Sometimes I make discoveries. Not always on purpose…sometimes it is just a matter of running down a particular path until I run head first into something new.

Sometimes the discovery is found at the end of an intentional exploration…I am searching for a solution to a problem (usually an herbal solution to a healthcare problem), and I discover something new.

Sometimes the discovery is found accidentally while I am exploring something totally unrelated to the discovery, but I am able to make a connection between what I find and what interests me.

One such recent discovery is Vitamin C. You might think to yourself, "I have known about Vitamin C for almost my whole life, what's left to discover? Well, let me take you on the kind of twisted journey that my mind often takes…

I love cooking. I sometimes enjoy the process itself if I am unhurried. The act of learning about the best ingredients to use for taste, texture, or color. The act of cutting and preparing the ingredients to make sure the size is uniform, the format of the ingredients is correct (e.g. fresh, dried, pickled, smoked, etc.), and the combination of ingredients is synergistic (each ingredient enhances the other ingredients). Sometime, if pressed, the process is not as enjoyable as the result, but the end result makes the process worth the journey.  A meal well-prepared and well-presented is a joy to the senses; sight, smell, and taste. YUM!

I love the creation around us.  God has provided us with an endless supply of tastes, textures, and smells. When assembled into something that you can eat that is tasteful, healthful, and enjoyable, the result is pure delight.

I would be willing to bet that you have at some time had that perfect something to eat that just makes you stop and enjoy the sensation. Memorable. Hard to re-create. Often expensive. That was the result of someone who loved the process, and was willing to share the result with you. Sometimes, that sensation was the result of something that you might not have expected, which gets us back to Vitamin C.

There are four things that make food taste better; acid, fat, salt, and sugar. Vitamin C is acid, ascorbic acid to be exact. Things with high Vitamin C content are usually tangy and tasty (citrus fruit for example). If you could add that kind of zing to your food, it might even taste better. The good news is that you can do that relatively easily. You can easily buy ascorbic acid (Amazon, anybody?) to add to your cooking.  What could be better? You get tangy taste and healthy vitamins to boot!

I make a pretty good chicken salad…I used to use lemon juice to create the zing that made it good, but lemon juice tends to make the mayonnaise get runny, and by the second day the container gets watery and weak-tasting. Now I use ascorbic acid…lots of zing, lots of Vitamin C, and less runny tasteless chicken salad. DISCOVERY!

You can find my recipe for chicken salad here if you want to try it.