You will need the following -

• Fresh growing plants or green unripe fruit

• Sugar

• Mixing container

• Scale

• Storage container with a breathable lid

Step 1: Cut the growing tips of ONE species of plant or unripe fruit early in the morning, ideally before the sun has hit the material and is still covered in dew. This is to collect our material at peak microbial activity. Do not use plant material that is dirty, contaminated with debris, diseased, or sprayed with pesticides or fungicides. You should wait at least 24 hours after rainfall to collect.

Step 2: Cut plant material into roughly half-inch-sized pieces and weigh all your material.

Step 3: Add an equal weight of raw sugar or brown sugar and massage gently, ensuring all plant material is coated with sugar.

Step 4: Transfer the mixture to a container that will be 2/3 full after you add the material. So, your FPJ should fill the fermentation container to the 2/3 mark. Add a sugar cap that covers the surface of the material ½ thick and cover with a breathable lid, such as a paper towel or cotton cloth. Label and date container.

Step 5: After 7-10 days have passed strain the liquid from the solids through a paint strainer bag, loose cheesecloth, or old t-shirt. Ensure that all solids have been removed from the liquid for shelf stability. Store with a breathable lid in a cool, dark, dry space. Use within 6 months.

Pretty simple and a lot of fun. Bonus, depending on what plant you made your FPJ from, you may just have a super tasty addition to happy hour drinks! Even though the process is simple there is a ton of nuance with Korean Natural Farming, and it functions best when used properly as a system. Tasting and smelling some of the more complicated inputs are extremely valuable to lessen the learning curve and an in-person class with qualified and certified instructors is highly recommended if you don’t have years to dabble. Learn from their mistakes!