In-Person & Virtual Sessions in 2024
Upcoming Events & Workshops
Fermentation Education Opportunities
In-Person & Virtual Sessions in 2024
Upcoming Events
& Workshops
Fermentation Education Opportunities
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 – Intro to Koji Fermentation
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
at Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 – 8:00pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Learn how to unlock umami potential through koji (the key ingredient in miso and sake) in this demo-based workshop!
Koji is a molded grain and the foundation of miso, sake, rice wine vinegar and other fermented products. This fermented product has the potential to unlock incredible flavor and harness creativity in the kitchen. In this lecture and demo-based workshop participants will be introduced to the importance of koji in cuisine and preservation, learn how to grow it at home, and understand what products it can be turned into. Participants will be guided through the ins and outs of home-scale koji production and participate in a hands-on activity to bring a koji-based ferment home. Participants will also have the opportunity to bring a small amount of koji spores to produce koji at home. Join the world of umami enthusiasm and safe, mold-based fermentation!
Saturday, March 16, 2024 – Kombucha to Wild Soda
Saturday, March 16 2024
Kombucha to Wild Soda
at Armstrong Center for Community Learning, Ford City, PA
1:00 – 3:00pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Join Trevor Ring, educator and founder of Community Cultures, to learn how to make a variety of fermented beverages that can bring flavor, nutrition and vibrancy to your life! This workshop will use demonstrations, tastings and hands-on experiences to help you understand the world of three non-alcoholic/low-alcoholic beverages (<0.5% alcohol): kombucha, tibicos (water kefir), and wild fermented soda. Participants will walk away with a kombucha culture, tibicos culture, and a soda to ferment at home.
Trevor Ring is the founder of Community Cultures. He has taught for a decade, worked for numerous agriculture, food and fermentation businesses, and sells various fermented products. He is most excited about sharing his knowledge of fermentation and utilizing seasonal and regional ingredients to inspire his ferments.
Sunday, March 17, 2024 – Making Miso for the Equinox (A Virtual Immersive Experience)
Sunday, March 17, 2024
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP!
11:00am EST, ON ZOOM
Join this virtual class to learn all about making miso at home, featuring live music and seasonal reflection for the equinox!
Making miso is an intimate way of connecting with food, fermentation and the human senses. Join Marika Groen of Malica Ferments and Trevor of Community Cultures to immerse yourself in a transformative miso-making experience. Participants will have the opportunity to make the umami-rich, Japanese bean paste at the start of a new season and witness how it transforms with the rhythms of the earth. Marika and Trevor will break down the fundamentals of this fermented product and give everyone the opportunity to interact with the meditative production process during the live class. As Marika guides participants in mashing beans and mixing all the ingredients, Trevor will serenade everyone with live instrumental music. We will also give everyone the chance to infuse their batch of miso with their own creative expression.
Please attend the live session to participate and show up with the prescribed list of ingredients and materials. Everything you need will be shared in the confirmation email after registration. Prepare for a calm, immersive experience to celebrate the equinox and the wonders of miso-making!
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 – Fermented Foods for Healthy Living
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Fermented Foods for Healthy Living
at Vincentian Learning and Engagement Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
All day starting at 9:00am, IN-PERSON EVENT
Explore the many health benefits of fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha and miso in this demo-based workshop.
Family Caregivers are invited to learn about resources, self-care practices, and join a community of support that acknowledges the challenges of caring for others while not losing focus of your own wellness. Vincentian welcomes you to a day designed to address the kaleidoscope of caregiver needs viewed through a whole-person wellness lens.
When caring for a spouse, older family member, friend, child, or all of the above, self-care can easily become the last priority.
Several health-focused workshops will be offered during this event.
Thursday, March 21, 2024 – Fermented Foods for Health
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Learn about the benefits of fermented foods and how to introduce them into your diet and lifestyle. This lecture-based, introductory class will go over 10 different fermented foods. Recommended for adults.
Currently scheduling in-person and online events for 2024.
Please reach out if you would like to host a public fermentation workshop.
OR
Schedule a private workshop, event or consultation with us.
Currently scheduling in-person
and online events for 2024.
Please reach out if you would like to
host a public fermentation workshop.
OR
Schedule a private workshop, event
or consultation with us.
Past Workshops
Friday, March 8, 2024 – Wild Fermented Sodas
Thursday, March 8, 2024
Wild Fermented Sodas
at Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, Pittsburgh, PA
5:00 – 5:45pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Learn about Wild Fermented Sodas during the 2024 Home & Garden Show, hosted at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 – Fermented Foods for Health
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Fermented Foods for Health
at Carnegie Library Downtown, Pittsburgh, PA
12:00 – 1:30pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Learn about the benefits of fermented foods and how to introduce them into your diet and lifestyle. This lecture-based, introductory class will go over 10 different fermented foods. Recommended for adults.
Thursday, February 15, 2024 – Ferment the Forest (Virtual)
Thursday, February 15, 2024
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP!
7:00 – 8:30pm EST, ON ZOOM
Learn how to integrate maple sap, maple syrup, and pine needles into fermented soda, vinegar and pickles!
In the depths of a cold winter it’s often difficult to find fresh flavor from your local landscape. But if we look into the forest we can find running sap, flavors to extract, and a unique array of ingredients to embrace. Explore your connection with the flavors of the forest in this virtual fermentation workshop with Trevor, founder and educator of Community Cultures. We will focus on wild fermented soda, vinegar and lacto-fermented pickles, utilizing maple sap, maple syrup, Eastern White Pine, and Eastern Hemlock in this presentation and demo-based workshop.
