This stuff is good!

I have kimchi and it is good!

Yesterday, per instructions, I took a taste of the brine, and it was so delicious I wanted to eat some of the veggies too -- ASAP! So off to the kitchen, crock in hand, to unpack and put into storage jars.

And of course, set some aside in a small dish for immediate consumption. Amazing -- it's crunchy, has a nice acid tang and some heat. Really glad I didn't put more than that small amount of hot Thai chile peppers in it. All the raw garlic and ginger, plus the green onions, add to that heat as well. It's not all chile peppers.

I haven't put it in the fridge yet. Yesterday, I added more water to the jars but forgot to add more salt to the water, so this morning I drained the jars and added some salt before returning the brine to the jars. I'll let them stay out a couple more days to be sure that new brine gets the full flavor that so impressed me. Yum!

I'd call this a winner, to be sure.

Yesterday did indeed turn out to be rain free. In fact, it turned out to be bright and sunny, something that we haven't seen around here for awhile. I didn't have the energy to walk in the morning, after the poor sleep, but I went up the hill after lunch and that felt great. Always good to be in the woods, especially since I didn't encounter another human until I was almost back to the trailhead.

Not much sleep again last night, but through no fault of my roomie. I opted for two things that didn't work too well: one, I used ear plugs and for the first time actually managed to insert them properly so they stayed in, but also produced more pressure in my ears than was comfortable. Blocked out sound, though! I also took some OTC sleep aids, all around 9pm because I'd been so sleepy all evening and I hoped to be able to sleep for several hours. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I woke up after 1.5 hours, with my skin crawling. That's a side effect of the pills, one that generally doesn't happen if I don't take them too often. There is nothing to do but wait it out, which took over an hour to happen. Whine! The ear plugs came out at that point, too, because they were too uncomfortable and the house was quiet.  So -- a second night with little sleep. I'll figure a way around all this, I hope, although the best answer is one that's unattainable at the moment: live by myself!

Still, all in all a good day yesterday. A nice hike, sunshine, and kimchi. What's not to like about that?