After doing the podcast for a few years, we thought listeners would enjoy hearing updates on three popular episodes of Grounded by the Farm. So in this week’s episode, we touch base with three people we talked to some time ago about the latest happenings in their part of the world.

Here’s who we talked to and the background on each of them from previous episodes.

• Popcorn farmer Matt Helms about Ella & Ollie Popcorn the local, premium quality product the family is selling in online and in the St. Louis area as well. You may remember Matt from our first season, episode 102 Popcorn… family legacy and local future and we showed how they got high quality at Family-Owned Popcorn Farm Has Quality Focus.
• Community builder & urban farmer Natasha Nicholes tells us about how things are growing in Chicago with We Sow We Grow. Natasha talked with us about Building a Community Garden in Chicago and Online in episode 114.
• Tennessee Brew Works’ Christian Spears tells us about the craft beer with a farmer connection that took a medal in the Great American Beer Festival and how they are trying to expand. We talked in episode 107 Crafting a Beer that Has a Depth of Local Flavor & Connecting to Farmers to accompany episode 106 when we interviewed Brandon Whitt in Ever met a beer farmer? That malted barley has to start somewhere!. We followed up with him in episode 121, What 2020 is Like for Local Microbreweries & Restaurants (Bonus Episode).

Growing A Premium Popcorn Business

We first talked with Matt Helms about his family’s Ella & Ollie Popcorn business as it was in early stages. He showed us some big storage bins they had just put in and talked about how harvest had been good so they had a lot of popcorn.

As the first of our three popular episodes to update, Matt says the specialty stores in the St. Louis area have been great as have their online sales. They have expanded the number of places selling the popcorn AND they have expanded their product offerings too! Here’s how things have grown:

• The website and specialty markets have a full set of product offerings for popcorn aficionados. There are flavor-infused olive oils and seasonings to sprinkle on, as well as a microwaveable popper that I love so much I have been buying them for friends & family!
• Ella and Ollie popcorn is available in grocery stores for a couple of geographies — Dierbergs Markets in and around St. Louis and Central Markets in Texas.
• The number of varieties they are planted has expanded to five and that has allowed them to provide even more options. They now sell white popcorn on the website & through specialty shops, have movie theaters and gourmet shops all buying their popcorn and sharing the love of local!
• They’ve even started a popcorn lover’s club for folks who really enjoy keeping the good stuff around!

Growing Community In Chicago & Beyond

Natasha Nicholes and her family moved to the South Side of Chicago, into the West Pullman neighborhood and began creating community as they built a community garden.

The location of West Pullman is something that stands out and Natasha is anxious to expand the space available. Their first step is getting the current plots more efficiently organized. She thinks they can expand by a third or more from where they are by utilizing some of the knowledge she’s gained. But they also have a nearby property in their sights that would make a huge difference for in-person meetings, events, planning, etc.

Since we first talked, they have grown the virtual community extensively! Putting Natasha’s master gardener skills to work, but also pulling in a lot of other people who love gardening and have a particular depth of knowledge. She’s held two major virtual conferences helping more people understand some of the highs and lows of gardening, planning, etc and is now building year-round programming. For instance, she’s found experts in composting who are sharing knowledge in the weekly sessions they are setting up for the new subscription-based services for We Sow We Grow on Mighty Networks.

You can hear & see why it’s one of our three popular episodes, that yay at the end says it all! If you are interested in supporting the efforts to build gardening skills and a physical location on Chicago’s South Side, you can make donations to support We Sow We Grow.

Brewing the Best Beer with the Best Ingredients

Covid has thrown a few challenges at anyone in the hospitality and travel industries and Christian Spears says Tennessee Brew Works has certainly had them, but at this point, the team also has several things to celebrate.

First, Christian says, simply staying in business was the primary challenge and sadly many great craft breweries and restaurants were unable to survive. And while the TN Brew team was always amazing, there is a strengthened the sense of community and camaraderie now.

In 2021, the brewery received a major nod to the unique brews they connect back to farms as Farmer’s Beat took a medal at the Great American Beer Festival. It’s a unique offering the craft brewery works with Delvin Farms to get the beets for that and are looking forward to a butternut squash beer with that direct farmer connection in 2022.

