Fungi and Fermentation Skill Swap

Join the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art, and Natural Design (ISLAND) and the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center as we explore the wide world of fungi and fermentations. Anyone with an interest in local foods; wild-crafting; food preservation; or tasty, healthful meals will greatly benefit from the workshops offered here. Experienced teachers will present an array of topics, including wild mushroom hikes, mushroom dyeing, mushroom paper, cheese making, vegetable fermentations, mead making, and much more! There will also be local vendors selling fungal and fermented goods.

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Paid tastings in the future?

Cari Noga reports on the small distillers bill recently passed by the Michigan Senate and forwarded on to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, which amends state liquour code to give small distillers the option to charge for tastings. Traverse City's Grand Traverse Distillery would benefit from the bill, and is considering a new facility on Old Mission peninsula. Noga reports that Black Star Farms' Don Coe is asking WineMichigan to seek similar legislation for wineries.

True North Vodka nets second gold

Grand Traverse Distillery released its True North Vodka last June, and has since earned two gold medals. The most recent was at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the first last September at the prestigious 2007 Beverage Testing Institute's International Review of Spirits Competition. "Receiving two Gold Medals with our first year is real validation that we're on the right track," says True North Owner Kent Rabish. A fine start for the fastest growing vodka in the premium vodka class, and one that uses our very own northern Michigan rye.

Cherry Vodka

Grand Traverse Distillery recently released its cherry vodka, and man is it good! While walking around the tasting pavillion at last month's Epicurean Classic, I kept overhearing people talking about it and how good it was. So naturally, I had to try it. YUM! And with an infusion of chocolate, how could it be anything but good? It's available locally at many stores, so make sure to look for the distillery's True North Vodka with the red stripe.

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