From EAST to WEST you can find vinegar made from all sorts.
Diversity makes the world spin for me and vinegar is a taste that adds a bit of magic to a dish. That’s without even going into the health benefits.

In our Cultured club HQ we have been fermenting the abundance of fruit, which to my joy, is gifted every autumn.

This time we have plums, blackberries, ok I picked them myself, apples, raspberries and damsons.

We will delve into this corner of fermentation to equip you with some beginning skills to start your own exploration. The dance between yeast and bacteria begins.

We have only been fermenting since the dawn of civilisation but yet everytime it feels new and exciting.

We will be joined by @mariamooneyhealth who will do a little systemic Kinesiology just to see if this is what you really need right now!!

This workshop is full, but the following Sunday session on winter tonics will certainly harness the benefits of vinegar and offer a quick (very quick) recap.

This is part of the magic of fermentation. Not only does it transform one thing to another, but it weaves in and out of many uses.

Until we find a new abode for our Cultured HQ, these are the last live demo/practical classes I will be offering not only for 2022 but maybe for some time!

The future is a mystery. That’s what makes living so exciting. ...

Grandma’s tonic.
Winter tonic.
Tiredness tonic
Cough tonic
Sleep tonic
What is a tonic?

Well for me, it’s a form a medicine, using natural ingredients to make you feel better.

It sounds good, right!
This is ancient wisdom for the modern time, sharing recipes and remedies to illuminate humble ingredients to their potential power.

Join our Sunday session to learn more and make your own tonic. We will be focussing on winter wellness, as some of these tonics take time, but you can make the tonic that speaks most to you.

Our Sunday sessions focus on preserving traditions, prioritising provenance and engaging our thoughts with the natural world.

We have explored honey ferments, seasonal vinegars and look forward to sharing more with you as we look at wild sodas, misos, sourdough and various ferments to make you feel oh so alive & vibrant.

Check out our bio link for the full listings. ...

Be thou not fooled by instagram, I was gifted 5kg of these gorgeous tomatoes.
They did not come into being by my own hard work or green fingers.

Therefore it seemed a perfect solution to preserve this act of generosity to see me over into autumn with the gentle sizzle & sunshine of tomatoes salsa.
(You can read between the lines here that I have not yet let go and eased into autumn, getting there, but LOVED summers abandon)

It also seemed quite appropriate that the only vessel I have available to ferment in currently is this beautiful stoneware ceramic crock, also gifted to me by @quickcrop

The contents are a beauty to behold, and the smell I wish I could wear as perfume!

The container is a beauty to have in my kitchen.

Altogether, an act of beauty has co-evolved. Kindness is preserved and I cannot wait to tuck into these in a few days time. It’s a quick ferment and the crocks are from @quickcrop should you wish to bestow some kindness on either yourself or a friend!

I would thoroughly recommend filling one with any numbers of harvest goods
🥬🫑🌶🍅🫒🧄🧅🥕
#fermentation
#guthealth
#harvest
#crockpot ...

I was a tad sad and possibly a little concerned that rescheduling my seasonal vinegars workshop would leave me with just the apples on the trees to demo with.

But to my delight today I was gifted raspberries, damsons, apricots and blueberries, so we will have an abundance of fruit vinegars to play with this weekend.

Also to add to the delight, we will be joined by the beauty that is @mariamooneyhealth who will offer a little kinesiology check in to see just how much vinegar agrees with you.

We are both big fans of using apple cider vinegar medicinally, it has an impressive range of qualities from regulating blood sugars to helping with our digestive issues.

We are intentionally offering these taster session specifically focussing on different aspects of fermentation AND different superfoods you may be familiar with. We are highlighting provenance, authentic production and also offering you the knowledge to do it all yourself, for your health.

Come explore more at our Sunday sessions …. Seasonal vinegars, this Sunday 2-4pm
@vaultartistsni ...

Do you need an immunity boost?

Do you want to make your own seasonal medicine to have on reserve for cold & flu season?

I know I was grateful to have a stash of various elixirs last week to swiftly get me through.

Last minute call out for tomorrows workshop in fermenting with honey.

We got all kinds of remedies and herbal potions to share to keep you healthy as the seasons change.

Check out the link in the bio. ...

I cannot help but make as much of this immune support elixir as is within my reach.
The berries where I live are nearly all gone.

Todays brew includes some ginger, some star anise, some cloves and extra berries of Rowan & haw. Cook it up and then strain it. Straining through a sieve is sufficient but this time I wanted to extract every last drop of the dark magical juice.

Autumn i am ready for you.
For all the cold, I shall embrace with warmth. For all the shadow I shall bring it light.

Hope you have made some nature medicine too.

🍁 ...

For as long as things are there for the picking, I will keep sharing the little moments of joy.

Maybe that’s what this page will morph into : The joy club.

In any case, I digress from the magic of the elder tree and its dark, juicy berries just dripping of the tree. Dropping… literally.

Of course these came home with me and now they are a deep dark mix of berries, ginger, clove, star anise, honey and a splash of brandy, only for the longer shelf life.

I couldn’t help but see how the red stalks, resembled veins & capillaries. As though this tonic is a crucial to us as the blood in our veins.

These berries won’t hang around for long.

Pick some soon or forever hold thy peace.

✌🏻 💗 ...

After ten years of teaching, the winds of change are incoming with this Autumn.

As we prepare to leave our Cultured HQ @vaultartistsni, I am offering a swan song of events, some Sunday sessions, before I hang up my ‘live class’ apron for a while.

Our new home is not yet certain. However, it will likely focus more on developments with @themulticulturedclub and our new and exciting production line.

Fermentation has transformed me.
Healed me.
Enlightened me.

It has brought me to some of the most fabulous places AND ideas. It is deeply woven into my daily life and this remains constant.

Would you like to discover the many ways these foods and this skill can help you?

It’s not just about preserving food!
Now is your chance.

Check out our Sunday Sessions starting September 25th until November 27th at Vault Artist Studios, Belfast.

Link to booking in bio.
(Some events are not yet live but booking will follow soon, so stay curious)

#fermentation
#guthealth
#probiotics
#honeyferments
#vinegar
#tonic
#soda
#koji
#miso
#sourdoughpizza
#vegancheese
#tofu
#tempeh
#fermentedsauces
#condiments ...

More nature awe and joy sharing.

Before I even knew the name of these flowers they were my favourite.
They evoke a sense of nature’s wild beauty. That was before I knew you could eat them. Leaf. Flower, seed.
I swear if I could wear them to an occasion as jewellery I would feel in full expression.
They make me happy.
Both their taste and their potential for preservation.

So raid a patch near you soon.
Pick their little trio pod of seeds and pop them into some 2% brine.
Last years preserved nasturtium capers are tasty mighty fine flavour pop.

Look out for our forage & ferment workshop as part of our Sunday sessions 🌱 ...

I am not sure how Insta makes me feel at the moment.

So I am choosing to be optimistic. Actively choosing things that light me up.

Sharing things that impart joy.

As a child did you suck the fuchsia flowers? Hoping for a little sweet hit.

It gives me instant memories of summers in the countryside.

So have you sucked a fuchsia as an adult too?
(Feels so rude asking 🤣!)

What about tasting one of these crazy little fuchsia berries.
As natures moves into autumn these berries dangle in all their subtlety. I find them a tasty bite.

They have the texture of a grape and reminiscent in taste of melon.
It’s a late summer swan song.

Find the nice plump juicy ones, they are the best.

Hope you look and hope you find a little bit of joy behind the beautiful dancing skirts.

💗 ...