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Portland is about to get a whole lot funkier when the Portland Fermentation Festival returns to the Ecotrust building on Thursday, Oct. 10. Following last year’s triumphant return after a three-year pandemic hiatus, PFF (affectionately known as Stinkfest) is back in all its bacterial glory. Whether you’re dedicated to the art of putting things in jars and watching Mother Nature work her magic or just a fan of fermented foods like sauerkraut and pickles, Stinkfest is the kind of delightfully weird event that gives Portland its slogan.
Part potluck and part pickling-season party, attendees can sample a cornucopia of international fermented delights such as kraut, kombucha, sour pickles, hot sauces, miso, tempeh, natto, injera and kimchi.
“We encourage folks to really show up and be a part of the community,” says Stinkfest founder and co-organizer Liz Crain. “If that means bringing a sweet little bottle of water kefir you fizzed up with end-of-summer blackberries you picked on Sauvie Island to share with fest-goers, then so be it. Maybe you have your Grandma’s vinegar mother that’s been passed on from generation to generation and you want to share some of that culture with others.”
The experience of Stinkfest is as much about sampling, sharing and mingling with Portland’s fermentation fiends as it is about learning the latest on symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast. Activities like the Starter Culture Sharing & Adoption Center (a swap meet for fermentables like sourdough starters, water kefir grains and cheese cultures) and the Bacterial Petting Zoo (with its hands-on look at SCOBYs, cultures, and mothers of all types) only add to the oddball fun of the event.
“We work with food and drink fermentation cultures, and we build culture socially by gathering fermentation enthusiasts, fermentation curious and fermentation experts year after stinky year,” Crain says. “Fermentation hinges on creating the ideal conditions for a ferment to thrive— temperature, humidity, light exposure, air exposure, etc. Our festival is much the same.”
Among the personalities Stinkfest guests can rub elbows with is cidermaker-turned-City Council District 2 candidate Nat West. Known for showing up to Stinkfest with what Crain describes as “a really interesting—and often gutsy—small-batch ferment to sample,” West is planning to bring a chicken wing garum inspired by the fermentation masters at renowned Copenhagen restaurant Noma. The garum may be a little less edgy than his Angel of Death hard cider, which was cultured and flavored by fermented lamb leg, but West promises this year’s offering is tasty and won’t make anyone nauseous.
There are no actual sales taking place other than the price of admission. Instead, Crain wants people to show up and share recipes, stories and fermentation cultures. “Print up some recipes for your all-time favorite home-fermented hot sauce and share them with people you meet at Stinkfest,” she says. “It’s all about sharing cultures, skill-sharing and building community. We want everyone who comes to our fest to be as free as they can be—to give and take, laugh and learn, and have a real funky time.”
GO: Portland Fermentation Festival at the Ecotrust Building, 721 NW 9th Ave., portlandfermentationfestival.com. Thursday, Oct. 10, 6–9 pm. $15–$20, ages 12 and under free.