Lacto-Fermented Veggies

So I tried pickling for the first time last night.  Chopped up some broccoli from Kroger and mixed it with baby carrots, then put it in jars with a 5% brine and spices.  The idea behind this kind of fermentation is that the salt keeps down the bad bugs while Lactobacillus gets up to speed churning out lactic acid; long-term, it's the low pH that is preserving the food.  I'm interested in it because it's a fairly easy way to get started in preserving food, plus I just like the idea of raising a host of bacteria to turn ordinary food into something better.  I'll let you know in a few weeks how they turned out and which spice blend I liked the best.

Fantasia para un Gentilhombre

Today's classical music link.  A very nice piece by the blind Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo.

Kombucha

Has anybody tried this stuff?  It's a fizzy fermented tea.  Doesn't look very appetizing in the fermenter, about a half-inch of yeasty mother floating on top, but apparently it tastes pretty good and presumably you get it out a spigot in the bottom.  It's all the rage nowadays in health-food circles apparently; I found out about it following links from that pickling webpage linked above.

World Curling TV

Yes I am a nerd.  Watching curling while I dry 3D glasses for the planetarium: Men's Euro Championships Final 2012, Sweden and Norway.

Dvorak Humoresque

I enjoy this piece quite a bit.  Here we have Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma playing an arrangement for violin, cello and orchestra.

COSI

Went to COSI with the family yesterday.  Had a really good time.  It may be that my kids are getting older and enjoy it themselves more, but I'm appreciating this museum more and more each time I go, even if it is a competitor.  As an added bonus MindBender Mansion was the traveling exhibit and I got to rock the hopscotch spelling game again.  It's a really good workout, someone needs to make these for home fitness.  It's like DDR for nerds.