Notes From a Solo Kitchen, Starring Some Regrettable Pickles

The brine ratio I've landed on, the aromatics I regret, and a Gotland coliving I'd grab if I weren't already booked.

Midlife Nomads explores how people are redesigning work, travel, and life in our 40s, 50s & beyond.

My latest attempt at quickles (quick pickles), or “wet salad” as a friend calls them.

Happy Thursday from Canada, readers, where I’m trying my best to stay out of the wildfire smoke and working on my pickling game.

These ones were truly awful 😂

I figured if a little garlic and dill are good, three times as much would be far better! Lies.

Add in the onion, red peppers, and peppercorns, and these poor little cucumber coins turned into a flavour-packed punch in the face.

Quick-pickling — where you use vinegar to preserve foods two to three weeks in the fridge vs. making them shelf-stable — is one way I’m trying to improve my solo shopping and eating habits on longer trips.

Having my own kitchen is a must when I’m slow traveling. I wouldn’t want to eat out every meal even if I could afford it, and am trying to get more protein and calcium in. But I’m so used to shopping and cooking for a family of four that waste can be a real problem.

So how do you get more variety without throwing out a fridge shelf of wilted veggies every week?

Well, I’ve started bulk cooking and freezing at the start of a month-long stay. That came in super handy when I got sick at a coliving a while back and had homemade meals to just pull out of the freezer. And the prices on club packs, a whole chicken vs parts, etc. tend to be better.

I’m hoping that a good pickling recipe helps, too. Even if you mess them up, as I did, they’re still good on hamburgers. And if all else fails, you can always use pickled-somethings to garnish a drink.

So far, I’ve figured out the right ratio for the brine:

• 1 cup vinegar (I like 1/2 cup white, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar)

• 1 cup water

• 1 tbsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp sweetener (sugar, honey, agave nectar, what have you)

Heat to boiling and let it simmer a few minutes so everything is all happily blended together, then let it cool to room temperature before pouring on your veggies (helps keep them crisp).

And maybe just don’t pack in as many aromatics as I did. You can always add more, but you can’t take the wallop of those extra 3 cloves of garlic away.

I have a good, long housesit coming up in Nicaragua so will have plenty more time to experiment with my recipe and see what else I can pickle. I’ll pack a couple jars with socks to take in my suitcase.

And I’m curious… do you any tips, or a favourite kitchen tool or technique that travels well with you? Share in the comments.

One more fun thing before we get to what’s been happening at Midlife Nomads and my recommended reads.

I got the most intriguing email about a pop-up coliving happening on the Swedish island of Gotland in late Aug/early Sept, and if I wasn’t already committed to a housesit, I’d be scooping up one of these rooms. I don’t know the operators, but the island and property look magical so it’s worth checking out.

The coliving is only 10 days, but with Gotland located between the Swedish mainland, Latvia and Lithuania, you’re well-positioned to head anywhere in the Baltics from there. Estonia and Finland are amazing in late summer/early autumn.

Related:

Head to Helsinki for Saunas, Sea Breeze & Scandinavian Summer Vibes

Full members, you’ll find a Tallinn recommendation I’ve stayed at in the August Shortlist, and a cute spot in the French Pyrenees for later in September when Europe is (hopefully) cooling down again.

Now let’s see what you may have missed this past week. As promised in my last newsletter, I got some thoughts down after reading that article promoting “Hush Trips” last week.

So we’ll start there:

Recommended Reads

These are a few of the more fun, interesting or thoughtful things that have crossed my desk this past week…

I’m also a big fan of the naps, and appreciate Monica Hebert’s reminder not to let anyone make us feel guilty about it — especially our own inner critic. Read it here.

• Aligned & Awake: The New Kid At Forty-Six, The P.L.A.Y. Papers - Tanya Fraser’s been on a journey of travel and rediscovery since her divorce, and I had the good fortune to meet her at a coliving earlier this year. Her piece is a good reminder that if you’re feeling awkward and out of place trying to meet new people as a solo traveler, you’re not alone.

• Proof Point of An Immigration, Chris Lutkin - I love the Azores, and adore this reflection on a full year spent there. Interestingly, Chris mentioned he finds art and creative projects a good way to make real connections while traveling, which Tanya (above) noted from her most recent adventures in London, too.

• How I Stopped Comparing My New Country to My Old One: and why that matters... from Expat on a Budget - This is a thoughtful read from Kimberly Anne on the tendency to keep score and compare one place to the next. The process of packing up your whole life and physically migrating to another country brings with it some weighty expectations, and the feelings that can bring with it are worth exploring.

That's it for now. Until next time, may your air quality remain high and your bags always make it to the next stop on time.

✌🏻 Miranda