Wednesday, November 14, 2012

It's National Pickle Day!

One of my favorite things about visiting my family in Iowa is that my aunts and cousins would always make homemade pickles. I LOVE PICKLES! I can't get enough of dill, butter, kosher any kind of pickle. The taste, the texture and the crunch are like music to my mouth.

But did you know there is a science to pickling? Yes...lots and lots of science. Pickling isn't just brine and cucumbers. Pickling is scientific!

 From bread and beer to cheese and wine all of these foods are made through a process called fermentation. The fermentation of food has been happening for thousands of years! When cucumbers are soaked in a salt brine, a sugar eating bacteria is allowed to grow and allows for the tart-tasting production of lactic acid. But there is more to pickling than just salt brine and cucumbers.

Check out this great activity from exploratorium.edu and try to create your own perfect batch of pickles!

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/picklelab.html

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Miss Science at Everything Kids Fest 2012

Don't have any plans for this weekend? Well come on out and join me at the 2012 Everything Kids Fest! Everything Kids Fest will run on from Saturday, November 17th through Sunday November 18th! Stop by our SciPreneur booth to make some Turkey Snood (aka. SLIME!) and design your own Turkey Snood label. We might just have a Mentos geyser or two!!! Plus enjoy some hands-on science and fun! You can even pick-up a Miss Science Fun Bag!

Be sure to check-out the Miss Science Shows where we will be spinning buckets of water, making giant smoke rings and EXPLODING PUMPKINS!

Shows are:
Saturday: 12:10
Sunday: 1:35

See you at Reach 11 Sports Complex!!!