The Nashville-based craft brewery is finally getting an expansion online. Spears says the supply chain difficulties have prolonged the expansion of the line but it is getting close now. That, combined with the increased demand for the product in the state, especially in east & middle Tennessee gives the team that excitement about what can come… and they are ready to go.

And if you want a great celebration in Nashville, with great beer and food, the TN Brew Works Instagram offers this tip.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tennessee Brew Works (@tnbrewworks)

Before You Go….

We’d love to know if you enjoyed the update on past episodes. It felt like a good idea, but we realize we may just want to update with two at a time. It is just too hard to do this in less than 15 minutes!

Also, we have some fun Grounded by the Farm stickers that we want to make available to some of our regular listeners / readers. To get one, just send us a request via the contact form including your name & mailing address!

The post Updates on Three Popular Episodes: Popcorn, Community Gardens & Beer Oh My! appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

Over the past several months, we have talked to several farmers including changes in light of covid-19. This bonus episode takes a totally different look at the world as we catch back up with Christian Spears at Tennessee Brew Works. Christian was featured in a winter episode about sourcing local grain for the brewery and that episode was accompanied by an interview with the wheat and barley farmer they source so much from…. That wheat from Batey Farms is featured in their summer seasonal wheat beer I Walk the Lime too.

Christian’s first words are about how much the world has changed since we visited in the winter. We talk through how the brewery has had to rework things in light of the pandemic. Some of the topics and timecode follow as we covered a lot of ground in 45 minutes!

Please support your local microbreweries, restaurants, etc. Look for their products, call for curbside service, order products for a couple of meals at once, buy logo’ed wear, share your experiences with friends, family and your social media networks.

02:46 Taking a total business approach

09:00 Wanting to help employees while protecting the company’s future too

20:42 Where are you now? What can people do to help microbreweries and restaurants? 

29:52 Introducing innovations to help contactless

33:31 New seasonal 100% wheat beer — I Walk the Lime

39:59 Supporting live music in Nashville as possible

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Christian Spears discusses local farm connectivity TN Brew Works has built over the years https://groundedbythefarm.com/crafting-a-beer-that-has-a-depth-of-local-flavor-connecting-to-farmers/
• Brandon Whitt, of Batey Farms, talksaboutgrowin barley& wheat for the microbrewery https://groundedbythefarm.com/ever-met-a-beer-farmer-that-malted-barley-has-to-start-somewhere/
• Video/ article providing background of TN Brew Works & Batey Farms https://groundedbythefarm.com/craft-beer-tennessee-brew/

Where to Find TN Brew Works Online:

• Brewery website:  https://www.tnbrew.com/
• Instagram TNBrewWorks. instagram.com/tnbrewworks
• Facebook TNBrew. www.facebook.com/tnbrew
• Tumblr TNBrew. https://tnbrew.tumblr.com/
• Twitter TNBrewWorks https://twitter.com/TNBrewWorks

Connecting with Grounded by the Farm on Other Channels:

• GroundedbytheFarm.com for photos, blog posts, show notes and more
• Ask the Farmers Facebook Page
• Groundedbythefarm_ on Instagram
• Grounded by the Farm on Youtube
• @groundedbythef on Twitter

Check out this episode!

The post What 2020 is Like for Local Microbreweries & Restaurants (Bonus Episode) appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

He never thought he’d be a beer farmer but Brandon Whitt says Batey Farms welcomed the new spin on the centuries old farm. He says the motto is “preserving the past and embracing the future” and the two really come together at the Nashville area farm. That’s how he ended up providing malted barley to a local brewery.

Murfreesboro, TN is among the top five, fastest growing counties in the country and this eight generation farm is trying to remain viable. They have seen change and honoring the past is a big part of it.

Growing Malted Barley

Batey Farms does a lot of small grain work — focusing on malt quality barley as wheat production is well-established. Still working on rye to get quality where they want it but the barley has really been coming along. He says wheat has been grown in the area for decades and so has the knowledge farmers have.

In the past Batey Farms grew cotton, had a dairy, etc. and it remains diverse but has evolved. Whereas the small grains used to go to the dairy, small grains were fed to the dairy cows (used as a forage crop). Now those small grains go to various customers.

Locals Love Batey Farms

Brandon discusses how farmers like him try to stay on top of what people in their area want while also bringing a knowledge of the local environment. Being able to keep your crops moving into the market is important.

