Rogues On The Road

We had the privilege to meet up with artisan cooper, John Cox for an afternoon of discovery and learning about the lost art of coopering. "Whale oil, tobacco, cotton, cement, salted meats, fish, eggs, pelts, nails, glass, you name it...it was shipped, stored, and used in a barrel. In 1901 there are 90 million people in America and there are 93 million barrels. Our ancestors relied on this and the Cooper’s who made these, maintained them, stored them and access them for 2000 years."

We originally thought this episode was solely about traditional barrel manufacturing; however, we found out rather quickly that it's not just about barrels. Yes, barrels are a big part of Johns story and his cooperage; however, he designs and manufactures other wooden vessels for for fermented foods as well as fermentable drinks. He has worked with many brewers, distillers and now chefs. Firkins, barrels, wash backs, muro cabinets, kojiban, kioke, krout mashers, mash paddles are the range of John's products.

We look forward to sampling products aged in John's vessel in the near future! Interested in his products? click on the link QUERCUS COOPERAGE for more information.

We spent an amazing hour with distiller/winemaker, Stephen Osborn & drummer/musician Lou Caldarola at Hudson Valley's, Stoutridge winery & distillery. We learned & consumed absinthe from around the world including an absinthe distilled and bottled over 121 years ago! Historical absinthe was produced for medicinal purposes and can be traced as far back as Egyptian times.

Stephen shared his passion for distilling which is deeply rooted in chemistry. He is relatively new to producing absinthe but after consuming his expressions as well as different absinthes from around the world it is very clear, Stephen has a deep understanding and passion when it comes to producing this wonderful liqueur.

There are many myths and pre-conceptions when it comes to the "green fairy". Lou helped to debunk some of these misconceptions by sharing his historic knowledge of absinthe as well as the some of the classic ways to both prepare and consume the liqueur. Lou also opened a french absinthe which was distilled over 120 years ago! Consuming it was the equivalent of traveling back in time. It also was clear that the base spirit of this historic absinthe was most likely, cognac. Which was a little unusual but not surprising.

We highly suggest making your way to the Hudson Valley and spend an afternoon at Stoutridge. There are a few absinthe expressions to sample as well as a many other spirits and liqueurs to try. Don't worry, there's a food truck! The experience was unforgettable and we're looking forward to return soon.

We had a follow-up conversation with Kentucky poultry farmer, Charles Morris. Charles produces around 1.1 million chickens every 6-8 weeks for consumers. Charles and John Buttram were featured in Morgan Spulock's documentary, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken. The documentary opened consumers eyes to "big chicken" and how oppressive and misleading the poultry industry is. Since 2017 Charles, John and other farmers have all received threats and other painful reprocussions for their role as "whistle blowers" in Morgan's documentary. Change has definitely begun as a result of the 2017 documentary but clearly, more needs to be done.

Most recently, some "big chicken" executives are showing up on the radar accused of price fixing by the federal justice department. CNN "The one-count indictment levels charges against the Pilgrim's Pride CEO, Jayson Penn, and former vice president, Roger Austin. Colorado-based Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) is the second largest broiler chicken supplier in the country, after Tyson Foods. Also charged were Mikell Fries and Scott Brady, president and vice president of Georgia-based Claxton Poultry Farms."

We support our farmers 100% and it is our hope that positive change WILL come; however, It's just not coming quick enough. Please listen and help spread the word.

This episode is about the worlds first indoor aquaculture farm. "Heron Farms started as a research question asked by graduate student and founder Sam Norton at the College of Charleston: what if we used the problem of sea level rise as the main resource for a new kind of agriculture? In June 2018 the concept won first place at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture's inaugural ACRE Start-up Competition." And so it began...

Not only has Sam created a succesfull indoor farming system, he has also created opportunity to expand and potentially franchise his model. His systems have been designed utilizing shipping containers and are becoming increasingly streamlined and easy to operate. Food AND habitat restoration could be popping up in a coastal city near you.

Sam has also worked with local Charleston chefs and brewers to produce some innovative dishes including a Coastal Harvest Gose with Low Tide Brewing. We also have word that there is a distilled spirit project in the works. Cant wait, Tyler!

Order your sea beans here!

Meet Jean Black, AKA the "Black Wine Guy". Jean has had a very long, interesting and unconventional career in the wine business, which began at the oldest wine shop in New York City, Acker wines. "What started as a package store in 1820, has today become the oldest and most respected wine shop in America. Acker Merrall Condit, located on the beautiful and historic Upper West side of Manhattan, has provided expert wine services for nearly two centuries." While at Acker, Jean sold, stocked, learned and tasted wines from all over the world. Jean quickly rose through the ranks at Acker and quickly became one of the top wine experts at Acker. It wasn't long before Jean found himself traveling to California wine country to buy wine directly from the vineyards. It was this time Jean fell in love with the "wine country" lifestyle. Hard-working farm life surrounded by great people, great wine, great food, even greater stories, occasional campfires and late nights. Many of Jean's selections come from this award winning vineyards and although we're not in California sipping on these fine wines it does give the consumer subtle whispers of Jean's amazing experience's at these vineyards. A FEW of Jean's top vineyards include, Ledge, Turtle Rock, Hill of Tara, and Argot.

