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Posted: 2026-02-16 15:08
Earlier this month I attended the Maryland's Best Expo in Annapolis which is a program from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to connect farmers, watermen, and other businesses to consumers. I was mostly attracted to the event because of the participating distilleries and wineries starting with Oversea Distillery in Columbia and their Baijiu and whiskies. Then there was Pathfinder Farm Distillery and their red corn moonshine; rum galore from St. Michaels Maryland and Lyon Rum; sugar based moonshine from our friends at Rosie Cheeks and finally canned cocktails and craft spirits from Frederick’s Tenth Ward. I specifically wanted to interact with Dodon Vineyards to learn more about their regenerative farming and expect much content and a site visit early next month. I was delighted to see the German inspired wine from Penn Oaks Winery and later the classic red wines from Black Ankle Vineyards. Mully’s Brewery represented Maryland craft brewers showcasing their unique expressions from southern Maryland.
Then there were oysters - should pair with the Dodon Sauvignon Blanc or could have previewed the Department of Agriculture’s beer and oyster program. There was plenty of dairy like Chesapeake Gold Farm & South Mountain Creamery. Mushrooms, pies, really delicious pies, lots of honey and a reminder for the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Honey Ale coming out in March. More produce, My Dad’s Chips, and Rancher Shane’s Beef Jerky.
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Posted: 2026-02-12 15:47
 This month we attended the Maryland's Best Expo in Annapolis which is a program from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to connect farmers, watermen, and other businesses to consumers. Columbia's Oversea Distillery poured at the event and Distiller Bret Kimbrough introduced me to their fascinating portfolio that includes gin, rum, single malt whisky, bourbon, and baijiu. Even though Baijiu is one of the world’s most widely consumed spirits, I am relatively unfamiliar with the spirit and Bret related its long history, regional diversity, and distinctive production methods.Baijiu is a distilled spirit traditionally made from grains—most commonly sorghum, though wheat, rice, corn, and barley also appear depending on the region. It is typically bottled at a high proof and is known for its aromatic intensity, which varies widely across styles.
 Baijiu’s origins trace back more than a thousand years. Early Chinese distillation techniques developed during the Song and Yuan dynasties, but the spirit took on its recognizable modern form during the Ming and Qing periods. Over time, regional practices solidified into distinct styles, each shaped by local climate, available grains, and fermentation traditions. By the 20th century, baijiu had become deeply embedded in social and ceremonial life across China. It remains a central part of banquets, business gatherings, and holiday celebrations.Baijiu production relies on solid‑state fermentation, a method that uses a starter culture called qu. Qu is a mixture of grains inoculated with naturally occurring yeasts, molds, and bacteria. Producers add qu to steamed grains and allow fermentation to occur in pits, jars, or stone vessels depending on the regional style. After fermentation, the mash is distilled—often multiple times—and the resulting spirit is aged and blended. Aging vessels range from clay jars to stainless steel tanks, and blending is considered a core skill in shaping the final flavor. The primary Chinese Baijiu offered at Oversea Distillery is produced by the Wangdao Distillery Co. located in the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region and then bottled in Columbia. The spirit is crafted using a mash bill of sorghum, barley, and pea and then aged in pottery jars. Oversea also offers a barrel aged version of this baijiu - the Oversea 6 Years Aged Baijiu - which is aged for over 6 years in China, then finished for one additional year in our Oversea used whiskey barrels in Maryland. Of the two I preferred the fresh, clean, and floral character of the original Chinese Baijiu that also shows some melon and bitter herbs. Oversea Distillery includes Baijiu in several cocktail recipes such as the Baijiu Cosmo (Vodka, Baijiu, Triple Sec, Lime, Cranberry), Baijiu Mango Margarita (Baijiu, Mango, Triple Sec, Lime), and the Genghis Khan Mule (Baijiu, Vodka, Lime, Ginger Beer). May I offer a variation of the Genghis Khan as a Dark n' Stormy (Baijiu, Rum, Lime, Ginger Beer). Cheers and happy sipping.
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Posted: 2026-02-07 08:26
 Just as Thomas Volney Munson devoted a great deal of his life to collecting and documenting American native grape varieties, John and Josephine Riley travelled throughout the world collecting and documenting hundreds of apple trees. Over 30 years ago they planted an orchard on the secluded Bowen Island (British Columbia) to cultivate these trees and today the orchard consists of about 1,000 different apple varieties. Most of these are from North America but there are plenty that originated from Europe to Central Asia.  Five years ago Christine Hardie and Rob Purdy asked the Riley's for help in establishing Riley's Cidery and eventually took over the living tree museum. The trees are listed in a binder located in the tasting room and the 2023 Long Lost Apples is composed of the juice from all the apples harvested from the orchard. This is a time consuming project because the apple ripen at different times and some trees only produce fruit every other year. Thus approximately 500 apple varieties went into this cider that combines tartness with a nice tannic body. Fresh acidity livens the finish.
