A Little More From My Most Recent Column

I wrote my every-other-week newspaper column Tuesday and have some things I'd like to share that doesn't fit in that particular venue.

Huber's Winery and Orchard in Southern Indiana is just one of my all-time favorite day trips. They have a huge farmers market, attractions for all ages, homemade bakery goods, ice cream, cheeses and some of Indiana's best home-grown wine.

It's nearly a two-hour drive south of Indianapolis but it is worth the trouble. Last Saturday I picked the most amazing strawberries I think I've ever seen. A friend and I started in the row assigned to us and we didn't go 6-8 feet before we picked 4-5 quarts each of big amazing and sweet strawberries. And because this year's crop was so bountiful, they were selling them for $1.25 a pound!

I took my camera along Saturday and shot some pictures you can see here. It was a fabulous day!

There is much more about Huber's and comments from Ted Huber in my newspaper column which you can always read in the link at the left labeled: Grape Sense.

Here is a link to the Huber column specifically. But I also wanted to add to this posting that it doesn't stop at the Winery and Farm Market. Just down the road, maybe a mile, is Joe Huber's farm market and restaurant. It has repeatedly been named the Louisville area's favorite family restaurant. And, trying to avoid too much hyperbole, the best darn fried chicken I've ever had in a restaurant.

Huber's wines are near the very top in Indiana wineries for taste and quality. Frankly, there are alot of Indiana wineries making good sweet wines. But there are very few making palatable dry red wine. Huber's has two blends and other varietal specific wines that are setting the pace for others in Indiana.

They are very hospitable hosts as well. You'll find the staff very friendly and the tasting room hosts quite approachable. Ted Huber is often generous with his time. We talked wine and his winery for a good 15-20 minutes. Two years ago he assisted a young man at Wabash with a research project. Here is that student-written blog entry.

It's worth a trip. They have some really crowded weekends in the fall at the height of fall apple and pumpkin harvest. I'd suggest avoiding it then unless you like big crowds. During the summer they're always busy but worth the trouble. Their berries, vegetables, and fruit is available in the on-site market. But for many of the goodies you can go into the field and pick em yourself for a cheaper price.

What a fun way to spend a Saturday!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com