Episode 24: Ceremonial Brainstorming & Infusing Vinegars
Welcome back everybody! Lady Jupiter Podcast is the audio accompaniment to LadyJupiter.com a lifestyle blog where I write about my family’s military life, home stuff, my low maintenance beauty and fashion, and travel when possible. I’m happy that you’re here with me.
Today I’ll share an update on our life as affected by the U.S. military, follow on with a blog update, then wrap up with my most recent domestic diversion.
Today in our military affected lives I have a real (yet intentionally vague) update.
Mister Jupiter was officially notified that he will get the job he was looking forward to - so that’s exciting because that means that we’re definitely not moving in nine months. This also means that we have about nine months to organize a ceremony, write a speech, and learn how to not cry in public. So much of this hinges on COVID-19 and whether it would be safe for our families to travel or not. Here in Arkansas it seems that a lot of folks still aren’t taking this seriously - but what if Central Arkansas becomes the next hot spot because people are lazy about masks?! It would be irresponsible to invite our parents…so how can you plan around the impossible? Luckily we’ve got time to wait before we react. Double lucky that we’re not big self-party people. Granted we do love the occasional big party, but not when we’re the center of attention. Case in point - we didn’t have a big wedding; we eloped in Mexico.
So we want our families to be involved, but not at risk to their health - so I suppose I just need to get comfortable waiting, and maybe draw up plans A, B, and C. It doesn’t hurt to be extra prepared…and that’s why we have a first aid kit in each bathroom because I do not like surprises.
I’ll share any plans or revelations with you, because it’s good for me to talk things out (and I obviously enjoy sharing). So meanwhile, if you have any good resources for me about how to be stoic in public, please email me! Podcast@ladyjupiter.com. For reference my eyes well up at everything, and my voice betrays me. These things happen upon simple recollections, thinking about kittens in casts, or the dearly departed. I usually try to shift my attention to something else, but I want to be present during my husband’s ceremony.
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For today’s LadyJupiter.com blog talk…
Since last week I have updated this season’s Outfits of the Day post, I also finished writing the most recent intermittent fasting update (month nine), I was waiting to hop on a scale because I don’t own one, so I did. Then I made another picks of the week post, this one was № 37. I wrote Picks of the week № 37 specifically from my perspective as a military spouse, and i’ll link to it in the show notes so you can take a quick peek if you’re interested in what I have to gush about my favorite podcatching app, cheap boxed wine, my postage stamp habit, my favorite document organizer, and a wellness device that affects your stress response with sound waves on your skin.
⚡️ Outfits of the Day :: Summer 2020
⚡️ Intermittent Fasting, Month Nine
⚡️ Picks of the Week № 37
Otherwise I am (as usual) working on more drafts than I like. I just don’t have the time I would like because I want to upload a new post every day, but that’s not feasible right now. It used to be, so I am constantly at odds with myself in that way.
We all need our creative outlets, or to feel useful in some way. Writing LadyJupiter.com does this for me because it’s a platform where I can say what I like, and it keeps my typing skills intact. Fun fact - despite having grown up with computers and laptops before they were household appliances - I didn’t learn how to properly type with both hands until I was out of high school. I took a community college typing class for a month and taped the color-coded finger placement key on my steering wheel so that I could practice in bay area traffic.
And now for my most recent domestic diversion
I want to talk briefly about infusing vinegar for sipping! If you’re a pickle juice drinker who hasn’t infused your own vinegars, you may want to listen to this segment again, because this is definitely your wheelhouse.
I like infusing things. Easy things like vodka are fun to infuse with your favorite fruits, vegetables, or herbs. Brewing your own kombucha and infusing your own secondary fermentations is a little trickier - but if I can do it, you can too. Mister Jupiter and I used to even make shrubs; infused vinegars for cocktailing!
⚡️ Kombucha Brewing – updated 2/24/18
So when the internet introduced me to fire cider, I was immediately hooked. You’re probably already aware - so bear with me, the newbie! Fire cider is an infused vinegar full of hot ingredients, like horseradish, ginger, onion, and actual peppers. Citrus provides vitamin c, and the range of infusible herbs is without limit. If you search for fire cider recipes, you will find a different variation for each site you visit. This is because fire cider is more of a concept than an actual recipe. The original was meant to be easily made by anybody with access to a garden or grocery store, but personal tastes and tolerances are a huge mutable factor. For example, my grocery store doesn’t have horseradish root, so I couldn’t use it in my cider. But I could certainly add some extra peppers, and swap out lemon with pomelo (because I had one handy).
⚡️ "What is Fire Cider Exactly?" on Martha Stewart.com (not directly referenced, but a great summary with beautiful photos)
Fire cider classically infuses for at least three weeks. After infusing for weeks, strain out the solids to preserve the vinegar, sweeten if you want to, then store in a container that’s easy to access and use; it doesn’t have to be refrigerated but I know we’ll use it more if I see it in the fridge. I can drink a shot each day as a vitamin, or I can dilute it in carbonated water as a tonic. Or I can sprinkle it on rice because I love spicy vinegar on rice.
I also got two other drinking vinegars soaking. One is a green blend with green peppers, basil, and limes - that one is to mix with bourbon. The other is intended to mix with hot water for a diluted vinegar tea, that one uses apples, anise pods, whole clove, and a pinch of cayenne. These two drinking vinegars will only infuse for two weeks, and I can’t wait to try them out!
And that’s it for today’s show!
Show notes and transcript will be available on LadyJupiter.com/podcast - scroll down to the link for Episode 24: Ceremonial Brainstorming & Infusing Vinegars.
⚡️ LadyJupiter.com/podcast
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