It’s been over two years since I moved to Evil Man Valley, and the annual costs for field labour and organic compost add up to no small sum. The local helpers I bring in often can’t resist working out the figures for me, pointing out that growing things this way…
It’s been a fortnight since the “Fermentation Awakening Festival” kicked off! Episodes on kombucha and on mozzarella and whey cheese have recently been released as part of the The Alchemy of Food video series, and the Wild Fermentation book club has just concluded its second reading session. In truth, this…
This episode of Food Talk features two guests, Mary and Liu Xinzheng, both formally trained in Fermentation Engineering. We sit down with them to discuss how their passion for home-brewing craft beer sparked a broader journey into the world of fermentation. While studying Fermentation Engineering at university, their love for…
Foodthink Says Cheese is a highly traditional fermented food. Before the Industrial Revolution enabled mass production, the vast majority of cheese was handmade on farms and by small-scale producers. Its flavours were closely tied to the season, climate, and methods used to produce the raw milk, and the distinctive techniques…
I grew up in New York City and have loved pickles of all kinds since childhood. I never imagined that those delicious, crisp, garlic-infused pickles would one day set me on a path of discovery and exploration. In truth, alongside pickles, fermented foods such as bread, cheese, yoghurt, sour cream,…
Foodthink Says During the targeted poverty alleviation drive, and in an effort to rapidly secure prosperity for the peasantry, the government of Gong County (pseudonym) introduced greenhouse vegetable cultivation, a venture with strong market returns. Subsidy schemes were rolled out in a bid to integrate this crop into the livelihood…
Thriving industries form a vital foundation for rural revitalisation. Perhaps inspired by Shouguang in Shandong, the primary focus for agricultural development in rural areas across central and western China has often been the promotion of greenhouse vegetable cultivation. Gong County (a pseudonym) in the central region exemplifies this trend. A…
Earlier this spring, before visiting Sister Yan Ping’s “Happy Fruit and Herb Garden” in Guigang, Guangxi, I harboured a mistaken assumption that the farm lay remote from civilisation and enjoyed a pristine ecological setting. In reality, however, it is surrounded by conventional orchards, where pesticides, chemical fertilisers and herbicides are…
Kombucha is a sweetened tea beverage fermented by a mixed culture of acetic acid bacteria, yeast, and lactic acid bacteria. Rich in complex sweet and sour notes with a natural fizz, and paired with the distinct flavours of various teas, it promises a delightful sensory experience across aroma, taste, and…
At the end of 2020, I left the non-profit organisation where I had worked for over seven years. I wanted to try a way of working that was independent of any institutional structure and allowed for a relatively balanced state of body, mind, and intellect, while also seeking a lifestyle…
