Today I Attempt to Make Kimchi

Yep, I'm going to finally try and make this. I love kimchi, but I don't like the $8 or so price per jar of the very good stuff I get from Whole Foods. That's too much for flavored, fermented cabbage, don't you think?

I couldn't find nappa cabbage, but I did find bok choy and a head of regular green cabbage. So, that's what I'll use, and considering I read that you can make kimchi out of all sorts vegetables and even fruits, I should be OK with my bok choy.

I'll add carrots, scallions, daikon radish, ginger, garlic, red chili paste and salt. Really, how can any of that go wrong? I'll let you know how it turns out.

What are you doing today?

Is it Kefir, or is it a Pet?

My son, through a long and increasingly earnest list of comprehensive questions, has discovered that kefir is a living organism. Oh my God!! That is soooo exciting. He has decided to brew his own jar. Yesterday afternoon, I gave him some of my grains and I showed him how to gently swirl it in the milk and explained that in the morning or early afternoon, the milk will have converted to kefir. Amazing!

Later in the evening I asked him if he'd like to swirl the jar. "No. You can do it. Thanks." And he went back to happily playing with his sister.

Typical.

He even drank a glass of my kefir, not hidden in a fruit smoothie as usual. I was so impressed. Kefir can be quite tangy and not at all sweet, unless you sweeten it. Which we did with honey, maple syrup, and then flavored with vanilla and cinnamon. He liked it and thinks he will be able to drink kefir more often. (!!!!!!!!!) My daughter tried it and didn't like it, but didn't mind eating a grain, which will also impart good stuff to her gut.

I have Kefir Kids!

Now, how can I get them to eat liver...

Uh oh...I've Discovered Facebook...

Well, I am now a member of Facebook. You know what that means don't you? I will never experience reality again. Never. All of my understanding of the world will come through Daily Kos and Huffington Post and Mothering.com and now my connection to my friends will come through their and my Facebook pages. On the other hand, I wasn't calling anyone, and no one was calling me and I have now had little chats here and there yesterday and the night before with the fun, caring people who are my friends, but when do we have time to connect? We don't.

I've slipped into the Matrix...or have I? Or was my life before the Matrix?

Orchids at Xcaret

We walked on a path through the jungle vegetation on the way to an orchid greenhouse. I was struck by the beauty along the path.










I'm sure you can grow these anywhere in the world, if you get the conditions right. You don't have to go all the way to a greenhouse at a Mexican eco-park. Still, I was overcome by these orchids' beauty while I was there.














Today, here in Very-Republican-Town, Illinois, it is hovering around zero degrees with a wind chill of negative 14. And, in the summer it will be in the 90s with 80% humidity or even higher. We'll get ours in a few months from now--but, the wait is very long.