Sampler Platter 05.26.09

All I know is (4.00 / 4)

our garden expenditures are up about a bajillion percent over last year, when in effect we didn't spend anything.

And our tobacco and alcohol expenditures compared to last year . . . let's see, zero plus zero, carry the zero . . . yep, holding steady with the trend line over the past several decades.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 13:47:11 PM UTC

All I know is (4.00 / 3)

our garden expenditures are up about a bajillion percent over last year, when in effect we didn't spend anything.

And our tobacco and alcohol expenditures compared to last year . . . let's see, zero plus zero, carry the zero . . . yep, holding steady with the trend line over the past several decades.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 13:47:11 PM UTC

Aaaaargh, sorry about the dupe. Jill, can you remove this? (4.00 / 3)

Actually I wish there was a way to remove posts in general. Experience tells me I may someday say something egregiously stupid.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 13:48:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Heh... (4.00 / 3)

Don't worry about it, it happens to all of us sometimes.  Not a problem...

Just happened to me here the other day, for that matter - but I zapped my own dupe.  :)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 21:41:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't think all biofuels are bad (4.00 / 4)

There's a difference between growing a crop strictly for fuel, and using waste products (like sawdust from timber) for fuel..

wiki - cellulosic ethanol

Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants.

It is a type of biofuel produced from lignocellulose, a structural material that comprises much of the mass of plants. Lignocellulose is composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Corn stover, switchgrass, miscanthus, woodchips and the byproducts of lawn and tree maintenance are some of the more popular cellulosic materials for ethanol production. Production of ethanol from lignocellulose has the advantage of abundant and diverse raw material compared to sources like corn and cane sugars, but requires a greater amount of processing to make the sugar monomers available to the microorganisms that are typically used to produce ethanol by fermentation....
According to U.S. Department of Energy studies[1] conducted by the Argonne Laboratories of the University of Chicago, one of the benefits of cellulosic ethanol is that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 85% over reformulated gasoline. By contrast, starch ethanol (e.g., from corn), which most frequently uses natural gas to provide energy for the process, may not reduce GHG emissions at all depending on how the starch-based feedstock is produced.

This seems to be the main concern; " but requires a greater amount of processing to make the sugar monomers available to the microorganisms that are typically used to produce ethanol by fermentation...."

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by: Curtis Abbey @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 16:58:58 PM UTC

I put in an application for a DFA scholarship (4.00 / 4)

Please support my entry

and Ellinorianne's as well..

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by: Curtis Abbey @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 17:39:20 PM UTC

Magic Seeds do not have to be GMO (4.00 / 4)

According to Howard Shapiro there are a dozen plant breeding techniques that can produce stress tolerant plants without GMO.

Howard and his team have, in fact, challenged Monsanto to do the same, since their new seeds will be given away for free.

Yes, Monsanto is evil but that does not mean everyone else is, including the producers of magic seeds.

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 20:19:08 PM UTC

My new CSA (oh, that is so good to say!) (4.00 / 4)

has a google group that I've been reading. Lots of good discussion of some of the food bills in Congress, but the thing that I thought people here might be interested in was this funny slate.com article about how to use things in your CSA box.

http://www.slate.com/id/221452...

I wish I knew half what the flock of them know
Of where all the berries and other things grow,
Cranberries in bogs and raspberries on top
Of the boulder-strewn mountain, and when they will crop.
--"Blueberries" by Robert Frost

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by: wide eyed lib @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 22:40:24 PM UTC

Oh, wow... (4.00 / 3)

Thanks for that link, I never thought to grate butternut squash before...

I think I'm gonna try that this winter, maybe with some brown rice.  I should mention here that I go through at least 2 butternut squash (squashes?) a week during the winter - mostly out of which I peel, cube, fry with garlic and onions, mash and turn into a pizza / pasta sauce.

And I have a "problem vegetable", myself.  Parsnips.

I really, really, really tried to love them and find a use for them in other stuff last winter; but it just didn't work out...

:/

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 23:37:00 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I grate and freeze a lot of things (4.00 / 4)

carrots for one, real handy to throw in a dish, sauce salad etc. I freeze them in 1c and 2 cup sizes. Same with summer squash. I haven't done it with parsnips or celeriac but may this year.

For parsnips, I added them to hearty stews & soups,roasted chicken and winter veggies. You can mash them with potatoes, you could prob grate into rice etc.  We don't get as many parsnips (or haven't but ya never know!) so I used them "sparingly" compared to my other roots that I got through the CSA. That' why they ended up in stews etc :) I wonder how they would be in a cream of potato soup?

I made a fabulous winter squash soup this past winter. I was SO bummed when I finished the last jar. But really, how can we sit here and discuss winter squash when SPRING is finally producing (well on my coast!).

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by: nycstray @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 02:51:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

My problem with parsnips... (4.00 / 3)

is that I really just don't like the taste.  I've tried them so many times, and in so many ways, but it's just not happening for me...

:(

I guess everybody has one of those, though?

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 02:57:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Mine is beets (4.00 / 4)

I did ok with the warm lentil beet salad, but I was not raised eating beets, and it's hard to figure out the best way I would like them. I am determined though, lol!~ Oh, I forgot, beet brownies worked well! And I just saw a Food Network Challenge where they made beet ice cream picking up on the sugar in the beets, so that's on my "try" list.

