“From unraveling the history of the apple to exploring the intricacies of flavor, [Wilson] reveals the love and labor that goes into a timeless beverage.” —Bianca Bosker, New York Times–bestselling author of Cork Dork Cider is the quintessential American beverage. Drank by early settlers and founding fathers, it was ubiquitous and pervasive, but following Prohibition when orchards were destroyed and neglected, cider all but disappeared. In The Cider Revival, Jason Wilson chronicles what is happening now, an extraordinary rebirth that is less than a decade old. Following the seasons through the autumn harvest, winter fermentation, spring bottling, and summer festival and orchard work, Wilson travels around New York and New England, with forays to the Midwest, the West Coast, and Europe. He meets the new heroes of cider: orchardists who are rediscovering long lost apple varieties, cider makers who have the attention to craftsmanship of natural wine makers, and beverage professionals who see cider as poised to explode in popularity. What emerges is a deeply rewarding story, an exploration of cider’s identity and future, and its cultural and environmental significance. A blend of history and travelogue, The Cider Revival is a toast to a complex drink. “Cider is America’s great forgotten beverage. Jason Wilson’s lively, anecdote-filled, passionate paean to what he says should properly be considered ‘apple win’ will go a long way toward giving this immensely varied and complex libation the recognition and appreciation it deserves.” —Colman Andrews, cofounder of Saveur and author of The British Table

The ultimate guide to today’s exciting gin revival with a nod to the spirit’s rich history, featuring a comprehensive review of gin distilleries, ingredients and accoutrements, distilling methods, cocktail recipes, international bar guide, and creative contributions from industry leaders. The Spirit of Gin is a comprehensive and entertaining illustrated guide to the classic spirit, with a sharp focus on the modern gin revival led by innovative craft-gin distillers, new ingredients and infusions, and growing interest in bars across the United States and overseas. The book details the colorful history of gin from its invention in eighteenth century London to today’s worldwide resurgence; provides detailed coverage of the methods, ingredients, and accoutrements of modern makers and purveyors; gives coverage to popular gin bars and classic cocktails with eclectic sidebars and interviews; and provides a complete catalog of commercial and craft distilleries worldwide.

The next frontier in fermenting and home brewing is vinegar: the essential ingredient for enhancing your home cooking. Just about everyone has at least one bottle of vinegar in the pantry, but not many realize how much better the homemade kind tastes—the flavor is incomparable. And it's easy make; all you need is a bottle of your favorite alcoholic beverage, a starter (or mother of vinegar), and a few weeks of hands-off time. Vinegar Revival shows you how to use homemade or store-bought vinegar--made from apple cider, beer, wine, fruit scraps, herbs, and more--to great effect with more than 50 recipes. Here are drinks and cocktails (Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub, Switchel, and Mint Vinegar Julep), pickles (Cured Grapes and Pickled Whole Garlic), sauces and vinaigrettes (Roasted Hot Sauce and Miso-Ginger Dressing), mains and sides (Saucy Piquant Pork Chops and Roasted Red Cabbage), and dessert (Vinegar Pie and Balsamic Ice Cream). Whether you want to experiment with home brewing or just add a little zing to your meals, Vinegar Revival demystifies the process of making and tasting vinegar.

There are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world—from altesse to zierfandler—but 80 percent of the wine we drink is made from only 20 grapes. In Godforsaken Grapes, Jason Wilson looks at how that came to be and embarks on a journey to discover what we miss. Stemming from his own growing obsession, Wilson moves far beyond the “noble grapes,” hunting down obscure and underappreciated wines from Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, France, Italy, the United States, and beyond. In the process, he looks at why these wines fell out of favor (or never gained it in the first place), what it means to be obscure, and how geopolitics, economics, and fashion have changed what we drink. A combination of travel memoir and epicurean adventure, Godforsaken Grapes is an entertaining love letter to wine.

“Not just a thorough guide to the history of apples and cider in this country but also an inspiring survey of the orchardists and cidermakers devoting their lives to sustainable agriculture through apples.”—Alice Waters “Pucci and Cavallo are thorough and enthusiastic chroniclers, who celebrate cider’s pomologists and pioneers with infectious curiosity and passion.”—Bianca Bosker, New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork Cider today runs the gamut from sweet to dry, smooth to funky, made from apples and sometimes joined by other fruits—and even hopped like beer. In American Cider, aficionados Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo give a new wave of consumers the tools to taste, talk about, and choose their ciders, along with stories of the many local heroes saving apple culture and producing new varieties. Like wine made from well-known grapes, ciders differ based on the apples they’re made from and where and how those apples were grown. Combining the tasting tools of wine and beer, the authors illuminate the possibilities of this light, flavorful, naturally gluten-free beverage. And cider is more than just its taste—it’s also historic, as the nation’s first popular alcoholic beverage, made from apples brought across the Atlantic from England. Pucci and Cavallo use a region-by-region approach to illustrate how cider and the apples that make it came to be, from the well-known tale of Johnny Appleseed—which isn’t quite what we thought—to the more surprising effects of industrial development and government policies that benefited white men. American Cider is a guide to enjoying cider, but even more so, it is a guide to being part of a community of consumers, farmers, and fermenters making the nation’s oldest beverage its newest must-try drink.

