Our Apéro Bar is back for a very special collaboration with Vargo Brothers Ferments this Sunday, 10/23. Taylor Hanna and Sebastian Vargo of Vargo Bros. will offer some beautiful snacks with their fermented products to accompany glasses of wine ideal for an autumn afternoon.
Both of our businesses began during the lockdown as a way to continue to foster our passions and to continue our careers in food production and in natural wine, respectively.
It’s logical that locally-made fermented foods and natural wines should cohere. All fermented things we eat, including wine, present a rich cultural text and varied aesthetic domain. We first became acquainted with Vargo at a fundraiser for Oxbow. I introduced the wine selection from Rainbow, saying how natural wine offers ways to connect with others and with the land, to reflect on the seasons and to embrace the rhythms of life.
It was clear when Sebastian and Taylor introduced the dish they had made for the fundraiser that all this rang true in their work as well. Most of what they make is seasonal, much of it from what they grow in their backyard in Avondale. A range of food-historical references informs their work, with an intimate knowledge of eastern european foodways in their midwestern tributaries.
Among the many things that makes Vargo unique is how they are chefs who also grow their food, which makes them like the paysan-vignerons of Chicago fermented foods. Sebastian and Taylor talk about live, cultured foods in a way that reminds me of the passion of a winemaker dedicated to working without additives. This work is a calling to craft.
Getting to know Sebastian and Taylor means I get to ask them for help with my own giardino, in dealing with the victories and challenges, which they kindly provide. Yesterday, I finally broke down the tomato plants, fearing frost, and finally accepting that no, these were no longer going to ripen on the vine. Last year I tried ripening many in brown paper bags, but don’t seem to have a knack for it or maybe just not enough attention. I thought about the fermented green tomatoes Vargo will be featuring on Sunday, as well as a favorite food Em has showed me - the barrel fermented green tomatoes you can get at Kaufman’s in Skokie.
Taylor and Sebastian generously offered the following advice for fermenting green tomatoes.
We start with a 4% salt brine, it is very important to not use iodized salt, sea salt is best. We source ours from Joong Boo but any flakey salt will do.
You can then add spices to the brine such as black pepper, mustard seed, Garlic, Spicey peppers if you want... no rules!
For the tomatoes you want to use a fork to poke holes in the top and bottom of the tomato. Go all the way through so the brine can get inside of the tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes to the brine, make sure they are fully submerged in the brine, you can take some additional brine and put it in in a ziploc baggie, remove all the air from the bag, this will create a weight on the top to help keep the tomatoes down. Putting the brine in the bag is great insurance in case the bag leeks, it won't water down your batch.
In a few weeks, I will update this blog to let you know how the project is going. In the meantime, we hope to see you Sunday!
Also, if you can't make it Sunday, you can visit Vargo Brothers on instagram to place an order for delivery or pick up of their wonderful products, or find them in store at Local Foods, The Market at Orkenoy, Moonwalker Cafe and online with nationwide shipping at Here Here Market.
Apéro Bar at Tusk
3205 W Armitage Ave
Sunday, 10/23 from 2 - 7pm
