Discover what salt can really do
Learn how salt can draw out moisture, encourage fermentation, intensify flavour and help you make more of every harvest.
8 practical projects · Nearly 90 minutes of teaching · Exact written recipes · Lifetime access
Salt does far more than season food, it can transform ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, citrus, cabbage, flowers and fruit into intensely flavoured ingredients that bring the character of the growing season into your cooking.
In Gardener’s Guide to Salt Preservation, fermentation author Sam Cooper takes you beyond individual recipes and teaches you how salt preservation actually works.
You will learn how much salt to use, how to calculate it accurately and how to adapt each method to the quantity of produce you have available.
All you need to begin is some good produce, a jar, a set of scales and salt.
Learn the method, then make it your own
Start with simple equipment
You do not need a dedicated fermentation room or shelves of specialist equipment. Sam demonstrates the techniques in his home kitchen using ordinary scales, jars and reusable containers.
Follow exact, adaptable recipes
Every lesson includes a written recipe with precise quantities and salt percentages.
Once you understand the calculation, you can scale the recipes up or down depending on whether you have a handful of herbs or several kilos of tomatoes.
Capture seasonal flavour
The projects use fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers to demonstrate how salt can preserve more than cabbage.
They are designed to help you work creatively with gluts, overlooked ingredients and produce at its seasonal best.
Create ingredients you will actually use
These preserves are not intended simply to sit attractively on a shelf. Sam also explains how they can be used to season, enrich and bring complexity to everyday cooking.
Be Used Preserves Made to
These are not jars destined to gather dust. Each lesson explores how preserved ingredients can season, brighten and add depth to your everyday cooking.
For the Grower & Foodie
Whether you are a gardener wanting to get the most of your produce, or a foodie looking to extract the best from ingredients, this course will bring beauty to your kitchen in many forms (colour, fragrance, flavour, experience, and stories).
Exact, Adaptable Methods
Learn to calculate salt by weight and scale each recipe to suit your harvest, whether you have a handful of herbs or several kilos of tomatoes.
What is included
Your £19 enrolment includes:
Eight practical recipe lessons
- A detailed introductory lesson covering salt, equipment and essential principles
- Nearly 90 minutes of video teaching
- Exact written recipes and measurements
- Scalable salt calculations
- A bonus lesson exploring moisture
- Lifetime access to the complete course
- The freedom to learn at your own pace and revisit recipes as different ingredients come into season
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Check the Preview lesson below
- Introduction (18:57)
- Lesson 1 | Herb Salt (4:22)
- Lesson 2 | Lacto Fermented Tomatoes (7:35)
- Lesson 3 | Creative Sauerkraut (9:53)
- Lesson 4 | Lacto Fermented Citrus (10:46)
- Lesson 5 | Kimchi (12:14)
- Lesson 6 | Boshi (11:13)
- Lesson 7 | Lacto Fermented Relish (3:41)
- Lesson 8 | Salt Preserved Flowers (4:42)
- Bonus | Two Ways To Use Moisture (4:18)
- Parting Words (1:12)
Is this course for you?
Gardener’s Guide to Salt Preservation is ideal for:
- Gardeners looking for creative ways to use seasonal harvests
- Home cooks interested in fermentation and traditional preservation
- Chefs who want to develop more complex flavours
- Anyone who would like to waste less good produce
- People who want to understand salt percentages rather than follow vague recipes
- Existing fermenters looking to broaden their repertoire
You do not need to grow your own ingredients. The techniques work just as well with good produce from a market, farm shop, veg box or supermarket.
FAQ
How is this different from Gardener’s Guide to Fermentation?
Gardener’s Guide to Fermentation offers a broad introduction to fermented food and drink, including wild cultures, sparkling sodas, country beer, wine and vinegar.
This course focuses specifically on using salt to preserve fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. It explores salt percentages, moisture, salt selection and a range of salt-driven preserving techniques in greater detail.
The two courses complement one another but are sold separately.
Do I need specialist equipment?
No elaborate setup is required. Most of the projects can be made using a digital scale, clean glass jars and ordinary kitchen equipment.
Sam also introduces optional equipment such as fermentation weights and airlocks, explaining how and when they can be useful.
How long do I have to complete the course?
There is no deadline. You will receive lifetime access and can work through the lessons at your own pace, returning as different ingredients come into season.
Is there a guarantee?
Yes. The Grower’s Guild offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all courses.
Meet your instructor
Sam Cooper is an author, fermentation educator, gardener and experimental cook whose work explores the relationship between growing, seasonality and flavour.
His books include The Fermentation Kitchen and A Year of Fermentation. He is also the co-author, with Huw Richards, of The Self-Sufficiency Garden and How to Grow Food.
Sam teaches from his own kitchen, combining precise methods with an informal and creative approach. His aim is not only to help you reproduce each recipe, but to give you the understanding needed to develop your own preserves.