Greenstorm's Journal

15 kilos of sauerkraut is crocked. 2.2% brine, a small batch with jalapenos and a larger bath mostly plain.

2 kilos of jalapenos are crocked, 5% brine with a couple onions.

6 500ml jars of quince sauce are canned, with more quince to process as they ripen.

8 750ml jars of dilly beans canned.

6(?) 500ml jars of jalapeno tomato sauce.

50lbs of beets to process into pickles, not yet done.

3 cabbages left, likely ~10 kilos altogether, they can go in the fridge.

A pot of salsa needs to be cooked down and canned some more.

Tomatoes in the freezer need to be cooked down at my leisure before butchering happens to clear freezer space, the last of the poblano peppers need doing soon.

Grain needs to be brought in and potatoes picked up (it's not really dug, I did them in straw so it's a hand operation). Then the garden is done and some birds can go in it for pest control over winter - probably ducks and chickens.

So I had a busy weekend doing all the kraut and jalapenos (yay food processor!) and some salsa and whatnot. That sort of thing is a lot of work but I find it relaxing and soothing on a bone-deep level. I've also had time off so I've almost zeroed my banked hours, and I notice when I work 40 hours per week or less it's easier for me to be happy; maybe because I have energy to do these things I like and that feel fulfilling.

My boss is making noises about getting together and doing food things this weekend (Canadian thanksgiving weekend). He's as much or more of a food person as I am, so I'm looking forward to this. I also have a couple of bottles of orange wine I need to do a side by side taste on, and there's no way I could ever drink 2 bottles of wine on my own, so.

I've also become part of an online poly group that has a group video chat once a month, and that's coming up next weekend. It's good timing because I definitely need to work through some things I'm feeling about this relationship with Tucker and time. He's away again, he's been away a lot lately. His new new relationship has been mostly unobtrusive, so there's nothing to push it to crisis point. But I'm starting to think about nosing around for another person and I definitely want to have a scaffold for the relationship before I end up in NRE with someone, before I make a decision on my job aka where to live, and honestly it's important to me to know this stuff anyways. He's been really slow to decide and talk about this stuff and I need to figure out how to handle that, and how to know if there's an option other than just entirely opting out. There was for Josh.

At the pagan thing I got to spend a bunch of time with T, my ... person. Ritual snuggle-buddy, at once point girlfriend, now an enduring less describable loving connection. She's not been doing so great in some ways and has been doing better in others. I miss her but it was so good to talk.

So I guess I'm feeling like myself again, my home feels full of food & security. For that I am so grateful.

For those of you who liked watermelon radish, have you ever tried lo bok? It's a chinese radish (diakon is the japanese version) that's pretty similar in taste. It's usually local, in season, and is 19 cents a pound at sunrise produce right now.

I wanna try these two:

Braised Beef and Radish
2 tbsp (30 ml) oil 1 large Oriental radish, peeled and cubed
2 lbs (1 kg) Stewing beef 1 tbsp (15 ml) Oriental Five Spice Powder or 1-2 Star Anise
Water Soy sauce or salt to taste
Heat oil in a braising pot, add beef and brown well on all sides. Add radish, spice powder and water to a depth of 1 inch (2.5). Cover and simmer gently until meat is tender. Adjust seasoning using salt or soy sauce to taste and serve.
Makes: 4-6 servings

Pickled Oriental Radish
1 lb (500g) Oriental radish, peeled and thinly sliced 1 tbsp (15 ml) salt
2 cups (500 ml) white vinegar Pinch salt
1 clove garlic, crushed 2 ¼ cups (550 ml) white granulated sugar
Combine radish with salt. Toss 5-6 times every five minutes for 20 minutes. The salt will draw the moisture from the radish, so the finished pickle will be crisp. Meanwhile bring vinegar to a boil and add salt, garlic and sugar. Simmer gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Rinse radish and pat dry, place in sterilized jars and pour hot brine over leaving ½ inch headspace, and seal. Allow jars to cool and then refrigerate. Pickles should be ready to eat in three to five days, keep refrigerated.
Makes: 2 pints