Octopodial Chrome

Today I laid down a jar of pickled garlics according to the recipe I used for onions. It’ll be ready in two months or so.

The regular reader will notice that I have a great love for pickled foods. Part of it is just the fact that they taste superb: lots of salt and vinegar combine to make a savoury repast. Part of it is the fascination I have with food preservation: it’s so cool to be able to stave off corruption (or take advantage of it, as when making beer, wine or sauerkraut). Man has loved preserved foods for centuries—why should I be any different from my ancestors?

Unfortunately, it appears that pickled, salted and smoked foods cause stomach cancer. But quite honestly, I just don’t care. I’m going to die someday anyway—I might as well enjoy my time here on earth. A life without pickles; a life without bacon; a life without sauerkraut: that wouldn’t be life at all, but a kind of ghastly hollow caricature thereof. It would be an unlife.

Today whilst searching for information on how to preserve apples, I discovered Recipezaar, a cooking site with a unique difference: the recipes can be scaled easily. I found one for pickled apples which wanted a peck (about 20); I was able to scale it down to 4 apples without having to do any math in my head. The site also calculates nutritional information based on its database of ingredients. Absolutely wonderful—this is how recipe sites should work. Let the computer do the scut-work, and let man have fun.