Here’s a frightening forecast from Jeanne Carpenter at www.cheeseunderground -

The state of Wisconsin stands to lose almost 1,000 more farms by spring 2010 – this after quarterly reports in which the major corporations in the dairy industry – Dean, Kraft – posted double-digit profits.

Read the story online here and support dairy farm families in Wisconsin – buy local dairy milk when you can, and write your state representative now – just as craft brewers deserve a fair price for their work, so do farmers.

Here’s a link forwarded by my publisher, Kristi Switzer, from an interview about  “Julie & Julia” by Rosemary Black – the article talks about the ways that cooking can cure heartbreak!

It started out as an idea for a  picnic on Pier Wisconsin. The Stevens Point Brewery thought they would have a few friends show up for the first Point Friday Fish Fry & Flick, an outdoor picnic blending two of Milwaukee’s favorite things – the gorgeous Lake Michigan waterfront location of Discovery World, movies and an old-fashioned fish fry (burgers optional).

“They expected about 200 people, and more than 2,500 showed up on the very first Friday,” says Aldo Madrigrano, president of Beer Capitol/WOW Distributing.”It’s been a huge success for Point Beer.”

Every Friday through the summer, lakefront revellers can enjoy the $9.95 fish fry with flicks such as Pulp Fiction, and this Friday, Old School – with Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn. Upgrade the menu to the lobster boil  – and it’s just three more bucks. It’s a community collaboration through September 18, between the Pabst Theater, Bartolotta Restaurants’ Pier Wisconsin Catering and Discovery World, which also happens to be the site for the upcoming Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference…

Ever dreamt of being a brewer, a chef, a chocolatier or other culinary genius? Travel Oregon is calling all food and drink enthusiasts to fulfill their dreams by applying for a cuisine internship, or “Cuisinternship.”

Seven winners will be selected to win all-expenses paid trips (airfare, lodging and $1,000 meal stipend) to spend one week shadowing an Oregon expert in his or her field of culinary crafts. The contest opens today as part of Travel Oregon’s largest statewide tourism promotion, Oregon Bounty, celebrating the state’s culinary products and the artisans who make them.

Oregon Bounty Cuisinternships are offered in the following categories:

· Artisan Food Producer: Become a culinary artisan in Southern Oregon with chocolatier Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms and cheese maker David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery

· Brew Master: Turn hops and grains into craft beer with brew master Jamie Emmerson of Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery

· Chef: Immerse yourself in Portland’s dynamic food scene working alongside chef Gabe Rucker—one of Portland’s culinary provocateurs—learning how to turn out inventive, gourmet meals that delight diners at the award-winning Le Pigeon restaurant

· Distiller: Get an advanced degree in mixology and learn about Oregon’s booming craft spirits industry with distiller Jim Bendis of Central Oregon’s Bendistillery

plus Fisherman, Rancher and more….

“Oregon has a rich and varied culinary landscape,” said Travel Oregon’s Director of Brand Strategy Holly Macfee. “It’s a down-to-earth-place where visitors can meet the people who craft the beer, grow the produce, cultivate the cheese and create the chocolate confections,” she explains. “We’re inviting foodies to enjoy Oregon’s culinary abundance, whether through a Cuisinternship or a self-guided tour with family or friends. Our online culinary trip planner is now available to help travelers research, plan and organize the details of their next visit.”

To enter the Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest, applicants must submit a short video, along with a statement containing no more than 140 characters, describing why they are the best candidate at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. Seven winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Oregon to shadow their mentor for one week. Entries must be submitted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18. A panel of judges, including the Cuisinternship mentors, will select winners which will be announced beginning Sept. 28.

To give entrants an idea of what they can anticipate on their trip, Travel Oregon produced video vignettes of each culinary mentor and the experience their Cuisinternship offers (view them here: www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty). A longer video will also be available, which follows Chef Gabe Rucker as he visits the seven cuisine-related locations and mentors with the goal of making the perfect Oregon meal. The video culminates with all participants gathering together for an Oregon feast at Rucker’s restaurant, Le Pigeon in Portland, where the culinary masters discuss why they consider Oregon to be the ultimate foodie destination.

Want to plan your own culinary getaway? Travel Oregon today launched a new comprehensive culinary website at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. This planning tool provides an enticing portal into everything there is to see and do in Oregon—from wineries, distilleries and breweries to chefs, artisan producers, farmers markets and insider tips on where to taste the best local flavors—all in a searchable database. Visitors may also order a print travel guide through the site.

Media can learn more about the Cuisinternship Contest and mentors, Travel Oregon’s new culinary website, and Oregon Bounty here: http://TravelOregon.Mediaroom.com.

For a complete list of contest rules, and to enter, visit www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty.

So many recipes begin – “place a pot of water on the stove” that it’s common for caterers and chefs to always have a pot of hot water at the ready. So too for brewers – when your recipe is comprised of 90 percent water, then a good supply of fresh water is vital. That’s why I’m veering off topic a bit, to announce a new conference, The Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference.

A quote from speaker Doug Odell puts the goal of water savings in perspective:

“I think the Conference is a great idea. Craft Brewers have the opportunity to be leaders in water conservation and sustainability.  All we have to do is apply our natural penchant for innovation and we can change the norm.  Many of us have made good progress but there is more we can do through collaboration.” Doug Odell, co-founder, Odell Brewing Co.

You can learn more about the conference here.

There’s also a Facebook event page here.

And details about the state of emergency declared: Wisconsin’s drought

It’s going to be hot this weekend – and in preparation for the 90-90 weather, I’m making beer ice cream – a special concoction of fresh peaches, lightly cooked with a bit of sugar and peach lambic ale – the recipe is adapted from a beer dinner at the Phoenician hosted by Charles Finkel of Pike Brewing Co.  back in the time when he imported lambics under the Merchant du Vin line. My favorite fresh peaches grown in Michigan aren’t in the markets yet – but I found some wonderful Missouri-grown peaches that are really ripe and aromatic. It’s important to start with juicy, really ripe fruit for the best tasting frozen dessert.

Here’s a nice link from travel and beer writer Travis Poling’s site, Beer Across Texas that mentions my recipes as well his palate-tingling experiences with beer ice cream made by chef Gary Butler at Freetail Brewing Co.

Peach Lambic Ice Cream

2 cups peeled, pitted and diced peaches (about 4 large peaches)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
4 ounces peach lambic
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin softened in 3 tablespoons warm water
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup
Ice cream machine
Fresh peach slices to garnish

Cook the peaches with brown sugar, cane sugar, and lambic ale, in a medium saucepan over low heat, until peaches are softened and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Blend softened gelatin with fruit-lambic mixture in a large glass mixing bowl, and then fold in the heavy cream and vanilla syrup. Stir well, cover and chill. When cold, scrape into ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze ice cream overnight to ripen and smooth the texture. The lambic gives it an oozy soft-serve consistency. You could serve it with more peach lambic ice cream – or a favorite weissbier.