Pickles & Fermentation with Sam Paone of Golden State Pickle Works

What turns a cucumber into a naturally fermented pickle—and how is that different from simply adding vinegar? Sam Paone, founder of Golden State Pickle Works and Collective Cultures, joins Tim Zahner for a delicious tour of pickles, probiotics and Sonoma County farmers market culture. Sam shares how growing up in Hawaii, working in Bay Area kitchens and cooking with just-picked Sonoma produce inspired her to start preserving vegetables instead of wasting them. She also walks Tim through an impressive tasting menu: deli-style half-sour cucumbers, fermented ranch potato salad, Pepperonata Slaw, Allium Aioli, fermented strawberry-cucumber relish and probiotic gazpacho. They also discuss: • How salt, water and beneficial bacteria transform vegetables • The difference between fermented and vinegar pickles • Why pickling cucumbers can be surprisingly difficult for small producers to find • Sam’s hands-on fermentation workshops • Her food series, Jarring Everything • The best way to shop at a farmers market • The secret trades vendors make at the end of market day During “We Get Questions,” Sam helps answer visitor questions about places to eat before Broadway Under the Stars, boutique Sonoma Valley wineries, bringing children to wineries, the 30th anniversary of Scream and where to find fermented foods around Sonoma. SHOP, LEARN AND FIND WORKSHOPS Golden State Pickle Works: https://goldenstatepickleworks.com/ Watch Jarring Everything: https://www.youtube.com/@goldenstatepickleworks PLAN YOUR SONOMA VALLEY GETAWAY Events, lodging, wineries and special offers: https://www.sonomavalley.com/ Save up to 25% on wine tasting with the Sonoma Tasting Pass: https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass LISTEN TO THE SONOMA SPIEL Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b #SonomaValley #Fermentation #Pickles