This episode Jean paired two wines to serve with our Chef Jose Andreas "tinned" sea urchin ( Matt loved the urchin, Rich did NOT). A California blend from Willamette Valley and Spanish Txakolina. Both wines are phenomenal with seafood and affordable.

Had a great time meeting up with Matt Ketchum, an oyster farmer from the North Fork of Long Island. Matt owns and operates Peconic Gold Oysters which has been operating since 2013 on a 10 acre underwater plot. Matt: "The nearby Peconic River provides a unique input of minerals. It is believed that the iron supplied by the river and the algae that bloom in the shallow waters combine to produce the gold color apparent on the oysters' shells throughout the growing season. They've noticed that an edible red algae, Gracillaria (seaweed salad) also thrives here. It is this combination of environmental factors acting in perfect harmony that combine perfectly to make for a cool, crisp, sweet flavor, and creamy texture, with a slightly metallic and smoky finish."

In addition to selling whole oysters, Peconic also sells freshly shucked oysters to go. Their farm stand is open every day and is set up for no-touch, curb side service.In addition, Matt has also collaborated with several business to produce oyster kimchi, oyster quiche and plans on working with a local brewery to produce an oyster beer.

We wrapped up the session discussing food and beverage pairings. Peconic loves to pair their oysters with wines from local vineyards. In particular, a cold, crisp Chenin Blanc. We met up with Sterling from Mama Roux who crafts "Cest Bon" a White Negroni made in collaboration with The Spirits Lab. We can't wait to try Peconic oysters matched up with the White Negroni!

We met up with Rick and Andrew at Shady Knolls distillery to learn about their distilled spirits which are made from apples and rye grown right on their own farm. This is a father, son-in-law operation which began in 2011. They both love traditional French apple brandy which is why decided to utilize traditional NY fermentables, apples and winter rye. They planted 1800 trees with 120 varieties. By 2015 the trees were producing, processing equipment was purchased, all they needed was a still. In 2016 they purchased a vintage 225 gallon Alembic Charentais Pot Still manufactured by the leading French manufacturer, Chalvignac Prulho Distillation which required two technicians from France to fly in to help and install. They built a grainery and installed a grain silo, hammer mill and grain processing equipment and by early 2017 Shady Knoll finally started distilling. They produce apple brandy, pommeau and rye whiskey.

We met up with Hudson Valley farmer, Doug Giles at Walbridge Farm. Doug has been raising predominantly Black Angus since 1994. He purchased the farm in a 15 minute sale from the the Wallbridge's which have been operating the farm since 1950. Today Doug manages around 250 head on a fed on a diet of their own silage, haylage andsunflower meal (they grow sunflowers for Hudson Valley Cold-Pressed Oil). They don't spray pesticides or insecticides and their soil and water are tested yearly. In addition, crops are rotated and cattle are frequently moved throughout their fields preserving pastures from erosion. After approximately 18 months cattle are taken to Adams Farm Meat Processing where they are humanely processed and aged. The Livestock holding pens at Adams have been professionally designed by Dr. Temple Grandin, the world's foremost authority in the humane handling of animals. The movement of the animals from the holding pens to the processing plant is through a series of one-way gates along a calming, circuitous path that never retraces steps. This is the most humane method possible and substantially reduces and even eliminates the release of stress hormones to provide a better tasting end product. All this care definitely ensures a tasty end product. We enjoyed a medium rare, bacon, Jalapeño and cheddar burger topped with a sriracha mayo.

Wallbridge products are available at Hudson Milk, Black Snake Brewing & The Market at Mabbettsville. Questions about buying whole, half or quarter cows as well as beef farming questions contact Farmer Doug directly 1-845-235-3789

Two Sunday's a month Nod Hill Brewing in Ridgefield, CT hosts morning yoga at their brewery. We signed up for a little "ohm & foam" followed by a conversation with father-son brewing team, David and Rob Kaye. SaraDavid's wife was responsible for the "ohm" part of our day and led our yoga practice which was fantastic. David and Rob Kaye were inspired to open their own operation after a 2008 visit to Salzburg where Rob had beer for the first time! Not a huge fan of carbonated beverages at that point, something changed in him and he's been enjoying craft beer ever since. They've been operating since 2017 and have converted all their power needs to solar, inspiring other breweries to begin the process themselves.

"We founded Nod Hill Brewery in northern Fairfield County, CT in 2017 with the intention of crafting expressive, balanced, and unique beers that encourage a spirit of thoughtful enjoyment. We gravitate towards brewing hop-forward modern beer, traditionally-influenced European styles, & wood-aged native ales."

TAPROOM HOURS

WED & THURS: 4-9pm

FRI & SAT: 12-10pm

SUN: 12-6pm

CLOSED MON/TUES

Another great DeCicco's beer podcast. We met up with a"Zen" sour-master John Anthony Gargiulo of Hudson Valley Brewery. All though they brew many styles, we chose to focus on their sours for this episode. We have seen and experienced the relatively new American wave of sours and we've learned that brewers like John have approached sours very much the same way chefs approach their dishes. It's all about balance. John brews utilizes a spectacular array of fruits, berries and other unique ingredients to help achieve balance which results in some of the best sours we've experienced. We say experience because thats exactly what it is. Sours hit all the senses and then some! If you are in the Hudson Valley or plan on going, visit beautiful Beacon, NY. Go for a hike in the Hudson Highlands and be sure to stop by Hudson Valley Brewery to imbibe and experience!