Fermentation Experimentation (without culturing there is no culture..)
- Jenna Landsittel
- Jan 11, 2018
- 2 min read
Lets get to Fermenting!
Today we drove to UCSF Mission Bay to participate in a fermentation experiment with Alex Lewin. After reading his recently published fermenting books, I was very excited to meet him and see what his fermenting processes were all about.
We started with talking about what fermentation is and how it is beneficial to our bodies. Some of the things Alex said I knew but some were completely new to me. I had no idea just how much fermented foods can aid in ones digestion.
Our first mixture was a "fake soda," if you will. Alex explained that soda is actually a fake fermented drink (because of the addition of carbonation or CO2.) The drink we made started with sparkling water then we added apple cider vinegar, molasses, and grated ginger. I was kind of shocked by how much it resembled soda! I think this would be a great substitution for children who want soda, but their parents do not want them to have soda.
Up next was trying Alex's homemade Kombucha. I have had Kombucha before (but did not like it,) but this one had a nice flavor and I could see myself making it to enjoy at home.
For lunch, we met with Dr. Bruce Albert's and shared pizza with him. He was such an awesome individual to chat with and he had great thoughts about the education system and ways that it can be improved. This meeting with Dr. Alberts was very inspiring and I am so glad we got the opportunity to meet such a prevalent scientist in the community. He was great!
Our time at UCSF came to a brief end with a quick tour through Dr. Joe DeRisi's Lab, and WOW was I impressed. His intelligence and enthusiasm radiated when he was explaining the research he does in his lab. He explained the expensive equipment he uses in his lab, which were things I had only read about. He showed us his 3D printing machine which I thought was particularly cool because I had never seen one in person. The coolest thing about Dr. DeRisi's lab is that all of his equipment is available to basically anyone (group) who wants to do research: meaning it is not exclusive to Dr. DeRisi's projects.
The night ended with Happy Hour with our classmates by the bay. See you tomorrow, xoxo.
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