The Get Pickled Diaries
The March edit
 
 
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Hey First name / friend,
 
Oh wow, March turned out to be a month of highs and lows at Get Pickled HQ!
 
First of all, I am sorry for once again being so late with my updates – March turned out to be a very tricky month at Get Pickled HQ, for sure . . .
 
I was absolutely blown away by the magic that the Ladies Who Ferment and myself conjured for our koji workshop. We explored all the umami potential of this amazing fungus, created some phenomenal food and shared the love of all things koji.
 
Then, after a very cold Frome Independent, your girl here fell very ill – proper proper, as I turned out to have chickenpox! Never having had it as a child, I was always very wary of getting it - I had heard it was terrible as an adult. And, trust me, I found out this was true!
 
I had to stop in my tracks and give myself some proper R&R. There was less cooking great meals and getting lost in production . . . and more watching very easy telly and getting some favourite books out.
 
As the absolute worst subsided, I was able to get on with some work, only for my boy to become ill . . . What a month!
 
I am looking forward to this new season. I think after a very busy winter I was forced into some proper rest and introspection, which would be part of our ancestral cycle of the seasons. By ignoring it, I ended up crashing and burning. But now I can see that it was a chance to really take some time to rebuild my strength and get ready for the renewal cycle brought by spring.
 
And with this month's horribilis behind me, I am happy to share with you that we are back with a bang. We will be doing the Frome Independent at our usual spot, on the first Sunday of the month. You will also find us at the Farmers’ Market at Boyles Cross in Frome, on the second Saturday of the month, with some one-off seasonal batches – this is our package- free service, so bring your clean jars.
 
I was glad that we were all back on track in time to host a number of workshops last week. We had a private event followed by a Masterclass and An Intro to Fermented Vegetables, both sold out!
 
I have been so humbled by the amazing feedback I have been getting . . . I can see I am truly following my calling in sharing my love of the microbial world and my commitment to a better food system too.
I had such a brilliant day! Grown in confidence to give things a go. The lunch was incredible too!
— workshop student.
 

I have also been surprised how I have rekindled my love of fermented drinks. Many moons ago, water kefir was my first fermented love and the one that started it all. A friend of mine brought me some of hers, and I WAS OBSESSED! I got her to teach me how to do it, and she also recommended that I buy Sandor Katz’s Wild Fermentation – well, the rest in history. I fell out of love with it for a while, as fermented drinks demand a whole lot of maintenance and life just got on the way at that point (work, marriage and kids . . .).
 
But I have been tempted recently to go back to experimenting with wild sodas. I started with spruce needles from the Christmas tree and raspberries. Wow – what a revelation. Since then, I have got into ginger ale and tepache, to name just a few. I have been so happy with it that I have been teaching it in my Masterclasses and I am considering doing a class just on them. Would you be interested?

 
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I am happy to share with you all the dates we have planned for spring and summer. And, as a thank you for your support, I am happy to give you an early bird discount too
 
As a lot of you know, I truly believe in keeping seasonal, so I will be exploring what all the seasons have to offer now. 
 
So here is what I have in store for y’all.

Our Wild Garlic 
Private Venue
is amazing!
 

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I have been invited to teach elsewhere, so I will be running some workshops in Newbury and Wells too, in June and July.
 
I hope I get to see you soon, come and say hi at a market or join us for an event.
 

Recipe
 
Paula’s Seed Crackers
 
 

 
In some of my workshops I offer a light meal, usually consisting of some fermented dips and my now famous seed crackers. They are always a success and people pester me for the recipe!
 
To be absolutely honest, they are never quite the same. I tend to season them according to the theme of the workshop itself. So, for the koji class I use shio-koji/amino sauces. For the Masterclass, I use some leftover brine . . . this is a very forgiving recipe overall and can carry a lot of punchy flavours.
 
I don’t really have a set recipe for my seed crackers, they are more like a set of guidelines. Feel free to try out different seeds and seasoning.
 
I have experimented with this recipe a lot over the years. If you don’t have any shio-koji or brine, you can just flavour with any dry spices you have in your kitchen. Z’aatar works really well, or some oregano and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
 
Don’t be disheartened if a batch does not come together. You can always break down the clumps and sprinkle it over salads and soups.
 
 
Ingredients:
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup flaxseed
Any other seed you might like: sesame, nigella, hemp, etc
1 tbsp of psyllium husk, or add chia or ground flax seeds as the binding agent
1 tbsp of shio-koji, amino sauce or leftover brine
1 cup of lukewarm water
Seasoning to taste
 
Method:
 
Mix seeds, binding agents, shio-koji/brine (or your preferred seasoning) and the water in a bowl. Let it sit for about 20 min. Put the oven on at 100C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
 
The mixture will have become thick and malleable. Spread it on the baking tray as thinly as possible. Put it in the oven for 10-12 hours. I usually do it overnight.
 
I have dehydrated them in the past. I’d suggest using your highest setting (60-70C) for about 24h in a dehydrator. However, they never really get that crunchy.
 
Let them cool down in the tray. I like breaking them into shards. Keep them in an airtight container for freshness
 

growing and sharing
This month I...
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