Pickles

I woke up in the middle of the night very thirsty. I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the refrigerator. I grabbed a jar, unscrewed the lid and took a gigantic chug-a-lug of… PICKLE JUICE!

Pickle Juice is one of my favorite drinks. Yes, I consider it an official beverage.

I went back to bed and had a dream about PICKLES! A very tall man, who was dressed in a PICKLE costume, chased me down the street. On second thought, maybe it was a pickle nightmare. Luckily, the alarm woke me before I found out!

Now that I have revealed how odd I really am, guess what our MUSE is this week…

PICKLES!

Cucumber

While many foods can be pickled, a true “pickle” is a pickled cucumber. People have been pickling cucumbers for nearly 4,000 years.

It all started when people from Northern India took some cucumber seeds to the Tigris River Valley in present day Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Soon, people learned how to preserve these vegetables by packing them in a salty brine. Eventually this technique would spread into Europe.

During early sea exploration, explorers (and pirates) learned that eating pickles helped prevent scurvy. Scurvy is a NASTY disease that happens when your body lacks Vitamin C. To prevent scurvy, all you have to do is eat fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, fresh fruits and vegetables would not last an entire sea voyage, but PICKLES would!!!

Next time you look at some illustrations of old pirates, check and see how many teeth they have. One symptom of scurvy is spongy gums and the loss of teeth. GROSS!

Some believe that if it were not for the PICKLE, Christopher Columbus and his crew would have died of scurvy before making it to America.

Also, the man that America is named after (Amerigo Verpucci) was not only an explorer but a pickle merchant.

The pickle became very popular with kings and queens throughout the world. Cleopatra , the Queen of Egypt, claimed that pickles were good for health and beauty. The first Queen Elizabeth LOVED pickles and so did George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and uh, The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley (wink).

So, how is a pickle made?

While there are many different varieties of pickles, ranging from sweet to VERY sour, the dill pickle is the most popular. Take a look at this video and see how dill pickles are made at home.

Pickles are YUMMY by themselves, but you will find many recipes that call for these scrumptious delights, too. One of my favorite recipes that REQUIRES pickles is potato salad. I like both sweet and dill pickles in my potato salad.

Another fantastic way to eat a pickle is to fry them. I LOVE FRIED PICKLES! Take a look at this video and see how it is done. WARNING: If you want to make pickles or fry pickles, make sure to ask an adult for help (smile).

Here is another FUN pickle fact: The average American eats 9 pounds of pickles a year, but Professor Watermelon eats at least double that amount!

Before we start writing, I must show you a book written by one of my favorite friends, Kim Baker!

I wonder what her MUSE was??? Take a look a look at the book trailer below.

If you want to order a copy, ask your parents to follow this link.

With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these WHAT IF questions will help you get started.

WHAT IF your main character ate only pickles?

WHAT IF your main character dug up an ancient pickle in his/her backyard?

WHAT IF there was a mad scientist trying to pickle the planet?

The possibilities are endless, and please leave your own what if questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a pencil and a piece of paper, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look forward to seeing where you take us.

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

The word of the day is “brine”. Here is the definition: a salt and water solution for pickling.