Rebecca Kneen

"This does sound like a good operation, but I have a question about the spent grains. It has been my understanding that spent grains are predominantly indigestible fiber and perhaps a bit of protein, and that as such they aren't great for animals: little nutrition and lots of methane gas. Anyone have any info on that?" Answer: It depends on who you're feeding it to. Yes, spent grains have lots of fibre, some residual sugars, various micronutrients, and a relatively low protein count (around 11%). However, this means only that if you want pigs, for example, to gain weight rapidly, you have to supplement them with something else (we use whey from a local organic dairy and forage, as they are on pasture). If you are feeding ruminants (cows and sheep, for example), they actually do much better on a high fibre and low protein diet. The reverse - feeding large percentages of grain - is what causes gastric probles which create the methane. This is a problem created by feedlots, not by pasture-raised livestock. And just a note: we don't claim to be unusual in using our spent grains, only in that we do it ourselves on our own farm, so travel is reduced considerably, the grain is fresher and more nutritious, and it is part of the nutrient loop between the farm and the brewery. It's not one thing that's different, it's the gestalt.

Thank you, Mark! That would be us - Crannog Ales. We use organic malt barley from Gambrinus Malting here in BC, as well as Briess Malting from Wisconsin (incidentally, it's all Canadian organic barley, apparently we do it best!). We use organic hops from our own farm as well as from the UK and New Zealand. There are no commercial organic hopyards in the USA that I know of yet, although there have been rumours... This is basically due to concentration in the hop industry, with all the farms being very localized. It's virtually impossible to grow organically in the middle of the same crop grown with chemical contaminants. Hence New Zealand and BC. And our beers are draught-only, available throughout southern BC. Come visit! Rebecca

Lite beer! Foul, revolting crap that used to be against the law (in fact, beers like Bud and Coors, and their "Lite" versions) were the reason the Rheinheitsgebot (beer purity law) was created in 1516: to stop brewers from cheapening their beer by watering it down and putting crap in it. Bottled water: if your well water tastes bad, figure out what to do to improve it. I guarantee an iron removal system or aerator will be cheaper than a year's worth of bottled water. The waste from bottled water is out of control. Most municipal water is fine to drink, and if you don't like the chlorine taste, you don't even need to filter it: just keep an open jar of water on the counter for 12 hours so the chlorine evaporates. 1 jar on counter breathing, one in the fridge for instant cold drinking, or 2 little Nalgenes in the car for drink on the go. Cheaper, easier and less wasteful, and less time than running to the Sevvy every time you're thirsty. "baby" carrots: those pre-bagged ones are not baby at all, they are big or oddly shaped carrots that have been put on a lathe and then soaked in sugar water. Which is why they are so expensive and so weird. Fake bacon bits: WHAT????? They shouldn't be produced, much less eaten. I can't even be witty about them, they're too horrible. Ditto for processed cheese. No excuse. Oh, and ditto for Kool Aid, especially the new single serving thing. I guess I'd have to say single serving anything. It's overpackaging to the max, often destroys the food quality by adding preservatives (see the apple issue), and really, we all have extra yogurt containers around to divvy food up in if we want to. The excuse for most of these things is time, and I'm afraid I don't buy it. It takes longer to work the extra three hours to pay the inflated prices for single serving prepackage and premade food than it does to buy whole foods and prepare them, and for most of us here, the pleasure is more in the food than in the work we did to pay for the crap. end of rant.

Grilled Eggplant with Schinken Serves 4 as Appetizer. The exact quantities of this dish can vary, and you can use prosciutto, schinken or even cooked bacon (though it's a bit hard to roll). I've used both a very creamy cheese like havarti or german butter cheese and parmesan, both to excellent effect - it all depends on how salty the ham is. Parmesan brings out the smokiness of a well-cured Westphalian Schinken, while creamy cheeses bring out the salt. Main Ingredients 2 whole eggplants 12 slices schinken 200 g parmesan or creamy havarti Marinade 1/4 c olive oil 3 T balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, crushed generous amounts of fresh oregano & basil Salt & pepper Make marinade: whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt & pepper. Adjust to reflect your favourite vinaigrette, but heavier on the oil than usual. Slice eggplants lengthwise 1/4" thick. If they are storebought and bitter, you will need to salt them, leave them to sit for 1/2 hour, then rinse and pat dry with a tea towel. If homegrown or from the farmers' market, just slice them. Marinate the eggplant slices for 1/2 hour or so, while the charcoal grill gets ready. Keep the marinade! Gently grill the eggplants until they are dry on the outside and soft on the inside, making sure they are sufficiently leathery outside to hold together. Slice the cheese into strips about 1/4" wide and as long as the eggplant slices are wide. Lay down a slice of eggplant, then a slice of schinken, then a piece of cheese (cheese goes crosswise), then roll the eggplant up. Secure with a toothpick if necessary. Pour the marinade over top for an extra drippy experience and serve while still warm, with napkins. Serve with a Mild Ale, Irish Red Ale, or Bitter (English or Best, not American). Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Vegetables, Pork, Italian, Snack ( RG2033 )

