I believe that it’s responsible and right to share that which we do not need. Sharing all of your excess—keep the things moving whether food or sundry items or clothing, equipment, tools, etc. Why let things rot? Why let things gather dust? Sharing begets sharing.

Simply gift and give with no implied or expected direct exchange now or later. There’s no accounting—surety that there is enough now and down the road.

From formalized buying groups to impromptu orders together—buying together builds community. In this era of add to cart and the items appear in your mailbox makes tough competition for buying groups. The communication, ordering, payment, and delivery process should be as smooth as possible.

The buys can be for anything—food, seeds, dehydrators, water filters, cooking oils, supplies for candle and soap making, etc, etc!

Contact local and regional companies, farms, makers, importers, etc. directly and tell them what you are doing—often companies are willing to support buying groups with bulk discounts, will call, and so forth.

Fees to buy, fees to sell, fees to access funds quick-quick, fees, fees, fees…and not one cent of that is doing anything in our communities.

We shop local but then swipe.

Cash is a personal exchange of money for goods or services and supports bringing buying local out of the swipe-swipe world full of meaningless transactions.

Join Cultures.Group a global collective of fermentation enthusiasts. In-depth video content from fermentation experts available through a growing catalog.

High quality, human verified closed captioning available for many videos. Closed captioning and transcripts can be translated into other languages.

Prioritizing language accessibility de-centers English so that specialized fermentation information can accessed and shared throughout the world.

We meet and connect through Zoom. Our meeting times consider global time zones so our friends from around the globe can join us!

The Fermentation School is a women-owned and women-led virtual education company that amplifies the voices of independent creators to empower learning and build culture. I am happy to be a part of @thefermentationschool creator community—uplifting and amplifying voices.

We believe that knowledge of and respect for the fermentation found in every level of the food system is key to people’s stewardship of earth, self, and community.

There are several courses, including some in Spanish, as well as a monthly memberships and virtual events.

San-J x Kojicon was held in Richmond, VA (September 2024) and my talk was entitled Harvest to Jar: Fermenting the Seasons.

Kojicon 2024: Presence, Place, Possibility. My session was entitled Exploring Natto and Related Funky Beans. I shared my experience making natto (both using commercial spores and my personal favorite the wild type) as well as how we can enjoy natto and funky beans.

#kojibuildscommunity

Kojicon 2023: Preserving the Past, Fermenting the Future. My session was entitled Preserving Food with Koji at Home. I shared my technique and experience using a plant-based source of Aspergillus to make shoyu and miso.