Don't be alarmed. Just horde all your Kimchi

So this might seem like an absurd title, but it's extremely relevant to many Koreans right now.  As reported recently, the price of domestically grown Napa cabbage has dramatically incresed in Korea to as much as $14 a head, from about $2.50. 

I thought this was a relevant story because this situation is largely caused by poor weather tying it to our own predicament here.

I really love kimchi and, much like my adoration for fish sauce, I really enjoy spreading the kimchi gospel.  But when kimchi, the ubiquitous Korean spicy, cabbage condiment becomes a scarcity, I begin to worry. The other night I made a seafood ramen (pictured) and the one thing that really brought it all together was the kimchi garnish.  It's salty, briny and spicy all packed in to variety of textures.  What's there not to love?

In Lemelson news, harvest is hitting full steam now (finally), and our "6-8 days of pain" has now begun.  Today we processed around 18 tons of fruit, and I learned very quickly that it's not necessarily beneficial to be good at sorting when I got stuck in the anchor position on the line.  Being one of the last lines of defense against sending nasty fruit in to the tank can be stressful, especially when you're doing it for six hours.  In such a difficult year, there is always going to be a huge amount of effort put in to sorting, this is how it's possible to ensure that the fruit quality lives up to the standard necessary to make good wine.

I'll try to keep posting regularly, but who knows what it'll be like.  It might just be delirious rambling after staring at pinot berries shake over a sorting table all day.

Cheers,

Carl