What really drives Brandon is seeing customers with smiles on their faces. It is a true working farm but also has areas of agri-tourism like a retail shop for pork products, a u-pick berry patch and more. It is so picturesque it even has that grain silo made into a gazebo that rocks Pinterest feeds. His father-in-law John L Batey says farmers are always repurposing things.

Thinking about making the most of things and extending the lives of things, shifting the farm is different. Batey produces pork products which were being considered for the kitchen but as he toured the brewery, seeing all those bags of grain… Brandon also wanted to see if that could be supplied locally.

Brandon pointed out that moving to new crops is investing and taking risks, risks that need to be taken to build into the future. Getting wheat into the Southern Wit blonde beer was the first step. Malted barley meant more changes on his farm and in the area so it took longer.

What Barley Looks Like

Barley looks a bit like wheat or beautiful grass. The stem that produces the grain in barley can be a two-row barley or a six-row barley. We have a photo of two row barley on the website as well as this snippet in the video we shared. The difference in size of grain matters when you start talking about beer production and getting into the scientific of sugar production and details of chemistry of malting.

Malting involves letting the crop grow through it’s green stage to begin drying down for harvest. Looking at freshly harvested barley seed, you have complex sugars in it. And those sugars are bonded and tied up in the seed. It would take a lot of enzymes to break that down. Instead, we  let the seed rest for two months and then run it through a malting facility.The seed is soaked in water, raising the moisture back up to 45-50% after making sure it had been dry for harvest. In this steeping tank with water for 48 hours or so, the water is drained and seed is laid out so it starts to grow. The root sprout emerges and you will then dry it back down, like roasting it in the oven. What that process does is convert complex sugars to simple sugars which is useful in making beer, spirits (Tennessee whiskey), etc. That malted barley is what is used in the range of alcohol products.

The Seasonality of Barley

Growing barley is a winter crop for Brandon — that means it is planted in late September – October. It is planted after you harvest soybeans or something. That seed germinates and gets started before winter makes it dormant (stop growing) for a few months. The crop stays 4-5 inches tall all winter. Then around Valentine’s Day fertilizer provides the nutrients to wake it up and it starts growing. In late March they check again with fertilizer to insure they get a big seed as the malting process will take it from a moist grain to a dried product — like drying grapes to raisins. So bigger seeds make a difference.

Quality comes first for Brandon as he looks at harvest. He wants as many quality bushels as he can get. Last year he had to harvest around some low areas where water flooding delayed the crop, there were potential fungus issues, etc so they need to use care in choosing what to harvest.

Barley is used extensively in beer production — it’s the number 1 ingredients. Tennessee has a long history of distilled products, but there it is used for energy, not flavor. Barley in distilled products doesn’t add to the flavor but acts as an enzyme to help break down corn, rye and other grains. In beer it provides the flavor profile. Traditional Tennessee style products use malted barley.

Looking beyond Beer for Growth

Brandon says they are looking at the potential to introduce their grains to food products like the Pillsbury products made nearby. In that, malted barley is used in pastries to provide a bonding agent.

He discusses the issues facing dairy farms, perhaps grains like this can help. And people like Christian like knowing they can help their neighbors. The complexities of local, loving it for a range of reasons and yet also liking some of the diversity of foods that have come to plates over the past few decades.

Selling pork products locally is great, but Brandon also appreciates the role that major companies like Tyson have. As a farmer who works across direct, commodities and more. You will have trouble getting locally grown popcorn in some regions of the US. (shout out to the Ella & Ollie popcorn episode!)

The Batey Farms retail store is open two days a week. In summer, there are strawberries, blackberries and blueberries to pick as well as fields of sunflowers. You really should check it out if you get to the Nashville area! 

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Interview with Christian Spears (episode 107 issued at the same time as a bonus episode)

Video from inside the brewery & on the farm

Popcorn episode (Grounded by the Farm #102)

Finding Batey Farms online:

• Instagram BateyFarms1807
• Facebook BateyFarms
• Website BateyFarms.com

Suscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss anything! 

• Apple podcast — Grounded by the Farm 
• Spotify for Grounded by the Farm 
• Google podcast link to Grounded by the Farm 
• Libysn is where we host so we can also be found there 

And if you love it share with friends and drop us a rating/review.

