Rhonda and I learned a new trick today…actually several of them. We made a video and I edited it and uploaded it to Youtube.com. I thought our fumbling awkwardly through the process was hilarious! Clearly, we didn’t know what the heck we were doing. It was definitely on the job training and we had great fun doing it! At the same time, we managed to enhance our brain and gut health.
Now it may be hard to believe, but I was once a web designer. I have great respect for my ignorance about tech now that I haven’t touched any of that stuff in at least 8 years. Internet technology has changed a lot since then. Not only have I forgotten a bunch of stuff, it’s just really a different world on the web than it was back in 2013 when I stopped working in it.
But here’s the great thing, and really what this blog is about: we’re never too old to learn something new. Now it’s true, sometimes we can have illnesses that interfere with our ability to learn, but getting old itself does not mean you cannot learn. Our brains stay flexible and active and able to learn throughout our lives, as long as we use them. Maybe it takes a little longer to absorb the information—after all we’ve got a lot of information in there after a lifetime of living—but we can always reorganize and add more stuff. My pantry and refrigerators are proof of that! As long as you’re willing to learn, you keep your sense of humor, and you keep expanding your experiences, you’ll keep learning and keep that brain healthy and in good shape.
So Rhonda and I made a video on making deli pickles the old fashioned way, fermenting them in a culture and brine. No cooking, no vinegar. Just cucumbers, salt water, and leftover brine from a previous batch of pickles as a culture. Easier than pie, for sure—and whoever said pie was easy to make anyway? Cobbler, now that’s easy. Pie? Not so much.
I couldn’t get Rhonda to try the pickles on camera, but after we ended the video she did take a bite off the end of a pickle—and liked it! I’ll have to write about Rhonda’s eccentricities about food sometime. I’m always telling her she has the palate of a 7-year-old. She just snickers and backs away when I try to get her to taste stuff.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pickle recipe and make it often. These pickles are wonderful, crunchy, garlicky, just the right amount of salt. (You can really hear that crunch in the last frame when I think the video has stopped. CRUNCH!) Learning to make them is good for your brain health and eating them and other fermented foods is good for gut health! Be sure to give them about a week in the refrigerator before you try them for the best flavor. And of course keep them in the refrigerator after fermentation is done. For the best flavor and texture, eat them within 4 weeks. Enjoy!
Do you have a tip for making pickles or other cultured veggies? We’d love to hear from you!