Luckily, my dog eats beets, lol!~ This year I plan to try a bit harder with the early beets and see if I can't develop a better taste for them and work up to the more staple beets. If not, lot's o brownies for me and the Dot can have them roasted :)

I've actually never had a parsnip as a stand alone, come to think of it. I started with them in a rich soup, then moved on to the stews and roasting etc. I guess I apply the "desensitizing" method with foods I'm unsure of. Dog training has it's perks. The skills work in other areas also, lol!~

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by: nycstray @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 03:40:42 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm kind of surprised that anyone (4.00 / 2)

wouldn't like parsnips. To me, they're generally quite mild with a bit of earthiness and the really good ones are sweet. (Any my sweet tooth loves that!)

I assume you've tried them roasted and didn't like them?

Have you tried grating them into something sweet like applesauce and simmering?

My CSA has 2 different ways to deal with unwanted/unliked veg. We have a box where anyone can put unwanted things and anyone can take them, and we also have a deal where anything that's not chosen from the box (or picked up at all) gets donated to a church with a soup kitchen.

The veg that I like the least is brussels sprouts. I'm very sensitive to bitter flavors, and that's mostly what I taste in brussels sprouts, regardless of how they're cooked.

I wish I knew half what the flock of them know
Of where all the berries and other things grow,
Cranberries in bogs and raspberries on top
Of the boulder-strewn mountain, and when they will crop.
--"Blueberries" by Robert Frost

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by: wide eyed lib @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 14:42:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

We use the box method also at our CSA (4.00 / 3)

I'll take your sprouts!! {grin}

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by: nycstray @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 15:53:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Roasted, and... (4.00 / 2)

diced and fried in butter and onions.  I tried them on a pizza once, too (razor thin slices baked along with the pizza, the same way I do potatoes on pizza), with blue cheese, hazelnuts and probably garlic and onions (can't remember for sure, but I always use use garlic and onions on pizza, and even that couldn't hide the taste!)

Just really not much for the flavor, I can always pick it out - it's just something in it that triggers my "I don't like this stuff" reflex.

One of my favorite vegetables, on the other hand?

Brussels sprouts!

:)

Even as a kid, I always loved them...

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 22:01:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

great in mock chicken soup (4.00 / 2)

I make the soup for Passover. I use the parsnips in the stock
and then after soup is done throw some in with matzo balls

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by: LeeN @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 15:40:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

regarding the apple moth issue in CA (4.00 / 1)

to quote the linked article

"One of the products tested was Hercon's Disrupt Bio-Flake, which the EPA registered in January as a pheromone pesticide that interferes with mating of the moth"

as an organic farmer i take issue with how this debate has been framed. pheromones are a key item we use in the fruit growing industry to mitigate pest damage.

believe it or not organic does not mean nothing is used to control pest damage. pheromones disrupt the mating cycle and are listed as safe and useable materials by most organic certification houses.

in my view the hysteria in CA was unfounded and shows a utter lack of trust in science. thousands of people complained of vague symptoms like headaches etc after the initial application.

the politicians caved in to public uproar like they do on too many issues in CA and hence the complete cluster as evidenced by their inability to deal with their budget crisis.

it concerns me that well meaning folks are so anti technology when the subject of food and farming comes up.

its tough growing fruit for a living. how many of you in the Midwest get jack from your apple trees in your backyard?

my mission in posting comments on this site is to bring some sanity to the table regarding technology and farming and food.  

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by: bud dingler @ Wed May 27, 2009 at 23:41:21 PM UTC

Ya know, if someone told me they were using (4.00 / 1)

pheromones, I wouldn't be too concerned (I would do a quick google). I use them with animals. And many vets have them in their offices (those crazy kitties, lol!~) Pheromone pesticide I'd be asking what's in it {grin}

Maybe it's not the way the debate is framed now, but perhaps how it was framed before the spraying starts. If there isn't any pesticides in pheromone pesticide, did they have enough of the education out there? Cause we all kinda react when someone says they want to spray pesticides from above down on us. And since most people think pesticide=poison, they may need more advance ed out there and perhaps just say they are doing a pheromone spray instead. Of course, that's only if it is a pure pheromone spray and pesticide is not involved.

Here's an offbeat comparison:

Remember the flyover to shoot Air Force One over lower Manhattan and the outrage that caused? Well, since we've had a major emerg response drill down there involving the Path Trains etc. Lot's of sirens, emergency personnel, etc. No outrage. Everybody knew WTF was going on. They went as far as to put signs on poles etc. Like they always do. It was just Fleet week. Scary planes in sky aren't scary because we know. Same with both of the stadium openings (and yes, the Mets air crew kinda buzzed my 'hood). We also get signing in our parks BEFORE they are putting out pesticides etc with duration to be cautious, rain dates, name of pesticide . . .  you get the picture :) I love those little signs. Me n' Dot avoid the park for awhile.

And can you really blame folks for not trusting "certain" science when it comes to our food? Or their mind perhaps creating symptoms?

I appreciate hearing your view/experience. I get my fruits from the Hudson Valley, apparently, organic is hard there also in the fruit dept. Heh, I guess it's kinda hard everywhere when you need to work out what works for your particular space/area without going industrial :)

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by: nycstray @ Thu May 28, 2009 at 03:28:34 AM UTC

[ Parent ]