Vinegar Craving

Most of my life I've craved vinegar. I love pickles, pasta fazul with lots of vinegar, and vinegar in water. Salt and vinegar potato chips. During the summer we make sweet pickles--one cup water, one cup sugar, one cup vinegar and fresh cucumbers.

Heaven! We just finished up a batch (the last of the season, *sigh*) and then I drank the juice, although it's too sweet for me.

Out of curiosity I looked up vinegar cravings. A lot of women (it is apparently mostly women) get this craving at puberty. Those men who crave vinegar this way it's a lifelong thing.

The information was quite interesting, and absolutely anecdotal. For most of the women who had this craving, it's strongest the week before their period starts. A lot of them craved vinegar (or pickles) during pregnancy and then the craving went away. Several mentioned the fact that they don't like sweet foods (which applies in my case as well) and many were also lactose intolerant.

I know that people low on potassium (which is found in vinegar) get a lot of cramps. That was another similarity I noticed--many of these people exercise a great deal, and get cramps when they do. Several were marathon runners. When you exercise a lot, potassium and calcium are leached from the muscles if there's not enough in the system, which results in cramps.

Giving blood does the same, for some people (it does for me), but only if the nutrient levels in the blood were too low to start with. Vinegar might balance that. Vinegar also increases the absorption of calcium as well as a number of other essential nutrients.

Another possibility mentioned was an acid/base imbalance. Someone also mentioned the ability of vinegar to balance insulin levels (due to its ability to prevent the absorption of sugars).

Doctors say there's no physiological reason for the craving since vinegar is so low in nutrients, but it's important to remember that many people who crave vinegar aren't just taking a tablespoon (the dose the RDA values are calculated on) but drinking the stuff. Vinegar contains trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and iron. So if someone drinks a cup of vinegar they're getting significant amounts of these nutrients. I'm guessing that in most cases when people crave vinegar it's providing missing nutrients and trace minerals, but there are lots of possibilities here.

Whatever the reason, I try to listen to what my body tells me--if it says it wants vinegar and vinegar is available, that's what it will get!


2019 update: I've started making my own fruit vinegars and it's amazing! I started with apple cider vinegar, then apricot, and now pear.

Making sausage

I have this insatiable need to know stuff. If it catches my imagination, it is a lost cause. I will find out.

I'm not so much about blogging, but it's that curiosity bump that just won't go away.

I wanted to try my hand(s) at making sausage. Fresh sausage is no fun, but I don't have a sausage grinder or a sausage stuffer and really I try to stay away from things that might not be available at some point. Like electrical gadgets that do nothing but stuff meat into pig intestines...

I used a simple recipe I found on thespicysausage.com. It was intended as a fresh sausage, but I figured it was worth a try.

The initial batch I used hamburger (20% fat) instead of pork because I couldn't find any ground pork.

Most of the fresh "sausage" I wrapped and put in the freezer. But I took two pieces a step further. I added a little more salt, since I knew it would be curing for a while, then wrapped one in plastic and stuck it in the back of the refrigerator. The other I packed tightly into a small jar, then inverted it into a larger jar so it had air on all sides, spread salt over the outside and left it, also, in the refrigerator.

Today, a month later, I pulled them out and put both pieces in a 200 degree oven for a couple of hours (since I don't have a smoker).

I made...sausage, or something. Not quite sure what I'd call it. It's not like any sausage I've ever had before.

The two pieces are very different.

#1, packed sausage. Very solid, and very dark. VERY salty. The texture is like jerky, or one of those "beef sticks" that are sold in supermarkets. The outside is chewy but not tough, the inside more like pepperoni but not at all soft or smooth as pepperoni would be. I can tell it could do with a higher percentage of fat. The flavor isn't familiar but it doesn't taste "off" or bad in any way. The color is a uniform dark brown all the way through. The core temperature was up around 160 degrees.

