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Wine Blogging Wednesday #29: Biodynamic wines
The fine folks at Fork & Bottle are hosting this months' Wine Blogging Wednesday, in which people drink wine and blog about it. We can get behind that. This month's focus is on biodynamic wines. I'm still uncertain what to think about biodynamics, even after the Butter Bitch read
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Biodynamic vs. organic
Recently, Man of La Muncha and I have been seeing an increasing number of wines on the shelf of our local grocery store touted as biodynamic--far more than are labeled as organic. When we ask wine vendors about the difference between biodynamic and organic, we typically are told that biodynamic wines
Vodka taste-off: Square One Organic Vodka vs. Russian Standard Imperia
I like vodka. I like vodka gimlets (fresh lime juice plus a splash of Rose's, up), vodka tonics, Cosmopolitans, Bloody Marys… To vodka aficionados, therefore, I am a nitwit. Vodka nerds do not dilute their precious spirit with any other tastes, any more than oenophiles drink wine coolers. Remember
Best things in Austin I have eaten so far
Not only had I not eaten these things before 2006, I didn't know what in the hell some of them were. I still don't really know how to pronounce chevre -- I usually tag on a vague "ruh" sound at the end. And tomatillos? I thought those were decorative. But I don't want to spoil the list for you, so
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“Best of the Puget Sound” list
Not to be outdone by a list of favorites from our old stomping grounds, we here in the Puget Sound region have our own list of fine foods to celebrate. With one exception, we had not encountered these treats before 2006.
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Digest: E. coli update, Frankenvines, more
New York Times: Battered by E. coli outbreaks, three major produce industry groups are calling voluntarily for government regulation; one has worked with California officials in California on creating a formal system of farm inspections,
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Digest: Mackey chat, bye-bye bread basket, sweetener lowdown
Post-Gazette: A reprint of yesterday's Wall Street Journal interview with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, in which he explains why he cut his own salary to $1, why sales are slowing, and how Whole Foods is lowering prices to compete with Wal-Mart
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A time to give thanks: Thanksgiving weekend at Sineann
Several years ago, I worked for a local natural food chain store in Portland, Oregon as a wine, beer, and cheese monger. One of my regular customers at the time was a man named Peter. Peter came in on a regular basis, bringing his absolutely adorable daughter with him. We would talk about food and
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Digest: Cane and able drinkmakers, Mason on ethical eating, pro-raw-milk politician
Seattle P-I: Seattle-based Jones Soda — maker of root beer, cream soda and quirky drinks with flavors such as turkey and gravy — is switching from high-fructose corn syrup to pure cane sugar. Sweet! And in related news,
Brews blues in the Emerald City
Visitors to the Emerald City who read the Seattle P-I's Getaways section must think that Seattle hates itself more than an angst-ridden teenager. Once or twice a month, the section reminds Seattle residents that everything is better in Portland. The Rose City does feature a superior brewpub scene,
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Digest: SOLE salvation, Cooper on Nightline, Canook canards, organic hooch-y mamas
Grist: Tom Philpott and a friend try to cook a SOLE food dinner for $30 to prove that good food doesn't have to be elitist — and mostly fail. Instead, he outlines what sort of societal policies and changes would make doing so
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Digest: Where the wild things aren’t, Terra firma plans, slo-growing
Diner's Journal/NYT blog: Ever take a walk on the wild side in restaurants? Dairy Queen likes to — which is why she's shocked and embarrassed to learn from NY Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni that by law, the "wild" game served in U.S.
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Digest: Beef basics, ethanol dilemma, red-wine cure, grape gripes
Slate: What makes a steak taste good? In this well-done primer on beef — a must-read article for meat lovers — Mark Schatzker delivers an overview of the effects of marbling (how the USDA determines the grade), breed, feed, hormones, and aging. And then
Apple date or how to drink from trees
Last Sunday I made my first-ever batch of homemade apple juice. Earlier in the week, Lady Persimmons, my friend and next-door neighbor, and I decided that Sunday night would be our apple date. I agreed to pick the apples beforehand from the two apple trees in our backyard, and Lady P would provide
Locality and beer
One of the things that the Butter Bitch and I enjoy doing on vacation is to explore local beer scene. This is a common pastime for visitors to Europe, which has a thriving beer culture, but is even more exciting in the United States.
