Farm Workshops Offer New Skills

While kombucha and kimchi sound more like cute names given to the latest animal additions at the Duke Lemur Center, Duke community members can learn more about these exotic foods this weekend.

Kombucha, a type of Chinese fermented tea, and kimchi, a Korean vegetable dish, are subjects of the latest Duke Campus Farm workshop. For $10, students, faculty and staff can learn how to boil, brew and bottle kombucha and make kimchi - and bring both home with them.

"Kombucha has caught on as a kind of trendy drink, but you'll find it for about $4 a bottle for just one drink in stores," said Emily Sloss, manager of the Duke Campus Farm. "This is an easy way to learn how to make it yourself to have a continued supply of it, save some money or just learn a new skill."

The kombucha and kimchi workshop is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 22. The farm will host another hands-on workshop Aug. 12 on juicing. That seminar is $5 and features a variety of samples and recipes. Workshops are at the Duke Campus Farm at 4910 Friends School Road.

Registration for workshops is available online and payment is available via credit or debit card. Fees cover workshop materials and Duke Campus Farm operations.

Sloss said past workshops have been popular, attracting a wide variety of participants. One has been Kristin Wright, assistant director of Duke's Service Learning Program. She attended a February workshop on cheese making. Wright said she was attracted to the program because she couldn't find other seminars like it around Durham for free or at low cost. During the program, Wright and others made ricotta, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

"I do a lot of cooking, so I'm comfortable in the kitchen, but there are just some things you want demonstrated for you before you try on your own," Wright said. "The workshops are an amazing opportunity for anybody to learn something new while getting to know new people and taking advantage of a great Duke resource."