#2, wrapped sausage. I can tell the two were from the same batch, but good grief the difference. This one is visibly raw (although it doesn't smell like it's gone off either) and crumbly. The outside inch is dark gray, the inside still slightly pink so I'm guessing that either it didn't age long enough or the air getting to the outside is necessary for aging. The core temperature on this one was also around 160 degrees after 4 hours in a 200 degree oven.

I'll cook #2 for dinner tonight to make sure it's safe. The other--I think it's fine the way it is. Now I need to get some glass or metal tubes to use for molds and try it again. A higher percentage of fat this time, and a little less salt.

I know now that sausage CAN be made without the casings. Now to experiment...

Back pain

I have a bad back. When I was about twenty I worked at a mower shop and someone had wedged a full sized lawnmower into a tiny car-- I think it was a VW Bug or some such thing, but I don't remember. What I remember is twisting as I worked the mower out of its nest and feeling something pop.

It didn't hurt then, but it certainly did later! Ever since then I've struggled with back problems. If I twist wrong, lift wrong, the stupid thing pops out of place, and the muscles then hold it out of place with muscle spasms. I can spend anywhere from a few hours to a week flat, struggling to even turn over.

In all the years between I've learned a few things, however.

1. When your back is out, sleep with a flat pillow under the small of your back to hold it in the proper curvature. If you sleep on your side, sleep with a pillow under the arch of your waist.
2. Walk with one shoe off and one shoe on. When my back goes out one leg appears shorter than the other because of the way the spine curves. If I can lift that side, there isn't as much pain and the muscles heal faster as the spine is forced back into the proper position.
3. Roll off the bed (or couch) onto your knees rather than trying to sit up. Much easier to get into a standing position from your knees. My bed is high enough that I can roll off into a crouching position, making it that much simpler.
4. If you must sit up (for example you're on the floor exercising) pile cushions on that side to help with the lift. Roll up onto the cushions, then onto your knees.
5. For those times when your back is good, always exercise. Get some exercises to do and do them every day. Remember to exercise the whole body, not just the back muscles--this means abdominal too. If you feel that twinge that's your back saying "Hey, I'm here!" be proactive. Try to get that thing popped back into place BEFORE it becomes a problem, and be careful how you lift or twist. Increase your exercises, and include some leg stretches that will help in popping it back in.

Years ago I went to a quackopractor for this problem, and while he didn't impress me at all there were a few things he did that I was able to use. This isn't a condemnation of chiropractors by any means, but this one was a waste of time. Thus, quackopractor. One thing he did was to put my knee over the other knee and push it down.

I thought, hey, I can do that. So when I feel that twinge I lay flat on the floor, hook one knee over the other and gently press the upper knee toward the floor. Then repeat on the other side. Often this pops it back in, but most often I just use it as addition to my regular exercises.

The spine is really a set of cushioned hinges, held in place by muscle like stretched rubber bands. Many of our back problems are caused or exacerbated by muscle problems. If one muscle isn't strong enough it can't maintain the tension and the opposing muscle can't relax, which pulls the spine out of place. If a lot of muscles aren't strong enough (or one is too strong) they can snap the spine out of place by themselves. Thus, the reason for exercising evenly on both sides. However, if the spine itself has a weakness and slips out of place the muscles (stretched rubber bands, remember?) will contract and hold it in place--the wrong place.

This puts additional strain on the muscles, and together with torn muscle tissue and swelling cause a great deal of pain. Most people reach for the painkillers.

While ibuprofen and acetaminophen are generally used as pain killers, ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory and acetaminophen is a muscle relaxant or anti-spasmodic. Taking the two together (as many people do) gives you the pain killing, anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic relief needed for mild back pain. However, I hate taking medicine for any reason. I react to some of the more common ones, and since I don't take them on a regular basis they often have unexpected consequences. One ibuprofen will put me to sleep for twelve hours or more, and they both make me groggy and irritable. I don't like the way they make me feel, I don't like the aftertaste, and I don't like staring at the world through a cotton-candy screen.

So I've come up with herbal alternatives.

