State of the Jarin

My project list is getting a bit long again. Working heavily on the Babalon Matrix v2.0 project, trying to get the full design laid out on paper for the final device, at least as much as I can without seeing the specific motherboards I end up with for it. On top of this, I've been feeling a bit of a pull towards (finally) getting involved in fermentation, pickling, and cultured foods. I've been interested for a while, but it's never felt like the right time. Now, though, it does. To the point where, when making our lists for the office secret santa program, all three options I gave were books on that subject. Wild Fermentation, The Joy of Pickling, and Nourishing Traditions. (The last one was a compromise, I really wanted The Permaculture Book of Ferment & Human Nutrition, but that was way too expensive for an office Secret Santa.) I've also been dragging my feet about finding a local brewery supply store and finally trying to make my own mead. Mainly because I think I've asked Ri where one is about three times now, and I never seem to remember to write his answer down. I actually got to the point where I was telling myself that I would try to make a very small batch with baker's yeast and a nalgene bottle (pretty airtight and not too likely to be able to explode, even under pressure) and if that worked I might see about the more expensive equipment. Then tonight, I was out at a store that under no circumstances should carry this kind of stuff, with no thought in my head about getting anything relating to brewing. I was at CVS, looking to see if they carry space heaters. (They carry fans in the summer, why the heck don't they carry space heaters in the winter?) And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a microwbrew kit and it's called MrBeer. It's not the fanciest, it's probably a piece of crap compared to the better ones, but it's cheap and I'm reasonably certain that it will work for making mead. I'll probably toss the corn syrup solids ("Booster") and West Coast Pale Ale Beer Mix (wort) that came with it, unless anyone wants that, but at the very least I can use the brew keg, bottles, and brewing yeast. Even if they only last for a few batches, they didn't cost much, and I can see if I want to try doing this at a more serious level. Of course, since it's beer yeast it will have a lower alcohol tolerance, but that's not necessarily a bad thing... it's not the relatively low alcohol content that makes me object to drinking beer in the first place, it's the flavor and smell. And I know to use less honey to make mead with beer yeast than I would with champaign yeast or wine yeast. I've already got enough honey to try to start making a batch, and I think I might do so either later tonight or tomorrow. If this batch turns out alright, I've got a few ideas for future batches already. HMart, for those who don't know, sells two types of honey that I like a lot... one of them is cactus honey infused with pomegranate extract. The other is cactus honey infused with deer velvet antler extract. Each of them has instructions on how to mix it with warm water to create a nice, flavored honey tea. Both are quite enjoyable. I really enjoy mixing the two together and drinking that as a tea. I wonder how those would taste made into a mead, either separately or together?