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Posted: 2026-01-29 07:00
Across the Mediterranean, Xylella fastidiosa has become one of the most destructive plant pathogens in modern European agricultural history, reshaping entire landscapes and threatening a cultural legacy built on thousands of years of olive cultivation. What began as an isolated detection in southern Italy has evolved into a regional crisis, with the bacterium spreading through parts of Spain, France, and beyond. Its impact is profound: ancient groves are dying, rural economies are destabilizing, and the ecological balance of traditional olive‑growing regions is under unprecedented strain. The most widely supported hypothesis is that Xylella fastidiosa entered Italy on an imported coffee plant from Costa Rica sometime in 2008. At the heart of the devastation is the way Xylella fastidiosa attacks the olive tree. The bacterium colonizes the xylem—the vessels responsible for transporting water and nutrients—gradually clogging them until the tree can no longer sustain itself. The result is Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), a condition marked by leaf scorch, branch dieback, and the rapid collapse of the entire canopy. Once symptoms appear, the decline is often irreversible. The disease spreads primarily through sap‑feeding insects, especially the meadow spittlebug, which thrives in Mediterranean climates and can move easily between wild vegetation and cultivated groves.  The outbreak in Puglia, Italy, remains the most dramatic example of the pathogen’s destructive potential. Since its detection in 2013, millions of trees—some more than a thousand years old—have died. Entire landscapes once defined by silvery olive canopies now stand barren, their skeletal remains a stark reminder of how quickly the disease can transform a region. The emotional toll on farming families, many of whom have tended the same groves for generations, is as significant as the economic loss. Olive oil production in affected zones has plummeted, and the region’s iconic agrarian identity has been deeply shaken. Spain, the world’s largest olive oil producer, has also faced serious challenges. The Balearic Islands and parts of mainland Spain have recorded multiple subspecies of Xylella, some of which infect not only olives but also almonds, grapes, and ornamental plants. The diversity of host species makes containment especially difficult. Unlike Puglia’s relatively concentrated outbreak, Spain’s cases are more dispersed, complicating eradication efforts and raising concerns about long‑term persistence.  Governments and researchers have mobilized aggressively, though progress is slow. Traditional farming practices—such as maintaining grassy understory vegetation—can inadvertently support spittlebug breeding, forcing growers to rethink long‑standing land‑management habits. Containment zones, mandatory tree removal, and restrictions on plant movement remain central strategies, but they are controversial and emotionally painful for affected communities. On the scientific front, hope lies in tolerant olive cultivars such as Leccino and FS‑17, which show resilience against the bacterium and are now being planted widely in Puglia. Researchers are also exploring biological controls, improved vector management, and advanced diagnostic tools to detect infections earlier. Still, the path forward is complex. Xylella fastidiosa is notoriously difficult to eradicate once established, and the Mediterranean’s interconnected agricultural systems make long‑term vigilance essential. The crisis has become a defining test of how Europe responds to emerging plant diseases in an era of globalized trade and climate instability. What remains clear is that the Mediterranean’s olive heritage—its landscapes, its economies, its cultural identity—faces a generational challenge. Yet amid the devastation, there is resilience: farmers replanting with tolerant varieties, scientists pushing the boundaries of plant pathology, and communities rallying to protect a symbol that has defined their region for millennia.
