Two members of the Brassicaceae family. Brussel sprout tops (Brassica oleracea) in 2% salt with Lapsang Souchon tea, Balm of Gilead (possibly Populus x gileadensis) toasted chipotle meco chile, bay, thyme and garlic. Started on 10th January, 2013. The texture is good, particularly the small, lighter tops, but the spice mixture is a little odd, a bit bitter and somewhat confusing. It was the first time I put spices in a ferment. I’m going to think carefully before doing so again

The leaf below is Mustard Spinach (aka Komatsuna) (Brassicaceae rapa) also in 2% salt solution, of which 15% is yoghurt whey. The biting pepperiness of the raw leaf has been lessened by the fermenting, and despite the fading of the colour, which was a deep, vibrant green, it is a pleasant thing to eat.

Beef Jerky
My first attempt. A spice mix of dried hogweed seeds, hawthorns, lime (tree) leaves and roasted hay, all toasted and ground, along with an Indonesian long peppercorn. Next, a piece of 50+ day aged Dexter sirloin from Nathan Mill’s brand new shop The ButcherySE23. The beef that Nathan sources and ages is better than any other beef I have ever eaten, and it actually smelled like it was cooked already - deeply savoury and with the aroma of lactic bacteria.
I nearly scrapped the test in favour of eating it straight away. I am curing the slices with the spice mixture, salt and sugar for 24 hours, then I’ll dehydrate them at 60C