learning to be human, since 1984
process
Sauerkraut Update #1
Feb 10th
I took a peek at the slowly fermenting cabbage today and decided that it wasn’t going to ferment fast enough. The pieces I cut were closer to 3/8 of an inch to ½ an inch, rather than the ¼ inch I described in the original post. My apologies.
I grabbed my biggest wooden spoon—mind you, it is in fact quite large—and proceeded to mash and bash the cabbage until it exuded more water. After 5-10 minutes, I stopped and replaced the bag. A nice brine now slightly covers the cabbage and things should go slightly faster. I’ll update in a few days!
Oh, and the smell is divine. Nice and pungent and cabbagey. Not gross, but definitely not sterile. I. Love. Food.
Crockpot Sauerkraut
Feb 8th
There are few things more satisfying when eating than contrast. Crunchy, tart, sweet, sour, salty: sauerkraut compliments both itself and the foods it is commonly eaten with. When I lucked upon two heads of cabbage in my Growing Power Market Basket, it certainly wasn’t the first thing I thought to make. But with some research, and the promise of delicious lacto-fermented leaves of cabbagey goodness, I made my first batch this morning. This is definitely an in-process project, so I’ll write about the successes and failures in the weeks to come. Here’s how I started:
Ingredients:
- 2 small/medium heads of lettuce, outer leaves removed, about 2 pounds each. Washed, drained, and halved. I used green, but both red and green is ideal. Oh, and get organic if possible, as pesticides kill the natural bacteria that are necessary for the fermentation process.
- salt; I used Kosher, but pickling is supposedly ideal because of its grain size. Rock salt apparently works too. Also, avoid iodized salt as it will kill bacteria!
Equipment:
- large, clean food-grade container. I used a large ceramic crockpot, though a bucket or crock would work. The sides should be as straight as possible.
- a good (sharp) knife and cutting board
- a plastic bag capable of holding water without leaking. I used a garbage bag, and washed the outside before using it, in case of residues.
- water
- a 50-60°F area; cool, dark, and handsome. Okay, the handsome part is ridiculous. Yet I won’t delete it.
Instructions:
- Cut out the core. I had never tried it before, and was extremely pleased to find that it had a similar peppery heat to mustard greens.
- With the flat face down on the cutting board, cut each half into quarter-inch strips. You can go smaller or larger; smaller should decrease the time it takes for the fermentation to occur, while larger should take longer. Makes sense.
- Layer the cut cabbage into the vessel with salt. For every two pounds of cabbage, use 1 tablespoon of salt. For the record, 1 tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons. Mix everything together with your hands. You did wash them first, right? Press the cabbage down with your hands. Some people even bash it, to bruise the cabbage and get it to start releasing liquid sooner. You don’t have to do this, as the salt will draw the moisture out—but you could try it especially for red cabbage, which is harder. Point is, compact it as much as you can so it is not at the top of the vessel.
- Partially fill the plastic bag with water. The bag is going into the vessel, on top of the cabbage to both:
- press out more water
- keep air and other debris out, which allows fermentation rather than rotting
- to allow the resulting CO2 an escape (through the tiny gaps around the perimeter, between the bag and the vessel).
- Once the bag is in the vessel, add more water till it sufficiently is weighing the cabbage down. What is sufficient? I’d say at least a gallon or three of water, depending on how much cabbage you’re using. I’ve got about 2 gallons in my bag. Tie the bag up!
- Let the pre-kraut sit in a cool area, out of direct sunlight, and away from critters.
- Lift the bag, checking periodically. I’m going to give mine a taste after a week. It may only take a week. Two seems to be the ideal, but it’s all up to your palate. It may even take up to five weeks, so use your senses.
- If something stinks or seems otherwise awry, it probably is. Ditch the kraut and call the doctor if you’ve eaten it and feel…off. As always, I take no responsibility for your kitchen creations, so don’t blame me!
- If everything seems good, eat! Decide if it needs more time, or if it has gone past its prime. When it tastes good to you, you can jar and refrigerate it, or even bag and freeze it for later.
I’ll post further developments as they occur! Peace.
Resources:
Quick Tip: Freeze Your Cheese!
Jan 27th
I’d like to start a new kind of blog post: the quick tip! This will apply to any simple hint that has helped me out in my many endeavors. This one is food related. And now, the tip!
If you want to shred a soft cheese (or another similar substance that break easily), freeze it first, at least partially. The cold will firm it up so that it doesn’t tear before it shreds. Different freeze times might work better for different cheeses, so give it a shot. Experiment! And don’t forget, don’t be scared to mess things up! You won’t learn any other way.
Choosing Drupal
Dec 28th
While designing and developing websites, I’ve run into a lot of repetitive tasks. From client survey and project proposal, to information architecture issues, requisite files (jQuery, mootools, reset.css, etc.), standard grid templates in XHTML/CSS, to grid layers and naming conventions in Illustrator® documents, and client invoicing, there are a lot of processes that get repeated.
