Fermentation has been framed as risky, technical, even dangerous - and Sandor Katz thinks that fear is the whole problem.

In this conversation, the author of Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation breaks down why sauerkraut is simpler than we’ve been taught to believe, what that “weird layer” on top actually is, and how fermentation often makes food safer than it was before. We talk about trusting your senses again, the lies of expiry dates, and the tradeoffs between low-tech tradition and modern tools like vacuum sealing and the Instant Pot.

Plus: Koji experiments with chestnuts, black garlic myths, the real reason fermentation takes time, and a reminder that you don’t need a starter culture to do what humans have done for thousands of years.

Guest links:
https://www.wildfermentation.com
https://linktr.ee/sandorkraut

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Silvercore Club - https://bit.ly/2RiREb4
Online Training - https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Other Training & Services - https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise - https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog Page - https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W 

Host Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany
Podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thewildkitchenpodcast
Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors

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Timestamps:
00:00 — Tiffany’s intro: how Wild Fermentation changed her early chef career
01:15 — Why fermentation seems technical (and why it isn’t)
03:20 — Sauerkraut is absurdly simple - fear of bacteria is the real barrier
04:10 — “Fermentation makes food safer” (acidity vs pathogens)
07:20 — Expiry dates are arbitrary + trusting smell/taste again
08:20 — The “kahm yeast” moment: why people throw away perfectly good ferments
11:05 — Hard rules: what growth is harmless vs what to toss
14:35 — The real worst-case ferment: flies + eggs (practical warning)
15:05 — Lids vs cloth vs crocks: how Sandor actually covers ferments
17:30 — Brine vs dry-salt: when to add water and what it costs (flavor dilution)
20:15 — “There’s no singular way to ferment vegetables” (core philosophy)
21:50 — Fermentation Journeys + Tiffany’s inscription story
24:55 — New book: Fermentation: A Natural History (what it is / isn’t)
26:40 — Chestnut shio-koji project (enzymes + umami)
29:45 — Koji Alchemy + growing koji on “almost anything”
31:00 — Simple DIY koji incubation setup (light bulb + controller)
33:10 — Black garlic isn’t really fermentation (and the Instapot workaround)
35:30 — Tradeoffs: vacuum sealing vegetables (benefit vs waste)
37:05 — Chestnut miso + spontaneous pancakes (dosa, buckwheat, mung bean)
41:00 — Why he teaches so much: the hunger for fermentation confidence
44:50 — Pear pressing → accidental vinegar (and why timing matters)
47:50 — Packets of yeast are new; wild fermentation is the old standard
50:05 — “You don’t need a packet of white powder to make sauerkraut” (mic drop)

In the very first episode of The Wild Kitchen, Tiffany Bader sits down with Darina Allen, a cook, teacher, and one of the most influential voices in seasonal and traditional food.

This conversation begins where many food stories do: at the kitchen table.

Darina reflects on growing up in rural Ireland, learning to cook by watching, gardening as a way of life, and the moment she realized that real food - grown well, cooked simply, and shared generously, could shape not just meals, but communities. Together, Tiffany and Darina talk about forgotten skills, food education, the importance of soil, and why reconnecting with how we grow and cook food matters now more than ever.

This is not a how-to episode.
It’s a slow conversation about memory, land, tradition, and choosing a different path in the kitchen.

The Wild Kitchen with Tiffany Bader Ep. 1

🌿 Learn more about Darina Allen:
https://www.ballymaloe.ie
https://www.ballymaloefarm.ie
Forgotten Skills by Darina Allen

🔥 The Wild Kitchen:
https://thewildkitchen.transistor.fm
https://instagram.com/thewildkitchen

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Silvercore is built on a lifetime spent outdoors, on ranges and in the company of people who live with skill, purpose and integrity.
Here you will find real conversations, fieldcraft, practical training, stories from the wild and the lessons that help us grow mentally and physically.
Whether it is a podcast with someone who has been tested, a tip you can use today or a look behind the scenes, the goal is to help you live stronger, safer and more capable in the outdoors and in life.

Silvercore Club members receive exclusive podcast episodes, online courses, insurance for their adventures and discounts on premium gear:
https://bit.ly/2RiREb4

Online Training: https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Training and Services: https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise: https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog: https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W

Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany
Silvercore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors

Contact:
[email protected]
604 940 7785
www.silvercore.ca

All content on this channel is for informational purposes only.
Always follow the law, follow safe handling practices and train with qualified professionals.
Silvercore assumes no liability for the use or misuse of any information shown here.
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00:00 Welcome to The Wild Kitchen
01:00 Why Darina Allen was the first guest
03:00 Growing up with food as daily life, not instruction
06:00 Choosing cooking when it wasn’t considered a “career”
10:00 Meeting Myrtle Allen and learning to cook by season
15:00 Why forgotten skills matter more than ever
18:00 Making butter and realizing what students didn’t know
23:00 Children, taste, and why growing food changes everything
27:00 Foraging, nutrition, and noticing the landscape
32:00 Soil, health, and what we’re losing
37:00 Homesteading, leaving cities, and taking back control
43:00 Ultra-processed food and the cost of convenience
48:00 The joy of making things with your hands
52:00 Ballymaloe today and passing skills forward
55:00 Closing thoughts on food, care, and connection

Food has always been more than food.

It’s memory. It’s ritual. It’s how stories are passed, from one generation to the next.

The Wild Kitchen is a podcast about food — but really, it’s about the people, places, and ideas that gather around it.

Coming soon.