A Year of Fermentation

Seasonal fermentation recipes to enjoy nature's bounty year round

A Year of Fermentation is a comprehensive seasonal guide that explores the fascinating world of fermentation through the year.

This book aims to bridge the gap between foraging, growing, and cooking, providing what's-in-season calendars and recipes for ferments to unlock incredible flavours, enhance nutrition, and foster a deeper connection with food and nature all year round.

Broadly speaking, we think of the year as four seasons. In the world of food, we can see the year as a shifting, overlapping mass of microseasons, each offering its own set of delicious ingredients. In this book, we follow ingredients (and the relevant fermentation techniques) through these microseasons to enjoy the best flavour possible and align with nature's rhythms.

With step-by-step instructions, illustration, and photography, this deep dive into the calendar year of an expert fermenter teaches you how to harness the best of each season, ensuring that your cupboards are stocked all year round along with recipes for your everyday cooking.

About the Author

Sam Cooper is a Sunday Times bestselling author and chef-turned-gardener now working full-time on a farm on the West Wales coast. His fascination with homegrown produce has grown along with his Instagram - @chef.sam.black has more than half a million followers - where he posts delicious ferment recipes using seasonal ingredients. Sam wrote the In the Kitchen chapter of The Self-Sufficiency Garden (March 2024), The Fermentation Kitchen (November 2024), and co-wrote How to Grow Food (March 2026). He is also a photographer and illustrator.