Podcast

Mead n’ Feed on the South Side

March 30, 2019May 17, 2019 Mike Nowak Bartlett Tree Experts, Carrie Schloss, Conservation at Home, environment, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, gardening, Illinois Extension, Peggy Malecki, sustainability, The Mike Nowak Show, urban beekeeping, urban trees, Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:42:23 — 48.7MB)

(March 31, 2019) It ain’t just “mead n’ feed”. Today we head to Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery for radio, running, trees, native plants, honey and more. In fact, this event is a kind of three-ring environment and food circus…in a good way. We think.

It all started innocently enough. Back in November of last year, Peggy and I interviewed Carrie Schloss, author of The Asheville Bee Charmer Cookbook: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by 28 Honey Varietals and Blends. During the show, we received a call from Greg Fischer of Wild Blossom Meadery Winery & Brewery on Chicago’s south side.

It makes sense that Greg called into the show. That’s because mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with yeast. In fact, according to Wild Blossom Meadery,

Mead is not a beer, wine, or spirit in the normal sense; it is its own class of alcohol, and it is believed to be the oldest alcoholic beverage. Mead has held a pivotal place in many cultures throughout its nearly 8,000 year history, and it is still enjoyed throughout the world.

So it made sense that he wanted to hook up with Carrie Schloss and set up a honey and mead tasting event. Unfortunately, I suggested that we might bring The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki down to the south side, too.

Fast forward to March 31, 2019, and we’re broadcasting from Wild Blossom Meadery. But it’s not just radio and it’s not just honey tasting. Here’s the full lineup.

7:30 – 8:45 a.m. – The day starts with something called the Honey Fun Run. It’s free and open to the public. Wild Blossom Meadery is partnering with the Forest Preserve Foundation for this event. You might see some folks dressed as honey bees, flowers, bears, or other critters,, though costumes are optional. Start and finish at Wild Blossom Meadery and run through the adjacent Dan Ryan Woods along the Major Taylor Trail. Pets on leash welcomed. Family-friendly. Limited costumes are available to borrow or bring your own.
9:00 – 11:00 a.m. – The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki. This is also free and open to everyone. Food, mead and meadmosias are available for purchase during the show. Here’s the line up of guests.

In the first hour, we welcome ISA Board Certified Master Arborists Phil Fitch and Nick Arensmann from Bartlett Tree Experts – Chicago (www.bartlett.com). They will answer tree care questions focused on urban areas. After their segment on the show, Phil and Nick will talk to attendees one-on-one about specific tree questions. Not only that, they will be giving away pollinator-friendly free tree seedlings! That’s another great reason to stop by this morning.

Also in the first hour, we welcome Nina Baki and Valerie Kehoe. Nina is a community outreach coordinator with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Val is a horticulture program coordinator with the University of Illinois Extension serving Cook County. She has also been a key contributor to the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards since its inception in 2017. They will talk about how Cook County residence can now participate in the Conservation@Home program. They’ll explain how you can adopt “Forest Preserves Friendly” practices that provide wildlife and native plant habitat in residential, school and workplace gardens. By following some relatively easy criteria, you can earn Conservation@Home certification and a sign for your yard.

In hour two, we welcome chef Carrie Schloss back to the program. We’ll talk a little more about her honey recipes and what folks can expect at the honey tasting later in the morning. I also suspect that we’ll have a couple of samples to taste. In a Q&A with her publisher Agate, she states,

What people fail to realize is how many savory recipes use some level of sweetening to enhance their flavor. I prefer using honey rather than sugar whenever possible because you can use less honey than you would sugar. Honey is sweeter than sugar, but it’s still important to taste the honey you plan to use because the level of sweetness differs between different varietals. However, not every recipe can substitute honey for sugar. For recipes where sugar crystallization provides some level of structure, it can be a challenge to use only honey.

We’ll also chat with Greg Fischer from Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery about raising bees in an urban area.

Greg Fischer has been a beekeeper since he was 8 years old, learning the practice with his Dad on his uncle’s apple orchard in upstate NY. Now, Greg’s learned how to turn honey into world-class honey wine (mead), and opened Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery–Chicago’s first winery and Illinois’ first meadery.

Greg will give a brief history of mead, and why mead is the sustainable drink that can help grow the Earth greener. Yeah, really.

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – The Bee Charmer Honey and Mead Tasting. As much as I would like to think otherwise, this is the main event of the day. Chicago’s award-Winning cookbook author, Chef Carrie Schloss will lead guests on a special honey tasting experience. Attendees will taste 6 honey varietals–delicious, honey-infused bites from Chef Carrie’s cookbook. Greg Fischer will lead the flight tasting of 6 Wild Blossom meads and meadery tour. The cost is $20 in advance/ $25 at door. BTW, Chef Carrie will have the “Asheville Bee Charmer Cookbook” available for purchase and signing.

So there you have it. It’s a great, fun and taste-filled day, with part of it live on 1590 WCGO Radio. We hope you join us.