Cheong Update!
In my last newsletter, I wrote about getting my first cheong going. I buried red currants from the market in an equal weight of granulated sugar and left them to do their thing. After checking on them a few days later, I noticed that pockets of red currants weren't surrounded by sugar, so I used a chopstick to mix it all up and keep every berry covered. It's been almost two weeks. Here's how it's looking:
Most of the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture smells astringent and stemmy. (I probably should have removed the stems.) I'll give the whole thing another good stir and let it keep going.
Ham and I did de-stem another haul of red currants recently for making jam, and it was so worth it. (And turned out to be the last of the red currants for the season! Really glad we snatched them up.) The jam is tart, vibrant, and got us hankering for a blackberry batch. I'll fill you in on all the jam details in the next newsletter—ratios, temperatures, and percentages galore!
In other news!
More Perfect Union asked Ham and me to bring you this video all about how to unionize! Unions allow you and your coworkers to negotiate with your employers for fair pay, health insurance, better work-life balance, and much more. Unions give workers power! But figuring out how to form a union can feel intimidating, so this video will give you a run-down on the basics of starting a union at your workplace. Currently, many workplaces are in the process of trying to unionize, like Amazon, America's Test Kitchen, and even Conde Nast (PS. The management at Conde has yet to recognize the union. Show your support by following @condeunited). If you want to get in on taking a stand for yourself and your coworkers, check out this video, share it with your colleagues, and head to perfectunion.us for more resources.
There's another episode of Mystery Menu out, and the secret ingredient is *drumroll, please* cornflakes! We had a lot of fun on this one because...what can't you do with cornflakes? We get a kick out of watching the episodes as well because we shot them all in early April, and I've genuinely forgotten every moment, every ingredient, and even how tight Vaughn's pant's were.
I recently joined Jesse Sparks (one of the most perfect humans I've ever known) on his podcast, The One Recipe. If you haven't checked it out yet, Jesse chats with a guest about their go-to recipe in each episode. I love how the episodes are short and sweet, the ideal length for listening to while on a short commute or tossing together lunch. The dishes he features are simple no-recipe recipes that you'll undoubtedly end up turning to, like Soleil Ho's scallion oil or Priya Krishna's coconut, chili, and garlic roasted veggies inspired by Tejal Rao. I talked to Jesse about how I got lost in Europe, ended up in Spain, and am now making Spanish Tortillas on repeat. Listen to it, you know, anywhere you listen to things!
Thanks for stopping by. Next time we'll be jammin! In the meantime, here's a great dangle from Clem. She really knows how to live.
see ya!
sohla