Compost Kraut: Fermentation as Food Waste Solution & Climate Action
Hands-on fermentation workshop with Sam Paone: turn kitchen scraps and cover crops into probiotic kraut. Take home a jar + zero-waste recipe guide.
program overview
Sam Paone from Golden State Pickle Works / Collective Cultures will lead this hands-on workshop and will guide participants through making a colorful, probiotic- rich kraut using bumper crops, kitchen scraps, and edible cover crops from the summer growing season. “Compost Kraut” highlights the power of fermentation to reduce food waste, support climate-resilient farming, and preserve abundance in a low-energy, low-waste way. The program connects fermentation with regenerative agriculture, circular food systems, and zero-waste living. Plus “massaging cabbage” and partaking in the “spice bar” is just a few of the fun steps you get to take in this fun workshop!
Ingredients will be local + seasonal.
- How to make a brined, scrap-based kraut safely and successfully
- How edible cover crops support soil health and can be used in food
- How fermentation reduces waste and energy use
- How traditional food preservation contributes to climate resilience
- Take-home kraut jar + zero-waste fermentation guide/recipe
We will provide Mason glass jars and Sam will provide seasonal produce from The Patch.
In Partnership with
Zero Waste Sonoma
Zero Waste Sonoma and Zero Waste Marin are partnering with 25+ local organizations and cities to bring a full week of free and donation-based educational opportunities and participatory events to the public.
Zero Waste Week will run October 10 – 17, 2026
View the full calendar of events and activities.
instructor Overview
Sam Paone
Sam Paone is a Sonoma-based cook, preservationist, and the founder of Golden State Pickle Works and Collective Cultures. She’s best known for her deeply seasonal approach to fermentation, pickling, and pantry-building—work that sits at the intersection of tradition, practicality, and everyday cooking.
Sam is the creator and host of Jarring Everything, a food series that explores approachable ways to think about ingredients differently. Filmed in her Sonoma production kitchen and rooted in local agriculture, the show focuses on techniques like fermentation, dehydration, vinegar-making, and preserving—not as trends, but as useful, hopeful skills anyone can learn.
Her work is driven by curiosity, care, and community. Sam collaborates closely with farmers, cooks with what’s abundant, and believes that learning how to preserve food is a way to feel more grounded in an often uncertain world. Whether she’s teaching a workshop, making hoshigaki from local persimmons, or talking through salt percentages on a gram scale, her goal is always the same: to make preservation feel accessible, human, and deeply nourishing.
Isabel Beer for @indextribune / Photos courtesy @goldenstatepickleworks
http://www.goldenstatepickleworks.com
Instagram: @goldenstatepickleworks
Membership Has Its Benefits
All Silver Memberships and above receive 10% off the registration cost for any class purchase over $40.
Materials fees are not discounted.
Membership helps support our programs, events, and financial aid programs.
Become a member today and find community, connection, and creativity.
Class FAQ
We ask that you notify us at least 10 days in advance of a class if you need to cancel your registration. You may cancel by phone or email and we will gladly offer you a refund or credit toward a future class. If you cancel with less than 10 days’ notice, we will not be able to provide refunds, due to our contractual obligations and material purchases for each class.
Sometimes, the Sonoma Community Center has to cancel a class due to low enrollment or unforeseen circumstances, such as a natural disaster or health emergency. If this happens and we do not offer a reschedule date, you will be refunded 100% of your registration fee (minus the payment processing and services fee), or credit towards a future class. If we are able to offer a reschedule date but you are unable to make the new date, we will gladly offer credit towards a future class.
All credits must be used within 1 year.
You can view our full class policies and guidelines here.
The Sonoma Community Center is committed to creating an accessible learning environment. If you require any special considerations(medical, physical, learning) please share them with Sean Baskin, Program Associate, by emailing him at [email protected] so that he can forward them to the relevant Program Director and Instructor.
Late additions to any program, class, or workshop that has already begun will be allowed on a per-case basis depending upon the Program Director & instructors approval. Late additions will have to pay the full registration cost of the class, along with any materials fees, and will not be prorated for the time missed. You may reach out to the program directors directly, or the Program Associate Sean Baskin at [email protected] to request a late addition.
We are always looking for new instructors. You can fill out the form directly here.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Experience Level
Beginning, Intermediate, All-Levels and AdvancedAge(s)
16, 17 and 18-overTotal Registration Cost:
FreeDonations accepted at checkout or in person. This workshop is sponsored by Zero Waste Sonoma.
