Fermentation on Wheels: Road Stories, Food Ramblings, and 50 Do-It-Yourself Recipes from Sauerkraut, Kombucha, and Yogurt to Miso, Tempeh, and Mead

by Tara Whitsitt

An enlightening and delicious road adventure/cookbook from the young woman the New York Times dubbed "the Johnny Appleseed of Pickling."

Three years ago, food activist Tara Whitsitt had a dream: to take to the road in a converted school bus and spread the gospel of kombucha, kimchi, and kefir nationwide. She would bring her microbe-dense delicacies, her expertise, and her generosity to food communities across the country. Her motto: Tasty food belongs to everyone.

In a 1986 International Harvester bus-turned-fermentation-lab, Tara took off from Eugene, Oregon, teaching her skills to curious attendees, hosting potlucks, and sampling the seasonal produce of each stop on her tour. The project accrued a following, and she gave it a name: Fermentation on Wheels.

Through her winning stories, illustrations, photographs, and fifty recipes, Fermentation on Wheels tracks the two-year. twenty-thousand mile journey that made Tara into a known apostle of outrageously delicious, creative, healthy, and sustainable fermented flavors--from sourdough to sauerkraut to wild berry wines. A practical and delectable cookbook, Fermentation on Wheels is also an inspiring celebration of how food traditions (and starter cultures) can bring people together, pollinate their minds, and change their lives for the better.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel, Health

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2017

About the author

Tara Whitsitt is a nomadic artist, educator, and food activist. Her passion for growing food, living communally, and teaching fermentation inspired the grassroots educational project Fermentation on Wheels in fall 2013. Since then she’s traveled the country with Fermentation on Wheels, teaching by-donation fermentation classes and hosting potlucks that focus on accessibility, creativity, and bringing people together.

Reviews

[RL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Tara Whitsitt's collection of stories and recipes from her time before and during a cross-country tour from Eugene, OR all the way to New York City to demonstrate fermentation on her bus and at co-ops and gatherings. Since I personally visit Eugene at least once a year, I loved reading about her time in that city. There aren't very many recipes, and some are simply too involved for the simple home fermenter to do (anyone who doesn't have interest in mead, cider, beer - I almost feel these are worthy of a separate book) while others are really easy and I appreciate her laissez-faire style.

I wish that she had mentioned what to do with some of the by-product/leftover brine/etc of the fermenting process. She hints on re-using brine for other recipes but there wasn't a flow-chart of how one would do this feasibly. I would have appreciated an organic agenda of what she did in a day to manage all of her different ferments.

As another review mentioned, this book is more a collection of journal entries and descriptions of her time traveling. I think what I liked most is her gusto and independence. She seemed to know how to take care of herself and keep moving forward, and I enjoyed her descriptions of the different cities and characters she interacted with along the way.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of recipes that I won't be trying, but I know people who will! Sauerkrauts the best one in mho! My son-in-law loves the Kombacha. I do love recipe books interspersed with anecdotes and this one was no exception! The book is a fun and entertaining read. And don't forget the recipes- 50 unusual ones to try.

[Oyun-Erdene Sainbayar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! So raw and full of exciting stories and recipes. Thank you Tara!

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting mashup of travelogue and culinary writing wrapped around what many might think as an odd choice of food inspiration- fermented drinks and noshes.

If the structure of food blogs annoy you - i.e. the random and waste of time stories that always precede a recipe, y'know, the stories that make you scroll for what feels like years to get the the goods - avoid this title. The one plus side to this book is that, unlike food blogs, this book doesn't have ads and videos for days that freeze your laptop/tablet into oblivion.

Points for an interesting topic but it just smacks of being too similar to food blogs for my taste. Also, colored photographs of at least some of the recipes would have been nice.


I received a free copy of this book to review via a Goodreads giveaway.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this tale of a food educator touring the country to teach others about food fermentation to be a light read, enjoyable read, which it mainly was. What I didn’t expect was to be so inspired by her journey: by her courage and determination as well as her love of helpful microbes and how they can enrich our lives. Enriched by a belief in my own ability to bring this into my life simply from mu kitchen, I also appreciated Tara’s sharing of her ups and downs and her hopes and fears, and how she relies on connecting with human and nature alike.

I did find it strange that the book didn’t end at the end of the journey and found some storylines to be incomplete.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes are fun twists on common and newly trending ferments with clear instructions making everyone approachable. So many tasty ideas!

The story pulled me in from the start and kept me hooked on the couch for all 240 pages in single sitting. So much passion and drive, i am so grateful for the inspiration and to know that Tara's journey was so well received in a country where we have nearly lost our connection to living foods.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s a person who followed her dream and wrote about it! Sincere in her belief that we should all eat more microbial foods, she refurbishes a bus and makes a year long trip through the United States teaching fermentation. Her description of her adventures during that year makes interesting reading. She hasn’t converted me but I am thinking of making sauerkraut.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to really like this book but instead it was painful to get through. I make kombucha, I like memoirs about travel, I'm interested in fermentation and bacteria- I should be the target audience for this book. The writing style and (lack of) story were very boring making this book a complete miss for me. Too bad, because the premise was so appealing.

[Sandra Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A free spirit who travels on a bus throughout the United States. She meets people along the way and shares her values on fermented food-recipes included. A funny and interesting read. Thank you Goodreads Giveaway for another interesting and informative book!

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to like this as much as I did, but Whitsitt's honesty and chatty style made this pretty compelling, although fermentation nerds might find it more interesting than the general public. An unexpectedly uplifting memoir about perseverance, community, and bacteria!

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fun, easy read. The author is quirky, but also a courageous adventurer. Written as the story of her journey, rather than just a recipe book, the recipes were an added bonus.

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.fermentationonwheels.com/r...

I enjoyed this. Not only did I pick up some good recipes, but an interesting road trip by a quirky, interesting person.

[Glorianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart'" Vincent Van Gogh

I think this just might be Tara Whitsitt's motto. We should all be so brave!!

[Jagruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book, even for someone not following through with the recipes (fingers crossed i will someday soon). I do believe though that it would be appreciated more by someone who is already aware of who Tara Whitsitt is, because it focuses a lot of her life and everyday experiences. It is not something that can communicate the WHY of the passion for fermentation and rope you in, and I wish it did.

[Nancy Steere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! It spoke to the non conformist, latent “earth child” in me. It made me take out my fermentation jar and make fermented cucumbers, not pickles, the difference explained in the book. Well written and a great story of finding self worth and fulfillment while spreading the importance of healthy food. Also some cool recipes!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read with some information about fermentation, though she doesn't talk at all about the prospect of botulism and how things can go very wrong with the process if you don't do it right - only that jars can explode from time to time, due to a build up of gases if you forget to open them occasionally.

[Matthew Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great read!

[Andee Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly a lot of love, good vibes and hard work went into this book. I think I am up for trying 1 recipe.. maybe the easy kimchi or quick pickle...
There was a featured quote I liked on page 29 by Paul Loeb from 'Soul of a Citizen', "Being brave doesn't mean being unafraid. It means being afraid and doing it anyway"