A cautionary tale. Many years ago I was just starting to work with herbs. I was under the impression that they were perfectly safe and nothing could go wrong. I had no idea about herb-drug interactions or herb-herb/herb-food interactions. It had simply never occurred to me that such a thing was possible. I looked through my books and found a handful of herbs I had in the garden that were listed as anti-inflammatory or anti-spasmodic. I made a tea of them, and while it tasted absolutely nasty it did help the back pain. Great. One more thing nailed. Happy with that, and high on herbs, I went to work. At work, sitting for hours on end, the herbs wore off. Without thinking about it I reached for the ibuprofen and acetaminophen. It helped a little. Wanting to make it all better, I drank some of my herbal concoction. A few minutes later spasms started that made it impossible to do anything except sit there and cry. Instead of being an ANTI-spasmodic, the combination had created a spasmodic.

I somehow got home, and it was months before I dared do anything more with herbs. I have since narrowed it down to one particular herb in my concoction. The herbs alone are fine. The pharmaceuticals alone are fine. But add in this particular item, on top of the herbs and pharmaceuticals, it reverses the effects and turns into a VERY strong spasmodic.

Back Pain Recipe

This was my first (and worst) experience with interactions, and it is the reason I warn beginners to be very cautious when working with herbs. They are much better for you than pharmaceuticals, and often work better, but they don't come with warning labels or dosage charts. Any warnings are either the voice of experience or bitter experience. One or the other.

The most important thing with back pain is prevention. Exercise every day, exercise evenly (front and back, both sides) and at the first twinge take preventative action. Be careful how you stand, bend and twist. Be careful how you lift. Don't take on things that will strain your back and don't be afraid to ask for help if necessary. The last thing you want is to have to have help for the rest of your life because of a few minutes of I-can-do-it-myself pride.

When prevention fails, be gentle and stay down as much as possible. Move slowly and carefully (as if you could do anything else!) and try to keep the spine in its normal shape. Heat helps. Anti-inflammatories and anti-spasmodics help.

Keep exercising.

And not a drop

I got my Berkey water filter today. Aside from having a new toy, I'm hoping that the lack of chemicals in the water we drink will make a difference for various health problems we're currently experiencing.

The thing was expensive (as my BIL explained to me at exhaustive length) but since the main filters will filter up to 3000 gallons each we could easily get two years worth of water out of a $50 filter rather than paying $20 for a set of five that are used up within a year. Of course, I may be seriously underestimating the amount of water we drink (which he also said, ad nauseum) but well worth it anyway.

The other filters don't take out viruses, bacteria, or fluoride and chlorine. Those last two were my main concern, along with pharmaceuticals (yes there are pharmaceuticals in most municipal water systems) pesticides and heavy metals.

You see, our water doesn't poof out of nowhere and suddenly appear in our faucets. Water that comes from snow melt goes into rivers and streams that are contaminated by runoff from farms and manufacturing facilities. Even sewage finds its way into our waterways. The water then goes into purification systems, but simply from the volume of water they're working with they can't catch everything. Instead, our municipal water systems focus on a few main problems--particulates (basic filtering), viruses and bacteria (chlorine) and reducing metals like iron and lead. They want to make the water safe to drink by federal standards, not necessarily good for you.

The in-house filter is a hopeful step in that direction. We try to eat healthy as much as possible, not using most pre-processed foods, boxed or packaged meals, etc. But I've become concerned over the years that what we drink isn't nearly as healthy as what we eat. Unfortunately I don't have nearly enough money for a whole-house filtering system (and don't talk about debt--that's as toxic as the junk most people eat) so I saved up and got the Berkey.

There are a lot of good filtering systems out there that have high ratings in removing chemicals, metals, etc. The reason I chose the Berkey is that it is entirely gravity fed--no power. Put the water in the top, it comes out the bottom.

My next toy will be a solar generator, but it'll probably be years down the line. I can't save much at this point.

But when it happens I'll be chortling, just like when I signed for that package this afternoon...

