1 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Hey there, I'm Mongastigu, their co host of Part Time Genius, 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,239 Speaker 1: one of the founders of Mental Flaws. And this is 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,319 Speaker 1: Humans Growing Stuff, a collaboration from I Heart Radio and 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: your friends at Miracle Grow. Our goal is to make 5 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: this the most human show about plants you'll ever listen to, 6 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: and along the way, we'll share inspiring stories, tips and 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: tricks to nurture your plant addiction, and just enough signs 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: to make you sound like an expert. Now we are 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,279 Speaker 1: on summer break right now, but because Molly and I 10 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: cannot stop our plant addictions, we are bringing you some 11 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:39,959 Speaker 1: mini episodes to brighten up your feed and grow your 12 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: plant curiosity. Throughout the summer, we'll be dropping incredible stories 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: from growers, advice from experts, and we'll have some fun 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: conversations around fascinating plant facts. For today's special bonus episode, 15 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: we're talking about one of our favorite ways to preserve 16 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: your garden produce. That's right, we're talking about pickling. So 17 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: I am a sucker for all types of pickled vegetables. 18 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: I like dill pickles and bread and butter pickles. I 19 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: like pickled beets and pickled helpinos. I love that oshenko 20 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: which is the Japanese word for pickles, literally means fragrant dish. 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: I can't go into a Korean shop without picking up 22 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: some kimchi or spicy pickle cabbage. If I'm at a 23 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: barbecue joint, I'll order fried pickles. And I love Indian 24 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: pickles so much that any Indian meal, no matter how 25 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: delicious the meal is, I will quietly ask for a 26 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: side of Launcha or as it's called, which is a 27 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: salty and tangy pickle, because to me, pickles always make 28 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: a meal more perfect. I like pickles so much that 29 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: my favorite kids book, and this is no joke, is 30 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: Pickles the Fire Cat. I've actually referenced that in two 31 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,559 Speaker 1: different intros to books I've written, so it's no wonder 32 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: that one of my favorite parts of this was chatting 33 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: with Katie Costs in season two. She is the executive 34 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: chef at the Nashville restaurant Husk, where they have their 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: own in house pickling program, and when I asked her 36 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: about the restaurant's pickling practices, it was so great to 37 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: hear her get as excited about pickling as I do. 38 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: One of my favorite things to do, that little pain 39 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: that the can makes whenever the lid seals is like 40 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: placeless to me. It's a lost art. Nobody does it anymore, 41 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: and or nobody at a small scale does it anymore, 42 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: you know. And I thought it was funny during the pandemic, 43 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: everybody got into baking bread and I walked down the 44 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: aisle and all the mason jars were there, and I 45 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: would go to the farmer's room every week. And that's 46 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: all I did throughout the whole pandemic. Is I just 47 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: can't all summer right now. I've got a couple of things. 48 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: I have a summertime carrot kim chee that we made, 49 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: which was phenomenal. Um. I also have a mushroom kim chee, 50 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: lots of pickled mushrooms, um. And then all my preserved tomatoes. 51 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: This is kind of the last end of the sea eason, 52 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 1: right before we hit springtime and we get ready for 53 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:08,239 Speaker 1: all those wonderful springtime vegetables. So right now I'm preserving 54 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 1: little things from winter time, Like I really love turnups 55 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: in the wintertime because they're sweeter. I alter my pickling 56 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: recipe according to the vegetable that I'm doing. I eat 57 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: almost everything rawfers before I decide to to pickle it 58 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: and how I'm gonna pickle it? How much am I 59 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: gonna do a salt pickling liquid or am I gonna 60 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: do uh, you know, no pickling liquid and just can 61 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: it you know, in water and preserve it as is. 62 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean it's all about the vegetable now. 63 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: Pickling is such a great way to preserve the harvest 64 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: from your backyard garden. And the crazy thing is that 65 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: you can pickle almost anything in your vegetable garden artichokes, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, 66 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: even melons, and if you're in more exotic locales, mangoes 67 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: and pineapples actually work too. But and this was something 68 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: I learned from another chef on this program, the key 69 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: to the perfect pickle produce is crispness. So you want 70 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: to pickle your fruits and vegetables when they're still fresh 71 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: and firm. And there's even a saying for this. It 72 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: goes crisp into the brine, crisp out