Wild At Heart

Michelle is skilled as a wildlife biologist and leads hikes throughout southern California and specialize in native butterflies and demonstration gardens. A mother of one daughter and has ties to the native ancestor of this land. She is also the founder of the Ojai Food Co-op start-up. She does food workshops out of her home and at local events in the tri-counties. Her passion is to empower people to cook, preserve and ferment in-season veggies and fruit. To help aid in digestion and nutrition as well as helping to utilize the bounty of local produce we receive living here in Southern California. It is her intention to reignite the connection we once had with the land, animals and the microorganism that live all around us. She does this by making homemade sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, green beans, beets, salsa, ketchup, kombucha, mead, ginger ale, ginger beer, root bear, fruit soda. She also maintains a native and edible garden with chickens and a menagerie of animals.

Scheduled Appearances

  • Workshop: How to Make Your Own Natural Deodorant

    Day: Friday Time: 4:30 PM Duration: 30 Location: Sustainability (Lucid University - Permaculture Action Hub)

    You will learn how to custom make your own natural beautiful smelling and feeling deodorant in just a few simple steps.

  • Workshop: How to Make Your Own Ginger Ale & Sodas

    Day: Saturday Time: 10:00 AM Duration: 60 Location: Sustainability (Lucid University - Permaculture Action Hub)

    The wonderful world of naturally fermented sodas. They are probiotically rich, effervescent, delicious and beautiful to behold. Come prepared to be blown away by the taste and sweet effervescence. Food should be fun, health promoting and a joy to put into your body. That’s what naturally fermented sodas are…joy in a bottle!
    It’s all about creating a tingle on the tongue and a strong biodiverse gut ecology!
    Start maturing your own ginger bug at home. Share or ask any questions when you come into class and we’ll all help each other. I will teach you about the infinite soda possibilities you can create!

  • Workshop: How to Make Fermented Wild Sauerkraut

    Day: Sunday Time: 10:00 AM Duration: 60 Location: Sustainability (Lucid University - Permaculture Action Hub)

    Fermentation has been going on for a long time in our history and culture. It requires almost no work on the part of the maker. It is naturally made by lactic acid bacteria breaking down sugars into lactic acid, carbon dioxide and a little amount of alcohol. Because vegetables like cucumbers and cabbage contain water, sugar, proteins, minerals and many nutrients its makes them perfect for all types of beneficial flora bacteria to grow and thus aid you in easy, energy efficient digestion and gives you greater immunity through a more diverse gut ecology, plus there are crunchy and delicious! But we are in no means doctors just people eating like our ancestors did for hundreds of years without the need of refrigeration. Fermentation happens naturally as long as food is kept at around 65 F. We control the bacterial growth by washing our hands and the containers that hold the ferments as well as applying salts and eliminating oxygen into their closed environment.

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