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Kirsten Shockey, co-founder of the Fermentation School and writer at Fermenting Change, reminds us in this episode of Kinward, “humans play to learn.” Jakob, Kirsten’s son and founder of Project Beaver, adds later, “I’m very interested in avoiding getting pigeonholed as an expert in anything, and” (to his mom) “I think you are too—because we’re not. We’re just playing in these spaces.” 

Mother and son both note early in this episode that the techniques they’ve built their careers around—techniques for fermentation and the stewardship of waterways—are ancient. So, their work is not about inventing anything, but rather playing, as humans do, to mimic, learn and relearn these ancient ways and wisdoms: ways of the land itself and its original stewards (beavers, indigenous grandmas), and wisdoms of our ancestors all over the world who preserved their harvests in collaboration with the same microscopic allies who do so much for soil and water and our bodies. 

As I mentioned in the Immersion episode with the Shockeys, I wanted to talk to Jakob and Kirsten together because as soon as I met them I could feel the strength of the container they’ve woven together, as a family and with land, to hold their work in the world. Part of learning to nourish a world that sustains life is relearning, and affirming, ways of nourishing each other and our home places.

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