Today was a beautiful day. Chelsea and I did not take a real long walk because I was had a lot to do before I left for church. I put a beef vegetable soup in the slow cooker.

I went to the 8AM Mass then left right from Mass for Sheboygan to pick up Bobbie for the class we took on Fermented Beverages from Linda Conray and John Holzwart. We spent the morning in preparation and preparing the start of a ginger culture to use in making soda out of juices. You add the culture to a gallon of juice and let it just work, then bottle it. We have to add ginger root and sugar to the mixture for about 5 days until it starts to work.

After we finished this process and tasting several different wines, juices, and even some maple sap, we were served a natural lunch. Linda served a nice mixed green salad with a homemade dressing and homemade feta cheese, another salad with various plants and black beans, she also had her own sour cream to put on the bean salad and a quiche made with leeks and morel mushrooms. Num Num.

Then we prepared a batch of elderberry wine. We got everything into the primary fermenter and were able to let it cool enough to add the yeast. They let the yeast get ready in orange juice and added that to the primary when it had cooled enough. (One usually pours boiling or very hot water over the fruit or flowers to start them releasing their flavors. However, boiling water would kill the yeast so you have to let the must cool before putting the yeast in.) Then John showed us how to rack, by racking a Maple wine that was ready for racking. And finally he bottled some of a previously prepared elderberry that was ready for bottling. We all got to bring a small bottle of that home with us too. (We got little tastes of all of these things.)

The final lesson was in beer making. We, again as a group, prepared a batch of Burdock Beer. You can actually make beer out of burdock root, dug up in the fall from new burdock plants. It is used instead of hops. I did learn a lot but since I don't like beer, will probably not use that information.

They also touched a bit on making vinegars. That I may try. I will have to do some research but it makes sense. They are making some out of apple cider and pear cider.

Anyway it was FUN and I will be going on a Morel Mushroom Hunt with John and a group of others on May 17th. I hope I can find lots. John said that you preserve them by drying them. They actually used the last of last year's harvest in the quiche we ate today so they keep well. I am excited. Bobbie WAS going to come but will not be healed enough to be walking in the Kettles that soon. She told them to just forward her reservation for the hunt to next year.

If you are interested in these teachers, John and Linda, they have a website www.moonwiseherbs.com.

Got home at about 4:30. Boy was Chelsea glad to see me. She had been out with Dick three times but waited for me to do her big stuff and boy DID she ever.

The soup was really good. I will take some to Mom tomorrow. And we have plenty left for some good lunches this week.

Have a good week. This is supposed to be turkey hunting week. I have not heard from Randy or Kenny. Well, Tomorrow is soon enough to worry about that.

Mary