This book completely thrills me in so many ways!

It is essentially an encyclopedia of what is known about fermentation, with stories based in the personal experimentation of the author and people he's encountered in his travels, as well as a ton of other research. But it is so much more than that.

Equally as precious to me as the vast amount of geeky information about fermentation processes and lore is the perspective. My heart leaps for joy that a queer, community-minded, politically radical, radical faerie-identified creature started sharing their explorations in a zine/pamphlet, expanded it into a beginner's book that became wildly popular, and now has matured the work into this TOME that is arguably the best resource on the subject in the world, AND that the author's radical perspective and personality clearly remain the heart and foundation of this work. What an incredible inspiration for just simply being who you are and doing what you love. Thank you Sandor Katz for teaching me and my community how to pickle, and for making this world a much better place to be.

p.s. It is probably not the best beginner's manual -- "Wild Fermentation" is a better place to start if you're new and want basic instruction.