#pickling process acid

[arvindanticor]

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[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Death (& Cheating Death)

Oddly enough, not all experts – or even countries – agree on what death actually is.

Brain activity stops

Temperature drops

Cells break down

Organs decay

Bacteria produce gas

In Britain, death is said to happen when:

The person has lost the capacity to ever be conscious again.

All the functions of the brainstem (such as telling the heart to beat and the lungs to inflate) have stopped.

What happens when someone has died?

Almost at once, blood begins to drain from the little blood vessels near the surface of the skin. This makes it look pale.

Bodily tissue starts to break down very quickly. That’s why organs are removed for transplant as soon as possible after someone dies.

Some organs function for longer than others after death. Brain cells go quickly, in no more than about 3 or 4 minutes. But muscle and skin cells may last for hours – perhaps a whole day.

In fact, a corpse is still very much alive. No, the person isn’t alive any more, but all the bacteria inside the body, plus all the others that flock in, certainly are. As they eat the body, they produce all kinds of smelly gases. When there’s no flesh remaining, there’s nothing left to cause a smell.

In some conditions, this process of decay is disrupted. This can happen naturally, as in the cases of bodies falling into peat bogs and being preserved (because the acids in the peat essentially pickle the flesh). But it can be done on purpose too.

Mummification

After pharaohs and some other members of the nobility died in Ancient Egypt, their bodies were preserved.

Most of their organs were taken out (though their hearts were left in place).

To remove the brain, a thin metal stick was poked up into their nose then wiggled around.

This whisked the brain up, turning it into a runny slop that could drain out through the nostrils.

Next, their bodies were dried out for 40 days.

Then they were coated in natural preservatives (things that would stop the body decomposing), such as beeswax, and wrapped in many layers of linen.

This completed the process of mummification.

What happens if the head is chopped off?

In the past, some criminals had their heads cut off as punishment, and members of the public would go along to watch.

Some reported seeing chopped-off heads blinking or even attempting to speak.

In 1803, two German scientists investigated these reports.

They pounced on heads as they fell and shouted, ‘Do you hear me?’ None responded.

They concluded that the brain, when separated from the body, lost consciousness immediately – or at least too quickly to measure.

How quickly?

Modern estimates range between 2 and 7 seconds. Which is quick.

But it still means that a brain in a chopped-off head might have a genuine out-of-body experience.

CHEATING DEATH

Your body is pretty tough. And as you know, your brain works very hard to keep you alive. Some uncomfortable experiments have revealed the amazing things it can do. Take extreme heat, for example...

The Walk-in Oven

In the 18th century, a doctor in London called Charles Blagden built what was essentially an oven big enough for a person to walk inside.

He and his friends would stand inside it for as long as they could bear.

Blagden managed ten minutes at a temperature of 92.2 degrees Celsius.

His friend, a famous botanist called Joseph Banks, managed 99.4 degrees – but only for seven minutes.

Unsurprisingly, the volunteers’ skin warmed up dramatically.

But Blagden also took the temperature of their urine.

He did this right before and after the oven experience.

And he found that there was no change.

That meant that their inner ‘body temperature’ had stayed the same.

This showed the toughness of the human body – it can regulate its own temperature even when outside temperatures are extreme.

He also noticed that the volunteers sweated a lot. This led him to realize that sweating is important for cooling the body.

Some of what we know about the toughness of the human body comes not from experiments, but from accidents and ‘lucky’ escapes.

The Deep Freeze

When Erika Nordby was a toddler, she woke up one night and wandered out of her home in Canada.

It was the middle of winter, and freezing outside.

When she was finally found, her heart hadn’t been beating for at least 2 hours.

But Erika was carefully warmed up at a local hospital, and she made a full recovery.

Just a couple of weeks later, a two-year-old boy on a farm in the USA did almost exactly the same thing.

He also recovered fully.

It sounds extraordinary – but dying is the last thing that your body wants to do.

Falling from a Plane

On 24 March 1944, a British airman called Nicholas Alkemade was in an RAF plane flying over Germany.

His plane was hit and burst into flames.

By the time he got to his parachute, it was on fire. So he decided to jump.

He was 3 miles above ground and falling at 120 miles per hour.

‘It was very quiet,’ he recalled later. He had no sensation of falling.

‘I felt suspended in space.’

Suddenly, he found himself crashing through the branches of some pine trees.

He landed with a thud in a snowbank, in a sitting position.

He had somehow lost both his boots and had a sore knee and some minor scrapes. But otherwise he was fine.

After World War II, Alkemade got a job in a chemical plant.

While he was working with chlorine gas, his mask became loose.

He was exposed to dangerously high levels of the chemical.

He lay unconscious for 15 minutes before co-workers dragged him out. Miraculously, he survived.

After he returned to work, he was adjusting a pipe one day when it burst and sprayed him from head to foot with sulphuric acid.

He suffered extensive burns. But he survived.

Shortly after returning to work again, a 9-foot-long metal pole fell on him from a height and very nearly killed him.

Incredibly, he survived.

He then found a much safer job – as a furniture salesman.

Alkemade went on to die peacefully in his bed at the age of 64.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References Writing Notes: Autopsy ⚜ Word List: Kill ⚜ Decompose Worksheets: Death & Sacrifice

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A circle of overlapping semi-circular bright pink pickles arranged on a plate, viewed from a low angle. End ID]

مخلل اللفت / Mukhallal al-lifit (Pickled turnips)

The word "مُخَلَّل" ("mukhallal") is derived from the verb "خَلَّلَ"‎ ("khallala"), meaning "to preserve in vinegar." "Lifit" (with diacritics, Levantine pronunciation: "لِفِتْ"), "turnip," comes from the root "ل ف ت‎", which produces words relating to being crooked, turning aside, and twisting (such as "لَفَتَ" "lafata," "to twist, to wring"). This root was being used to produce a word meaning "turnip" ("لِفْتْ" "lift") by the 1000s AD, perhaps because turnips must be twisted or wrung out of the ground.

Pickling as a method of preserving produce so that it can be eaten out of season is of ancient origin. In the modern-day Levant, pickles (called "طَرَاشِيّ‎" "ṭarāshiyy"; singular "طُرْشِيّ" "ṭurshiyy") make up an important culinary category: peppers, carrot, olives, eggplant, cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, and lemons are preserved with vinegar or brine for later consumption.