No special equipment is required for this workshop to follow along with the demos; receive a list of materials and ingredients after registration to participate in the class. Walk away from the workshop with containers of soda and pickles, as well as the confidence to continue your fermentation journey with forest ingredients at home!
All who register will receive a recording of the workshop. Attending the live session is always encouraged in order to have the best experience catered to your needs and desires.
Monday, February 19, 2024 – How To Ferment Wild Soda & Kombucha
Monday, February 19, 2024
How To Ferment Kombucha & Wild Soda
at Two Frays Brewery, Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 – 9:00pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Learn how to make kombucha and wild fermented soda at home! Discover everything you need to know about these wonderful fermented beverages.
Welcome to the extraordinary world of fermented beverages! Join Trevor, educator and founder of Community Cultures, to enter the fascinating world of kombucha and wild-fermented soda in this demo-based and hands-on fermentation workshop. Learn about different approaches for creating microbially-rich, tasty bubbly beverages. Each ticket comes with 1 Two Frays drink on draft and participants will experience a tasting of kombucha and wild fermented soda. Participants will walk away with the confidence to make kombucha at home, a kombucha starter (aka mother/SCOBY) to start your first batch, and an understanding of how to use creativity and seasonal ingredients in your fermented beverages.
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 – Wild-Fermenting Apples: Hard Cider & Apple Cider Vinegar
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Wild-Fermenting Apples: Hard Cider & Apple Cider Vinegar
at Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 – 8:30pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Join this beginner-friendly workshop to learn how to make hard cider and apple vinegar utilizing simple practices!
Learn to Make Simple & Fun Fermented Products During this Winter Season at Velum Fermentation!
Start your 2024 with a fun, interactive workshop on home-scale alcohol and vinegar production. Join Trevor, fermentation educator and founder of Community Cultures, to learn about using cider, fruit, and other ingredients to create alcohol and vinegar.
This introductory workshop is geared towards folks interested in making cider, country wine and/or vinegar for the first time (or boosting the confidence of beginner fermenters). We will specifically focus on wild fermentation (utlizing the present yeast and bacteria on your ingredients) and the most basic way of producing alcohol and vinegar at home. Participants will learn how to make alcohol without any special equipment, and understand what basic materials can help ensure flavorful and consistent end results.
Trevor will share his fermentation knowledge using informal presentations, demos, tastings and hands-on components. Participants will taste wild fermented ciders made within Western PA and walk away with a container of fruit vinegar to ferment at home.
*SOLD OUT* Saturday, February 24, 2024 – Kombucha & Other Bubbly Beverages
*SOLD OUT* Saturday, February 24, 2024
Kombucha & Other Bubbly Beverages
at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Pittsburgh, PA
10:00am – 12:30pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Have you met the mother? Not your biological one–the one that makes kombucha!
This hands-on, demo-based workshop dives deep into the world of bubbly, non-alcoholic/low-alcoholic beverages. Join Trevor Ring of Community Cultures to learn how to brew kombucha at home with creativity and confidence! We will also examine how to turn flavorful ingredients into fun soda pop with tibicos (aka water kefir) and wild fermentation. Participants taste their way through the 2.5-hour workshop, participate in a hands-on soda-making activity, and walk away with a kombucha mother, tibicos culture, and jar of soda to ferment at home.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 – Fermenting Veggies: Sauerkraut & Salt Brines
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
at Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 – 8:30pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Learn how to ferment all the vegetables in this fun, hands-on workshop! Make sauerkraut to bring home!
Join Trevor, founder of Community Cultures, to dive into the world of fermented veggies. Winter is the perfect time of year to master your vegetable fermentation process! In this workshop you’ll learn how to make sauerkraut, reduce food waste in your kitchen, and ferment almost any type of fermented vegetable using salt brines! No special equipment is required for this workshop; walk away with a quart of kraut and the confidence to continue your fermentation journey at home!
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 – Fermented Ginger Beer Workshop
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
at Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 – 8:30pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Join Trevor, educator and founder of Community Cultures, in embracing the spicy, flavorful and refreshing world of ginger beer! Participants will learn about the wonderful spice (Zingiber officinale), the numerous fermentation methods to extract it at home, and how to properly carbonate the beverage. You will taste a variety of ginger beers and walk away with a jar to ferment at home, while understanding how to safely make both non-alcoholic and alcoholic ginger beer!
Tuesday, December 5, 2023 – Ferment The Holidays: Winter-Flavored Sodas
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Ferment The Holidays: Winter-Flavored Sodas
at Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 – 8:30pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Embrace Bubbly Ferments During this Holiday Season at Velum Fermentation!
Get ready for the holidays with this fun, bubbly, and interactive workshop! Join Trevor, fermentation educator and founder of Community Cultures, to learn about using fermentation to turn fruit, herbs and your favorite winter and holiday ingredients into delicious bubbly beverages. This hands-on class focuses on using tibicos (water kefir) and wild fermentation to create naturally carbonated, low-sugar beverages (under 0.5% alcohol). Trevor will share his fermentation knowledge using informal presentations, demos, tastings and hands-on components. Taste sodas made by Community Cultures, and grab some beer by Velum Fermentation throughout the workshop! Participants will walk away with tibicos cultures and soda to ferment at home.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 – Fermenting Hot Sauce & Fresh Salsa
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Fermenting Hot Sauce & Fresh Salsa
at Workshop PGH, Pittsburgh, PA
6:30 – 9:00pm EST, IN-PERSON EVENT
Join this workshop to learn about the art of preserving hot peppers and garden veggies to make delicious hot sauce and fresh salsa! Participants will be guided through different techniques for creating delicious fermented products and will gain the confidence to create vibrant and spicy fermented products. Walk away with a jar of fermented hot peppers and a jar of fermented ingredients to turn into pico de gallo at home.