fragmented

I was interrupted in my dreaming by the yowls of a certain small grey cat. Thus, I only recall the song "Freshmen," a feeling of sadness, and sorting books.

Kombucha Phenomenon by Betsy Pryor and Sanford Holst

The subtitle of this book is "The Health Drink Sweeping America." It is the only book on kombucha easily available through my library system. Of course, I had to check it out, and I read it in just a few hours. The book consists of an introduction, which describes how the two authors got involved with kombucha, thirty pages of testimonials by random folks all over America, directions for making kombucha, a chapter about drinking the tea and other uses, and a chapter on the history of kombucha and research about its properties. Of great interest to some readers will be the extensive scientific bibliography, although many of the articles referenced are not in English.

This book is a little out of date. You can tell just in the first chapter, based on the celebrities they list who drink kombucha - Ronald Reagan, Darryl Hannah, Linda Evans. It is also very much "My way is the right way." "As far as we know, this is the only way to make the purest, most effective tea." (p 47) Which way? Well, the author's way. And you can visit her website, Laurel Farms, to order your own baby. And if you really care about your friends, you should buy this book for them! Yes. It actually says that, on page 56. As well as "No ingredient or utensil substitutions. Ever. No matter what." (p 52) Oh-kay. To me, that sounds like, "You must always trust this book over your own experience." The techniques she describes are pretty standard, but some folks say you can, for example, make kombucha with part decaf tea, or part herbal tea, if you're experienced and know what you're doing and keep a "back-up baby" around in case of mishaps. According to Pryor, ANY substitution is almost guaranteed to ruin your kombucha. Also, as I understand it, the idea that you can only grow kombucha in the dark has been disproved, as well as the idea that you should never use a Mason jar to brew.*

I think that the many comprehensive kombucha websites out there make this book a bit unnecessary. Except for the testimonials, which I found a bit over-gushy, it doesn't have much to offer that they don't already have. But it was probably more ground-breaking and important at the time it was originally published. Nonetheless, I will keep on searching for a kombucha book that will be terribly helpful. I definitely still want Tietze's 1001 Ways to Brew Kombucha! It would be more useful to someone who had never heard of kombucha, but then, why would they read it? Two and a half stars.

*I also have anecdotal evidence to the contrary in both cases - the Mason jar of kombucha brewing in my sunny dining room is looking effin' awesome.

naturally fermented watermelon pickles are:

1) Possible.
2) Delicious.

I could not find a single recipe online or in a book for naturally fermented watermelon pickles. I wanted to try making watermelon pickles, but I also wanted the health benefits of naturally fermented food! I persisted in believing they were possible. With a little help from The Joy of Pickling and a lot of help from mrpet, I have created a batch of these wonderfully sweet, tangy treats.

( Here's how. )

A few days later, you will have delicious watermelon pickles! Yum! I'm taking mine out tonight. They are sour and sweet and chewy!

spicy carrot salad

This recipe is even better than the last carrot salad recipe I posted. "How?" you want to know. "How could it possibly be better?" Cherries and curry, my friends. Cherries and curry.

I had carrots left over from making the tasty ginger carrot pickles, so I decided to try my hand with another carrot salad. I had cherries left over from a big bag I got at the store last week, and I thought, "Why not?"

3 quarts peeled chopped carrots (I used rounds but sticks would work too.)
1 2/3 c fresh cherries
1/3 c vanilla yogurt (add more or less as desired)
1/3 c walnuts
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T mild curry powder
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 t salt
1 t cornstarch

Rinse the chopped carrots in a Pyrex dish. Put in microwave on high for two minutes. This will keep them from stiffening up when they get wet. (If you don't like microwaves or don't have one, just steam or parbroil them for a similar amount of time.) Stem, pit, and quarter cherries. In a small bowl, mix yogurt thoroughly with cornstarch to maintain texture. Let sit for a few minutes. Then add vinegar, mustard, and seasonings. In a large dish, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until chilled.

To make this dish vegan, substitute soy yogurt or cashew butter for the yogurt. I think it would be yummy with the cashew butter, although I might substitute something else for the walnuts in that case. Crisp Granny Smith apple, perhaps? Tart dried apricots? What do you think?