Pickled turnips are perhaps the most commonly consumed pickles in the Levant. They are traditionally prepared during the turnip harvest in the winter; in the early spring, once they have finished their slow fermentation, they may be added to appetizer spreads, served as a side with breakfast, lunch, or dinner, eaten on their own as a snack, or used to add pungency to salads, sandwiches, and wraps (such as shawarma or falafel). Tarashiyy are especially popular among Muslim Palestinians during the holy month of رَمَضَان (Ramaḍān), when they are considered a must-have on the إِفْطَار ("ʔifṭār"; fast-breaking meal) table. Pickle vendors and factories will often hire additional workers in the time leading up to Ramadan in order to keep up with increased demand.

In its simplest instantiation, mukhallal al-lifit combines turnips, beetroot (for color), water, salt, and time: a process of anaerobic lacto-fermentation produces a deep transformation in flavor and a sour, earthy, tender-crisp pickle. Some recipes instead pickle the turnips in vinegar, which produces a sharp, acidic taste. A pink dye (صِبْغَة مُخَلَّل زَهْرِي‎; "ṣibgha mukhallal zahri") may be added to improve the color. Palestinian recipes in particular sometimes call for garlic and green chili peppers. This recipe is for a "slow pickle" made with brine: thick slices of turnip are fermented at room temperature for about three weeks to produce a tangy, slightly bitter pickle with astringency and zest reminiscent of horseradish.

Turnips are a widely cultivated crop in Palestine, but, though they make a very popular pickle, they are seldom consumed fresh. One Palestinian dish, mostly prepared in Hebron, that does not call for their fermentation is مُحَشّي لِفِتْ ("muḥashshi lifit")—turnips that are cored, fried, and stuffed with a filling made from ground meat, rice, tomato, and sumac or tamarind. In Nablus, tahina and lemon juice may be added to the meat and rice. A similar dish exists in Jordan.

Turnips produced in the West Bank are typically planted in open fields (as opposed to in or under structures such as plastic tunnels) in November and harvested in February, making them a fall/winter crop. Because most of them are irrigated (rather than rain-fed), their yield is severely limited by the Israeli military's siphoning off of water from Palestine's natural aquifers to settlers and their farms.

Israeli military order 92, issued on August 15th, 1967 (just two months after the order by which Israel had claimed full military, legislative, executive, and judicial control of the West Bank on June 7th), placed all authority over water resources in the hands of an Israeli official. Military order 158, issued on November 19th of the same year, declared that no one could establish, own, or administer any water extraction or processing construction (such as wells, water purification plants, or rainwater collecting cisterns) without a new permit. Water infrastructure could be searched for, confiscated, or destroyed at will of the Israeli military. This order de facto forbid Palestinians from owning or constructing any new water infrastructure, since anyone could be denied a permit without reason; to date, no West Bank Palestinian has ever been granted a permit to construct a well to collect water from an aquifer.

Nearly 30 years later, the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (also called the Oslo II Accord or the Taba Agreement), signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1995, officially granted Israel the full control over water resources in occupied Palestine that it had earlier claimed. The Argreement divided the West Bank into regions of three types—A, B, and C—with Israel given control of Area C, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) supposedly having full administrative power over Area A (about 3% of the West Bank at the time).

In fact, per article 40 of Annex 3, the PA was only allowed to administer water distribution in Area A, so long as their water usage did not exceed what had been allocated to them in the 1993 Oslo Accord, a mere 15% of the total water supply: they had no administrative control over water resources, all of which were owned and administered by Israel. This interim agreement was to be returned to in permanent status negotiations which never occurred.

The cumulative effect of these resolutions is that Palestinians have no independent access to water: they are forbidden to collect water from underground aquifers, the Jordan River, freshwater springs, or rainfall. They are, by law and by design, fully reliant on Israel's grid, which distributes water very unevenly; a 2023 report estimated that Israeli settlers (in "Israel" and in the occupied West Bank) used 3 times as much water as Palestinians. Oslo II estimations of Palestinians' water needs were set at a static number of million cubic meters (mcm), rather than an amount of water per person, and this number has been adhered to despite subsequent growth in the Palestinian population.

Palestinians who are connected to the Israeli grid may open their taps only to find them dry (for as long as a month at a time, in بَيْت لَحْم "bayt laḥm"; Bethlehem, and الخَلِيل "al-khalīl"; Hebron). Families rush to complete chores that require water the moment they discover the taps are running. Those in rural areas rely on cisterns and wells that they are forbidden to deepen; new wells and reservoirs that they build are demolished in the hundreds by the Israeli military. Water deficits must be made up by paying steep prices for additional tankards of water, both through clandestine networks and from Israel itself. As climate change makes summers hotter and longer, the crisis worsens.

By contrast, Israeli settlers use water at will. Israel, as the sole authority over water resources, has the power to transfer water between aquifers; in practice, it uses this authority to divert water from the Jordan River basin, subterranean aquifers, and بُحَيْرَة طَبَرِيَّا ("buḥayrat ṭabariyyā"; Lake Tiberias) into its national water carrier (built in 1964), and from there to other regions, including the Negev Desert (south of the West Bank) and settlements within the West Bank.

Whenever Israel annexes new land, settlers there are rapidly given access to water; the PA, however, is forbidden to transport water from one area of the West Bank to another. Israel's control over water resources is an important part of the settler colonial project, as access to water greatly influences the desirability of land and the expected profit to be gained through its agricultural exports.

The result of the diversion of water is to increase the salinity of the Eastern Aquifer (in the West Bank, on the east bank of the Jordan River) and the remainder of the Jordan that flows into the West Bank, reducing the water's suitability for drinking and irrigation; in addition, natural springs and wells in Palestine have run dry. In this environment, water for drinking and watering crops and livestock is given priority, and many Palestinians struggle to access enough water to shower or wash clothing regularly. In extreme circumstances, crops may be left for dead, as Palestinian farmers instead seek out jobs tending Israeli fields.

Some areas in Palestine are worse off in this regard than others. Though water can be produced more easily in the قَلْقِيلية (Qalqilya), طُولْكَرْم (Tulkarm) and أَرِيحَا ("ʔarīḥā"; Jericho) Districts than in others, the PA is not permitted to transfer water from these areas to areas where water is scarcer, such as the Bethlehem and Al-Khalil Districts. In Al-Khalil, where almost a third of Palestinian acreage devoted to turnips is located [1], and where farming families such as the Jabars cultivate them for market, water usage averaged just 51 liters per person per day in 2020—compare this to the West Bank Palestinian average of 82.4 liters, the WHO recommended daily minimum of 100 liters, and the Israeli average of 247 liters per person per day.

