Did you know...?

Pickles are fermented! Well, some pickles. I recently was brave enough to try kimchi and realized that it's just like saurkraut! Nothing scary. I honestly don't know what I thought...fish heads? That's actually possible, I know some recipes call for fish sauce.

About 15 years ago I was determined to make hot and sour soup at home. I dont' like mushrooms and I hate fishy things, but the soup was so good, and I wanted to make it, so I bought 3 different types of mushrooms and a fish sauce that I found in the strip district. I got everything ready and made the soup...all but the fish sauce! I just couldn't bring myself to put the fish sauce in...it was a jar of whole fish just ground up with eyeballs and scales and everything! I just couldn't!! I looked up all kinds of recipes and called a friend. "Fish sauce is clear!" she yelled! THANK GOD! I breathed a sigh of relief. The soup never did turn out right...and the jar of fish parts has been with me ever since.

Anyway, back to fermentation, I learned that just as saurkraut is just fermented cabbage and salt, kimchi is just fermented veggies and salt, and pickles...like the ones you find on deli counters in NYC, the big, fat, tangy, juicy ones...are fermented cucumbers and salt! Isn't that awesome! My eyes have been open to a whole new world! I'm gonna ferment stuff!