Fun Ferments

Heliculture, a fancy word for snail farming, is on the rise here in the U.S. In this episode of "tasteMAKERS," come along with host Cat Neville and visit a tiny greenhouse in Cutchogue, New York, where tens of thousands of snails are being hand raised on foraged greens. Almost all of the escargot served in the US is imported either canned or frozen - Peconic Escargots' Taylor Knapp is one of a very few American farmers that produce fresh escargot and snail caviar.

The ancient preservation technique of fermentation turns out to have tremendous side benefits. In this episode of "tasteMAKERS," travel with host Cat Neville to meet the team behind Edible Alchemy in San Diego, California. They vend at more than a dozen of the city's bustling farmers' markets and source directly from local organic farms, turning the region's bountiful produce into healthful and totally delicious fermented foods, including kombucha, sauerkraut and coconut yogurt.

In this episode of "tasteMAKERS," travel with host Cat Neville to Jack Rabbit Hill Farm in Hotchkiss, Colorado, where Lance Hanson is crafting biodynamic wines that express his biodynamic farm's high desert terroir. To make eau de vie, cider, gin and other beverages that reflect the character of western Colorado, Lance sources apples, pears and peaches from local organic orchards where the focus is on building healthy soils to produce amazing fruit.

In this episode of "tasteMAKERS," host Cat Neville takes you to Coupeville, Washington, to meet Ian Jefferds. He is on the forefront of sustainable shellfish farming. He's growing and harvesting delicious oysters, clams and mussels that are beloved by the fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Market and Seattle's best chefs, like Hot Stove Society's Tom Douglas.

In this episode of tasteMAKERS, host Cat travel to Pitts, Georgia, to meet Clay Oliver. His cold-pressed, unrefined oils, made from sunflower seeds, pecans, peanuts, okra seeds and sesame seeds, have become one of the South's most sought-out ingredients, with James Beard-winning chef Steven Satterfield among its fans.