Dear Hannah,

I see two major pros of our only-child childhood 1.) our creativity got a great workout and 2.) being alone equipped us with a big bag of tools to combat loneliness. Yes, I remember  trying to convince you that the green icy mass of milk, green jello, sugar and blueberries was delicious. It kind of was.

I found the “ice cream” recipe in a DIY book and put it at the top of our list of summer-things-to-do: egg-white face-masks over the phone, day-long wanderings at outdoor shopping centers, pretending to be mermaids from 8AM – 7PM at the JCC pool. And our Golden Girls marathon days… 8 hours straight of watching Blanch (you), Rose (me) and the crazy Italian grandma (Natalya) together from our respective homes over the phone. The first time I was home alone and sick, you were also home from school and sick. I think we both had the phone to our ears the whole day, watching TV or sulking in sick silence. This is how only children cope.

Today, we make pickles togethers. We cope once again. In your words: with very few constants in my life these days, problem solving through food with you is a familiar comfort. Our project fills a need beyond comfort. It’s a hobby to busy my hands and silence my thoughts when my brain is on mid-20s what-is-this-life overdrive; motivation to try something new; and an excuse to hash it all out with the person who knows me just as well/maybe more than I know myself.

Green ice cream primed us to dive head-first into the unfamiliarity of fermentation and the strange spices of Bangalore and Jerusalem (you win on the strangeness scale). May the good bacteria of our pickles multiply like our co-spirited weird and crazy adventures! Amen.

xo,

Shaina

Mixed Pickles

• 4 tablespoons sea salt
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped cauliflower chunks
• 1/2 cup carrot slices
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper chunks or slices
• 1 jalepeno, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

Stir salt into water until dissolved. Clean jar (wipe with vinegar for extra sterilization). Layer vegetables, garlic and spices in jar and then add saltwater mixture. Cover the jar tightly and let it brew at room temperature for at least one week. When the fermentation is to your taste, put in the fridge.