pear pickle with sichuan and loquat/2020 accomplishments/mental health is cool, y'all

this past week, the restaurant has reopened to 25% capacity and we have relaunched into [kind of] normal [chef] hours. i wish i could blame the fact that i was so obscenely sore at the end of the week to extra working out on top of a longer schedule, but my muscles are pretty much all gone due to the absence of my usual exercise routine over the past year and i'm having a dick of a time getting toned forearms again.

amidst all of the hustle, up and down, insane rollercoaster of emotion that was 2020, i do feel very proud of a few accomplishments: 1. Successful box program for the NWA Young Farmer's Association. Big shout out to my girls Stephanie Burrell and Danielle Dozier for getting everything organized and helping me cook all the slightly complicated things I wanted to make!

2. Got really into fermentation! Made some very beautiful dishes at work!

3. One year anniversary with bae!

4. Started playing disc golf a whole lot! ....although so did everyone else...

5. Read all the Harry Potters, Dark Tower I and II, Just Kids (Patti Smith), Wind/Pinball (Murakami), Disappearing Spoon (Keane), so many cookbooks, and probably something else that i can't remember right now? which isn't a bad run since I think I read about 3 books total last year!

6. Climbed a 5.8+ in Eldorado Canyon off the couch! Big props to my friend Sean McAndrew for actually leading it and helping me flail up it!

7. I'm almost positive I have lost weight! I don't have a scale but all my clothes are looser than they used to be so it STILL. COUNTS.

!!!!!!

So it wasn't so awful. But keeping momentum up and not getting stuck in an unhealthy mental health cycle has been very difficult. There are often days where I feel run down without having done too much at all, where I drink a little too much and don't sleep enough, where I stare blankly at the television and hope there is some sort of something that can help this time until we get the vaccine go by a little faster. Some days are harder than others, but patience and focus are key! In the meantime and in no relation to mental health pep talks, here's a recipe for a pickle that I made today that I'm pretty pumped about adding to *insert something more interesting than my blank thought here*

Adobo PIckled Pear with Sichuan Pepper and Loquat Tea

2 pears, sliced not too thin not too thick

Brine:

1.5 cups datu puti vinegar (or other cane vinegar)

1 cup water

3 bay leaves

1.5 tsp sichuan peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp sugar

2 cloves

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 loquat leaf tea bag

Bring the brine up to a boil. Add tea bag and steep for 8 minutes. Remove tea bag, cool brine to 90F or lower and pour over pears. Let sit out for a couple hours then pop it in the fridge for 3 days until the pears become a symphony of flavors.

check my instagram @bbarnes_is_hungry for pics!