As Israeli settlement גִּבְעַת חַרְסִינָה (Givat Harsina) encroached on Al-Khalil in 2001, with a subdivision being built over the bulldozed Jabar orchard, the Jabars reported settlers breaking their windows, destroying their garden, throwing rocks, and holding rallies on the road leading to their house. In 2010, with the growth of the קִרְיַת־אַרְבַּע (Kiryat Arba) settlement (officially the parent settlement of Givat Harsina), the Jabars' entire irrigation system was repeatedly torn out, with the justification that they were stealing water from the Israeli water authority; the destruction continued into 2014. Efforts at connecting and expanding Israeli settlements in the Bethlehem area continue to this day.

Thus we can see that water deprivation is one tool among many used to drive Palestinians from their land; and that it is connected to a strategy of rendering agriculture impossible or unprofitable for them, forcing them into a state of dependence on the Israeli economy.

Turnips, as well as cabbage and chili peppers, are also grown in the village of وَادِي فُوقِين (Wadi Fuqin), west of Bethlehem. In 2014, Israel annexed about 1,250 acres of land in Wadi Fuqin, or a third of the village's land, "effectively [ruling] out development of the village and its use of this land for agriculture." Most of this land lies immediately to the west of a group of settlements Israel calls גּוּשׁ עֶצְיוֹן ("Gush Etzion"; Etzion Bloc). Building here would link several non-contiguous Israeli settlements with each other and with القدس (Al-Quds; "Jerusalem"), hemming Palestinians of the region in on all sides (many main roads through Israeli settlements cannot be used by anyone with a Palestinian ID). [2] PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said that the annexation, which was carried out "[u]nder the cover of [Israel's] latest campaign of aggression in Gaza," "represent[ed] Israel’s deliberate intent to wipe out any Palestinian presence on the land".

This, of course, was not the beginning of this strategy: untreated sewage from Gush Etzion settlements had been contaminating crops, springs, and groundwater in Wadi Fuqin since 2006, which also saw nearly 100 acres of Palestinian land annexed to allow for expansion of the Etzion Bloc.

All of this has obviously had an effect on Palestinian agriculture. A 1945–6 British survey of vegetable production in Palestine found that 992 dunums were devoted to Arab turnip production (954 irrigated and 38 rain-fed; no turnip production was attributed to Jewish settlers). A March 1948 UN report claimed that "[i]n most districts the markets are well-supplied with all the common winter vegetables—cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuce and spinach; carrots, turnips and and beets; beans and peas; green onions, eggplants, marrows and tomatoes." By 2009, however, the area given to turnips in Palestine had fallen to 918 dunums. Of these, 864 dunums were irrigated and 54 rain-fed. This represents an increase in unirrigated turnips (5.8%, up from 3.9%) that is perhaps related to difficulty in obtaining sufficient water.

Meanwhile, Israel profits from its restriction of Palestinian agriculture; it is the largest exporter of turnips in West Asia (I found no data for turnip exports from Palestine after 1922, suggesting that the produce is all for local consumption).

The pattern that Ashrawi called out in 2014 continued in 2023, as Israel's genocide in Gaza occurs alongside the continued and escalating killing and expulsion of West Bank Palestinians. The 2014 annexations, which represented the largest land grab for over 30 years and which appeared to institute a new era of state policy, have been followed up in subsequent years with more land claims and settlement-building.

Israeli military and settler raids and massacres in the West Bank, which had already killed 248 in 2023 before the حَمَاس (Hamas) October 7 offensive had taken place, accelerated after the attack, with forced expulsions of Palestinians (including Bedouin Arabs), and harassment, raids, kidnappings, and torture of Palestinians by a military armed with rifles, tanks, and drones. This violence has been opposed by armed resistance groups, who defend refugee camps from military raids with strategies including the use of improvised explosives.

Support Palestinian resistance by buying an e-sim for distribution in Gaza; donating to help two Gazans receive medical care; or donating to help a family leave Gaza.

[1] 918 dunums were devoted to turnips according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) report for 2009; the 2008 PCBS report attributes 253 dunums of turnip cultivation to Al-Khalil ("Hebron") for 2006–7.

[2] Today, Gush Etzion is connected to Al-Quds by an underground road that runs beneath the Palestinian Christian town of بَيتْ جَالَا (Bayt Jala).

Ingredients:

Makes 2 1-liter mason jars.

500g (4 medium) turnips

1 beetroot

1 medium green chili pepper (فلفل حار خضرة), halved

2 small cloves garlic, peeled

1 liter (4 cups) distilled or filtered water

25g coarse sea salt (or substitute an equivalent weight of any salt without iodine)

Some brining recipes for lifit call for the addition of a spoonful of sugar. This will increase the activity of lactic-acid-producing bacteria at the beginning of the fermentation, producing a quicker fermentation and a different, sourer flavor profile.

Instructions:

1. Clean two large mason jars thoroughly in hot water (there is no need to sterilize them).

2. Scrub vegetables thoroughly. Cut the top (root) and bottom off of each turnip. Cut each turnip in half (from root end to bottom), and then in 1 cm (1/2") slices (perpendicular to the last cut). Prepare the beetroot the same way.

If you need your pickles to be finished sooner, cut the turnips into thinner slices, or into thick (1/2") baton shapes; these will need to be fermented for about a week.

3. Arrange turnip and beet slices so that they lie flat in your jars. Add garlic and peppers.

4. Whisk salt into water until dissolved and pour over the turnips until they are fully submerged. Seal with the jar's lid and leave in a cool place, or the refrigerator, for 20–24 days.

The amount of brine that you will need to cover the top of the vegetables will depend on the shape of your jar. If you add more water, make sure that you add more salt in the same ratio.

[feralwetcat]

It also has roughly 20 billion calories so I don't think it'd be that healthy

I wanna pickle uranium

Hey smart people what happens if i pickle uranium

[mariacallous]

I have a very deep, intimate relationship with beets, including a beet tattoo on my arm. As a lifelong lover of pickles and everything acid, this recipe is in heavy rotation at the restaurant and in my home. The brine is simple — accented with the unusual addition of cinnamon, which adds a warm richness — and the pickles live in the fridge, so there’s no need for a full canning process.

Wine pairing: The beets pair nicely with a fruitier white, like Sauvignon Blanc, and could also be fun with a skin-contact (orange) wine.

Note: The beets can be eaten after chilling for two hours, but are better the longer they sit. They will keep in the fridge for up to two months.

