At the top of our stairs is a teeny-tiny closet room. For years, we used it as a kid bedroom. It was ridiculously small and typically crammed with all sorts of kid junk — the sort of room that, whenever I’d walk by, I’d have to half close my eyes to retain any sort of emotional equilibrium.
Here, let me show you.
Evolution of a Closet Bedroom
circa 2006
circa 2010
circa 2020
circa 2021, mid-dunging out(I hope)
Then when the kids outgrew it, we turned it into a little library.
circa 2026
As a “library,” the room was never much used. The space was too small for hanging out with other people, and everyone had their own rooms to go hide in, so it ended up being cluttlered dead space.
But a space at the top of the stairs, I argued, would be the perfect little getaway spot when we had a house full of people. We could put in a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, a soft rug for lounging, and a loveseat for a nursing mama or napping toddler [insert star eyes and melty faces]. Plus, since we only have one main living area, when guests come over, we have no indoor space for kids to run off to so the adults can have after-dinner chitty-chat. This would solve that.
Persuaded (coerced?) by the brilliance of my logic, my husband heaved a sigh and played along. Over the last few months, the transformation inched forward.
My older daughter knocked out the walls and wired the room.
She and my husband built bookshelves.
My mom scoured Facebook marketplace for little loveseats, and then my husband and I drove over the mountain to pick one up.
We found a second-hand rickety coffee table and my husband shortened the legs, tightened it up, and painted it white.
My big contribution was the carpet.
using blankets to determine correct rug size
I visited multiple rug stores, alternating between dragging my husband and mother along with me.
After much belabored discussion, I finally landed on a white remnant.
It was the most time I’ve spent being interior decorator-ish in years.
My mother donated an old electric candle to use as a nightlight, and we bought a new lamp, curtains, a world map, and, voilà! A book nook was born.
A few months back when one of my friends from Foodie Group announced that she’d be hosting a kimchi-making workshop, I jumped. I wasn’t very familiar with kimchi (I’d only eaten it a couple times in my life), but experiencing someone else’s culture via food is directly down my happiness alley. Plus, I already have a thing for fermented flour, honey, and dairy, so veggies seemed the next logical step.
So on a Saturday afternoon, a handful of us gathered in her kitchen to chop and toss and blend. We asked a million questions, tried new-to-us ingredients from her pantry (special oil! itsy-bitsy salty shrimp!), and scarfed a snack of green tea and hot baked sweet potatoes still in their jackets.
At the end of the workshop, I had three-quarters of a gallon of kimchi to take home.
I left it on the kitchen counter for only a day or two to begin fermenting, because we were cautioned not to let it go too long for fear we’d find the flavor too strong for our newly initiated kimchi palates, and over the next few weeks, I ate it almost daily: with cottage cheese, with rice and eggs, on hot dogs (with cottage cheese, too!), with greens, with mac and cheese, in wraps, with beans and rice, on pizza (which is freaking amazing — try it!).
I eventually ran out, so last week I made a new batch.
I was a little nervous. It felt like A Project, and first time ferments always intimidate the socks off me. But the kimchi was amazingly simple to smack together and way faster than my other everyday food projects, including run-of-the-mill veggie preservation like freezing corn and making salsa and sweet pickles. And it was waaay less complicated than making cheese.
This time, I fermented the kimchi on the counter until it was actively bubbling and liquid was spilling everywhere, so the flavor is more deeply umami, which is absolutely dee-lush.
Wanna know the very best thing about kimchi? It means veggies are always at the ready.
I know that might not sound like a big deal, but think about it: fresh veggies usually require a wash and chop at the bare minimum, and preserved veggies need to at least be reheated.
But kimchi? It’s ready to go at a moment’s notice, is incredibly nutritious, and packs one heck of a flavor wallop. (Case in point: last night I had kimchi on my grilled cheese which somehow magically turned the sandwich into an entirely different sort of food.)
Kimchi Adapted from Shin Ji’s recipe.
The first time, I used regular green cabbage, but you can use any kind. The second time I used Taiwanese cabbage (labeled “Korean cabbage” at the store). I’d never had it before and it was wildly crispy and sweet.
Shin Ji cuts her cabbage into large chunks. From what I’ve seen, this is traditional, but I prefer my pieces smaller.
I skipped the fish bouillon when I made my batch (because I didn’t have any), but then I ordered some.
Even though this has fish sauce and bouillon, as well as kelp, it’s quite light on the fishy flavor.
This is just a springboard. As with any fermentation project, the variations are endless.
Yield: 1 gallon.
2 heads cabbage, rinsed and rough chopped 1 daikon radish, peeled and sliced 1 bunch green onions, rinsed, trimmed, and rough chopped 1 piece dried kelp 2 tablets of fish bouillon 2 cups water ⅓ cup salt, approximately 2 apples, cored and rough chopped 1 red bell pepper, cored and rough chopped 2 onions, peeled and rough chopped 2-4 tablespoons minced garlic 2-4 tablespoons minced ginger 1 teaspoon fish sauce, plus more to taste 1-2 teaspoons Korean dried red pepper, or lots more to taste
for the veggies: In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, radish, and green onion. Sprinkle with the salt and toss to coat. Set aside at room temperature for about an hour (or overnight, if you get busy). When ready, there should be some salty veggie liquid pooling at the bottom, and the veggies should be limp and relaxed. They will taste quite salty, put not overpoweringly so. Pour off the liquid, but reserve it in case you need to add more salt and/or liquid later.
for the broth: Put 2 cups of water and kelp in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the bouillon and turn off the heat. Let the kelp steep for at least a half hour. Discard the kelp, and reserve the liquid.
for the sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine the apples, pepper, onions, garlic, and ginger. Whiz until it’s a liquidy sauce, but don’t worry if it’s not completely smooth.
to assemble: Add the sauce to the veggies and toss to coat. Add the fish sauce and red pepper to taste. If you need more salt, add some of the salty veggie juices that you reserved and/or some of the kelp broth. Both the sauciness and saltiness are maker’s preference.
Scoop the veggies into two half-gallon jars and pack down. The liquid should cover the veggies — add more, if needed — but there should be about an inch of head space. Sprinkle a little salt on top of the veggies and screw on the lids.
Ferment the kimchi at room temperature for 3-5 days. Twice a day, “burp” the jars by unscrewing the lids. You’ll know the kimchi is fermenting when the liquid rises up and you can see it actively bubbling. The longer the kimchi ferments, the stronger the umami flavor. Once the kimchi has reached your desired level of fermentation, transfer it to the fridge.
And there you have it — ready-to-eat veggies 24/7!
