Psssss. Hey, smarty pants.
Real talk here. Most of us would love to eat candy, chips, and pizza all the time.
Num-num-num-num-num-num.
But, we'd also like to, you know, knock it tummy aches, or cavities out.
In other words, we need the food that we eat to make us feel good, give us lots of energy, and keep us feeling healthy.
And I think we all know what that means.
Eat your fruits and vegetables.
Right. Eat your fruits and vegetables.
Wee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e- Whatcha up, Jack?
You might enjoy your bananas, right?
You're broccoli steamed.
And you're corn? Well, corny.
Best of all, there's one healthy food that a lot of people like as much as any snack.
You could have it in a salad or on a hamburger.
You might even relish it as relish.
Is it a fruit or vegetable?
We're about to find out.
Give it up for our next guest, the one and only cucumber.
So, good to see ya. Yep, they all told me you were as cool as a cucumber.
That's because I am a cucumber.
But if you think I'm cool, I'm here for it.
Oh, there is no denying you're the coolest.
But what makes cucumbers so cool?
Having a cool name helps.
You know, it's fun to say, cucumber.
I taste good and I'm good for you.
Us cucumbers are loaded with nutrients to fight off disease and cancerous cells and keep your eyes and skin looking fantastic.
I'm a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin C and K and other good stuff.
I'm also 95% pure H2O. I've got enough water to keep you hydrated and feeling great.
You could say I'm a very fine veggie.
But you're actually not a vegetable.
You're a fruit. What? Whoa, what's going on?
A car just drove into our studio.
Cool. The cucumber, I've come to warn you.
Sup, take a, I'm in the middle of something.
Come sit. No, you don't understand.
I'm in a pickle. I mean, I am a pickle, but also you're in a pickle as an I'm you from the future.
Great, Scott. Oh, please.
How could I, a cool cucumber, turn into you a sour little pickle?
I'm actually Dale, but that's beside the point.
We need to talk now. Well, that's what I am doing.
I'm talking to the narrator.
Where were we? I was about to ask some thought-provoking questions like how does a cucumber become a pickle?
How can pickles be a lifesaver?
And did you know that you can make pickles right at home?
Whoa. I'm telling you, we don't have time for this.
Be cool, man. Be cool. We've got plenty of time.
Yep, plenty of time for another WIFT of science and history on...
Who's smart, Ed? Who's smart, Ed?
Who smart is it you? Is it me?
Is it science? Or history?
Listen up. Everyone, we're back smart, and lots of fun.
Who's smart, Ed? Hey, smarty fans.
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Okay, smarty-pants. I'm here with a cucumber and a pickle, which may or may not be one and the same.
But how does that happen?
How does a cool crispy cucumber, like the one you might enjoy, slice up in a salad or dunk into a dip?
Turn into a juicy pickle, which you might top your hamburger with or chop into relish and put on your hot dog.
It may be hard to believe that they're the same vegetable or fruit since scientifically that's what cucumbers and pickles are.
Listen to you. I'm not seeing a connection.
There's no way I become that.
No offense pickle, but we're just too different.
But I am you from the future.
I can prove it. Our family, you and I, we're both from the Gord family.
Our relatives are melons, squash and pumpkins.
And our ancestors, our ancestors are the same.
Smarty-pants, do you know what country was the first to grow cucumbers?
Is it A, India? B, China or C, Spain?
Cucumber and pickle. What do you think?
A, that's correct. Did you guess that too?
Smarty-pants? People in India have grown cucumbers for thousands of years, even before written history.
And from there, the cucumbers spread to West Tunisia and then to Europe.
And do you know who brought cucumbers to America?
Smarty-pants? Do you know?
Was it A, the pilgrims? B, Christopher Columbus?
Or C, famous explorer America of Espoci.
America of Espoci, which is where the name America comes from, was once called a pickle dealer.
Before becoming an explorer, he worked as a ship-chandler, which means he stocked ships with pickled foods.
The first cucumbers to go to the Americas were pickles.
Of Espoci was not the first person to bring cucumbers to the Americas.
No. That person was B, Christopher Columbus.
He brought pickles there and then planted cucumbers in Haiti for his return ships.
You see, sailors love cucumbers, since they're known to prevent scurvy, a deadly disease caused by lack of vitamin C.
Cucumbers actually saved lives.
Whoa. That's pretty cool, dude.
If cucumbers are so amazing, why would sailors turn them into pickles for the journey?
I'm afraid to say, could it be the taste?
Whoa, not cool, dude. What do you think, Smarty-pants?
True or false? People started pickling foods because they loved the taste of them.
The answer is false. While many people go crazy over the mouth-watering taste of a pickle, pickling originally started off as a way to keep food from going bad.
