Nesting includes safety, fun, joy, and comfort. Feeling safe at home might include the fun of conducting a taste test. Over the holidays with family in Minnesota, we conducted an apple taste test. What fun we and our taste buds had.
Apples in the taste test:
- Minnesota Pazazz – This is apple is a hybrid of the honey-crisp. It is sweet and tart at the same time and has a nice crunch. These apples were bred to have good taste and coloring; to be climate tolerant and endure longer cold storage.
- Washington Cosmic Crisp – also a hybrid of the honey-crisp. Released to the market in 2019, this apple has made the papers coast to coast. We had to include it in the test! Definitely a crispy apple. Flavor was nicely sweet. The skin on this and the pazazz was thick-ish and not an enjoyable flavor by itself.
- Unknown Braeburn – ripest sample of the group. Good flavor; texture was a bit soft for my liking. Turns out these apples are recommended for baking.
Tasting multiple samples of the three apples created a lively conversation as each family member shared an opinion and assessment of the apples. We encourage this as an activity for gatherings of friends and family.
Our first home taste-test: The book How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci prompted me to think about at-home taste testing. It suggested pairing chocolates and wines to see what combination a gathering of family and friends might enjoy. With children, we conducted the chocolate taste test and enjoyed the process.
Years ago, I held a meatball taste test with two teens. Determined to expand their tastes, I said “just try each one to decide which you like best.” With four meatball choices, the girls gave it a go. Interestingly, they agreed on the same (least flavorful) meatball.
Anything you can eat can become a taste test opportunity. Compare items like apples or chocolates. Identify ingredients. Identify which is store-bought and which is just picked from a garden. Taste test options abound.
Enjoy something new this decade. Start off with a taste test to get your creativity flowing! What taste test would you conduct at home? At work?
Nesting is about the objects and experiences that create a sense of home. Without home, it is difficult to maintain health, find joy, or to be productive. Enjoy the Nesting series of blogs on your search for and creation of a deep sense of home. –Jana
Jana Kemp
