-Peter McMindes- Norway has been using kveik for centuries, passing it down through generations of brewing families, providing unique characteristics to farmhouse ales. Kveik (pronounced “kwike”), means “yeast” in Norwegian, and the strain has remained relatively unchanged in areas that engage in traditional farmhouse brewing. The name kveik refers to the yeast itself, not the style of beer, and it is extremely genetically diverse while exhibiting characteristics not typical in other brewing … [Read more...] about Kveik: A Hot New Yeast Trend in Homebrewing
Build Your Own Super Soil
-Ryan Blankenship- What exactly is super soil? Super soil is a blend of many different amendments that will feed your plants from seed to harvest. This blend will give your plants all of the essential nutrients they need to lead happy lives and keep them from having any deficiencies. In this blog I will give you a great recipe and explain what each amendment does for your soil. 8 x 1.5 cu.ft. bags of organic soil (Roots Organic or Ocean forest works the best) 30 lb bag of … [Read more...] about Build Your Own Super Soil
P-K Boost
-Gabrial House- During a plant’s life cycle it goes through several different phases of growth. At the beginning of its life, it wants a lot of nitrogen and a good amount of phosphorus. These nutrients allow the plant to grow in biomass, meaning the plant is creating a large root system and lots of leafy green material. As growers, we refer to this phase in a plant’s life as its vegetative stage. As the plant enters its reproductive stage, however, it shifts focus away from green, … [Read more...] about P-K Boost
Edible Perennials – Deliciousness Year After Year
-Mike Weeks- So here we are, back to that time of the season when gardeners get that itch to get out and start planting something. This post will focus on the gift that keeps on giving: edible perennials. Fruit trees, berries, and perennial vegetables provide a bounty year after year, and now is the best time to plant them. In this post, I’ll cover planting and care basics for a few of our most sought after selections. Strawberries These can be planted in early spring and will need a … [Read more...] about Edible Perennials – Deliciousness Year After Year
Fining Your Beer With Gelatin
-Peter McMindes- As homebrewers, we pride ourselves on delivering delicious tasting beer to our friends, family and ourselves. While demonstrating how well-made fresh beer tastes, we also like to focus on the presentation. When seeing the brightness and clarity of other homebrewers’ beer, you may wonder how they achieve such a level in the finished product, and the answer is usually a fining agent known as gelatin. Many commercial and larger craft breweries may filter their beer and use … [Read more...] about Fining Your Beer With Gelatin
Beginning with Bonsai
-Naomi Austin- There are a lot of opinions out there when it comes to bonsai plants -- so many, that it can be a bit intimidating to approach this deeply enjoyable pastime. But trust me, once you get started, you’ll have a hard time foregoing the pleasure that bonsai gardening affords you. It can be so calming to focus on small spaces and intricate details, creating and trimming your tiny worlds in a pot. Let me start by saying that I am not a “Bonsai Master”. I have learned how to pot … [Read more...] about Beginning with Bonsai
Growing Microgreens Indoors – It’s Easier Than You Might Think!
-Mike Weeks- Growing food indoors might seem intimidating, but it is something that you can incorporate into any homestead. Using LED or even T5 fluorescent lighting, it is very easy to set up a small growing space that doesn’t require much energy to produce quality results. This single indoor space can serve several purposes: growing plant starts for the outdoor garden; keeping a few herbs around through winter; supplying supplemental lighting for a house plant or two; or growing my favorite … [Read more...] about Growing Microgreens Indoors – It’s Easier Than You Might Think!
Magical, Marvelous Air Plants
-Gabrial House- There is no easier way to brighten up a room than with tillandsia, a.k.a. air plants! They can add all sorts of colors, shapes, and textures to any house, workspace, or chill space. Air plants are native to forests, mountains, and deserts of the southeastern United States, the Caribbean, northern Mexico, Mesoamerica, and parts of Argentina. Tillandsia will pretty much grow onto anything their seedpods can land on. They are commonly seen growing on trees, rock walls, … [Read more...] about Magical, Marvelous Air Plants
Using Enzymes In Brewing Production
-Ryan Blankenship- Enzymes have been used in beer production for some time now, whether for gluten reduction, turning some non-fermentable sugar into fermentable sugar, or increasing clarity. For brewing, enzymes can, among other things, increase starch liquefaction and saccharification, which in turn increases the production of fermentable sugars. These enzymes can also help reduce viscosity, support yeast during the fermentation process, and even extend the shelf-life of a beer. In … [Read more...] about Using Enzymes In Brewing Production
The Lowdown on Food Fermentation
-Patrick Metz- Winter is tough time of year for anyone, but even more so for gardening and homesteading enthusiasts. It seems as if it is constantly cold, wet, or both, discouraging favorite outdoor activities. But don’t despair! I find this to be the perfect time to experiment in the kitchen. This year, I brushed up on food preservation techniques in preparation for our harvest, mainly food fermentation, and more specifically lactic acid fermentation (aka, lacto-fermentation). First, … [Read more...] about The Lowdown on Food Fermentation
