Babes aBrewing; women in beer
April 21, 2011 - 5:50pm | by stephanie
While at the Craft Brewers Conference, Lassa and I stumbled into the Pink Boots Society, http://pinkbootssociety.org/, annual meeting. Quite unlike the 5/1 men/women ratio in the rest of the conference, the room was jammed with women in brewing; brewmasters, QA specialists, pub owners, marketers, retailers, distributors, etc. There were seasoned pros and newbies.
Sebbie Buhler of Rogue Ales (and label model on Rogue Chocolate Stout) introduced us as culture founders, and urged all pink booters (ies?) to discover cheese. And afterward, we got the chance to meet many of them.
Tax Day menu contest winners
April 20, 2011 - 4:17pm | by wfertman
The judges have returned their verdict
After extensive deliberations over tax day menus, both pathetic and mouth-watering, we have selected the winners:
When will "Freelance Affineur" get its own animal?
April 19, 2011 - 12:38pm | by wfertmanAttention Foodies,
Illustrator and wise-ass Dyna Moe has supplied us with a tumblr of hipster animal archetypes: the full-time Etsy crafter owl, the social media branding analyst bluejay, etc.
Poetic and insane yogurt commercial
April 18, 2011 - 6:18pm | by wfertmanWhile working on a post about yogurt, I stumbled across this marvelous, demented commercial out on YouTube-- hadn't seen it in the wild, but it's running on TV somewhere:
Brown Bag Memories
April 15, 2011 - 6:54pm | by laurenberley
15 April 2011
Sonoma, CA
One thing I miss about being married to a Lebanese man is the food. More specifically, the Labneh. In earlier years, a starving artist in NYC, I used to bring lunch to work. In spite of a tight pocketbook, I’ve always had a vow to wow, homemade lunches included in the lifestyle. There was no bologna and cheese sandwich in my little mini-Igloo, no sir. It was all about labneh sandwiches rolled with zataar, fresh mint and basil leaves, cucumber and tomato into a lavash, doused with olive oil and held together with aluminum foil until lunchtime.
I desire mostarda immediately
April 15, 2011 - 2:06pm | by hazel
One of Culture’s recent articles has taken a particular amusing to my taste buds… the latest cheese-companion, mostarda. I am, and have always been, an addict for all things with a kick. A kick, that is, from pungent chemicals in food. Gingerol in ginger, piperine in peppercorns, capsaicin in chillis, allicin in garlic (although I must admit that I tend to avoid garlic due to the horrific oral “hangover” that it insists upon) and probably my favourite of them all – allyl isothiocyanates in horseradish, wasabi and mustard.
What tantalizing effects this chemical brings to your palate. A refreshing and invigorating tingle that takes the eating experience to a whole new dimension. For this reason, I am exceptionally keen on trying mostarda, especially with some of the delicious artisan cheeses that I have been sampling recently through my work with Culture.
Please put some on my cheese!
Foraging
April 14, 2011 - 10:41pm | by Austin
As much as my appetite and senses are currently tuned to cheese and other fermented/cured products of the cheese shop, this time of year (spring/summer) my diet is relieved to squeeze in a few green things. Eating locally is rewarding yet not always affordable. Since I have never claimed or intend on becoming a hunter or farmer (though I’ll carry the upmost respect) foraging is a small means of sustaining myself. Plus, it’s down-right-fun to find ‘needle-in-a-haystack’ spots, keeping them secret to let my ‘forager’ ego grow.
Ramps tend to be the first sign of the unveiling foraging season. They are bountiful enough that no secrets need to be kept except perhaps the recipes that they are deemed for. There are grilled ramps, sautéed ramps, pickled ramps, ramp soup, ramp pesto, and an infinite imagination of applications and techniques.
Cheese Feet
April 14, 2011 - 2:00pm | by Lassa
I just can't get the image out of my head of shoes made of cheese, so I've just GOT to blog about it.
The MailOnline posted this piece yesterday: A fashion student from Bath Spa University designed and made a pair 'Jimmy Cheese' shoes using bread and West Country cheddar, and they will be displayed at the 2011 Royal Bath & West Show to promote the region's cheese.
"The budding fashionista sculpted ablock of cheddar to make the heel, and a stale cheese sandwich was used for part of the platform sole. The front of the shoe was moulded from more cheddar and extra cheese was melted and shaped to embellish the design."
I'm so impressed...and I am dying to try them on. Of course, I can't stop wondering if they do smell and if they are comfortable...and if they actually would stand up to a night on the town (not in rainy London, I'm guessing...) At any rate, it's certainly peaked my attention and that was what it was the point, right?
Magic Mood Changer: Just Say Formaggio
April 7, 2011 - 4:39am | by laurenberley
03 April 2011 Sonoma, CA I have no internet, nor even a chair for that matter. My furniture is coming next week. I have only what went to Italy with me, plus a few things I’ve needed since landing. There is dust everywhere from renovation, yet inches below are a fantastic kitchen and an entire house with tiled floors and a garden. My new home in Sonoma. But right now I can only see brooms, my trashed socks, white pawprints on everything, and the air mattress where Lincoln the Dachshund and I sleep folded like a taco under a 1970s sleeping bag. The past two weeks Lincoln and I have been sleeping in the loft portion of an R.V.
MARY’S DAIRY DIARY - APRIL 2011
April 1, 2011 - 2:20pm | by Mary Quicke
April is bright and blowy, warm like summer, cold like winter - plenty of weather. We all cheer up as the days get longer, the light gets brighter, nature fizzes with the wild dance of high spring. Birds everywhere take on the business of breeding, endless feeding. The ravens in the wood on the hillside spend all their time scolding - who? Each other? Badgers are about a lot at night: all ours look healthy, fat: we see the guardian boars, who roam the edge of the territory keeping their families safe. The wild boar sows have piglets, making them off limits: each one producing 6 -12 young. They will defend their young vigorously, so walkers need to keep dogs on leads, you don’t want the dog running back to you with a stroppy mum in hot pursuit.
