Fuhmentaboudit!

On today’s episode of Fuhmentaboudit!, guest Cheryl Paswater talks about some cozy winter ferments that are perfect for the season. Paswater is a certified fermentationist and gut ecologist, who has fermented everything from kombucha to cookies.   “That’s one of the beautiful things about fermentation: preservation to get us through these winter months.” [11:20] – Cheryl Paswater  

Fuhmentaboudit! is celebrating its 150th episode with none other than Dave Kyrejko, talking his newest project: Arcane Distilling.  Arcane is a bizarrely experimental micro distillery based in Brooklyn, specializing in vacuum distilled whiskeys and spirits, including beer whisky.  According to Dave, “There be no copper pot ‘stilling, old-timey marketing schtick, or apple pie moonshine here.” Tune in for a great show featuring an in studio tasting! “Arcane is all about the weird, the unusual. The entire thing is centered around vacuum distillations.” [9:30] –Dave Kyrejko on Fuhmentaboudit!  

Tune in to a brand new episode of Fuhmentaboudit! as hosts Mary Izett and Chris Cuzme are on the line with Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association. As a stats geek, beer lover, and Certified Cicerone®, he holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where in addition to his dissertation, he completed a comprehensive survey of Bay Area brewpubs one pint at a time. What are the influences that home brewers are having on professional brewers? Which styles of beer are poised to break out this year?  If you’ve ever wondered about the numbers behind your favorite brew, this episode is not to be missed! “Beverage manufacturing is one of the few areas that has grown manufacturing jobs in this country.” [24:00] “Any town above a million has a brewery now: it’s incredible!” [28:30] –Bart Watson on Fuhmentaboudit!  

Tune in for a brand new episode of Fuhmentaboudit! as Mary Izett and guest co-host Rachel Jacobs talk to Nancy Singleton Hachisu. Author, cook, and farmer, Nancy left California for Japan in the late 1980’s, fully intending to learn Japanese in one year and return to the States for graduate school, and instead fell in love with a Japanese organic farmer.  Now living with her husband and three sons in their eighty-five-year-old traditional farmhouse, Nancy has taught home cooking to Japanese housewives for over two decades and is the leader of a local Slow Food convivium and talks to Fuhmentaboudit! about all things fermented in Japan. Form natto to various fermented fish to shochu, this episode covers it all! “What sets Japanese fermenting a part is Koji… it’s a naturally occurring spore.” [30:00] –Nancy Singleton Hachisu on Fuhmentaboudit!  

Fuhmentaboudit! is on the line with Annie Johnson, Master Brewer at PicoBrew talking all things automatic beer brewing appliances. The first woman recipient (since 1983) of the American Homebrewer Association’s prestigious Homebrewer of the Year award, Annie serves as PicoBrew’s Master Brewer-in-residence. A National Beer Judge herself, Annie has won awards for her beers across all of the major BJCP styles. She has contributed dozens of award-winning recipes to the PicoBrew recipe library and continues to pioneer new techniques and processes in the PicoBrew lab as she delights visitors with her many sample beers on tap. Born in Germany and encouraged by her parents who inspired her love of food and culture, Annie continues to brew with her old colleagues in California (and of course, support her Oakland A’s) as she spreads the good word and good brew in the Pacific Northwest. Tune in for more on Annie plus the details surrounding the PicoBrew! “The Pico itself uses pre-packed Pico packs geared more toward t

You want a little adventure in your life. And why not? With thousands of breweries and distilleries in the United States, there are more choices than ever on tap and behind the bar. So many, that you’re a little bit intimidated. That’s where this week’s Fuhmentaboudit! guest comes into play – Jeff Cioletti, author of “The Year of Drinking Adventurously: 52 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.”  He shares that the book serves as a guide to getting out of your beverage comfort zone once a week for a year. Each of the fifty-two chapters features the story behind a unique beer, spirit, cocktail or wine, designed to broaden your drinking horizons. Some correspond with specific seasons or holidays, encouraging you to forget the million-dollar marketing-supported “conventional wisdom” and drink against the grain. It’s Cinco de Mayo? There’s much more to the celebration than lime-enhanced lager and shots of rotgut tequila. St. Patrick’s Day? Do you really want to be the 700th person of the evening to order a green-t