[mindblowingscience]

Scientists from NTU Singapore have developed a sustainable and more effective technique for making lactic acid by using discarded jackfruit seeds. Lactic acid plays an indispensable part in the industrial production and preservation of nearly all the food we consume, being used in various stages of the manufacturing of food staples such as bread, yogurt, cheese, kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickles. In 2022, approximately 1.5 million metric tons of lactic acid were manufactured worldwide. Lactic acid is added to dairy products for a tangy taste, controls acidity in jams and canned fruits, and extends the shelf life of packaged meat products. In baking, lactic acid conditions dough for better texture and volume. Additionally, lactic acid helps in emulsification of dressings and sauces and maintains vibrant colors in fruits and vegetables. Developed by Professor William Chen, Director of NTU's Food Science and Technology (FST) program, the method is cheaper and more sustainable than existing industrial methods as it requires fewer chemicals and processes, produces negligible amounts of by-products, and reduces food waste by using unwanted jackfruit seeds. Current industrial methods to produce lactic acid are costly as they typically involve fermenting raw materials such as sugarcane, corn starch and beetroot sugar, which have become more expensive due to the increasing scarcity of farmland, natural disasters, and rising inflation.

Continue Reading.

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

Hehehehehuhhuhuhahahaha

Slept for 6 ish hours after 7 in the morning and did not wake up any more stiff or sore than when I went to bed at all. Feel better than I did actually, because last night my legs were starting to act up again.

I would at this point like to remind everyone that the last time I had this symptoms set I -did- go to the hospital, I called ambulences, and I certainly did go to my doctor and tried to get every relevant reference I could from her, and they all looked at any tests they bothered to run, or ran no tests at all, and told me the problem was anxiety. I will remind you the problem was so bad I stopped peeing [for nearly a week] while pressure built up painfully in my abdomen and I turned yellow and started having daily cardiac spasms that were making my blood pressure triple during attacks, and over a year later, after I had mostly recovered on my own, all they bothered to diagnose was "we think the jaundice is because you have a liver mutation we can't be expected to do anything about"...

I recovered without intervention by doing whatever my body seemed to like for long enough without even fully understanding the problem, or that my kidneys were involved at all... That was 5 years ago.

So.

Last night.

My saliva was testing as unusually basic [fluctuating between like 8 and 10]. And sources all agree that pretty much the only thing that causes that would be my blood and body in general being unusually basic due to metabolic alkalosis. Finally, a confirmed cause of symptoms [it is not good]. My blood was even testing alarmingly alkaline from what I could tell from around the colour of blood [it's very red see, but around the edges and diluted later with a bit of water, it was showing hints of dark green, purple and even a bright blue stain left behind on the counter].

I had to go to my kitechen and start testing known acids to even know what something less than ph neutral looks like on these strips in person... The human body should mostly be slightly acidic, for the record.

I start having coffee and lemon juice and pineapple, and even a potassium supplement -one half at a time- [and sea salt, sufficient for processing] and suddenly my body returns to wanting to process out fluids at high speed, this time alkaline, like a 9-ish, instead of neutral, despite that what's going in is acids, sipped, not consumed any faster than I might regularly do things like eat a jar of pickled food or have a glass of my 'lemonade'... And my urine stays more alkaline but my saliva [after thoroughly rinsing my mouth out, even an hour after eating and etc] keeps testing progressively more ph neutral. Until eventually they are both testing ph neutral-ish again.

I wake up and confirm these results after a long night of sleep. Saliva -before or after cleaning my mouth because mouth bacteria make acids- ph neutral again instead of making the strip light to dark green... And urine only still slightly on the side of basic.

No new swelling or return of stiffness since last night. Normally I get so horridly stiff over night that moving at first is next to fucking impossible, and definitely very painful.

This change happened mostly within a 5 hour span last night the MOMENT I gave my body the sodium chloride and potassium it needed to start processing out the problem.

That's the level of immediate response I was looking for. That's what I am used to.

And it turns out my appetite was just returning hard, in general, and was not from the baking soda. I was actually starting to recover before I tried that, and just was not getting very far very fast, literally because of the things I was avoiding or trying not to over-do under the very reasonable assumption the problem was my kidneys still failing to process out some kind of acid.

But do you know what this explains? How nothing I did last time, like drinking lots of coke, or eating lots of meat, or taking high doses of magnesium, or eating really acidic foods, or even taking a weekly potassium supplement and having plenty of salt... actually ever made what was ostensibly some kind of kidney failure worse.

And it explains why the cookies with the extra baking soda, and any food high in alkaloids seemed to be making me so much worse.

It explains -in general- how my tendency to eat acidic and high potassium foods and lots of meat and dairy has never hurt what seems to be a kidney problem.

I think I do have the liver mutation they diagnosed, and I think my kidneys might be, not so much unhealthy, as much as maybe undersized for an adult [and a little stressed and injured at this point], like my bladder and some other parts of my body are, and I think it isn't a problem until one or both of them fall under autoimmune attack.

But I don't think I will need dialysis to fix this.

I think I just need to treat the alkalosis and let my kidneys recover under more favourable conditions... Like they did 5 years ago.

My body no longer being damaged by obscenely high blood ph should not just help the pain symptoms but also help the slight jaundice I have developed from my liver having to process too many dead blood cells and etc...

And if I don't keep getting better, I will go in, explain my symptoms, explain the blood and saliva ph thing, and try to insist on very specific tests. I have had some luck with some clinic doctors just entertaining the tests I want because they don't know my history. That's actually why I used to go to random clinics instead of the one my gp was associated with, because I always got better care that way. They'd often run the test and go "yikes! Yeah let's fix that!" instead of say, trying to argue I needed to see a mental health expert before exploring physical causes.

And I would already be doing that if it wasn't for the plague, and my broken body and all the ice and snow, and the fact that last time I sought help for this they all just told me I was anxious, even after confirming heart symptoms on paper, and left me to die.

Jokes on them, every time they do that I recover anyway and become more able to independently manage my health and WORSE, talk about it publicly. And document the evidence.

My biggest problem right now is that I am running low on canned pineapple T~T

Because for now, my symptoms all seem to actually be improving.

Give me a few days.

It's looking like I can take those few days to rest and recover that I wanted, so long as I don't get notice of something in that time.

Also looking like I can go back to my 'eggs boiled in undiluted vinegar' habit with impunity.

[marutiagrifoods]

How to Choose the Best Quality Garlic Paste for Your Kitchen

Garlic paste is a staple in kitchens around the world, cherished for its rich aroma and bold flavour that adds depth to countless dishes.  From curries and marinades to soups and sauces, a spoonful of garlic paste can elevate any recipe.  However, with the growing number of garlic paste brands in the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for your kitchen.  In this blog, we shall guide you through the key factors to consider when selecting top-quality garlic paste and explain why sourcing from reputed manufacturers and exporters matters.