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Posted: 2026-01-27 09:17
"George Washington’s gristmill and rye‑whiskey operation at Mount Vernon grew from a practical farming enterprise into one of the most successful early industrial ventures in the young United States. Washington originally built his gristmill to process wheat grown on the estate, both for his own plantation and for sale to nearby markets, making it an important commercial engine for Mount Vernon’s economy. The shift toward distilling began in 1797, when Scottish farm manager James Anderson recognized that Washington’s abundant rye crops, modern mill, and reliable water supply. Anderson first experimented with two small stills, and the results were so promising that Washington authorized construction of a full‑scale distillery in 1798. By 1799, the year of Washington’s death, the distillery produced nearly 11,000 gallons of rye whiskey, making it the largest whiskey distillery in America at the time. Today, the reconstructed gristmill and distillery at Mount Vernon operate much as they did in the 18th century, preserving Washington’s entrepreneurial legacy and the role rye whiskey played in early American industry."  Virginia rye whiskey has a story that stretches back to the earliest days of American distilling, shaped by the state’s fertile soil, its role as a colonial agricultural powerhouse, and the ingenuity of farmers who turned grain into a valuable commodity. In the 1700s, rye grew well across the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley, thriving in the cooler seasons and rocky soils where other grains struggled. Early Virginians -- many of them Scots‑Irish immigrants familiar with grain distillation -- quickly adopted rye whiskey as both a household staple and a profitable trade good. While Virginia would later become famous for its brandy and, eventually, its bourbon‑leaning styles, rye whiskey was a foundational spirit in the state’s early economy. Historically, Virginia’s distilling activity was widespread rather than concentrated in a single region. Small farm distilleries dotted the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge foothills, and the Tidewater region. In the 19th century, commercial distilleries emerged near transportation hubs—towns along the James River, rail lines, and port cities like Norfolk and Richmond. Many of these operations were modest in scale, producing whiskey for local markets rather than national distribution. By the early 20th century, however, industrialization and shifting consumer tastes began to reshape the landscape, and Prohibition ultimately wiped out what remained of Virginia’s rye whiskey industry. Virginia’s historic rye distilling tradition was shaped by hardy, flavorful grain varieties that thrived in the Mid‑Atlantic’s climate and soils. Farmers used a mix of winter rye varieties that were hardy and high‑yielding, producing a whiskey that balanced spice with a softer, earthier profile than the bold Monongahela ryes to the north. Early distillers commonly relied on Abruzzi rye, an Italian winter rye introduced to the American South in the 1800s that became prized in Virginia for its resilience, high yields, and bold, spicy character. In the colonial and early‑American eras, farmers also grew heritage landrace ryes—locally adapted strains saved from year to year—which produced whiskeys with rustic, earthy depth. One of the most distinctive of these was Seashore Black Rye, a nearly forgotten coastal varietal once grown from Virginia down through the Carolinas; its dark kernels and peppery, almost chicory‑like flavor made it especially valued in regional spirits. These grains contributed to a style of rye that was flavorful yet approachable, often complemented by small amounts of corn or malted barley depending on the distiller’s preference. Modern craft distillers in Virginia have revived several of these heirloom grains, recognizing that the state’s rye‑whiskey identity is inseparable from the diverse, historically rooted rye varieties that shaped its flavor for centuries. Virginia’s rye‑whiskey revival has been driven by a dynamic group of distillers who each bring a distinct perspective to the state’s historic grain. Catoctin Creek® in Purcellville helped lead the modern movement with its organic, grain‑to‑glass Roundstone Rye, rooted in early American distilling traditions. Reservoir Distillery in Richmond takes a different approach, producing 100% single‑grain whiskeys — including a bold, spicy rye — sourced entirely from Virginia farms. In Sperryville and Williamsburg, Copper Fox Distillery stands out for its in‑house floor‑malting and fruitwood‑smoked grains, giving its rye a uniquely aromatic, lightly smoky profile. A. Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg, though best known for bourbon, has also produced limited rye releases that reflect its long legacy as one of Virginia’s oldest distilling names. Even historic Mount Vernon contributes to the landscape, with George Washington’s reconstructed distillery producing rye using 18th‑century methods. Together, these producers showcase the breadth of Virginia’s rye identity — from heritage‑driven craftsmanship to innovative grain experimentation — and reaffirm the state’s role as a cornerstone of American rye whiskey. Focusing on Catoctin Creek® their history is a modern revival of Virginia’s deep rye‑whiskey heritage, brought to life by founders Becky and Scott Harris. When they opened the distillery in Purcellville in 2009 it became the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition. Their vision grew from a shared belief that Virginia, the birthplace of American whiskey, deserved a distillery dedicated to traditional, grain‑forward rye. The Harrises built the business from the ground up, investing their savings, navigating Virginia’s strict licensing requirements, and committing to high‑quality, locally sourced ingredients. And in order to open, Scott helped draft the initial legislation allowing for craft distillers in the Commonwealth. Their flagship Roundstone Rye quickly became one of the most awarded whiskeys, embodying their philosophy of craftsmanship, regional identity, and historical continuity. Today, Catoctin Creek stands as a leader in Virginia rye, blending historical reverence with meticulous modern distilling and releasing unique variations of the Roundstone Rye.
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