By Amy Eddings
There are two meanings to the verb, to ferment, and Tara Whitsitt embodies them both.
Not only is she an accomplished culinary artist who makes her own yogurt, kimchi, vinegar, and sourdough bread; she ferments — or stirs up — interest in these cultured foods through her project, Fermentation on Wheels. She tours the country in an old 1986 International Harvester bus that she’s turned into a traveling kitchen and classroom.
Fermentation on Wheels rolls into my driveway in Ada, this Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, for a potluck and culture swap.
The potluck is from 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, at 508 N. Main St, Ada, Ohio. For more information, and to RSVP for the potluck, visit fermentationonwheels.com.
The 29-year-old Texas native’s obsession with fermentation was acquired. “I was never exposed to fermented foods,” she said. “I didn’t grow up with a rich food culture. I have, to my family, a bizarre palate."
Sour is in a sweet spot right now. Interest in fermented foods like yogurt and kefir is high on account of the public’s growing awareness of the health benefits of probiotics. They’re those good-for-you bacteria like Lactobacillus that keep bad bacteria at bay and move things along in your gut. Pharmacies are now stocking probiotic supplements alongside antacids and dietary fiber powders. Conventional grocery stores like Kroger in Findlay now offer kimchi, a pickled cabbage dish once found only in health food stores and Korean restaurants.
Whitsitt caught the probiotic bug in 2011 in Brooklyn, a borough that’s become synonymous with young, food-obessesed entrepreneurs who are making — and selling — products like beef jerky, chocolate, mayonnaise and whiskey. A friend of Whitsitt’s encouraged her to make her own sauerkraut and kombucha, a peppery-tasting fermented tea. She was enchanted.
“I think it’s a really great intersection of science and art,” she said. “It’s a very aesthetically pleasing process as something ferments. You get to watch it happen before your eyes. I was very drawn to it from that transformational aspect."
She moved to Eugene, Oregon, to deepen her practice with other like-minded folk. “I’d done the whole New York thing long enough,” she told The New York Times.
Sounds familiar.
It was there, in the woods of Oregon, that she realized she wanted to share her love and knowledge with others.
“The idea came to me in a dream,” she said. “I had the dream three nights in a row. I was intrigued and also a little scared.”
She’s been on the road since October, 2013, sleeping in truck stops or staying with friends and like-minded fans of fermentation. Whitsitt supports herself with the help of grants and donations from attendees of her workshops.
The event in Ada is a potluck and is free and open to the public, to experienced fermenters and curious beginners alike. Those interested in attending are encouraged to bring food to share and starter cultures to swap, or $10 to purchase one from Whitsitt’s collection. Her bus will also be open for tours.