A Blessing and a Curse
Nov 18th
I’m at my Aunt’s and Uncle’s house for the night. They let me use their button maker for a school project which involved 50 unique, hand illustrated (with use of a graphics tablet) vegetables and fruits. I’ll maybe post photos at some point. Following that I did a brochure for the campus writing center, again by hand. It feels so good to abandon technology sometimes, or at least, to connect with it in a more natural way.
Anyhow. I realized something. I am completely anal and a perfectionist when it comes to the work I do, when/if I do it. I’m getting better, I swear. I trick myself into moving on and getting things done. But that’s all it is-a trick, a loophole that lets me override my natural proclivity for innane fumblings which yield only marginal improvements, yet make me feel like a million bucks.
I am this way because of my Father, and my Uncle. I came to this realization while in the bathroom, nursing an upset (probably stress-induced) stomach. It was there, in the room that my Uncle made with his tools and hands, that I realized his attention to detail. I then thought about the meticulous work my dad does, for no one but himself. The sheets upon sheets of hand-written spreadsheets tracking his stocks, soccer scores, and other things important to him. And though completely different men in their abilities, understandings, and pursuits, they both share that immense ability to produce amazingly detailed work.
So while I am lucky to have inherited and gleaned this trait, it is something I try to override, to circumvent. I need to learn to focus it, hone it into a surgical tool and wield it with effortless grace-lest it consume me.
How to Write: The Importance of Editing
Sep 15th
I’ve been writing a lot more than usual lately. I like it. In fact, I love it. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. Things we do regularly seem to get easier every time. There are a few things I’ve learned to do to make writing go faster and better:
- Get main ideas down quickly, in the fewest words possible. If seemingly unrelated words trigger some idea for you, then do that. Whatever it is, just get everything out.
- Then, just write, write, write.
- Seriously, don’t stop writing. Every little thing, write it down. I cannot emphasize this enough!
- Do not erase anything. If you must, strike out ideas with a single line
- Explain why the subject is important
- Reveal any biases—be as transparent as possible
- Edit, edit, edit. Edit some more. Sleep. Edit again.
- Chop as much out as possible while maintaining your original meaning and intent
I’ve got three main places I write. When at my computer I use a program called xPad (Mac only). It has a dock that lists all the documents I’ve written, auto-saves as I write, spell–checks, and has a word–count. I’m sure there are alternatives for other operating systems. If I’ve got internet access, I use gmail or Google documents to write and save whatever it is I’m working on. The third place is in my notebook/cards. I always have my notebook or a stack of notecards held together by a binder clip. I jot down my ideas so that I don’t forget. If it’s not written directly in xPad, it eventually gets reviewed, transfered, and elaborated upon later when at a computer.
Writing by hand—unless for a thank–you note, personal letter, or the sensuality of ink on paper—just seems like a huge waste of time and energy. Don’t get me wrong—I love to do it—but writing research papers and blog entries require a bit more organization and flexibility. And that’s because I edit the fuck out of almost everything I write. I’ve tried to write rough drafts by hand, then revise by hand, and type them out once completed. It just doesn’t flow as easily. I can’t cut and paste ideas from one location to another; I can’t copy a quotes quickly and reference their sources; I can’t write at almost 80 words per minute by hand. I’ve considered learning shorthand to do just that. Perhaps I will, but until then, I’ll stick to my computer when possible and appropriate.
Writing is a necessary tool, not just as a student, but as a professional. Be it for a designer or internet-based crafter, the ability to communicate adeptly through written word is an undeniable asset—and one that I strive to continuously hone.
Garam Masala inspired Rice with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
Aug 21st
Rifling through a book at work landed me on a page with a recipe for garam masala, the classic Indian spice mix. Seeing those ingredients got my wrinklepatch whirring like mad! What if I were to combine flavors from two disparate cuisines?
There’s nothing new about the idea – afterall, there’s surf-n-turf, East/West fusion, and the wonderful explosion of Mediterranean dishes whose origins are often debated, and passionately at that.
So what’s different? Maybe not much, but when I think of the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, nutmeg, and cumin in garam masala … I immediately think: India. Sautéed mushrooms with onions isn’t as clear – but they certainly are traditional in French, Italian, and American cuisine. I’d never really thought about combining the two – but figured it couldn’t hurt.
The recipe is simple – rough measurements if any, so use your discretion. Lightly toast some cardamom pods, cloves, and whole black pepper corns in a hot pan. I also added some very roughly chopped chiles. Then add a little butter and oil to the pan. Once the fat is nice and hot, brown the rice. Add the water to the pan as well as a stick of cinnamon and wait till it simmers. Turn to low and cover for 18-20 minutes, or according to how you normally cook rice.
While the rice was cooking, I chopped three medium portobello mushrooms into a large dice, and did the same with a large onion. I sautéed both in a medium pan with butter, adding salt and pepper to taste. The sautéed stuff finished about the same time as the rice. I simply removed all the spices from the rice, and served the sautéed mushroom and onions on top, heavily garnished with roughly chopped parsley.
I really enjoyed using fridge and pantry stuff to try something I’d never done before – which was infusing the rice with the aforementioned spices. If oil was used rather than butter, this would be entirely vegan! You could even drizzle a little lemon juice on top for a nice acidic bite. If you come up with some other ideas, let me know by posting a comment. Thanks for reading!