Whether you are a home cook or a commercial buyer, making an informed choice ensures that your dishes retain authentic flavour, freshness, and hygiene.  Let us dive into the essentials of choosing the best garlic paste and take a closer look at the companies making waves in the food product industry in Vadodara and across India.

1.  Check the Ingredient List

When choosing garlic paste, simplicity is key.  High-quality garlic paste should contain minimal ingredients—ideally just fresh garlic and a natural preservative like vinegar or citric acid.  Avoid products with artificial colours, flavour, or thickening agents.

As a reputed garlic paste manufacturer in India, MFP Food Products ensures all its condiments, including garlic paste, are made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and processed using hygienic, state-of-the-art methods.

2.  Look for Authentic flavour and Aroma

The hallmark of good garlic paste is its pungent, sharp aroma and taste.  Poor-quality products often lose flavour due to over-processing or the use of low-grade garlic.  Choose garlic paste from a condiments manufacturer in India that prioritizes flavor preservation through cold processing and careful packaging.

Our products retain the raw intensity of fresh garlic, making them a preferred choice among chefs and food lovers alike.

3.  Evaluate the Texture and Consistency

Good garlic paste should be smooth and uniform, without lumps or fibrous residues.  It should blend easily into recipes without leaving behind gritty particles.  Consistency also impacts shelf life—homogeneous paste lasts longer and stores better.

As one of the private label food manufacturers in Vadodara, MFP Food Products produces garlic paste in customizable textures to suit diverse culinary applications—from thick pastes ideal for pickles to smooth versions perfect for sauces.

4.  Choose Trusted Manufacturers and Exporters

When purchasing garlic paste, especially in bulk, it is essential to buy from a reputed garlic paste exporter or food exporter company in Vadodara.  Export-quality garlic paste undergoes rigorous testing and adheres to international food safety standards.

At MFP Food Products, we serve clients across the globe with premium-quality food items.  As a trusted food exporter company in Vadodara, we ensure our garlic paste meets global standards while retaining traditional flavours.

5.  Certifications and Compliance

Always check if the garlic paste is produced by certified food processing companies in India.  Certifications like FSSAI, ISO, and HACCP ensure the product meets hygiene and safety regulations.  Compliance also shows that the company maintains transparency in production and packaging.

We are proud to be among the top food manufacturing companies with industry certifications, ensuring our customers get nothing but the best.

6.  Private Labelling Opportunities

If you are a business owner or a retailer looking to create your own brand, partnering with companies offering private labelling services in India or private labelling services in Gujarat can be a smart move.  Private label garlic paste allows you to customize packaging, branding, and product variants to cater to your audience.

MFP Food Products offers flexible private labelling options for clients worldwide.  As leading private label food manufacturers in Vadodara, we help businesses create custom garlic paste brands that resonate with their target market.

7.  Packaging and Shelf Life

Proper packaging plays a vital role in retaining the freshness of garlic paste.  Opt for brands that use vacuum-sealed pouches, glass jars, or food-grade plastic containers with air-tight seals.  Always check the expiration date to ensure longer usability.

As part of the food product industry in Vadodara, MFP Food Products utilizes advanced packaging technology that extends shelf life without compromising flavour or quality.

8.  Sourcing and Sustainability

Modern consumers are becoming more conscious of the sourcing and sustainability of food products.  Opt for a food product company in India that sources garlic from responsible farmers and follows sustainable practices in manufacturing.

At MFP, we work closely with local farmers to procure high-grade garlic while supporting eco-friendly and ethical production processes.

9.  Complementary Products for Culinary Use

While garlic paste is a kitchen essential, it pairs well with other condiments like ginger paste, green chilli paste, and white vinegar.  Buying from a multi-product food companies in Gujarat can help you get all your cooking essentials under one roof.

Did you know MFP Food Products is also a reputed white vinegar manufacturer in India?  Our complementary range of condiments is crafted to meet diverse culinary requirements—from home kitchens to commercial food outlets.

10.  Reputation in the Food Industry

When selecting a garlic paste brand, the company’s market reputation speaks volumes.  Choose a supplier that is known within the list of food industries in Vadodara for consistent quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

Being recognized as one of the best food product company in Vadodara, MFP Food Products is trusted by households and food businesses across India and abroad.  Our commitment to excellence sets us apart in the competitive landscape of food companies in Gujarat.

Why MFP Food Products?

At MFP Food Products, our garlic paste is more than just a condiment—it is a promise of purity, taste, and trust.  Here is why you should choose us:

Exporter Quality:  We are a certified garlic paste exporter, delivering quality products to international markets.

Private Label Solutions:  As one of the top private label food manufacturers in Vadodara, we help businesses launch custom garlic paste brands.

Advanced Manufacturing:  We are a leading garlic paste manufacturer in India with modern production facilities and a skilled workforce.

Certified and Compliant:  As a part of the reputed food processing companies in India, our processes meet all safety and hygiene norms.

Complete Product Range:  From garlic paste to vinegar and sauces, we are a one-stop food product company in India catering to a wide clientele.

Final Thoughts

Garlic paste is a must-have in every kitchen, and choosing the right product makes all the difference in your cooking experience.  Whether you are shopping for home use, stocking a restaurant, or planning to launch a private label, ensure you source from a reputable manufacturer known for quality and authenticity.

With MFP Food Products, you are choosing more than just garlic paste—you are choosing a legacy of flavour, consistency, and trust built over years of experience in the food product industry in Vadodara.

Explore our range, taste the difference, and bring the essence of authentic Indian flavours to your table.

For bulk inquiries, export orders, or private labelling collaborations, reach out to MFP Food Products—your trusted partner in flavour.

[healthywaysfitness]

