Wildcrafted Fermentation: Exploring, Transforming, and Preserving the Wild Flavors of Your Local Terroir

by Pascal Baudar

Overview

“I am in awe of this book”―Sandor Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation

Wild krauts and kimchis, fermented forest brews, seawater brines, plant-based cheeses, and more with over 100 easy-to-follow recipes! 

Featured in The Independent’s (UK) "7 Best Fermentation Books of 2020"

One of the most influential tastemakers of our time invites you on an extraordinary culinary journey into the lacto-fermentation universe of common wild edibles. Used for thousands of years by different cultures all around the world, lacto-fermentation is the easiest, safest, and most delicious way to preserve food. And nature provides all the necessary ingredients: plants, salt, and the beneficial lactic acid bacteria found everywhere.

In Wildcrafted Fermentation, Pascal Baudar describes in detail and through step-by-step color photos how to create rich flavorful ferments:

• At home
• From the wild plants in your local landscape
• From the cultivated plants in your garden

From sauerkrauts and kimchis to savory pastes, hot sauces, and dehydrated spice blends, Baudar includes more than 100 easy-to-follow, plant-based recipes to inspire even the most jaded palate. The step-by-step photos illustrate foraging, preparation, and fermentation techniques for both wild and cultivated plants that will change your relationship to the edible landscape and give you the confidence to succeed like a pro.

So much more than a cookbook, Wildcrafted Fermentation offers a deeply rewarding way to reconnect with nature through the greens, stems, roots, berries, fruits, and seeds of your local terroir. Adventurous and creative, this cookbook will help you rewild your probiotic palate and “create a cuisine unique to you and your environment.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603588515
Publisher:	Chelsea Green Publishing
Publication date:	03/12/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	268,013
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Pascal Baudar is the author of three previous books: Wildcrafted Fermentation (2020), The Wildcrafting Brewer (2018), and The New Wildcrafted Cuisine (2016). A self-described “culinary alchemist,” he leads classes in traditional food preservation techniques. Through his business, Urban Outdoor Skills, he has introduced thousands of home cooks, celebrity chefs, and foodies to the flavors offered by their wild landscapes. In 2014, Baudar was named one of the most influential local tastemakers by Los Angeles Magazine.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Discovering Fermentation 1

1 Fermentation Basics 9

2 Getting Started: Exploring Your Local Terroir 47

3 Exploring Local and Ethnic Flavors 71

4 Delving Deeper into Local Ingredients 125

5 Fermenting with the Environment 163

6 Foraged and Fermented Soups, Pastes, Spreads, and Sauces 199

7 Wilder Cheeses 237

8 Creative Dishes and Plating 269

Resources 277

Recipe Index 279

Index 281

Editorial Reviews

12/16/2019

Baudar (The Wildcrafting Brewer) offers another deep dive into plant-based lacto-fermentation. Newbies can get their fermenting feet wet with basic sauerkraut and pickles before stepping outside their homes in search of such ingredients as dandelions (dandikraut) or cattail shoots (fermented with cabbage, fennel or chervil, and salt). Copious photos and detailed instructions (such as tips on checking pH levels) ensure both success and safety. Recommendations for specific fermentation kits run the gamut and utilize jars, leaves (such as folded mustard leaves), seawater, and, for the more adventurous, a hollowed-out oak stump. Basic recipes include those using roots (fermented spicy mustard, wild radish, burdock, turnip) and for creating foraged beers and raw sodas, soups (gazpacho, wild oyster mushroom, miso with mustard root), and a fermented pesto (made with chickweed, chervil, and fennel). While some of the ingredients can be sourced as easily as taking a stroll through the woods, many dishes will need preprepared ingredients, such as a culture starter. Readers interested in taking the next step in producing their own fermented, locally sourced food will find Baudar a useful and instructive tutor. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Booklist—

“Baudar’s genial voice guides readers through his preferred methods and conveys his passion for this process, followed by explorations into local, wild ingredients and the ways they can be used. Not every ingredient used is wild, and the 100-plus recipes include room for ingredient variation according to what is available in the reader”s region.”

“Pascal Baudar is a culinary visionary who is also excellent at clearly explaining his ideas and methods to make them accessible. I am in awe of this book as well as his two earlier ones. Get ready to be inspired.”—Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation

“Wildcrafted Fermentation is an amazing, passion-based work! Looking outside at the snow-covered ground, I’m more eager than ever for the return of musk mustards, lamb’s quarters, and other wild plants to add to ferments. And I especially appreciate the use of the Latin names for plants and the cheerful and repeated reassurances that nothing can go wrong—just what a nervous fermenter wants to hear. This is a stunning book.”—Deborah Madison, author of Vegetable Literacy and The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

“Pascal Baudar is back. His distinctive approach to wildcrafting is enhanced this time by connecting wild plants to the transformative power of lactic acid fermentation. In doing so, Pascal elevates commonly found roots, shoots, seeds, weeds, and leaves to foods with astounding flavors. He encourages the reader to explore the ‘flavorshed’ of their own region while understanding how to responsibly be part of their local ecology. The book is exciting, creative, and beautiful. Perhaps more importantly, it offers inspiring, adaptable recipes that employ solid and safe techniques. It is a must-have for both foragers and fermentation enthusiasts.”—Kirsten Shockey, coauthor of Fermented Vegetables, Fiery Ferments, and Miso, Tempeh, Natto and Other Tasty Ferments

“With a rare combination of humility and wisdom, Baudar shares his deep immersion into the seam between wild foods and fermentation so that we all may embark on or enhance our own exploration of these lost arts. Risks of error deter many people from attempting either wild food harvesting or home ferments, but Baudar puts all of our instinctive concerns in perspective, cautioning us to follow some basic rules and encouraging us not be afraid to experiment.

“My favorite recipe titles include Fermented Forest Floor Paste and Roasted Oak Bark Hot Sauce. Those who doubt the utility of his innovative creations need look only at the earth around them. The possibilities, as he suggests, are limited only by the eye (and palate) of the beholder.”—Evan Mallett, chef/owner, Black Trumpet bistro; author of Black Trumpet

From the Publisher

02/01/2020

Naturalist Baudar (The Wildcrafting Brewer), who teaches on topics such as foraging for and identifying local edible and medicinal plants, uses the idea of "local" to guide the recipes in this latest title. Baudar reminds readers to experiment with their own "local" ingredients outside of baseline requirements for recipes and is also mindful of the environmental impacts of foraging and need to do so responsibly. He begins with basic fermentation methods (e.g., sauerkraut) and progresses through more complex dishes, including soups, sauces, spice blends, and nondairy cheeses. The strong attention to detail makes the preparation processes less intimidating for home cooks who have no experience with fermentation. As with the author's Wildcrafted Fermentation, this book is beautifully designed and photographed. VERDICT While niche in many aspects, Baudar's depth of knowledge and relatable voice provide a highly valuable introduction to fermentation and foraged foods.—Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach

Library Journal