Spice Spice Baby! Fermentation 101: sauerkraut

The humble cabbage is having a moment.

Join Earthly Futures for the first instalment of our Fermentation 101 workshop series, led by Joel Broad, founder of Marigold Ferments (France), alongside artist, ex-chef and Earthly Futures founder Victoria Pham.

Taking sauerkraut as our starting point, we’ll explore the wonderful world of fermentation through traditional techniques, cultural histories and unexpected flavour combinations. From the familiar to the experimental, we’ll discover how cabbage, salt, time and microbial life can transform into something deliciously complex.

Together, we’ll get hands-on with making sauerkraut, exploring spice-forward combinations and creative approaches to this humble ferment. Along the way, we’ll dip into the history, biology and chemistry of fermentation, considering how food carries stories of cultural exchange, trade, migration and transformation.

Whether you’re a curious beginner, an enthusiastic home cook or an experienced fermenter looking to rethink familiar techniques and push the boundaries of flavour, this workshop is an invitation to get your hands dirty, experiment and discover the possibilities of fermentation.

Everything you need is included: ingredients, a Kilner jar to take home your ferment, and a little fermentation workbook to guide you on your journey.

You’ll leave with:

• Your own experimental sauerkraut to ferment at home

• A foundational understanding of fermentation techniques

• Ideas for developing your own flavour combinations

• A fermentation workbook with recipes and practical tips

No previous fermentation experience is necessary. Just bring your curiosity and appetite!

This is just the beginning! Spice Spice Baby is the first workshop in Earthly Futures’ Fermentation 101 series. If you can’t make this one, don’t worry: there are plenty more fermenting adventures to come.

Come for the cabbage, stay for the [mother] culture. 

About Joel Broad

Joel Broad is a brewer, product designer and fermentation enthusiast based in France, and the founder of Marigold Ferments. Currently Head Brewer at Brasserie de la Goutte d’Or, Joel brings extensive experience in beer production, mixed-culture and alternative fermentation processes, working across both stainless steel and wood. With a strong interest in microbiology, laboratory practice and the relationship between design and making, his approach combines technical knowledge with creative experimentation. Through Marigold Ferments, he explores the possibilities of fermentation through flavour, craft and the transformative potential of microbial life.

About Victoria Pham

Dr Victoria Pham is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, composer and the founder of Earthly Futures, a Paris-based research and cultural organisation exploring ecological futures through art, food, sound and material practices. With a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Cambridge, her work bridges scientific research, cultural histories and creative practice. She is part of the 2025–27 cohort of the Gramonounce Alternative MA for Food and Art, and regularly designs and facilitates workshops exploring food, fermentation, cultural exchange and food histories. Through Earthly Futures, she creates spaces for collective learning, experimentation and ecological storytelling.