Exploring Okra From Seed to Plate

Exploring Okra From Seed to Plate Okra, a green, finger-shaped vegetable that has a rich history and packs  a punch in terms of nutrition, is an essential ingredient in many  global cuisines. From its origins to its growth, nutritional value, and  delectable recipes, join us as we explore the fascinating journey of  this unique vegetable.   The Fascinating Journey of Okra: From Seed to Your Plate  Okra, also known as lady's fingers, originates from the African  continent and has been cultivated since ancient times. It traveled  across the globe, making its way to Europe, Asia, and the Americas,  where it quickly became a staple food in many cultures. The seeds of the  okra plant are sown in warm soil and, under ideal conditions, begin to  sprout within two weeks. The okra plant grows to about 2 meters tall and  produces green pods that are harvested while they are young and tender.   How Okra Grows  The growth of okra is a fascinating process. The plant thrives in warm,  tropical climates and loves the full sun. The seeds are sown directly  into the soil and, with enough moisture and sunlight, they start to  germinate within a week. The first leaves appear, followed by flowers  that are yellow with a crimson center. These flowers ultimately develop  into the okra pods we recognize. These pods are harvested when they are  about 3-4 inches long, while they are still tender.   Please visit https://youtube.com/@HealthDishes The Nutritional Value of Okra  Okra is not just delicious but also highly nutritious. It is low in  calories and high in dietary fiber, making it a great choice for those  aiming for a healthy diet. It is also packed with vitamins and minerals,  including vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium. Moreover, okra is rich  in antioxidants that help fight off harmful free radicals in the body.  The seeds within the okra pod are a good source of unsaturated fats,  protein, and the beneficial antioxidant, oleic acid.   Delicious Recipes with Okra  Okra is a versatile vegetable that can be used in a variety of dishes.  It is a key ingredient in the Southern US dish known as gumbo, where it  is stewed with meat and/or seafood. It can also be stir-fried, pickled,  or used in salads. In Indian cuisine, okra is often fried with spices to  make a dish called Bhindi Masala. Okra can also be grilled, roasted, or  used in soups and stews. Its unique texture and mild flavor make it a  fantastic addition to any meal. #Okra #HealthyEating #Nutrition #Gumbo #BhindiMasala #Vegan #Vegetables  #Gardening #HealthyRecipes #Homegrown Exploring the journey of okra, from its origins to how it grows and its  nutritional value, is an intriguing venture. This humble vegetable, with  its rich history, is a powerhouse of nutrition and can be used in a  plethora of delicious recipes. Whether it's in a hearty gumbo, a spicy  Bhindi Masala, or a simple stir-fry, okra is a versatile and nutritious  addition to your culinary repertoire. So, why not include this  fascinating vegetable in your diet and enjoy its numerous health  benefits?

[nagdabbit]

What's the difference between a quick pickle and regular pickles? Are you just half pickling them? Do you use a different brine?

huh. okay. quickles are, in the broadest sense, just not canned. think of it like this: quickles are marinated vegetables; pickles are the same marinated vegetables that have gone through the whole canning process.

if youre using a less than 5% vinegar, you should either make small batch quickles or just resign yourself to relegating a lot of fridge space to canned pickles cuz they're not gonna be shelf stable. quickles are not shelf stable and need to be refrigerated.

if im planning to keep them for a long while in the fridge, or im using a denser veg like carrots, ill actually heat the brine and seal my jars before fridging them, but that's not necessary. usually im making a micro batch for a meal—as in one literal cup of quickles.

also, doing micro batches means you can play around with recipes and marinating times without wasting a lot of ingredients if it turns out bad. like one large onion can make like five different quickles.

and since you're likely not fully canning a quickle, you have a little more leniency with the strength of your acid—cuz remember it's gonna be AT LEAST 5% acidity if you're planning on having shelf-stable pickles. all you need for quickles is: acid + sugar + salt, sometimes + water.

half cup rice wine vinegar, dash mirin, dash soy, 1 shallot thinly sliced, marinate for at least 20 minutes

half cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, pinch salt, 1 thinly sliced clove of garlic, several thinly sliced jalapenos (or other hot peps, but this is the only way i like jalapenos), marinate for at least two hours - EDIT: also really good if you heat the brine with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary before adding the jalapenos

2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp salt, heat with 1/2 tbsp each of whole allspice, whole cloves, whole black and pink peppercorn, and 1 tsp each of whole mustard seed, coriander seed, pinch of caraway, two or three bay leaves, pour over sliced red onion, fridge at least overnight

1 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 white vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp salt, heat with 2 tbsp peppercorn (i load it up with black and green, usually a little more than 2 tbsp worth), 1 tsp chili flakes, 2 cloves garlic, pour over asparagus stalks, fridge at least overnight

1 cup cider vinegar, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp salt, heat until sugar is dissolved with 1 or 2 tbsp of cloves, 1 tbsp pink peppercorn, lots of fresh tarragon, pour over sliced beets, fridge for at least a full day

1 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup maple syrup, hefty pinch salt, heat until lightly bubbly with a few sprigs of thyme, 1 tbsp black peppercorn, pour over carrots (we prefer small to mid sized whole carrots, but slices work just fine), fridge for at least a full day

i fucking love pickles. i would drink vinegar constantly if it wouldn't cause me great harm. go forth, pickle something

[arvindanticor]

The Pickling Process: An Invaluable Asset in Metal Treatment

Tired of dealing with rusted metal? Learn about the miracle of pickling, a centuries-old metal treatment procedure that removes rust and impurities. Dive into our full guide to learn why pickling is the best procedure for your metals and what factors to consider before purchasing a pickling tank. With our advanced pickling solutions, you can bid rust and contaminants farewell and embrace a cleaner, corrosion-resistant surface. Contact us today and let our professionals assist you in selecting the ideal pickling take for your industry.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

a few more food-related words

for your cooking- or other food-related scenes

Béarnaise - a sauce of egg yolks and butter flavored with shallots, wine, vinegar, and seasonings. Béarnaise is based on Béarn, a region and former province of southwestern France, where it was originally prepared.

Fondue (or Fondu) - a dish that people prepare for themselves at the table by putting small pieces of food (such as bread, meat, or fruit) in a hot liquid (such as melted and flavored cheese or melted chocolate). Originally, fondue named a dish that is similar to the egg-based soufflé and that is usually made with cheese and bread crumbs; however, it is most familiar as the name for a preparation of melted cheese usually flavored with white wine and kirsch (a type of brandy), or a dish that consists of small pieces of food that is cooked in or dipped into a hot liquid. The name is a French derivative of the verb fondre, meaning "to melt or cast."

Hollandaise - a rich sauce made basically of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice or vinegar. In French, sauce hollandaise means "Dutch sauce." Its name is from Hollande, the French designation for Holland.

Macédoine - a confused mixture; a mixture of fruits or vegetables served as a salad or cocktail or in a jellied dessert or used in a sauce or as a garnish. Macédoine is the French name for Macedonia, a region on the Balkan Peninsula that is now part of Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Historically, this area has been home to a richly varied population encompassing many ethnic groups. Etymologists believe that the cultural heterogeneity of the region may have inspired people to use its name as a generic term for any kind of wildly jumbled mixture, including that of the foods used in some sauces.

Marinade - a savory usually acidic sauce in which meat, fish, or a vegetable is soaked to enrich its flavor or to tenderize it. The main ingredient of marinade is French mariner, meaning "to pickle" or "to marinate." The verb marinate refers to steeping foods in a marinade or to coating or covering food with tasty herbs, spices, etc., before cooking.