You see, back when pickling started, there was no such thing as a refrigerator to keep foods fresh.
People discovered that foods soaked in an acidic liquid didn't spoil, because the acid prevents bacteria from harming the food.
The acid in vinegar works well, and vinegar is often used to pickle foods.
Salty water, called brine, also works.
Travelers could take these pickled meats and vegetables on long voyages across the ocean.
Oh, hi! I see land! Thank goodness!
We're almost out of pickles!
So tell me, when do you think pickling began?
Was it a 800 years ago? B, around 2000 years ago, or C, around 4000 years ago?
If you guessed C, you're right!
The ancient Mesopotamians, in what is now Iraq, are believed to be the first people to pickle food.
Ah! Hey cucumber, I have an idea!
Let's take my time machine back to ancient Mesopotamia!
Not so fast, dude. I'm chilling here, and honestly, I still don't see how you and I are the same person.
I'm telling you, we have the same family ancestry.
We even have the same bumps on our skin, and those nutrients you have, I have those too!
In fact, because the pickling process removes water, I have a higher concentration of vitamins, calcium, and potassium.
But I also contain a lot of salt.
Too much salt and cool. Will you just come with me?
Chillax, dude. I'm being interviewed.
Don't worry. I won't be visiting a pickling plan anytime soon, so I'm cool.
Oh, you don't have to go someplace special to be pickled.
No? No? You can pickle foods right in your own home.
Whoa, and hear that? Cucumber, we gotta go!
Patience, let's hear what trusty narrator has to say.
Pickling is actually quite easy, and smarty pants you can try it too.
With the help of an adult.
Okay, first take a glass jar and put some cucumbers and spices in it.
Dill seed is a popular spice for pickles, so I'll use that.
Hey cucumber, would you be cool with climbing into this jar?
Sure, no problem. But, but, but, but, relax, dude.
I got this. Okay, so now you have your cucumbers in the jar.
With the help of an adult, mix together vinegar, water, and salt, and heat them on a stove.
Check today's Who Smarded Newsletter or our blog on the website to get the exact amounts you need for this recipe.
Once the acidic solution is boiling, pour it over the cucumber, nearly filling the jar.
Yo, that feels good. Like a nice hot bath.
Yeah, well, it's good for cucumbers, but be careful, smarty pants.
This is too hot for your skin.
Yeah, I think I'm gonna like this.
Get out cucumber, get out!
Relax. Next, you screw the lid on tight, and let the jar cool to room temperature on a counter before putting it into a refrigerator.
Then you just wait until the cucumber becomes a pickle.
That's right. Normally, it takes a few days for a truly delicious pickle flavor to develop.
So, smarty pants, you'll have to be patient before eating yours.
However, thanks to the magic of podcasts, our pickle will be ready.
Right after this quick break, he is not gonna be happy.
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Okay, we're ready to open our pickle jar.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.
You know, before we do that, true or false?
Cucumbers are the only food you can pickle.
The cancer falls. There are lots of other foods that you can pickle.
Can you think of any smarty pants?
Go ahead, shout them out.
Believe it or not, historians don't think that cucumbers were the first thing the ancient Mesopotamian's pickle.
Huh? No, that might not have happened until centuries later.
Which means the act of pickling something came before there were actual pickles.
Whoa. Instead, fish was a very popular pickle dish.
But you can also pickle strawberries, beets, sausage, carrots, eggs, watermelon rinds, and of course peppers.
But if Peter Piper picked a pick of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
Thank you. Thank you. Can we move on?
Right. Of course, when you say pickle, you usually mean the cucumber type.
So let's open our jar and meet our new pickle.
Dude, that bath was amazing.
I feel like a new... Yikes, I'm a pickle.
I know you're me. Just like you warned me.
I tried. Wow, I really am in a pickle.
We both are. It's not so bad.
So you're both tasty looking, mouth watering pickles.
Oh boy, I gotta try one of you.
You'll just take the pickle that warned me about becoming a pickle.
Mmm, delicious. I should have listened.
Wait, the time machine.
I can go back to the start of the show and save my two come myself.
Yes, that's it. I love this work.
Ah, he left before I could put him on my burger.
That's cool. I'll be back.
A double shout out to Jackson and Caroline in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who wrote and said, we love who smarted.
It's always super funny and makes us laugh.
Plus, we learned something new every episode.
We love you. Ah, well, we loved reading that and we're so happy to have you smarting with us.
This episode, Pickling, was written by Dave Bojri and voiced by Chris O'Cawa, Adam Textevis and Jerry Colbert, technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Who smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios?
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Textevis.
Who smarted was created and produced by Adam Textevis and Jerry Colt.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