Fall doldrums

The end of the garden is near. The beans are gone, the squash is gone (except for the pumpkin, which I continue to baby along). I have TONS of green tomatoes but none of them appear to be ripening. Garlic is in and the sprouts are up. I haven't seen a sign of mushrooms, which makes me sad. Three plum tree starts are looking healthy and I harvested Jerusalem artichoke last week. My winter garden is in (peas are up and blooming) and most of the outdoor get-ready-for-winter chores are finished.

SO of course I bring my garden inside.

During the winter my indoor garden consists of all the stuff that was on the front porch until the cold weather hit--turmeric, ginger, oranges, lemons, a grapefruit tree, several christmas cactuses, geranium starts, lemon balm and yarrow. My amaryllis are in a box in the closet for next spring, and I am soaking black pepper seeds before I plant them. Hopefully by next spring I'll have a pepper vine.

This year I'm going to try something new. Last year I inherited (in a sense) a bunch of really big plant pots. The big ones that the nurseries plant trees in. So this year I will be starting apple trees to espalier against the back fence. I'll theoretically have three apple trees, although there may be room only for two. I want three, so I'll plant three. Maybe I should plant a pear in the middle instead of a third apple tree. :) The big composter will be moved into another area of the garden to make room for the trees. And if my sister never claims the apple tree she asked me to start for her, I'll use it.

I'm mean. :) And I love it.

What it's like to work nights

Simplest ever fruit cocktail.

In each pint jar:

1/3 c peaches
1/3 c pears
1/3 c pineapple
1/3 c grapes
Add extra fruit to the 1/2 inch head space if necessary.
syrup to fill, make sure all air bubbles are out.

Water bath 25 minutes.
________________________________________

Sleep. Most people take it forgranted. We sleep (or don't) on a regular schedule without thinking much more about it.

In the last few months a lot of the things I've always done have disappeared from my view. I never thought that working nights would play such havoc with my life.

You're awake when everyone else is asleep
You're asleep when everyone else is awake
Your social life is limited to an hour or two a day, depending on your schedule
You can't do anything noisy, smelly, or social during the night hours
You can't do anything outside that requires light
Your circadian rhythm gets all messed up
It throws off your eating schedule
What you used to eat just feels wrong because your brain knows it's not breakfast/lunch/dinner time
You need blackout curtains
If you need to do anything during your "normal" sleep time, you have to adjust again
People who are awake during the day call you without thinking
The doorbell should be outlawed
People come to visit and you never know
The "tech team" isn't available during your work hours
You can't rely on the sun to wake up
You lose access to vitamin D
Everything you used to do in 18 hours now has to be done in 5

I've been doing a lot of canning, because that's something that can be done at night. My garden suffers, I never see my friends, many of my hobbies are out of bounds because they're things that need to be done during the day. I can't use a hammer or do laundry when everyone else is asleep, movies are OK if I watch them in my room (and I inevitably fall asleep). I can still read, and write, so that's comforting.

Oh, and I just got my proof copies for Spirit and Dark Spirit! So I finished the first (and possibly only) batch of fruit cocktail. Tonight I can cheese, sour cream, butter and cream cheese, and tomorrow I read. :)

Agaricus Campestris

A while ago I mentioned that I want to grow mushrooms in the yard. Well a few weeks ago I learned that one of the mushrooms that always pops up in the spring is edible!

Agaricus Campestris, or the common meadow mushroom, has pink gills when immature, shading to dark chocolate brown at maturity. It's closely related to the small white mushrooms that are sold at grocery stores. The spore print is also dark brown. If you pinch or scratch the flesh and it turns colors (usually red or yellow) it's not campestris but some other kind. Other varieties also have a distinctive smell when crushed, but that can't be relied on since some people can't smell it. The smell is called "phenolic," whatever that means.

Eating related varieties that aren't edible will give you the runs, or make you throw up (or both) but is not technically dangerous. Another edible variety in the same family is the horse mushroom, which looks similar but is much larger. They're harder to identify. If they stain yellow but don't have pink gills when young, they might be a horse mushroom.

I had them for breakfast this morning. :) Fantastic in an omelet.

I'm going to try to start them under the grapevines.