Midsummer Fermentation: Honouring Ancient Traditions on 23rd June

As the sun reaches its yearly peak, the 23rd of June marks a time long celebrated across cultures: Midsummer’s Eve. While today we might associate this date with festivals, bonfires, or even quiet evenings in the garden, for our ancestors this was also a crucial moment for something close to every fermenter’s heart — preserving the summer harvest.

For thousands of years, fermentation was not a hobby or health trend; it was survival. And Midsummer was a key turning point in the farming calendar. As vegetables came into season, grains ripened in the fields, and honey flowed from busy hives, people began carefully preserving nature’s bounty to see them through the colder, leaner months.

Sourdough Breads: Born of Summer Grains

In ancient Egypt, loaves leavened with wild sourdough were rising under the hot sun, thanks to natural yeasts in the air. These early bakers would have celebrated the grain harvest around this time by starting or feeding their sourdough starters — much like many home bakers do today.

In Europe, farmers stored rye and wheat for later grinding, but the first fresh grains of the year may well have been fermented to make dense, hearty breads — full of flavour and naturally preserved.

Meads and Wines: The Summer Ferment of Joy

Midsummer wasn’t just about bread — it was also about drink. Across Northern and Eastern Europe, mead — the oldest known alcoholic drink — was made by mixing fresh honey and water and letting the wild yeasts do their work. In Slavic countries, Midsummer (Ivan Kupala Night) often saw young couples drinking lightly fermented berry wines as part of fertility and harvest rituals.

Even in ancient Scandinavia, fermented birch sap or mead was enjoyed during the Midsummer feast, connecting people to the rhythms of the land and sky.

Vegetables in Brine: The Original Summer Preserve

Long before refrigeration, fermentation in salt or brine was the safest way to store summer’s vegetable haul. Cabbage would become sauerkraut in stone crocks, cucumbers would turn to crisp pickles, and root vegetables might be set aside for tangy relishes.

Interestingly, evidence suggests that these traditions were not only practical but deeply symbolic: fermentation represented transformation, protection, and even renewal — perfect themes for the season of life and sunlight.

Why Ferment on 23rd June, 2025?

So why mention this today, in 2025?

Because we are not so different from our ancestors.

Home fermenters across the world are reviving these timeless practices — making kombucha, kefir, yoghurt, sourdough, and pickles in their kitchens, sometimes without realising they are part of an unbroken chain going back thousands of years.

And as summer peaks and produce bursts into season, this is the perfect time to start a new batch — just as your ancestors did on this very date.

Here are a few simple ideas to mark this ancient tradition:

• Start a fresh sourdough starter or feed your existing one.
• Brew a simple mead with local honey and water.
• Pickle some cucumbers or radishes in a light brine.
• Try fermenting summer berries into a wild wine or cordial.
• Begin a new batch of kombucha with seasonal fruits.

Honouring the Past, Nourishing the Future

Fermentation links us to nature, to tradition, and to each other. Whether you’re new to fermenting or have bubbling jars lining your shelves, take a moment this Midsummer to reflect on the ancient hands that stirred their own pots and crocks — and the life-giving microbes that worked unseen, then as now.

So here’s to 23rd June, Midsummer’s Eve — and the eternal, joyful art of fermentation.

What’s bubbling in your kitchen this summer?