So, last month's marathon lemon-strawberry marmalade & beer making session killed our craptastic microwave-fan combo. Finally. So we invested in a REAL range hood. Still getting used to the without-a-microwave thing... But our new range hood is so pretty. So very pretty. Now on to replacing back splash, well, after we finish all the preserving this month...

First project was kimchi. Used FIJ recipe from the Agricola cookbook. Did a bunch of research on Korean grocery stores in the Bay Area, but then got really lazy and just ordered gochugaru from Amazon. Easy peasy.

Julienned some radishes.

Added a bunch of stuff.

Used a largish ball jar (universal measurement device as comparison, that's a grande latte cup). The kimchi is rather stinky. Like very stinky.

Took a trip to the local beer store for an airlock and gasket. It was about $2.50 for both, so I got two sets, planning ahead for the sauerkraut! Got into a great conversation about jamming, preserving, chickens, and real food, with the beer guy. He mentioned that Pollinate Farm & Gardens in Oakland have a ton of classes ranging from beer making to how to take care of backyard chickens! So cool, and so inspiring.

My husband got home and insisted on drilling the hole for the airlock. I think he's starting to enjoy these projects...

Tada! Water added, and no stink! Except you know, when it was done and I moved it to smaller jars, and into the refrigerator. Cleared the kitchen of people real quick-like.

We have lemon season, perpetually. Our house came with this giant, leaning, mysterious, lemon tree. We just try to keep it alive. It weasels itself into a lot of preserving projects.

Made some lemon, and rosemary salt as well. Could probably have added more grated lemons. Got the recipe from Marisa's "Food in Jars".

One of my favorite things to make is gravlax. It's so ridiculously easy, delicious, and fast, but since I have made it previously, I decided to not make it for the salt preserving month, but to just focus on new things. Well, it didn't really work out after joining the FIJ Facebook Community page. Everyones pictures looked so amazing, I ran out and bought some salmon, and made the recipe from "Morberg lagar husmanskost"

I think it's important to get the salmon with the skin, have tried it with Costco bought salmon, which doesn't come with skin, and it's not as good. Usually let it cure for the longer period, 2+ days, as well.

Then my husband got in on the action, and made a small batch of preserved lemons, recipe from "Ad Hoc at Home" by Thomas Keller. We have a lot of lemons. And we were on a roll. Didn't matter that we already had a jar of it in the fridge.

Got the recipe for sauerkraut from "The Homemade Pantry" by Alana Chernila. One of my absolute favorite cookbooks. Use it constantly. Since we didn't have a big enough jar for the entire head of cabbage, I took some out and made Swedish pizza salad. It's cabbage with some salt, vinegar, and oil. And yes, in Sweden you get a tiny little container of pizza salad with your take-out pizza. It's delicious and totally cuts through the richness of pizza, it's a must. It is even better if you let it sit for awhile. Making it at home is the only way to get my fix these days.

Love the colors of all our awesome kitchen science projects!

Oh right. And the cured egg yolks. Just because. From the Bon Appetit recipe. Haven't tried them yet, but planning on making the fettucini with preserved lemon and garlic, from "The Homemade Kitchen", and grate some of this goodness over it.

Phew. We made it. It's time to step. Away. From. The. Kitchen.
It's almost March, and time for jellies!