The post Ever met a beer farmer? That malted barley has to start somewhere! appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

As Christian Spears and the Tennessee Brew Works team began getting their new craft brewery together, they reached out to the Department of Agriculture to see what the ag department may know that could be helpful. That started a great relationship for the brewery, some chances to learn a lot about what they needed to do as well as ultimately led to his connection to local farmers like Brandon Whitt of Batey Farms. The camaraderie continues and has really brought some benefits personally and professionally.

Brandon came in to meet Christian and others and while he loved talking to them about the foods they may incorporate into the kitchen, but they soon started talking about the grains used for the beers. It was a long conversation — taking years to find quality grains — mainly wheat and barley — that would grow well in the area.

Commitment to Local

The brewery has a commitment to local and Christian says they do what they can to “celebrate the land, culture and heritage in our beers.”  They do it through the brands, ingredients and more. The winter seasonal is a sweet potato stout and the sweet potato farmer is even featured on the bottle!

There are lots of opportunities, and the success is mutual for farm and brewer. Barley wasn’t common in the area so it took some work. Hops can be grown locally but to get some of the bigger areas you may need to go elsewhere. Tennessee has been known for corn and corn whiskey a long time, barley fits there. Hops may not be as scaleable.

Having employees of both the brewery and the farm trying to figure it out. The early rounds of estimates meant it may be twice as much as some other sources. So unmalted wheat was a entry point and the blonde beer was high on wheat. The risk of changing the beer was a bit worrisome and Tennessee Brew Works ended up needing to go in wholeheartedly.

Buying locally seems to Christian to have had quality and taste differences which is appreciated. On some foods it may be easier to notice but daily beer tastings lead Christian to say there is a difference.

Changing Dynamics of Nashville

Tennessee Brew Works bought the building in 2012, the neighborhood was rough but as the city has exploded, it came to the brewery. The neighborhood has built up around it and the restaurant has built the neighborhood too.

The craft beer trend may be slowing but having transparency, finding a way to do what they love for a living, they are working to do this the right way.

Christian got into craft brewing through home brewing. As a former member of the financial industry, he reinvented himself and found people who would help him with the leap of faith. His best friend is his partner. They are talking about grains, etc. as well as the finances. Christian wants his team to be successful and compensated well but realistically says lot of the team could probably make more doing other things.

The team actually came up with the ways to describe the beers and ultimately labels and brands were drawn from that.

With the Nashville scene, beer and live music, the crowd can differ by day and include varying numbers of locals, tourists, musicians and more. The brewery ended up being mentioned in a list people.com ran about bachelorette parties. There is room for all groups, especially with good weather and the patio.

Top-Notch Brew Team & Transparency

The business is really two groups. The brewery team comes in early mornings, getting trucks out for customers. The restaurant team comes in later. You want people to come in for the taproom and in 2013 as they started, they embraced social media and the grassroots buzz was helpful.

Transparency of having the brewing on the other side of the windows from the restaurant. Enjoying a drink just 50 feet from where it was made, with ingredients grown just 30 miles away.

Matt Simpson runs the brewing operation. Christian says “He has forgotten far more than I will ever know about brewing.” The brewing team has really turned out some good beers, they make some great beers and on some days it is truly world-class that Christian says he is honored to be part of.

Understanding & Building the Community

Tennessee Grain Initiative…. Agriculture is the number one industry, spirits are the number one export and brewing is the fastest growing industry. Christian has found that agriculture has some pain points right now with dairy industry having been so important. Dairy is really hurting. Spirits and brewing could really help raise up the local ag community and solve some problems the community is experiencing. It helps everyone over time and reduces some of the risks. Working through this supply and distribution dilemma can really deliver results.

In general, people don’t just call their regulators but calling the Tennessee Department of Ag was a great move for them, Christian says.

