THE DRY COUNTY WINE REVIEW: THANKS-AGAIN-ING EDITION
Hannah and I attended a dinner party last night with some friends. They had procured a fresh turkey and the obvious move was to have Thanksgiving again. And thus Thanks-again-ing was born. Since they said they had all the food covered, we were just to bring some libations.
I had been looking for my opportunity to break out the blackberry and wild-berry wines. They were the two wines this summer that, when we bottled them, tasted like grape wine. More specifically, like natural wine. For all the time I spend ranting about how we should drink more local wine and that you can make great, naturally-fermented wine from things other than grapes, I have yet to prove it to anyone besides my loving and patient fiancé, Hannah.
First, we opened the blackberry wine I'd harvested and fermented in July and it was nearly glowing in the glass. It reminded me of syrah from the Ardèche. It was light and almost effervescent, floral and refreshing and most importantly, everyone was enjoying it. Obviously, since the Food Network wont get on the ball and actually create that smell-o-vision they're always blabbering about, I can't share it with you, dear reader, but I'd pin it against any young natural wine out there with confidence. Although I had my doubts about the wild-berry wine––comprised of blackberries, rabbit-eye blueberries and black raspberries––it was similarly delicious! It was even lighter, but equally as alive.
I could have easily come all the way to Kentucky and failed - riding this hunch which assumed I could make dry, natural wine from any fruit. But as we passed the two bottles around the table until they were spent I felt exhilarated and inspired. Watching people not only indulge your whims but enjoy them is quite unreal.
At one point, Hannah leaned in and said, "We'll definitely have to cultivate those blackberry briars now," and I realized berry wines were going to be a staple in our life. Again, this was precisely the reason I came to Kentucky, I just couldn't believe it was someone else suggesting it.
OUR NEW HERO.
Jesse and I had to miss the Tennessee Local Food Summit this weekend because my car decided it had lived a good, long life and is no longer with us. Great timing! We were super sad to miss the Summit, too, because our lovely Bugtussle papa Eric was giving a talk, along with a multitude of our farmer friends. One of these friends was Birke Baehr. Jesse met Birke last year during the Biodynamic Conference and he completely blew Jesse away...because he was TEN YEARS OLD. This short TED talk of Birke's is similar to the speech he gave in Nashville, and a wonderful reminder of why Jesse and I are embarking on this lifestyle. This is what it's all about, people!
I spy a future intern candidate.- Hannah.
ANY FRIEND OF BAMBOO'S.
Last week my mother sent me an email about a craigslist ad for arundo donax, also known as giant reed grass. The ad advertised that it was similar to bamboo, a material Hannah and I have a lot of interest in. It was simply inviting people to come cut the stuff down for free. After examining our bank accounts, free was indeed in our price range. Bamboo is an amazing building material used for everything from trellises in the garden to roofing, flooring and even walling––if that's a carpentry word––in the house. After a little research, we found that arundo donax is basically the same thing. Cultivated in Asia, Africa, India and parts of Southern Europe, this fast growing and hollow grass is often labeled invasive and is even outlawed in parts of Florida. It's used in many of the same ways as bamboo––from musical instruments to fishing poles––and they're even finding uses for it in bioengineering! Hannah and I have no idea what we're going to do with the 30 or so we cut down, but it was inspiring getting the stuff. It can grow to a height of 20 ft or more, eclipsing 30 ft in ideal conditions. It spreads impressively fast, so if you were going to plant some you would want to keep in completely contained, but the end result are these looming forests of unending potential. That's why finding a place to grow this stuff is now on the long list of Rough Draft "To Do's," because finding uses for it wont be much of a challenge at all. We will have lots of gardens and needs for trellis systems, but also we want to eventually build our own house––why not grow some of the materials ourselves? Heck, we could even use it for some walling!- Jesse.
COOKING TIPS.
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." First rule of cooking?––don't listen to Carl Sagan. His recipes are impossible.
We as a culture have determined that cooking is an ordeal. It requires a recipe, a lot of money, time and a special skill-set. I assure you, this rumor is false.Because Hannah and I are in the produce business, it's in our best interest to convince the world to cook more. Lucky for everyone, it's in the best interest of the entire world to do so. We decidedly can't afford to eat out all the time and if you care about your health and you're a normal person, you likely can't either. Eating out usually breaks down to one simple equation: if it's cheap it's probably not good for you, and if it's good for you it's probably not cheap. Our answer is to cook for ourselves and, with a little fear of sounding presumptuous, hopefully to convince other people to have the confidence to do the same.If you're in need of a few helpful tips, as so many have expressed to us, we wanted to lend a few we follow:1. MEAT IS A SPECIAL OCCASION.Hannah and I don't eat much meat and when we do we like to know who grew it. Typically, it's not cheap, ergo, only for special occasions. For our daily protein we eat eggs, beans, cheese, lentils or some combination of them. Not an easy transition for a lot of people––myself included––but a necessary one. Fresh beans or lentils just take a little planning. Soak them over night, rinse them, and cook them for a couple hours the next day. Make a lot and put what you don't use in the fridge for the next couple of days' meals. Red Lentils are very fast and don't (necessarily) have to be soaked at all. A little protein goes a long way if your day does not require a lot of physical labor.2. ALL OF OUR MEALS CONSIST OF AT LEAST ONE PROTEIN, ONE STARCH, AND ONE VEGETABLE.Rice is the work horse of starches. Make enough to get through at least two meals. For the first, eat it fresh with some sautéed vegetables and lentils. The second, heat it back up by frying it with some eggs and greens. Any left over, reward your efforts with some rice pudding and honey. Sautéed or boiled potatoes (sweet potatoes or regular) are excellent, cheap starch options as well. I typically sauté potatoes because the pan caramelizes the sugars and adds a little complexity but boiling works, too. And it's definitely healthy. Also, potato salad is a delicious option if you have to pack a lunch. 3. WE BUY FRESH VEGETABLES WEEKLY.We will soon have a garden to pick from, but while we're in the city, we have to buy some vegetables. One bunch of kale or collards or chard lasts us through three to five meals. Extrapolate that however's convenient: if you're a family of four, double it and so on. We definitely get a lot of mileage out of our broccoli or cauliflower as well. Also, save any scraps to make soup stocks. You can make a soup stock out of any vegetables, simmer them for 45 minutes in water then strain out the scraps. Potato soup with milk, kale and vegetable stock is simple and rewarding. 4. BUY WHAT YOU CAN IN BULK.Pretty self-explanatory but it saves considerable money to buy starches and storage crops (like onions and garlic) in larger quantities. Per meal, we use at least one small clove of garlic and half an onion. Add a big bag of beans and red or black lentils, some real salt and a big jar of olive oil. Of course, try and buy what you can organically or directly from a local farmer. If they don't advertise, it's perfectly OK to ask if they spray. Perhaps you have some rules of your own you want to share, or perhaps you flat out disagree with one of ours––please feel free to tell us. We want the world to cook more––let us know what you eat. Hannah and I cook two if not three meals a day for ourselves and we sit down and eat them together. It teaches you a lot about food, about discipline, and about each other to do so. This kind of lifestyle takes more planning and definitely more time in the kitchen, but hopefully in the future it will save you time in the doctor's office––more time to spend with your family.- Jesse.