August 2016
Features
These Majestic Alpacas Are Gazing Straight Into Your Soul
This is a story of traveling shearers. And of some seriously quirky animals—an outsized number of whom, it turns out, call Ohio home.
Which Side Were We On in the Civil War? It’s Complicated.
Looking back from the cool vantage point of the 21st century, the battle lines of the Civil War seem clearly delineated: North vs. South, with Cincinnati proudly on the banks of the winning side. But a new book by U.C. professor Christopher Phillips lifts the veil of history to reveal a city divided by its allegiances more than we might care to remember.
The Biggest Distillery You’ve Never Heard of is in Lawrenceburg, Indiana
How did a distillery in Lawrenceburg that everybody still calls “Seagram’s” come to be the source of the best rye whiskey in America, and a helluva lot of good bourbon, too? It starts with the water—and the expertise of master distiller Greg Metze. Where it ends no one knows.
3 Ways to Preserve Your Own Fruits and Vegetables
A bumper crop of cucumbers is no laughing matter, nor is trying to cook with tasteless ‘sweet’ corn in February. But with some simple tools and home–ec chutzpah, you can resolve both on a summer afternoon.
Think You Want to Keep Bees? Try Fostering a Hive First.
The buzz on raising bees.
8 Native Plants That Will Totally Work in Your Plant-Killing Yard
Fill your garden beds with these plants, all perfectly at home in our particular micro-climate.
Composting Is Cool. For Real, Though.
Your trash can become your treasure, too. At least when you turn food scraps into soil.
How To: Choose a Community Garden
Community gardens not only feed people, they bring them together—and they come in many varieties.
“Agri-communities” Are Reinventing the Subdivision, One CSA at a Time
Urban or suburban, you can live amid the flora and fauna. With neighbors, too. Aberlin Springs and Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage show the way.
Urban Homesteading 101: Keeping Goats
“They’re kind of like dogs—they know who their people are.”
What Can Your Garden Grow? More Than You Think.
You may be surprised to see the kinds of fruit and veg that your Ohio River Valley garden will support.
Urban Homesteading 101: Sourdough Starters
Grow your dough.
Urban Homesteading 101: Harvesting Seeds
In a landscape filled with GMOs and monocropping and invasive species, sometimes it’s good to just let your garden grow the natural way.
Urban Homesteading 101: Hydroponics
Let it grow. Anywhere.
Urban Homesteading 101: Container Gardening
With so little distance to travel from soil to plate, potted plants are the carbon footprint equivalent of roller skates.
Frontlines
Girlfriend is a Love Story for Everyone
Know Theatre’s latest show sparks romance to the sound of ’90s alt-rock.
Ricky Nye: Cool Cat Extraordinaire
Bridgetown native Ricky Nye has been the bee’s knees of the Cincinnati blues scene since the 1980s.
To Hell and Back
Tracey Helton Mitchell is fighting to beat heroin, over and over again.
This Camp Counselor Carries Around a Pet Log as a Teaching Tool. And It Kind Of Works.
“Being camp-raised opens you up to the possibilities of imagination. It’s always a wacky place where kids don’t have to fit into an adult world.”
A Victorian-Era Cincinnatian Basically Invented the Comic Strip
Showcasing the comic book pop genius who came out of the Queen City.
Radar
Friends Don’t Let Friends Wear Cargo Shorts
Gentlemen, step away from the saggy khakis—and toward a bevy of new casual menswear shops.
On The Market: Modern Love
Tudors aren’t the only home style you’ll find in Mariemont. Check out this Mid-Century Modern gem.
Celebrate The National Park Service’s 100th Birthday At One of These Parks
Mark your calendars for August 25.
Want To BASE-Jump Off This Bridge? Here’s Your Chance.
If the spectacular natural beauty of New River Gorge National River isn’t enough for you, plan your visit for the third Saturday in October, when the park’s famous New River Gorge Bridge opens to pedestrians for Bridge Day.
This Designer Will Make Jewelry Out Of Pretty Much Anything
Musical instruments and more are in for a wearable tune-up if Lynne&Lucille has anything to do with it.
This Outdoorsy Gear Will Vastly Improve Your Next Camping Trip
And yes, in the summertime, games count as gear.
Columns
Market Share: The Rise of the Co-op Grocery Store
Are co-op grocery stores hippie throwbacks or the sustainable economy of the future?
What the Heck is Candlepin Bowling?
Watch your step! The rough old wood floor at Candlepin Bowling Lanes has just been replaced with a slick, state-of-the-art surface. Other than that, it’s still the Eisenhower Era in the basement of Wyoming Civic Center.
Letter from the Editor: August 2016
“It was like an atomic fruit bomb went off: apricots were everywhere. I’ve never eaten so many apricot tarts, or so much apricot jam, in my entire life.”
What Would Jesus Brew?
Built by OTR’s Germans (and funded by its brewers), Philippus United has been pointing the way forward for 125 years.
Dine
La Petite Pierre Pulls Off a French Twist
The Madeira bistro offers innovation alongside French bistro classics.
Behold the Glory that is Fat Ben’s Bakery Pastry Pockets
One local baker gives Pop-Tarts a beautiful upgrade.
Fortune Noodle House Serves Up Noodle Greatness on the Cheap
In China, it’s not the chicken or the egg quandary. It’s the rice or the noodle.
Kentucky Afield Host Tim Farmer Goes Into The Kitchen
Tim Farmer has been showing viewers how to eat from the earth for more than 20 years through the award-winning Kentucky Afield television show. Now, his new show invites viewers into his Franklin County kitchen, where he cooks everything from pork ribs to pineapple upside-down cake.
Louisville’s Decca is Worth the Drive
There’s gustatory genius behind Decca’s deceptively humble vibe.