A Hothouse Update

A few weeks ago I wrote about building a hothouse for my hot peppers, (you can read about it here.), and thought it was about time for an update.  I've been monitoring three jalapeno plants.  One plant I put in the hothouse that I built, one I placed in the commercial hothouse, and the other I left out in the open.  They all started out around 8 1/2" tall.

Alex, a Strawberry Field, and Freezer Jam

Saturday morning was bright, sunny, and warm.  A perfect day to pick strawberries!  We invited our grand-nephew Alex, and his parents, to come along.

Homemade Kimchi

I've been trying to add a little heat to my diet.  A few sprinkles of dried red pepper flakes here, a spoonful of sriracha or sambal there, and then top it off with kimchi.  Crunchy, tangy, and spicy, kimchi was a much loved condiment in my childhood home.  Unfortunately, it was a bit too spicy for my tastes so I would have to rinse off most of the fiery sauce before I could eat it.  Of course that was before you could find mild and medium varieties at the grocery store.

I found a recipe for quick kimchi in a new cookbook, and decided to give it a try.  I was attracted to the word "quick", and liked that I could control the level of heat but I did not like the results.  The kimchi tasted sour, and too much of rice wine vinegar.  There was no umami, no depth of flavor.  I should have know that any "quick" recipe for a dish that's traditionally fermented should be avoided.