Mignonette - a type of herb; a sauce made typically with vinegar, pepper, and herbs and served especially with oysters. Its name stems from French words meaning "dainty" and "darling." Those adjectives perfectly describe the small, delicate flowers of the plant, and dainty is fitting for the dollops of the piquant sauce placed on oysters. However, in French cooking, mignonette is used for a mix of ground peppercorn, dainty berries of the black pepper plant, and this is the likely source for the sauce's name.

Mousseline - a sauce (such as hollandaise) to which whipped cream or beaten egg whites have been added. Mousseline is the name for a soft, light sauce as well as a fine, sheer fabric that resembles muslin. It is also a synonym of mousse in its sense referring to a light, spongy food. In French, mousse can mean "froth" or "moss."

Puree (or Purée) - a paste or thick liquid suspension usually made from cooked food ground finely. Puree was processed from Middle French purer, meaning "to cleanse" or "to strain vegetables," which itself was made from Latin purare, meaning "to purify." Besides a pasty food, puree is a thick soup of smooth texture.

Rouille - a peppery garlic sauce. In French, rouille means, literally, "rust." The reddish-brown Mediterranean sauce is usually served with fish soups and stews.

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or leave a link in the replies. I would love to read them!

More: Word Lists

[ilearnedthistodaysblog]

#1082 Why doesn’t honey spoil?

Why doesn’t honey spoil?  Honey doesn’t spoil because it has almost no water in it, because it is a little acidic, and because it has antimicrobial compounds in it. When food spoils, it is usually because microbes like bacteria or fungi start to feed on it. The only goal bacteria have is to reproduce themselves in order to pass on their DNA. They reproduce by a process called binary fission, where they split their cell and their DNA into two, then grow until they separate, to become 2 bacteria. Depending on the conditions and the type of bacteria, they can reproduce once every 5 to 20 minutes. However, they need a certain environment to be able to do this. The temperature has to be right. They reproduce best in the temperature range of 5 ℃ to 60 ℃. The environment can’t be too acidic or too alkaline. It takes a lot of energy for them to reproduce, so they need a food source. Many bacteria need oxygen, although some can produce energy without oxygen. These are called anaerobic bacteria and they can be used for fermentation. Bacteria also need water, which they use to fuel the chemical reactions that breaks down the food for energy. If we want to keep food fresher for longer, we need to play around with the things that bacteria need to reproduce. We can lower or raise the temperature by freezing or cooking the food. The former immobilizes the bacteria and the latter kills them. We can make the food more acidic, such as by pickling it in vinegar. We can remove the oxygen by sealing it in a jar or vacuum packing the food. We can remove the water, either by drying or salting the food. All of these methods can stop food spoiling, but only for as long as the conditions are kept up. If frozen food defrosts, it will start to spoil. Honey meets two of these conditions. Honey doesn’t have much water, and it is acidic. Why is that? It comes down to the way that bees make honey. Worker bees fly out from the hive to find flowers with nectar. The flowers produce nectar as a reward to encourage the bees to go in the flower and get covered in pollen, which they’ll carry to another flower. Nectar is made of proteins, some chemicals, but mostly water and sugar. The bees store the nectar in their honey stomach, which is separate to their actual stomach. Their honey stomach secretes enzymes which break the sugar in the nectar down into simple sugars: glucose and fructose. The worker bee flies back to the hive and regurgitates the nectar out of its honey stomach into the mouth of a house bee. The house bee will repeatedly regurgitate and swallow the nectar, mixing it with enzymes until nearly all of the sugar has been converted to glucose and fructose. The nectar is still mostly water here and the house bee will put the nectar into a honeycomb. The bees don’t know when they will use the nectar and they want it to last for a long time, so they remove most of the water from it. Several bees will fan the liquid nectar with their wings until almost all of the water has evaporated. The water content is less than 20% and the nectar has become honey. Then the bees will cap the honeycomb with beeswax and we will steal it. That lack of water is the main reason why bacteria cannot grow on the honey. The water content of the honey is lower than that of the bacteria, and the bacteria will dehydrate. If you keep a jar of honey sealed and away from water, it will stay fresh for a very long time. If the top is open, moisture may settle and bacteria or mold can grow on the top of the honey, but the honey underneath is still dry and still perfectly fine. The second reason is the acidity of the honey. When the enzymes from the bee convert the sugar in the nectar into glucose and fructose, the pH level of the nectar drops until it is about 4. That is about the same as tomato juice or acid rain. Bacteria tend to grow best at a pH level close to neutral, which is 7. The pH 4 of honey is too acidic for them to grow. In the conversion process, the enzymes also produce hydrogen peroxide, which is a mild bleach. It can kill bacteria. All of these things mean that as long as honey is left in a sealed jar without moisture, it can last for a long time. Honey from 5,500 years ago has been found and it is technically still fine to eat. I say “technically” because I don’t believe anyone has actually tried to eat it. And this is what I learned today. Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/honey-on-white-bowl-33260/ Sources https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-doesnt-honey-go-off https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide https://www.compoundchem.com/2014/08/21/chemistryofhoney/ https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3zkda2/why_doesnt_honey_expire/ https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6amxk2/eli5_why_do_things_rot_and_where_does_it_come_from/ https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-food-rot https://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=879 https://www.britannica.com/science/microbiology/Reproduction-and-growth Read the full article

[metinox]

 Stainless Steel 317/317L Seamless Tubes Exporters In India

Introduction :

Metinox Overseas is a renowned manufacturer, supplier, and stockist of SS 317L Seamless Tubes. The SS 317L alloy is distinguished by its molybdenum-bearing austenitic stainless steel composition, featuring lower carbon content compared to alloy 317. These Stainless Steel ASTM A213 TP 317L Seamless Tubes not only offer impressive tensile and stress-to-rupture strength but also exhibit enhanced creep resistance at elevated temperatures.

Product Overview :

With high chromium content, Stainless Steel 317L Seamless Square Tubes demonstrate excellent oxidation resistance; however, they are susceptible to embrittlement beyond temperatures of approximately 350 degrees Celsius, thus their application is limited to lower temperature environments. Both martensitic and precipitation hardening families of Stainless Steel 317L Rectangular Tubes boast high strengths achievable through thermal treatments.

Stainless Steel 317/317L Tubes Standard Specifications :

Specifications :ASTM A213 / ASME SA213

Outside Diameter :1/8″ OD TO 2″OD 3MM OD TO 38 MM OD

Thickness :1MM TO 3 MM 0.028 TO 0.156 IN, SCH 5, SCH10, SCH 40, SCH 80, SCH 80S, SCH 160, SCH XXS

Size :1/2″ NB — 24″ NB

Type :Seamless / Capillary Tubes

Form :Round Tubes, Square Tubes, Rectangular Tubes.

