Learn how to create compost, sauces and ketchup naturally using seasonal produce from the Ibizan countryside, which is plentiful at harvest time. This is what the 20-plus people who attended the IbizaPreservation cooking course learnt.
The objective of the Gastronomic Activists community workshop organised by IbizaPreservation in collaboration with Herbusa's Zero Food Waste programme, held this Tuesday at an organic farm in the municipality of Sant Josep, was to take advantage of the abundance of the Ibizan vegetable garden in summer while promoting a more environmentally conscious and respectful cuisine.
The workshop, led by chef Erika Tangari, focused on preservation, dehydration, and lacto-fermentation techniques for seasonal fruit and vegetables. «The best way to optimise what the countryside has to offer is to learn how to incorporate natural probiotics and healthy fibres into our daily diet without resorting to supplements or expensive products,» said Tangari.
During the session, participants discovered how to make homemade ferments using local and accessible ingredients, with a noticeable impact on digestive health and general wellbeing.
These participants are those who signed up first, as there has been a waiting list of more than 60 people who have been left out ‘because we don't have room for everyone’, said the chef, who stressed that this influx has been achieved by giving ‘just four days' notice, which is a good indication of people's interest’.
These cooking workshops are held every three months, each time using a different seasonal product. In this case, the summer produce.
«The aim is to teach people how to prolong the useful life of these foods, avoid wasting them, and preserve their flavour, so that they can be enjoyed in winter too,» explained Jordi Salewski, coordinator of the Circular Economy programme at IbizaPreservation.
Both IbizaPreservation and Herbusa emphasise that this initiative aims to strengthen the connection between sustainable food and local culture by providing useful tools to reduce food waste.