Fermentation Fest

Once again I messed up -- my trip to California was to Los Angeles County, not Orange County so I will not be able to complete my Valencia orange research this year.  My cousin Ben's wedding was awesome and I was able to squeeze in a visit to Round Table Pizza to check in on the company that pretty much funded my retirement.  The Gourmet Veggie pizza was as delicious as ever.

Round Table Pizza restaurant in Torrance, California

Wedding Venue at Terreanea Resort

Last week I attended the Fermentation Festival in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.  I'll let the organizers describe it:

A food and farming festival with a focus on live culture in all its forms from dance to yogurt, from poetry to sauerkraut

There’s something brewing in the crocks, kettles and jugs of Reedsburg, Wisconsin. From sourdough bread to home-crafted beer, pickles to soy sauce, chocolate to cheese, compost to silage, the Live Culture Convergence has it all. Farmers, chefs, artists, poets and cheese makers converge with a series of  classes, tastings, lectures, art events, and more.

The signature event for 2014 will again be the Farm/Art DTour, a fifty-mile self-guided drive through scenic working lands of northwest Sauk County punctuated by temporary art installations, Roadside Culture Stands, PassWords, Field notes, and Pasture Performances.

I went on a Friday so I missed the musical performances and classes but the Farm/Art DTour was fantastic.  Some of my favorites:

 A corn maze with the maze part replaced by inspirational signs and the sound of corn stalks blowing in the wind.

This was my favorite - from the brochure* - "Too much pig, a giant straw diorama, depicts the wild invasive swine species encroaching on rural communities in southwestern and central Wisconsin. Their recent discovery threatens farmland, livestock, and the natural environment."  

This is a box of very expensive candy I bought from one of the vendors for our Thanksgiving dinner.  I didn't notice that it had an "enjoy by date" of November 11 so unfortunately, I had to eat it all.  The one with hot chili peppers was really good.

I highly recommend this event.


*There are actually two pigs in the diorama.