_ Fuhmentaboudit! _ is back for the 2016 season! Hosts Chris Cuzme and Mary Izett sit down with fellow Heritage Radio Network host, Harry Rosenblum of Feast Yr Ears, for a thorough discussion on vinegars.  In the throws of writing his own book on vinegar, Harry explains that vinegar is a traditionally fermented liquid that can basically be made of any liquid containing alcohol, and goes on to highlight the steps for anyone looking to make vinegars at home.  More than just your mother’s white vinegar, after the break, the trio break down vinegar types and how Harry specifically derives his unique varieties. Tune in for a fascinating show! “Every single condiment you could possibly think of has vinegar in it – all of them – both as a preservative and for flavor.” [38:00] –Harry Rosenblum on Fuhmentaboudit!  

Kicking off the final episode of the season, Fuhmentaboudit! is featuring a sit down with craft cider revolutionary Nat West.  Starting Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider in his basement in 2011, and known for his unusual American ciders and love of experimentation, Nat shares that he’s dedicated to bringing good cider to the craft beer lovers of the world. Notably, he really is a reverend who calls Portland, Oregon home.

This week _ Fuhmentaboudit! _ is back with a brand new episode featuring the team from Scratch Brewing Company: Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon.  As co-owners (along with Ryan Tockstein) of the brewery, they explain their backgrounds as well as how they met up and eventually waded through mounds of paperwork and legislation to stat their own brewpub, which at the time, was the only brewery south of Springfield, Illinois.  The duo explain that they focus on beers brewed with ingredients including dandelion, ginger, maple, and honey.  All of their ingredients are grown on premises, foraged from a local wooded area, or are sourced from local places.  Tune in for a delicious episode! “We found that the beers with darker malt works better with the sap because there’s a lot of minerals in the sap.” [31:30] –Marika Josephson on Fuhmentaboudit!  

_ Fuhmentaboudit! _ is getting cheesy this week as Chris and Mary welcome Jessica Sennett to the studio chatting about her invention, Cheese Grotto.  Cheese Grotto is the optimal cheese storage unit for your fridge, your cupboard, or your cellar. It is an eco-friendly, durable, and aesthetically pleasing preservation method that mimics the benefits of cheese caves.  Also employing humidity and air flow technology to keep cut and whole pieces of cheese fresher for longer, it requires no extra packaging!  Notably, it also couples as an cheese aging unit for all of those DIY food people!  Tune in for a great show!

_ Fuhmentaboudit _ takes on bread! This week Chris Cuzme and Mary Izett are joined by Sarah Owens, author of _Sourdough: Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads, Sweets, Savories, and More _and proprietor of BK17 Bakery. Sarah Owens spent years baking conventional baked goods, only to slowly realize she had developed a crippling inability to digest or tolerate their ingredients. Unable to enjoy many of her most favorite foods, she knew she must find a health-sustaining alternative. Thus Sarah started experimenting with sourdough leavening, which almost immediately began to heal her gut and inspire her anew in the kitchen. Soon after, her artisan small-batch bakery, BK17, was launched, and with that, a new way to savor and share nutritious sourdough breads and treats with her Brooklyn community. “I’m not a fan of baking in warm weather because it really does affect the flavor of the bread.” [22:00] “These are recipes I’m hoping you’ll make for yourself, for your families, for your friends and be really proud of

Cider Week NYC makes everything a whole lot of “Alright!” In this episode, Mary and Chris recap their jolly 10 days of everything cider in NYC and play a few interviews taken along the way featuring Jahil Maplestone of Descendent Cider, Leif Sundstrom of Sundstrom Cider, David Biun of Eden Ice Cider, and Kyle Sherrer of Millstone Cider. Hear about their company history, products, and of their varying cider production philosophies and processes in this info saturated 30 minutes of fun and inspiration. Includes tips for the home cider maker.  