Length :Single Random, Double Random & Required Length

End :Plain End, Beveled End, Treaded

Finish :Annealed and Pickled, Polished, Bright Annealed, Cold Drawn

Application of Stainless Steel 317/317L Seamless Tubes :

1. Chemical and Petrochemical Industry

· Used for handling corrosive chemicals, acids, and solvents.

· Common in heat exchangers, condensers, and piping systems.

2. Pharmaceutical and Food Processing

· Ideal for cleanroom applications and processing environments due to hygienic and non-reactive properties.

3. Marine and Coastal Structures

· Suitable for seawater and saline environments due to enhanced resistance to chloride corrosion.

Conclusion :

Stainless Steel 317/317L seamless tubes offer a superior combination of corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, and durability, making them a reliable choice for demanding applications across various industries

[mariacallous]

For centuries, pickled vegetables were staples in the diet of Ashkenazi Jews. But these pickled vegetables — which included cucumbers, carrots, beets and cabbage — were not the kind of pickles we think of today, swimming in a brine of vinegar and spices. Vinegar, which was typically made from wine, would have been too expensive for most people to use as a preservative before the 19th century. Rather, these vegetables were fermented: submerged in a saltwater brine to attract good bacteria that, with time, turned the vegetable’s sugars into lactic acid, which both preserved them and made them delicious. Among the best-known of these traditional Jewish ferments is sauerkraut, or fermented cabbage.

Turks and Tartars traveling along the Silk Road from China introduced the process of lacto-fermentation — so named for the beneficial lactobacillus bacteria — to Russia as early as the Renaissance. From there the technique spread westward. Sauerkraut, or sour cabbage, was among the most popular ferments. From Russia, Jews brought sauerkraut with them to Germany, France and even England, until it became one of the most important dishes in all of northern Europe. Sauerkraut required so little to make — just cabbage and salt — kept for months, and provided an important source of vitamin C. For poor people living in harsh climates, few foods were as beneficial.

In pre-industrial times, Ashkenazi families began fermenting cabbage and other vegetables in large barrels around Sukkot. Once the fermentation process was complete, after two to four weeks, the finished sauerkraut was stored over the winter in a cool spot and appeared frequently at mealtime — on its own served with black bread or mixed in with noodles, potatoes or meat — as a welcome addition to an otherwise bland and monotonous diet.

Immigrants to America brought sauerkraut with them in the 19th century. Indeed, the special kosher dining room at Ellis Island regularly had sauerkraut on its menu. The ubiquitousness of fermented pickles in Jewish delis, where they served to cut through the fattiness of foods like pastrami and corned beef, cemented the association between Jews and pickled vegetables in the public’s eye. Sauerkraut became a staple of Jewish delis as an integral part of the Reuben sandwich — one of the most iconic dishes in the world of American Jewish cuisine.

Today, we are rediscovering the health benefits, and distinctive tangy flavor, of fermented foods and for the past few years, fermentation has been one of the most popular DIY trends. Although it may seem intimidating, fermenting is actually quite easy to do at home and the results are extraordinarily tasty. The flavor and texture of homemade sauerkraut, for example, is vastly superior to store-bought and, unlike commercial sterilized varieties, contains healthy probiotics which contribute to digestive health and boost the immune system.

Sauerkraut is an easy entrée in to the world of lacto-fermentation: Unlike most other vegetables, cabbage ferments in its own juice, so all you need to make sauerkraut is cabbage and salt. Furthermore, you will not need a lot of special equipment: a half-gallon Mason jar is perfect for fermenting your sauerkraut. I recommend investing in a few additional pieces, neither of which are expensive, to facilitate your fermentation experiments: some glass weights to keep the cabbage submerged in the brine and a lid with an airlock to contain any strong odor while still allowing carbon dioxide to escape. Here are some of my favorites:

Brooklyn Brew Shop Kraut Kit

Fermentation Creation Food Fermentation Kit

Fermentation weights

Lids

Note: Once the sauerkraut is finished, store it in the refrigerator, dividing into smaller jars if desired. It will last for several months.

Ready to jump in? Here’s a straightforward recipe for a small-batch sauerkraut using only one head of cabbage.

[balkanradfem]

So I found this mushroom in the forest:

and I also discovered, that there are 3 different types of mushrooms that are edible, and they all look like what I found.

These are respectively: Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus), Russula virescens, and Greasy green brittlegill (Russula heterophylla).

Now, all of these are edible, but I wanna know what mushroom I have! The first mushroom in particular is supposed to have a 'peppery taste' and I got so curious about it, like if my mushroom tastes like pepper then it's 100% that one.

So, I was staring at pictures and trying to figure out which one is it, and I eliminated the second one, just because the gills on my mushrooms are very fine, and the mushroom on the pictures had wide and big ones.

So it was between the first and the third, and at this point I also knew that the Milkcap would bleed milk if cut it, and the last mushroom was supposed to be dry inside. So, I cut my mushroom, and - it was immediately milky! Thrilled, I went on to see how edible it is and how should I prepare it.

The articles were not encouraging. Apparently some people said it was poisonous, but just because it 'tasted so bad'. The reviews said the mushroom is not a very quality one, and that some people had their mouth irritated very badly for an hour, from tasting it. It should be safe when cooked though. So, I did what was logical, I took the little piece I cut off, put it on a fry-pan, and made sure it was well done, before putting it in my mouth.

Immediately, I'm disappointed. It does not have a peppery taste. It didn't taste much like anything really. It had a bad acidic aftertaste, which I did not enjoy. So now I'm bummed! No way to pinpoint which one my mushroom really is, if it's not peppery!

Unless.. the cooking process eliminated the peppery taste, and it's only peppery when raw. This thought haunted me. Maybe the only way I'll be able to tell for sure is to lick the actual raw mushroom... but it doesn't say anywhere that it's edible raw, in fact, it says people got their mouths irritated very badly for a full hour from the peppery taste.

But like, they didn't die, and it was just an hour.

So I licked it. And it was peppery! Super peppery! I had my mouth full of pepper taste just from one tiniest lick, and now I'm sure of my mushroom id!!! And I didn't get irritated, my mouth was fine after 30 seconds. Win for living from the forest!

Apparently you're supposed to cook this mushroom several times and then pickle it in order for it to taste okay and not acidic. But, you can also dry it, and then use it as a spice replacement, and it has a lot of Vitamin C retained that way. I am going to try to cook it first, and then put it on a pizza, and then we'll see. So pleased to finally be able to forage these white mushrooms because I find several of these every single time I go to the forest!!!