Taste Test: We did a taste test Saturday comparing Farmer's Daughter Kimchi to Ruch's Famous Kimchi (sold at our stand). Farmer's Daughter was very competitive. My notes were as follows: 1) Farmer's Daughter was sold unrefrigerated, meaning that it had been processed, yet when I opened it, it bubbled up like a shook soft drink -- the culture was evidently still very much alive. This is good for flavor, but worrisome for potential spoilage. 2) Farmer's Daughter uses dried chile flake whereas AR uses whole dried chiles that are rehydrated and shredded in a processor. The Farmer's Daughter dried chile flake unfortunately has the dusty aftertaste of herbs that have been sitting in a cabinet for too long. 3) Farmer's Daughter uses fish sauce (AR does not); while I do not find fish sauce a drawback, it should complement the flavor -- the kimchi should not (in my ideal world) taste fishy. I would have cut this ingredient back in her recipe by 10%. 4) Farmer's Daughter uses a little sugar (Ruch's does not) which I thought rounds out the flavor nicely and takes a little bit of the edge off the heat. Ideally, you get a little bit of natural sweet from the fermentation of the cabbage. More interesting stuff here on balancing flavors in a condiment.
Our awesome customers: Jennifer +1; Joel+2, Marybeth and Allen, Adam, LB and her mom.
Rabbi Leah Berkowitz and her Mom
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The crew: Many thanks to our crew, Ali R., AR, and RML. Ali R. helped figure out more mysteries of the pastry sheeter this week. AR came correct with some fruit kimchi samples that enlightened the palate-minds of our customers. RML chipped in with set-up delivery this week when blockages due to the Running of the Bulls stranded AR from his vehicle.
Wednesday Market: From now until he leaves town in late July, AR will be setting up Berenbaum's at the Wednesday Durham Farmer's Market. Be on the lookout for Facebook updates on Tuesdays.
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