When September comes around — in Southern California, the month is often hotter than June or July — it's time for pickling. Yes, the heat that's causing you and your bountiful summer cabbage to wilt is choice weather for fermentation. Hence, Kraut Fest 2009. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, Machine Project will host a kraut and kimchi-making class in their quirky gallery/performance space in Echo Park.

Teaching the class will be a collaborative effort, as these things tend to be. Mark Frauenfelder, Erik Knutzen, Kelly Coyne, Jean-Paul Monsche, and the winner of Critter's 2009 Kimchi Competition, Oghee “Granny” Choe of Granny Choe's Kimchi Co. will show attendees how to make their own sauerkraut, kimchi, and choucroute garni, the signature dish of Alsace. Funded in part by Slow Food LA, in part by you, the $15 advanced registration fee gets you into all of the classes, plus a “kraut kit” consisting of a bucket, a plate to fit in the bucket, and a limited edition, hand-silkscreened poster. Or just come watch the demos. That's free.

For complete details, including the list of ingredients to bring, visit the website.

Machine Project: 1200 D North Alvarado, Los Angeles; (213) 483-8761.

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