Doing Well: Brenna Phillips of Punch and Jingles

Brenna Phillips is one of those people that can do just about anything. She’s a great artist, ceramicist, cook and fermenting queen! I met her when she was working at the best little Inn on Cape Breton Island Salty Roses and have been in love with her work ever since. She lives in Cape Breton where she makes amazing krauts, kimchi and kombucha for her community in Sydney, Nova Scotia and has just celebrated her 2nd year in business. I reached out to ask her a few questions about fermenting and staring a small food business in a rural community.

Can you share a bit about your journey into starting your company?

I’ve been making fermented foods for about a decade, experimenting in my home kitchen and sharing outcomes with friends and family. Gathering feedback and learning from mistakes I developed a small repertoire of ferments that I was confident in and that were consistent. A lot of that initial work happened while I was living in Halifax, experimenting with fresh produce from the Farmers’ markets. I shared my creations with friends, eventually taking small orders and increasing batch volumes.

In those days I was mostly focussing on sauerkrauts and kombuchas. In 2016, An opportunity came up to relocate to manage the kitchen at Salty Roses and Periwinkle Cafe in Cape Breton. It offered a space to work and share my ferments with a wider audience, eventually incorporating some items on the menu. That’s when I really became obsessed, reading more, seeking more flavours out, working with new recipes. I participated in workshops in Tennessee and Mexico led by author of Wild Fermentation, Sandor Katz. I gained confidence and momentum from the workshops. Meeting people working in the field who were excited about the process, the slowness, the sourness, and the alchemy engaged me even further.

After three years in the kitchen at the Periwinkle cafe I decided to branch out on my own and launch Punch & Jingles House of Ferments. It started out small and informal, doing a bi-monthly soup, bread and ferments club for a maximum of 12 people I connected with through Instagram. A winter of that plus a handful of pop-ups and I had gained somewhat of a following. I continued to network and meet people interested in trying ferments, often for the first time. I was invited to teach a few workshops as well. I joined the weekly farmers market in May 2018 and our local Food Hub in June 2019.

How has incorporating more fermented foods into your diet made a difference?

I love the taste the texture and the tang of fermented foods so having them in my diet makes me immediately happy - because they taste good and elevate meals. I also notice a regularity in body functions ; the obvious ones lol, but also less spikes and falls I would associate with sugar cravings and blood sugar levels. I really like combining ferments with cooked foods such as soups, stews, and rice bowls. It’s a natural combination in my mind to have something cooked and soft, raw crunchy, salty and saucey and something spicy as a meal. I think there is a balance in those elements together.

I’ve been working with sprouted and fermented buckwheat bread for a while and find it really agrees with me, I love the density and the way I distinctly do not feel like I ate something gummy. It’s a wonderful whole grain and gluten free option.

What are some of the benefits or challenges of running your business in a rural area?

Access to quality affordable organic produce is my number one challenge. I source what I can locally but end up at the conventional stores often. Local farmers are interested and invested in growing more of what consumers want and extending the growing season on the island through the use of poly tunnels and greenhouses. Farming is tough in this area and there aren’t a lot of people doing it. It does force me to get creative and work with what is available often making discoveries along the way.

Another challenge is awareness of and demand for fermented foods and beverages. The traditional diet where I live does not often include kimchis and cortidos so my work at the Farmers’ market is important, to engage people in new foods and flavours.

Word of mouth is an amazing tool in smaller communities, a definite benefit of working in Cape Breton. People are generous, considerate and honest in their recommendations. I’ve connected with people through the food communities here, volunteering with the Food Hub, Meals on Wheels, Farmers’ Markets and participating in the Community Food Leadership program. I’m not entering into a fermented foods scene here, rather I am creating a niche for myself. Although there is a history of sauerkraut making here, the new wave of fermenting is just starting to catch on. It’s a challenging and exciting time to be part of the changing food landscape.

Can you share any favorite foods, rituals or products you’re loving these days?

I love miso! It’s great on buckwheat toast with peanut butter, or in tahini dressings with ginger. On a freezing cold day I like to have miso broth in my thermos. I love the Rice and Quinoa Miso from Pon Pon Kimchi in Halifax and I use a chickpea miso from Tradition Miso in Ontario in my kimchi recipe.

I’ve recently been making sour squash and deeply enjoying the results. I use cumin and a dried chili pepper it’s a new flavour and texture in my collection.

Can you share a simple recipe you’re loving?

I’d like to share my sour squash recipe, it’s easy and intuitive. I use spaghetti squash, I find it has the right texture I’m looking for.

1.Using a kitchen scale, weigh your squash in grams. Then weigh out 2% salt. Just multiply weight of squash by 0.02.

2.Peel and seed the squash, then grate using a box grater or food processor. Mix grated squash with measured salt plus a few pinches cumin seed and a dried pepper of your choice.

3.Massage the squash for a few minutes until juices run. Pack the mixture tightly, removing air pockets, into a wide mouth mason jar. Use a weight if you have one or fill a zip top bag with water or salt as a weight. Make sure the mixture is covered with liquid before sealing the jar.

4.Monitor your sour squash daily. “Burp” the jar to release gases that build up. After a week you can taste and if it’s sour enough remove the weight and reseal the jar, store in the fridge and enjoy within three months.

To find out more about Brenna or Punch and Jingles House of Ferments, follow along on instagram @punchandjingles , @capebretonfoodhub or reach out by email: punchandjingles@gmail.com.