At Thornhill Farm in Greensboro, VT, Todd Hardie is growing winter rye. This kind of rye earns its name from its ability to survive the cold and snow pack that would kill other strains. And in the spring, it comes out of the ground much faster.
Hardie has plans for the rye in some whiskeys over at Caledonia Spirits, the company he sold to his employees last year before starting the farm. But some brewers in the area have noticed as well.
While we were there, the signs of a recent harvest were everywhere—including the 1930s John Deere combine he's nursing back to life.
—Michael Kiser