John Conzella of Condzella's Farm and T.J. Smolka of the Chelsea Brewing Company are in the studio talking beer farming and science! Mary Izett and Chris Cuzme are back on this week's Fuhmentaboudit! to talk about the New York state hop industry. Tune in to hear about John's recent successful Kickstarter campaign, and what it means for hop harvesting on Long Island. Learn about New York's history as a major hop producer! Later, T.J. explains how to harvest yeast from homebrews! What is the difference between washing and rinsing yeast? And how many times can you re-use yeast? Extract yeast from your homemade beers, and brew long and prosper! This episode has been sponsored by Fairway Market.

"About 100 years ago, hops were king in New York. New York produced 80% of the nation's hops" [5:15]

"Homebrewing is where it starts. It's the root of beer culture out here in New York. It's important to me to get hops in the hands of homebrewers." [9:45]

-- John Condzella on Fuhmentaboudit!

"The thing you want to move your yeast into should be a de-oxignated and nutrient-free material." [25:30]

-- T.J. Smolka on Fuhmentaboudit!

Learn how to make mead on this week's episode of Beer Sessions Radio! Jimmy Carbone is joined in the studio by 2nd place Beer Drinker of the Year, Jen Schwertman! Also in the studio are Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin Brewing, and Roger Repohl, beekeeper and mead homebrewer. Is mead wine? Or is it beer? Listen in to hear how Roger got involved in beekeeping, and how legal beekeeping has changed New York City. Michael Fairbrother of Moonlight Meadery calls in and talks about sweetness and dryness in mead, and why he has to source honey from all over the country to make mead in New Hampshire. How does season affect the flavor of honey? Hear about Michael's experience judging Homebrew Alley VII, Jeppe shares some strong Evil Twin brews, talks about the popularity of mead in Denmark, and talks about complex draft systems. Learn about the legality of homebrewing in Mississippi! This episode has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com.

"I do small-batch harvesting of honey. During the honey season, I'll harvest it as it's ready. It's sort of like 'boutique' honey." [41:00] -- Roger Repohl on Beer Sessions Radio

On this week's A Taste of the Past, Linda welcomes Cathy Kaufman, professional chef and food writer to the studio to make sense of Mesopotamian cuisine, its birth, development, and the records we have of its recipes.