[alinnell]

I got my DD a Paderno spiralizer. It is the three-blade one. I didn't know there was a 4th blade. What does the 4th one do? I just have the little hand-held one that has two sizes of spirals. I told DD she can get me the bigger one for my birthday! That said, I have a really nice mandolin that has four blades. I use only two of those.

[ICUwishing]

Looks like the 4th blade is super-fine - they say "angel hair". The pictures they have for the "Pro" version show it storing in a neat little compact case and it sounds like the blade storage is completely covered. I don't know if this is a 2nd-generation thing, or if the 3-blade has all those features too.

[Mudpie]

Anyone read Michael Pollan's "Cooked"? It's arranged into Fire Water Air and Earth sections. I'm at the last section - Earth - and it's about fermentation. His descriptions of pickling vegetables sound quite easy for some of them. Mason jars rinsed in hot water, salt, veggies, and that's about it.

I'm looking for ways to incorporate more veggies into our diet. I'm tired of buying expensive store salads and then picking off all the highly caloric bits and I'm too lazy to make them from scratch. DH is not a fan of frozen veggies or cooked veg in general.

I think if I get the book Pollan recommends and do one major Sunday of vegetable pickling I may have a supply for several months.

Any thoughts? Becky, I think you make these sorts of things. Am I fantasizing about how easy it will be?

Dagmar

[ICUwishing]

Dagmar, it's crazy easy. Sauerkraut packing is the only thing we've run into that required physical effort (it's literally stuffing 20 pounds of shredded cabbage into a 3 gallon container). The quart to half-gallon recipes are much less labor intensive. Our go-to book is The Art of Fermentation by Sandar Katz. We have done beets, peppers (including a killer hot sauce), garlic, kimchi, cucumbers and cabbage. Now that I have a reliable and consistent source of raw fresh whole milk, I'm looking to extend to dairy this year with cheeses and kefir and yogurt. Now I'm all hungry.

[Mudpie]

Originally Posted by ICUwishing

Dagmar, it's crazy easy. Sauerkraut packing is the only thing we've run into that required physical effort (it's literally stuffing 20 pounds of shredded cabbage into a 3 gallon container). The quart to half-gallon recipes are much less labor intensive. Our go-to book is The Art of Fermentation by Sandar Katz. We have done beets, peppers (including a killer hot sauce), garlic, kimchi, cucumbers and cabbage. Now that I have a reliable and consistent source of raw fresh whole milk, I'm looking to extend to dairy this year with cheeses and kefir and yogurt. Now I'm all hungry.

Thanks! Sandor Katz is referenced throughout the Earth chapter in Pollan's book. If you get a chance to find it online read the part about Sister Noella (the Earth chapter) in Pollan's "Cooked". Now that is dedication to cheese making.

Dagmar

[ChrisMohr]

First day of real dieting yesterday was hard after overindulging in sweets. But worth it. Will look forward to getting back into maintenance land!

[Shannon in ATL]

Becky - I just got the 3 blade one for Christmas and haven't unpacked it, I'll look when I get home and see if it is in a little case or not.