In a Pickle

Last hurrah for autumn.

One thing I love about the coming of fall is the bounty of produce available. I start plotting what to can during the summer, subject to change with the whims of the Farmer's Market. Cabbage for sauerkraut, Bok Choy for kimchi, Carrots and Cauliflower for pickled vegetables, Lemons for preserved lemons, Onions for relish, Fruits for jams, and a big favorite around our house, Cucumbers for pickles.

We generally only make two kinds of pickles, Kosher Dills, and Bread and Butter pickles. This afternoon I put up 8 quarts of bread and butter pickles. That should last us the winter. I think. Something about the sweet and sour taste, and the crispness that makes them irresistible.

Fermented foods are supposed to be good for your digestive system. I have no reason to doubt it, besides, they just taste good. We make all the pickled vegetables including the ever potent kimchi, kombucha, beer, sourdough bread, yogurt. I haven't gotten into making kefir yet, but I think that is coming. Also on my hit list is pickled beets. Anyone have a good recipe?

So what are your favorite pickle-ized things?  Anyone make Lemon Curd?  What other foody things do you have to share?

Pickles in waiting.

And still waiting. These are very patient cucumbers. I recommend them.

Super secret pickling concoction swirling in the pan.

Before and after. Ready for transformation. 

August Fun Facts

August is watching you from the side of the road.

 

Fun Facts about August

au·gust

adjective

respected and impressive.

"she was in august company"

Synonyms: distinguished, respected, eminent, venerable, hallowed, illustrious, prestigious, renowned, celebrated, honored, acclaimed, esteemed, exalted; great, important, lofty, noble; imposing, impressive, awe-inspiring, stately, grand, dignified.

"our august guests"

From the Latin augustus ‘consecrated, venerable

Or you know it by its common form:

Au·gust

noun: August 

The eighth month of the year, in the northern hemisphere usually considered the last month of summer.

Named after Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor.

Did you know that today is National Aviation Day?

National Aviation Day is observed each year on August 19th.  

This day is dedicated by Presidential Proclamation to those who helped pioneer aviation in the United States.

Established in 1939 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this holiday was issued a presidential proclamation designating the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday to be National Aviation Day. 

It is also National Aviation Week – August 15-21

And finally, it's National Coffee Month. I'm down with that. In fact I think I'll have another cup of java to celebrate.

50 Years Ago 

Hawaii

Sixty-one years after Hawaii's annexation by the United States, President Eisenhower proclaims it the 50th state, August 21, 1959. 

 

100 Years Ago

Penny

In August 1909, one hundred years after his birth, Abraham Lincoln goes into circulation—on the penny. It is the first time a portrait appears on a regular issue U.S. coin. 

August Birthstone - Peridot

Peridot is an olivine, one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color, an olive-green. The intensity and tint of the green, however, depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure, so the color of individual peridot gems can vary from yellow to olive to brownish-green. The most valued color is a dark olive-green.

Olivine in general is a very abundant mineral, but gem quality peridot is rather rare. This is due to the mineral's chemical instability on the Earth's surface.

Dog Days of Summer

The Old Farmer's Almanac explains that "the phrase 'Dog Days' conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer," coinciding with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the dog star, in the constellation Canis Major.

Homer, in the Iliad, references the association of 'Orion's dog' (Sirius) with oncoming heat, fevers and evil, in describing the approach of Achilles toward Troy:

Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky

On summer nights, star of stars,

Orion's Dog they call it, brightest

Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat

And fevers to suffering humanity.

And with that bit of poetry, I bid you a happy remainder of your August days. May they be less sultry.