All of this has led to a great feeling of community pride. Tennessee Brew Works brews a State Park Blonde Ale for the Tennessee State Parks. It’s a major source of pride in the state, with the parks department and who doesn’t love the state parks?!?! It is a first time in the country as far as we know.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Interview with Brandon Whitt, Batey Farms (episode 106)
• Video from inside the brewery & on the farm
• crawfish episode
• Video of TNBrew Works

Finding Tennessee Brew Works Online

• Brewery website:  https://www.tnbrew.com/
• Instagram TNBrewWorks. instagram.com/tnbrewworks
• Facebook TNBrew. www.facebook.com/tnbrew
• Tumblr TNBrew. https://tnbrew.tumblr.com/
• Twitter TNBrewWorks https://twitter.com/TNBrewWorks

Don’t Miss Any Episodes

We’d love to have you listening on the regular. Here are some of the more popular apps but we try to be everywhere at once. If we missed anything, please comment or give us a shout on social media!

• Apple podcast — Grounded by the Farm 
• Spotify for Grounded by the Farm 
• Google podcast link to Grounded by the Farm 
• Libysn is where we host so we can also be found there 

We’d love your to leave us a review or rating too!

The post Crafting a Beer that Has a Depth of Local Flavor & Connecting to Farmers appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

The craft beer scene has been on the rise for quite a while and with my love of travel, I visit a lot of local brew pubs. But having a chance to talk to a farmer that is raising barley and wheat for a local brewery as well as the founder of that brewery? That’s unusual.

When Christian Spears started Tennessee Brew Works, he reached out to the state’s department of agriculture to help him in a variety of ways. He wanted to incorporate local foods into the menu. He wanted to understand local agriculture and connect to some farmers — that’s how they developed some truly unique local craft brews. That’s what put him in touch with Brandon Whitt of Batey Farms in Murfreesboro. This week’s episode of Grounded by the Farm features an interview with Brandon and is accompanied by a bonus episode with Christian.

Checking Out Batey Farms

Having made multiple trips to Batey Farms over the years, it feels a bit like home. But thinking about that, it feels a bit like that for others too. Batey Farms has been operating for centuries, and has changed with the times quite a few times.

Brandon Whitt, his father-in-law John Batey, began growing barley to meet the needs of Tennessee Brew Works. In this video, we learn a bit about the type of barley they grow. In fact, I hurriedly grabbed my camera in the midst of recording the podcast interview as Brandon demonstrated how the seed head forms.

You’ll also get to take a look around the grounds and the retail shop that is housed is an old cabin alongside strawberry and sunflower fields and barns for the farm equipment nearby. My family (and friends like Alisha) loves the bacon and chorizo, but you will also want to check out the pork osso bucco my friend Susan Williams made when we visited.

You can find the podcast episode in your favorite app by searching for Grounded by the Farm. Episode 106 — our interview with Brandon Whitt is also here.

Tennessee Brew Works, a Taste of Nashville

Driving just a few miles from the Batey Family’s picturesque farm, in downtown Nashville is Tennessee Brew Works. Arriving at the same time as the wait staff for the taproom up front, I had the chance to interview the founder before the crowd arrived. The brewery staff had been working for hours already. Getting some of the signature craft brews kegged up or bottled.

I couldn’t help be be impressed by the barrels from the George Dickel Distillery. While my mind raced with various ideas on how I could make use of some of those barrels, I was quickly drawn to the fact that TN Brew Works is the legendary distillery’s exclusive brewery partner.

Tennessee Brew Works champions local which shows up in the craft beer, food, and music on the stage. It is definitely on my list for a visit the next time I’m in downtown Nashville. If you are in Nashville and can’t make it to the taproom, no worries, the signature brews are available on tap and in bottles around town so ask for it everywhere.

The podcast interview with Christian discussing Tennessee Brew Works at length can be found on this site or in your favorite podcast app by searching for Grounded by the Farm and pulling up episode 107.

Find Tennessee Brew Works & Batey Farms Online

Both Batey Farms & Tennessee Brew Works actively share photos and updates on what is happening in their part of the world. So whether picking strawberries or drinking a local craft beer is your thing, both will offer inspiration and enjoyment.

You can find Batey Farms on:

• Instagram BateyFarms1807
• Facebook BateyFarms
• Website BateyFarms.com

Tennessee Brew Works is on:

• Instagram TNBrewWorks
• Facebook TNBrew
• Tumblr TNBrew
• Twitter TNBrewWorks
• Website TNBrew.com

And make sure you listen to both of the Grounded by the Farm episodes as we interview Brandon at Batey Farms and Christian at Tennessee Brew Works.

The post Craft Beer: Meeting the People & Places Behind A Tennessee Brew appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.