Wildcrafted Fermentation by Pascal Baudar

Wildcrafted Fermentation by Pascal Baudar ISBN-13: 9781603588515 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Released: March 12th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
In Wildcrafted Fermentation, Pascal Baudar provides all the basics needed to make creative ferments at home. From simple wild sauerkrauts and kimchis to hot sauces, savory pastes, non-dairy cheeses, dehydrated spice blends, and much more, Baudar includes over 100 easy recipes to inspire even the most jaded palate. The recipes can be easily adapted by people who buy seasonal and local produce, or who harvest from their own gardens. And step-by-step photos of processes and finished dishes will inspire the adventurous home cook to experiment with both wild and cultivated plants. Knowing the basic methods of fermentation, as well as specific techniques like how to cut and prepare different kinds of plants, provides the confidence to succeed like a pro.


My Review:
Wildcrafted Fermentation is a book on how to ferment plants that you have foraged locally. He doesn't include a plant ID guide, but he tells you how to look up this information online for your local area. The plants that he mentions in his recipes are ones that should be available throughout the United States and parts of Europe. However, he's mostly teaching what he's learned about fermenting different types of plants so that you can use that knowledge on what you find locally.

The author started off by explaining the basics of fermentation and talked about several different methods of fermentation, including your basic cabbage ferment and brine ferment. He also talked about how to make fermented sauces, soups, spreads, pastes, drinks, and plant-based cheeses. He described what he's learned about fermenting roots, leaves, leafy vegetables, stems, bark, berries, and fruit.

Some of the recipes had pictures showing step-by-step what to do so that you can understand the basic method. He included basic instructions for a type of fermentation (like fermenting mushrooms) and then included several recipes using those ingredients and different seasonings. These are recipes that he has developed that he enjoys. Since his focus was on taste rather than health benefits, sometimes he did a shorter ferment because he prefers the taste at that point. As someone who has done basic fermenting before, his instructions seem very doable and understandable. Overall, I think this would be a good book even for beginners to fermenting, but especially for people who want to expand the range of what they ferment.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.