of the brine. Anyway, 73 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: there's a whole world of pickling history, facts and helpful 74 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: recipes out there. For example, did you know there's more 75 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: than one way to pickle something instead of the traditional 76 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: vinegar briane method. You can also pickle by simply using salt. 77 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 1: And one of my favorite pickle facts is about Cleopatra, 78 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: the famously beautiful Egyptian queen. She actually thought her beauty 79 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: was derived from all the pickles she regularly ate, but 80 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: that isn't all. According to history dot com, Roman emperors, 81 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: including Julius Caesar, would insist their soldiers eight pickles before 82 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: they went to battle because they believe the Brian cucumbers 83 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: made their forces stronger. Kind of like Popeye and that 84 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: Cannus finach so in cell Rason of one of my 85 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: favorite ways to utilize the bounty of the garden. I'm 86 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: sharing some of my favorite pickle facts today. One Deli pickles. 87 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: Do you know why Delis serve pickles with sandwiches. It's 88 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: because the pickle is supposed to be a palate cleanser 89 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 1: after your mouth gets bored after a few bites of 90 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: the sandwich. Biting into a pickle resets your taste buds 91 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: with a burst of acid so that when you return 92 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: to the sandwich, the flavors seem completely fresh to your mouth. 93 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: Two kool Aid pickles in the Mississippi delta. Kool Aid 94 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: pickles are a super popular treat with kids. The easiest 95 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: way to make kool Aid pickles is to use a 96 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: jar of already pickled cucumbers. You dissolve sugar and your 97 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,600 Speaker 1: drink packet flavor of choice into the pickle juice and 98 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: then add the pickles back in and let them sit 99 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: for about a week, and the bright red and purple 100 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: pickles don't always look that appetizing. Kids have been going 101 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: crazy for the sweet and puckery treat and they show 102 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 1: up at general stores to pay a dollar for a 103 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: pickle three. The next time you're playing sports, consider grabbing 104 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: a jar of pickle juice instead of the gatorade. Pickle 105 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: juice is actually a popular sports drink alternative for athletes, 106 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: especially marathon runners. According to Women's Running Researchers believe the 107 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: vinegar and the pickle brine relieves cramping with the help 108 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: of reaction triggered by the acetic acid. The salt and 109 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: pickle juice can also help athletes restore sodium levels after sweating, 110 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: which can be key to preventing dehydration for TB and 111 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: P sandwiches. Did you know that peanut butter and pickle 112 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: sandwiches used to be a thing. According to the New 113 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: York Times, the sandwiches were popular during the Great Depression 114 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: and can be found on restaurant menus across the country, 115 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: and they gained in popular clarity for a while with 116 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: Bachelor's partially because peanut butter and pickles were often two 117 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 1: staples you could find in the back of your fridge. Now, 118 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: if you're going to try it, the writer Dwight Gardner 119 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 1: recommends using bread and butter pickles instead of the dill varieties, 120 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: and this is how he puts it quote. Their sweetness 121 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: adds a flavor bump like a briny, sophisticated adult version 122 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: of jelly. Five Pickle vegetables can be great for your 123 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: gut health. Naturally fermented favorites like kinchi contained probiotics, which 124 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: are these micro organisms that can assist in the digestion process. 125 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: And finally, six, my favorite pickle fact of all time, 126 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: which comes straight out of mental Floss. In Dary and Springs, Michigan, 127 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: a k a. The Christmas Pickle Capital of the World, 128 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: there is a pickle parade every December that's led by 129 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: who else none other than the Grand Bill Moister. The 130 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: best and strangest part of this parade is that as 131 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: he leads the whole thing, he tosses out fresh pickles 132 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: to all the hungry parade watchers out there. I've put 133 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: this on my calendar and i can't wait to go 134 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: out there and cash some pickles. That's it for today's 135 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: bonus episode, but check back here again soon for more 136 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: bonus episodes this summer. And don't forget no matter what 137 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: season it is or where you're at in your gardening journey, 138 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: there's some incredible resources waiting for you on the Miracle 139 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: Grow website. Humans Growing Stuff is a collaboration from My 140 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our show 141 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 1: is written and produced by Molly Sosha and Mean Monga together. 142 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 1: This episode was edited and engineered by our pal Matt Stillo. 143 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening.