Fermenter: DIY Fermentation for Vegan Fare

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Portland, OR is the most vegan-friendly city in the US, and with restaurants like Fermenter leading the charge, it's no wonder how. Seaweed kraut, tempeh bacon, and chickpea miso are just a few of the wonders local chef and vegan educator, Aaron Adams, has cooked up for you. Recommended By Stacy W., Powells.com

Heads (of cabbage) are gonna roll Learn how to make funky, flavorful ferments + fantastic hippie food that incorporate them. Fermenter is perfect for those looking to add some serious culinary wizardry and revolutionary DIY spirit to their vegan kitchen.

Like The Noma Guide to Fermentation but with a punk, DIY aesthetic and a it's-OK-to-fail ethos, Fermenter provides the sought-after secrets and words of wisdom from Portland's top fermentation educators, rising star chef Aaron Adams and author Liz Crain.

Based in Portland, Oregon (vegan capital of America), the Fermenter restaurant specializes in culinary fermentation to achieve their unique funky flavors. They handcraft their own local bean and grain tempehs, fresh and aged vegan cheeses, fizzy probiotic drinks, and koji ferments. They empower you to follow them down this highly addictive (and inexpensive) path, resulting in totally DIY food, free from mass-produced or corporate anything.

Whether you're a pickle wizard already or a just want to level up your home-cook vegan cred, there are tantalizing options:

• North Coast Kraut (made with seaweed ) is a great beginner's lacto-ferment
• Chickpea Miso: a more complex, longer-lead ferment & pantry staple
• Koji Beet Reuben: put those koji skills to work with this umami bomb
• Cheesy Jojo Supreme with Tempeh Bacon: the perfect stoner food, like if stuffed potato skins were a nacho dish

Beware: Vegetables will be slaughtered.

"Fermenter is a one-of-a-kind fermentation-driven vegan restaurant, with gorgeous and delicious food, and Aaron is a one-of-a-kind chef and human being. I'm so glad he teamed up with Liz Crain to share his adventures in flavor-building via fermentation. This cookbook is full of accessible and down-to- earth ideas for using ferments in a wide range of dishes, complete with recipes and fermentation techniques." Sandor Ellix Katz, fermentation revivalist and New York Times-bestselling author of The Art of Fermentation

"Fermenter proves that cooking vegan need not be bland or boring. It's a wellspring of instructive and tantalizing recipes for ferments, and refreshingly, also for whole meals made with those ferments. You're going to love this food no matter your diet." David Zilber, New York Times-bestselling coauthor of The Noma Guide to Fermentation

"A marvelous compilation of fermentation techniques and applications that transforms what it means to be vegan. Through a ton of hard work, care, and attention to develop these recipes, Aaron and Liz give you the tools to build flavors and textures that will bring your loved ones joy. For certain, Fermenter will empower you to make some of the best meals you've ever had." Rich Shih, coauthor of Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation

"Reading Fermenter is like hanging out, nibbling on ferments, and chatting with Aaron and Liz. Its vibe is chill, honest, and rich with story with an easy conversational tone. They've knocked it out of the park here with all sorts of approachable and delicious vegan ferments. And the thoughtful and encouraging recipes will leave you feeling like 'I've got this!'" Kirsten K. Shockey, author of Fermenting Vegetables and cofounder of The Fermentation School

Aaron Adams is a chef and fermentation educator based in Portland, OR. He opened his first restaurant in 2002, followed by restaurants that all in one way or another featured fermented food and drink. He zeroed in on and grew that love of fermentation at Fermenter, which showcases everything traditional, wildly experimental, and local and global ferments — from koji to kombucha — along with delicious dishes that incorporate them.

LIZ CRAIN is a longtime writer on Pacific Northwest food and drink. She is the author of Dumplings = Love and coauthor of the cookbooks Toro Bravo, and Hello! My Name is Tasty, as well as 420-friendly Grow Your Own. She is also cofounder of the annual Portland Fermentation Festival.