This week on Fuhmentaboudit, get ready for some real cider insight from cidermaking heavyweights Steve Woods & Louisa Spencer of Poverty Lane Orchards & Farnum Hill Cider. They explain how the US wine industry helped cider makers, why almost all the good cider apples still lack something, and what most people get wrong when it comes to cider. This is an incredible behind the curtains look at a blossoming agricultural and beverage revolution!  “Variety is a noun and the cider people should not adopt the great affection as using the word varietal as a noun – it’s a bloody adjective.” [23:00] Most of these [apple] varieties have been propagated because of what they brought to a blended cider…almost every good cider apple is lacking something. All the bittersweets are short on acid, you need to find an acidic variety that will blend well with them.” [25:00]

Tune in for the meatiest Fuhmentaboudit yet, featuring John Ratliff, founder of End’s Meats NYC.  Chris and Mary hear how Ends Meats uses whole animals from responsible, pasture-raised farms in New York and New Jersey, along with imported spices to produce the tastiest cured meats possible. John goes on to explain that while fermenting meat is a complicated process that involves culturing the right type of bacteria “flora” that live in the process facility, or by adding carefully made started cultures and controlling the temperature/moisture of the environment, the friendly bacteria improves flavor, increases acidity, and converts nitrates.  Want more? Check out the website!    

Tune in for the married edition of _ Fuhmentaboudit! _  Welcoming guest Jennifer Anderson, Head Yogurt Maker at The White Moustache, Chris and Mary get the scoop on this handmade yogurt using high-quality, meticulously sourced ingredients in an unfathomably time and labor-intensive process. Discussing all things whey (the natural by-product after straining yogurt), the group discusses the many delicious uses for the liquid that is chocked full of probiotics and calcium, including The White Moustache’s new probiotic tonics.  Want more? Check out the rest of the episode! “You can think of whey the same way that you think of buttermilk. In terms of baking, I use it to make bread.” [22:00] “Whey makes a great catalyst for fermentation. I’ve made kimchi, sauerkraut – I find the whey gives it a nice jump start.” [31:00] –Jennifer Anderson on Fuhmentaboudit!

This week on _ Fuhmentaboudit _, Chris and Mary share an interview recorded via the World Beer Festival in Durham, NC on October 9th, with Brian Mandeville, head brewer at Fullsteam Brewery. First talking about their Carver Lager, a tribute to a true Southern visionary, Dr. George Washington Carver who was also passionate about the sweet potato, Brian shares how Fullstream Brewery implements the sweet potato into the brew’s mash, giving a unique flavor that doesn’t include brown sugar or cinnamon.  He goes on to share how the brewery crowd-sourced off the wall ingredients, like persimmon, even going so far as offering a bounty on the fruit for past brews.  Tune in for more of Chris and Mary’s insights on the World Beer Festival and other beertastic events on the calendar!    

Fuhmentaboudit is getting cheesy this week as author and natural cheesemaker David Asher is on the line with Chris and Mary.  Talking about what constitutes natural cheesemaking as well as other items that David regularly ferments, he explains that a popular item he produces is kefir: a traditional yogurt culture from Central Asia.  Conversation delves into rennet and the various types that are available to the aspiring cheesemakers today and many more details from David’s new book, “The Art of Natural Cheesemaking: Using Traditional, Non-Industrial Methods and Raw Ingredients to Make the World’s Best Cheeses!” Tune in for an informative show! “My favorite is chevre, a straight up fresh goat cheese… it’s remarkably tasty for a fresh cheese only two days old and really, really easy to make.” [33:45] –David Asher on Fuhmentaboudit  

Chris and Mary catch up with Pete, Zack and Tony of Kings County Brewers Collective ( See episode 87) in their new location, 381 Troutman in Bushwick Brooklyn. They discuss the trials and excitement of then and now in starting a brewery in New York City. At one time Bushwick produced 10% of all the beer made in the United States and we’re excited to see production brewing return to the neigborhood! Delicious times abound.

Tune in to this special recap episode of Fuhmentaboudit as hosts Chris Cuzme and Mary Izett (now happily engaged!) share recordings from the scene at the Great American Beer Festival held in Denver, Colorado last week.  First, Chris shares a few local, beer-tastic events before introducing clips with Alexander Liberati, Taylor Rees (Spangalang Brewery), Birrificio Argo, Colin Ferguson (Live Oak Brewing Company), M.I.A. Brewing, and Baere Brewing Company.

Fuhmentaboudit! This week Chris and Mary welcome back Chris O’Leary of Brew York, New York for another show on the Great American Beer Festival taking place in Denver, CO. Sharing some beertastic stories and previewing GABF highlights to come, tune in for Chris, Chris, and Mary waxing poetic on one of the best brew events of the year! “Colorado is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to craft beer.” [39:00] –Chris O’Leary on Fuhmentaboudit!