This new edition of the best-selling Craft Cider Making is fully revised and updated. Packed with essential advice and information, it gives step-by-step instruction for small scale cider making. It retains the best of traditional practice but also draws on modern understanding of orcharding and fermentation science. Written by an award-winning cider maker, it guides beginners into the rewarding world of cider making and helps those with more experience expand their skills to enjoy the craft more fully. Includes a guide to cider apples, as well as advice on growing and caring for them. Packed with essential advice and information and step-by-step instruction for small scale cider making.

Discover practical strategies to make reading aloud a meaningful family ritual. The stories we read--and the conversations we have about them--help shape family traditions, create lifelong memories, and become part of our legacy. Reading aloud not only has the power to change a family--it has the power to change the world. But we all know that connecting deeply with our families can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven society. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to be fully present with our children, even after they can read themselves, but it isn't always easy to do. Discover how to: Prepare your kids for academic success through reading to them Develop empathy and compassion in your kids through books Find time to read aloud in the midst of school, sports, and dinner dishes Choose books across a variety of sibling interests and ages Make reading aloud the best part of your family's day The Read-Aloud Family also offers age-appropriate book lists from infancy through adolescence. From a toddler's wonder to a teenager's resistance, you will find the inspiration you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home.

From James Beard Award winner and New York Times–bestselling author of The Art of Fermentation: the recipes, processes, cultural traditions, and stories from around the globe that inspire Sandor Katz and his life’s work—a cookbook destined to become a modern classic essential for every home chef. "Sandor’s life of curiosity-filled travel and exploration elicits a sense of wonder as tastes, sights, and smells leap off the pages to ignite your imagination."—David Zilber, chef, fermenter, food scientist, and coauthor of The Noma Guide to Fermentation "Sandor Katz transposes his obsession with one of mankind’s foundational culinary processes into a cookbook-cum-travelogue."—The New York Times “Fascinating and full of delicious stuff. . . . I’m psyched to cook from this book.”—Francis Lam, The Splendid Table For the past two decades, fermentation expert and bestselling author Sandor Katz has traveled the world, both teaching and learning about the many fascinating and delicious techniques for fermenting foods. Wherever he’s gone, he has gleaned valuable insights into the cultures and traditions of local and indigenous peoples, whether they make familiar ferments like sauerkraut or less common preparations like natto and koji. In his latest book, Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys, Katz takes readers along with him to revisit these special places, people, and foods. This cookbook goes far beyond mere general instructions and explores the transformative process of fermentation through: Detailed descriptions of traditional fermentation techniques Celebrating local customs and ceremonies that surround particular ferments Profiles of the farmers, business owners, and experimenters Katz has met on his journeys It contains over 60 recipes for global ferments, including: Chicha de jora (Ecuador) Misa Ono’s Shio-koji, or salt koji (Japan) Doubanjiang (China) Efo riro spinach stew (Nigeria) Whole sour cabbages (Croatia) Chucula hot chocolate (Colombia) Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys reminds us that the magical power of fermentation belongs to everyone, everywhere. Perfect for adventurous foodies, armchair travelers, and fermentation fanatics who have followed Katz’s work through the years—from Wild Fermentation to The Art of Fermentation to Fermentation as Metaphor—this book reflects the enduring passion and accumulated wisdom of this unique man, who is arguably the world’s most experienced and respected advocate of all things fermented. "This international romp is funky in the best of ways."—Publishers Weekly More Praise for Sandor Katz: “[Katz is the] high priest of fermentation.”—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker "His teachings and writings on fermentation have changed lives around the world."—BBC “The fermentation movement’s guru.”—USA Today “A fermentation master.”—The Wall Street Journal

Apple cider vinegar has a long history as a folk remedy for a variety of health conditions and, as a result, has achieved something akin to cult status among natural health enthusiasts. But many people don’t realize that there is a whole world of options beyond store-bought ACV or distilled white vinegar. In fact, vinegar can be made from anything with fermentable sugar, whether leftover juicing pulp or brown bananas, wildflowers or beer. With her in-depth guide, Kirsten K. Shockey takes readers on a deep dive into the wide-ranging possibilities alive in this ancient condiment, health tonic, and global kitchen staple. In-depth coverage of the science of vinegar and the basics of equipment, brewing, bottling, and aging gives readers the foundational skills and knowledge for fermenting their own vinegar. Then the real journey begins, as the book delves into the many methods and ingredients for making vinegars, from apple cider to red wine to rice to aged balsamic. Along the way, Shockey shares insights into vinegar-making traditions around the world and her own recipes for making vinegar tonics, infused vinegars, and oxymels.