Preservers of the Harvest
By Jenyth Jo
November 2020
Strange how the label of my
Apple Cider Vingear
describes the starter of the culture
as the "Mother".
Of course it starts with the Mother
who divided and shared
her starter for the sour dough
we tried to keep alive this spring.
Mothers are wild yeast-
add lactobacilli and water
watch them make magic
dough rises, baguette bakes
cabbage becomes kimchi
soy beans umami into miso
tempeh cake turns firm
grape must converts into softer wines.
Fermentation is older than
the archelogy that discovered it.
We drink our kombucha and kefir
add crème fraiche to cherry pie
boil boba into pearls
drink matcha, sprinkle sriracha
pickle peppers for the salad
dressed in tangy vinaigrette.
Mothers make the sands of time finer
when grains fill the tile grout
it's time for fall cleaning
time to remember your vinegar.