What an amazing event and turnout! Yes, we know that many of you got stuck in the long line last night that snaked down the stairs, out the building, and around the block but we hope with all hope that you stuck it out and found that the wait and the crush was worth it. We put Portland Fermentation Festival together every year with a shoestring budget + heaps of volunteered hours and we're so grateful that Ecotrust puts up with us every stinking (literally) year. Thank you again Ecotrust! We love you.
But yes, we do hear you, it was too crowded and the line was too long this year. We'll problem solve and come back in briny style next year for 4.0. Thank you so much to everyone who exhibited, volunteered and attended! Portland Fermentation Festival is an annual love letter to our fair city. True blue Portland spirit fuels it and we wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks again to everyone who was a part.
If you'd like to keep up with local fermenty goings-on please check out our website, Facebook and Twitter. This year we had a very generous serving of media attention. Here's a slice of that coverage if you didn't get enough firsthand last night...
Willamette WeekPortland TribuneOPBPortland Farmers Market
I was able to take a good amount of photos at the festival last night before we opened the doors as well as after...
Erica Fayrie's as good as it looks sauerkraut with beets.
Eva Sippl's Eva's yummy Herbucha in the house.
Lynne Van Dusen's Vine to Brine lacto-fermented sodas. Really tasty.
Festival co-organizer Mr. David Barber of Picklopolis aka King of Brine! Ghost pickles! Ah!
Peg Butler and posse serving up krautini (fermented cabbage tonic), fermented garlic, sour dills and sourdough rye. Yum!
Galen Williams and Pete Mulligan's delicious hard cider.
Biwa chef-owner Gabe Rosen and Kina Voelz serving up Biwa's hurts so good spicy daikon kimchi.
Earnest and Sumiko Migaki of Jorninji Miso cooking up a stockpot of their amazing miso, and sampling miso sauce and amazake made with their own koji.
Allen Field rocking his spicy kimchi and Turkish sauerkraut.
Nat and Sarah West sampling tart and tasty hard cider. Ridiculously good.
Anna Stulz with more fiery good kimchi.
And then the doors opened and the crowd moved in...
Courtlandt Jennings' Pickled Planet with all sorts of big, briny goodness.
Curious Farm's Cathy Smith serving up leek horseradish kraut, fermented chili sauce and more.
And the crowd kept growing...
Hank Tallman's Mama Hank's Pickled Veg. The spicy fermented green tomatoes were kick-ass good.
The line wrapped around the staircase out the door of Ecotrust and around the block within twenty minutes. We knew that the festival was going to be big this year but we didn't realize it'd be this big. Wow.
The lovely Kate Patterson sampling her festival favorite-- fermented salmon. Mmmm.
Festival organizers David Picklopolis Barber, me, and Mr. George dapper foodist Winborn right before the doors closed at 8pm.
One of the better looking cleanup crews in town! Good night and good luck.
Thanks to everyone who made the third annual Portland Fermentation Festival happen! We love you.