That, bar far, was my favorite part of the festival. I am so glad that I learned how to make homemade yogurt. It's ridiculously easy. I wrote down the recipe and made my first batch over the weekend. I'm sharing it with you all today, so that you too can see how easy it is to make, and hopefully start making your own! 

What you'll need:

1. Milk - this recipe works with all types of milk (cow, goat, almond, coconut)
2. Probiotics in capsule form. This is the brand that I use: http://www.jarrow.com/product/228/Jarro-Dophilus_EPS
3. Jar
4. Whisk
5. Something to cover the jar with, and a rubber band. You can use anything from a paper towel, cheesecloth, a tea towel, or coffee filters. 
6. Bowl - this is optional. You can pour all of the ingredients directly into the jar, but I chose to use a bowl because I made multiple batches. 

Step 1. Pour milk into jar or bowl. 

Step 2. Add the probiotic. 1/2 a pill per 14-16 ounces of milk.
Step 3. Mix the milk and probiotics. Make sure the probiotics are blended in well.
Step 4. If you're using a mixing bowl, pour the milk and probiotic mixture into the jar
Step 5. Cover and let sit on your counter. 

The fermentation times will vary depending on the temperature of your home. You're going to want to check on your yogurt approximately 15 hours later. You'll be able to gauge how often to check on it based on the consistency at that time. Your yogurt is done when it is no longer watery and has a thicker more yogurt like consistency. And has a slight tangy flavor (like yogurt). Once your yogurt is fermented to your liking, keep it refrigerated. It should stay fresh in your fridge for about 7-10 days. My kitchen usually stays pretty cool, so it took about three days for my yogurt to be ready. 

After the yogurt demo we walked around to check out all of the exhibitors and tried as many samples as we possibly could. One of my favorites was a company called Cultured & Saucy. They make probiotic condiments. They were so good! You can use them as salsas, marinades, or even add them to other condiments, like sour cream, or cream cheese. I definitely regret not buying a jar. Luckily, their products are sold in stores locally. You can check out their website here: http://www.culturedandsaucy.com. 

After checking out the exhibitors we had one more stop to make, and that was to the Cultured Butter Shake-Off, hosted by Organic Pastures, where we made our own homemade butter. Unfortunately, due to the heat, mine only turned into whipped cream. Once I got home I refrigerated it for a bit. After it was cold enough I shook the jar for about 20 minutes while catching up on a show, and voila! Homemade butter! Despite the high temps that day, I had a really awesome time with my mom sampling some really yummy foods, and learning some cool new things. I'm really looking forward to going next year!