I employ a combination, mostly depending on how tender the corn is. More importantly, I prefer to eat it straight out of the garden, raw. If it's too tough to eat like that, I don't want it! But I do cook it too, still eschewing any toppings. How about favourite varieties? I prefer the sugar-enhanced ones for freezing and if I have to purchase corn, as the sugars hold up better. Super-Sugar-Enhanced varieties are just too sweet, with no real corn flavour (read: starch) left. From my own garden: Gentleman's White, which is a great old heritage variety with shoe-peg kernels. Totally defies typewriter eating. Rebecca

I particularly liked "milk a cow", #48. The part that's missing is "hand-milk" a cow. Not sticking a metal suction cup on each teat and watching, but cuddling your head into her side, massaging her udder with warm water, then squeezing. Streams of warm, scented milk hit the bottom of the pail with a satisfyingly delicious crash, gradually modified into frothing sounds as the level rises. Gusts of warm milk smell alternate with warm cow smell. Listen to her tummy gurgle in one ear, and the barn cats mew for dinner in the other. See and feel your cow relax as you relieve the pressure on her udder. There is no better way to wake up in the morning. If you are feeling really gluttonous, take your espresso to the barn and milk into it. Nature's foamed milk, with loads of cream. And the cow really should be a Jersey.

Hear, hear! I am distressed by the self-righteous note from some of these posts: why is it inherently wrong for someone to live off the waste of others? The people who work at the recycling plant do it too, so does your garbageman or the person who vacuums out your septic tank. Being a freegan is just a bit more direct. Most of those who eat for free do so because they must, not because it tastes better than champagne and foie gras (although I can't understand the appeal of foie gras, myself, from both the taste and ethical standpoint). Back when I lived in Vancouver's largest squatter community, we ate some fabulous meals from dumpster-dived ingredients and stuff from our community garden - Italian bread & tomato soup, endless smoothies, grilled fish and iced watermelon & papaya for dessert, with a tray of chocolate croissants from (yep) Granville Island Market. Nothing wrong with that! If you don't want it, why on earth shouldn't someone else have it and live off it? Is it offensive only because it reminds us of the horrific waste generated by our mode of food production/consumption? Living off the leftovers is, in fact, the basis of a rural economy. Every self-sustaining farmer lives on it: Feed the family, trade the leftovers. The food I sell at the farmers' market is, in a very real sense, leftovers. We feed ourselves, we sell or trade or barter the rest. If we're going to get self-righteous about something, shouldn't it be about the system that generates such appalling amounts of wasted food?

Here in BC, Canada, we have strict laws about what breweries can give away - sort of. You're not supposed to give away any beer at all, anytime. There is a dollar limit on other promotions, including "low-cost" items like glasses, but they can easily be circumvented by writing a formal agreement between publican and brewer that says that in return for buying X amount of beer, the brewery will supply X free stuff. Weirdly, this is legal, although just handing out glasses or t-shirts is not legal. As a result, big breweries, who buy their glassware by the thousand, pay pennies for it and can afford to give it away to pubs as a "low-cost" item - small breweries, who may splurge on a pallet-load at a time, pay more like $5 a glass, and giving them away gets pretty expensive, pretty fast. That said, I love branded glassware, and have a handy stock of it at home from my favourite breweries. I too appreciate a stemmed glass for beer, as well as a traditional thin-walled british pint. Not iced! Oh Please NO!!!! Can't stand mugs - the lip-feel sucks, I always wind up with beer on my nose, and I can't see the beer properly. If your beer is getting warm before you finish the glass, get a half-pint instead (or drink faster). I know it looks girly, but who really cares as long as the beer is great? Finally, I want to know if I'm the only one out there who always winds up with foam on my nose. I really really like the smell of hops and malt, but apparently I have poor depth perception. Particularly embarrassing when conducting a tasting class!