Fermentation Events

events

FALL 2020

All courses require at least 12 registrants. If this minimum has not been met on the Wednesday before an event, an email will be sent to notify all registrants. If cancellation of the event is required, full refunds will be issued. See the cancellation policy in the FAQ’s below. If you feel sick the day of an event, please stay home.
Social distancing will be honoured. Masks will be provided for group activities in compliance with AHS COVID-19 standards.

Bonnyville, Alberta

Thursday, September 24

Shreddin' Hoedown
Royal Canadian Legion (behind Jennie's Diner)
5112 52 Ave
Cost: $10 cover fee + cost of cabbage
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Description: I’ll bring all my gear, cabbage, and salt; you bring any additional vegetables or spices to ferment. Come to shred and fill up your jars to enjoy sauerkraut over the winter. This is a fun, informal, come-and-go event intended to bring the fermentation community together. Recommended for people who have fermentation experience or for people who have attended a Ferment for Function fermentation course.

The $10 cover fee goes towards the rental fee for the building and salt.

FULL

Bonnyville, Alberta

Saturday, September 26

Fermentation Course
Royal Canadian Legion (behind Jennie's Diner)
5112 52 Ave
Cost: $75
Time 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sauerkraut Workshop (optional)
Cost: $50
Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Description: Learn fermentation techniques towards a wide variety of fermented foods, not only sauerkraut. Understand the importance of fermented foods in a healthy diet and to treat specific health issues. Identify practices that contribute to success and therapeutic outcomes vs. suboptimal methods. In the fermentation course you’ll make a ferment in a 3/4 L Airlock fermenter ($21.67 value) to take home. The course also comes with a manual.

Get hands-on experience shredding cabbage on a wooden cabbage shredders to make sauerkraut in a 3 L Airlock Fermenter ($31.09 value). All equipment and ingredients are included in the registration fee, though the sauerkraut workshop is optional. Sauerkraut will be discussed and demoed in the Fermentation Course.

For those in need

If money is tight,
If you don't have health benefit coverage, and
If paying for "extras" is out of the question for your budget...

I’ve reserved three spots at each of my courses just for you at 75% off. Please send me an email at sarah@fermentforfunction.com, telling me why you’d like to attend an event. Also mention which event suits your schedule and location. Complete confidentiality will be honoured; recipients of this gift will not be made public in any way. Mold-free fermentation should be available for everyone.

Meet your facilitator:

Hi, I’m Sarah Parsons. I started fermenting in 2016 while living with chronic fatigue syndrome. I started at this bizarre time in my life, because I knew gut health was essential for recovery.

I needed the live microbes, easy-to-absorb nutrients, and bioactive compounds that raw, lacto-fermented vegetables provide – without mold.

Nearly four years after my health took a plunge, I am stronger, healthier, and happier than ever. My regained health offers me the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others about the essentials for health.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who is this workshop for?

All adults who are willing to invest extra effort to improve their health through natural means would benefit from this workshop. This is for people who want to make ferments a staple in their diet based on their flavour preference and health concerns. Nutritionists, nutrition students, and other practitioners in health care would gain valuable information and skills to share with their clients. Gut health is related to a holistically healthy person.

Is this workshop covered by my benefits provider?

Yes! The majority of health benefit providers that cover services and courses provided by registered dietitians will also cover the Fermentation Course, though not the Shreddin’ Hoedown. The extent of coverage for dietitian services depends on your plan. Contact your benefits provider to verify your coverage. A reciept will be issued at the workshop for your claim. Note: Separate jar sales cannot be claimed.

I am following a low sodium diet. Are fermented foods still okay for me?

Yes. There are plenty of fermented foods that are low-salt or that do not contain salt at all. Lacto-fermented foods require salt, though other types of ferments do not such as yogurt, kefir, or kombucha. Fermenting in a mason jar or other vessel that is not airtight requires more salt than fermenting in vessel that completely restricts oxygen.

View your sodium restriction as a currency: You have “X” number of salt dollars. Spending some of those salt dollars on a small amount of high-quality fermented foods is a good health choice for your buck compared to canned soup and packaged foods that have lower nutrient density. One teaspoon of sauerkraut, which has sodium, provides gut health benefit for a small amount of your sodium dollars for the day.

What is your refund policy?

If you have a fever or cold or symptoms, please stay home. Similarly, if anyone in your family has COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home. You will receive a full refund. For people whose plans change and you need to cancel your registration, full refunds will be issued to people who send an email to sarah@fermentforfunction.com one week prior to your event. Only 50% will be refunded for people who cancel 4 to 7 days prior to an event. No refunds will be issued to people who cancel 3 days prior to an event or who do not show. These events take a lot of planning and organization, and depend on a minimum number of committed registrants to proceed.

events