Fall Fermentation

I thought I'd pass this great opportunity on to our readers. Not too far away in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, October 4th-13th, the Fermentation Fest will occur. This festival includes tons of amazing classes and talks on ways you can connect to your food. From canning tips to making your own sourdough bread to wine and hard cider making to homemade cheese production you'll explore the vast ways fermentation plays a vital role in our food. There is also a farm and art tour that gives you time to explore the region and, most likely, see some of that great autumn color of Wisconsin!  It looks awesome; I hope to see you there!

Hops!!

I had a chance to gather the rhizomes for one of the 'wild' hop starts last fall. Overwintered them in the greenhouses with what appears to be good survival. We are looking to put in a hop yard starting with three "wild strains" of hops. Beer takes an intricate mixing of flavors, so we have found three different lots of hops that have survived the ravages of disease and insect pressure to survive naturally. They have great, but different tastes from strong bitters to a citrus taste - perfect for brewing beer! We'll see if the choices we selected from these natural populations give the disease and insect resistance needed for a true organic hops yard.