Institute of Urban Homesteading
Newsletter
July 2014

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High July!
July is always a crazy month --the garden is at its peak, pluots are ripening, corn ears are fattening and zucchini is out of control. July is also the best time for botanizing in the Sierras So between teaching and managing my little east bay jungle I will be up in the high sierra several times this month getting my plant geek on. And--in the midst of all this, putting on a big book release party. Yes! The new cheese book is here! This months newsletter celebrates CHEESE in all it's glory! And I am talking about dairy AND nut cheese alike. Hope you can make it to a cheese class and our fabulous book release party in July!

Also we'd love your support to win the Best of the East Bay. Scroll down for details and vote by July 3 at midnight.

above: cut curds, draining curds, brie before aging, nut cheese tapenade
below: lraw milk leerdammer, brie, oat american cheese, gruyere

Book Release Party!
Thursday July 24 7-9pm
Ecology Center 2350 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley
FREE (tasting donations accepted)
Join us for the release of Ruby's new book, Everyday Cheesemaking: How to Succeed Making Dairy & Nut Cheese at Home. There will be a goat milking demonstration on the sidewalk at 7pm, followed by a cheesemaking demonstration and storytelling by the author, Q & A and homemade cheese tasting. A sampling of Ruby's cheeses will be available, as well as some cheese from local homesteading friends--plus we welcome you to bring your own homemade dairy and vegan cheeses for a community taste-off! Compare notes with other local cheesemakers or simply join in the fun!
Invite Friends on Facebook

Calling Home Cheesemakers
Are you proud of your homemade dairy or nut cheese? We are looking for a few more people to bring samples of their best homemade cheese to our book release party. Feel free to let us know by responding to this email, or simply show up! We'll have materials available for labeling your cheese when you arrive.

Nut Cheese Basics
Whether you are vegan or paleo raw nut cheeses are a fabulous protein and lipid dense alternative . As compared to their dairy cousins raw nut cheeses are super easy! They are best made with a highspeed blender such as a blend-tec or vitamix. Simply soak a cup or two of raw nuts, drain and slip of the skins (if using almond or filberts--cashews do not require this step) and blend with rejuvelac or any other probiotic plus a little water until creamy. Put into a covered bowl and let culture at room temperature for 24-48 hours. Once it tastes tangy, mix in a little lemon juice and salt to bring out the flavor. You can add in a tablespoon of miso or nutritional yeast to deepen the cheesiness. Enjoy!

Vote for us for the Best of the East Bay!
Help IUH stay at the top of the heap! Vote by midnight July 3.
Login to East Bay Express and take the best of survey. You must reply to at least 10 categories to win. This year, 2 categories
Best Annual Event? Urban Farm Tours On page 1 of survey near the top (I doubt we'd win this one, but you never know)
Best Place to learn DIY Homestading Skills? The Institute of Urban Homesteading of course! On page 3 of survey half way down ( we can win this with your help!!)

Farm Tour Success! Looking towards 2015
The 2014 Farm Tours were a great success! Over 2000 visits to 14 sites in 2 days! Please if you have pictures or feedback we 'd love to see and hear. For 2015 we are focusing on sites in West Oakland and East Oakland. Plus we are looking at the Concord/Walnut Creek area as an outlying farm tour possibility. If you know folks in any of these areas we should consider--please drop us a line!
A few photos from this years' tour

Get Connected!
Join the Bay Area Sustainability Exchange
Have you been wishing to connect to others interested in sustainability and local agriculture to barter and share information but don't know how? The Bay Area Sustainability Exchange List (BASE-list) is a new non-commercial, user governed list-serve seeking subscribers. To join click here You will need to have or create a google account and be logged in to subscribe.