Country Ham: A Southern Tradition of Hogs, Salt & Smoke
Few things are as timeless and southern as a country ham. Gone are the days of considering it a blue-collar staple that is too often overcooked, squashed between biscuit halves or served swimming in red-eye gravy. Today, country ham has found its place among the finest European cured meats and is served at ritzy restaurants as thinly sliced charcuterie or as a garnish on pricey appetizers. The makings of every country ham are the same–hogs, salt and smoke–but these hams undergo an aging process that is no less demanding, varied and fine-tuned than the process for aging the world’s finest wines. Get the rub on the history of curing pigs in the Country Ham Belt from food writer Steve Coomes, who consults the best in the ham-making business on everything to do with this salty, southern delicacy. Price: $22.99 (includes sales tax, postage and personalization)
The Rebirth of Bourbon: Building a Tourism Economy In Small-Town USA
One need only look at Bardstown, Kentucky, to see the profound impacts of bourbon's rise from nearly forgotten whiskey to global phenomenon. This historic city of 13,500 people is enduring the growing pains brought on by a massive influx of tourists to the Bourbon Capital of the World. While these positive struggles mean dollars poured into the local economy, it also means constant crowds, pressure on infrastructure, civic services, hotel accommodations and, significantly, small town traditions.
Researched and written by Steve Coomes, The Rebirth of Bourbon: Building a Tourism Economy In Small-Town USA tells the story of the modern bourbon boom—and the accompanying challenges faced by Bardstown—through nearly 50 interviews of historians, whiskey makers and business owners riding this rising tide.
Price: $31.50 (includes sales tax, postage and personalization)
The Home Distiller's Guide to Spirits: Reviving the Art of Home Distilling
The Home Distiller's Guide to Spirits brings artisanal alcohol out of its dark moonshine past into its exciting present. This comprehensive guide to the home still is an ideal introduction for beginners and a practical resource for producing distillers. With more than 50 original recipes, it features easy-to-follow advice and step-by-step photography and direction on bottling, canning, and cultures.
Topics include: a brief history of moonshine; an overview of the techniques and distilling terms; detailed description of equipment needed and how to source it; a guide to the different stills available and their uses; a list of materials and how to find them, and how to obtain a license; a step-by-step guide to make basic alcohol with an easy first recipe; description of the types of alcohol that can be distilled at home; profiles of individual distillers and list of suppliers and resources; and troubleshooting and safety.
The Home Distiller's Guide to Spirits covers the five categories of home-distilled spirits: vodka; whisky; rum; gin; and flavored and fruit-based alcohols.
Winston L. Shelton ...a life of Invention
“Innovating for the sake of others is how we ‘pay our rent’ for our time on Earth; it’s how we give back to something that’s given us so much.”—Winston Shelton
Four decades before Winston Shelton began creating revolutionary foodservice equipment, he was tinkering with junkyard castoffs to make a working underwater exploration helmet, a gasoline powered child’s wagon, and a rudimentary sawmill—all before he was in high school. With the help of his mechanically intuitive father and brother, he discovered how things worked by disassembling and reassembling them. In the process, Shelton became a practical problem solver whose own intuition refined and created some of the most influential machines ever built. In this inspiring book, the entrepreneurial creator of Winston Industries tells a story of working on the Manhattan Project, becoming a groundbreaking G.E. engineer and revolutionizing how Kentucky Fried Chicken cooked its prized product.