Dear Diary, I'm growing a small zoo on my kitchen countertop, it's super keen.

When I'm not making things in the studio I'm usually home making things in the kitchen.  My brain was made to transmogrify things into other things - it's where I shine, as opposed to say, needing to get to a place at a specific time. Lately my food-thoughts have turned (is that a pun?) to all things fermented. I'm a fairly regular maker of kimchi but I've been wanting to make some plain old sauerkraut. I admit I got sidetracked by The Potentially Eternal Quest For The Perfect Crock but a facebook friend just posted a link to Make Handmade Sauerkraut in a Mason Jar. Of course! I'm the only person in the house who likes it anyway, and a tiny batch seems very accessible. And quite possibly cute. I already had about a third of a head of cabbage waiting in the fridge, which I turned into this:



Is it adorable or am I too close to the material? * tickles chin of sauerkraut *

Okay, I know the next one is solidly not cute, and also puts me into the realm of One Of Those People, but I've also just taken up making kombucha.

 

So, not cute, but seriously delicious. If you like fizzy sweet vinegar drinks. And it turns out that I do. I've been curious about it, but shy, then happened to visit a friend on a day when she was brewing a batch so she showed me her process. Then as if by some Force of Bacteria and Yeast From On High, studio neighbors gave me a bottle they had made and I was able to hatch a SCOBY from that. SCOBY is short for Sustained Cultish Bottling Yokels, I think? Something like that. I'm not looking for converts or to convince you that this will reconnect you with a long-lost state of perfection or anything, I just like it. I made mine using these directions from the kitchn. And I've been squeezing some fresh ginger juice into each bottle. Yum.