This Is What Fruit Looked Like Before Humans Intervened

Fruit. It's good for you, filled with dietary fiber, vitamins (especially vitamin C), and antioxidants. In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate seeds. Apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Popularly, however, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that are sweet and either succulent or pulpy.

But they don't look and/or taste like they used to. In some cases, that's probably good.

This week, what some fruit looked like before humans intervened.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "You do your best work if you do a job that makes you happy." - Bob Ross (American artist and TV presenter, 1942 - 1995) 

This is What Fruit Looked Like Before Humans Intervened by fredwine on Scribd

This Is What Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans Intervened

Vegetables. They're good for you, filled with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Some grow underground, including root vegetables like potatoes, yams, carrots, turnips and beetroot as well as bulbs like onion and garlic. Green vegetables include leaf vegetables like spinach and cabbage as well as certain legumes like peas and string beans. Many vegetables have seeds inside, and the best-known of these include pumpkin, squash, eggplant and the many kinds of pepper like the green pepper, chilli pepper and the bell pepper or capsicum. Salad vegetables such as lettuce and cucumber are eaten raw while other vegetables, including cauliflower, mushrooms and stem vegetables like asparagus and celery, can be eaten either raw or cooked.
 
But they don't look and/or taste like they used to. In some cases, that's probably good.

This week, what some vegetables looked like before humans intervened.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." - Alexander Pope (English poet and satirist, 1688 - 1744)

   This is What Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans Intervened by fredwine on Scribd

Inside the quest to save the banana from extinction – Part 2: Science!

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese colonists started banana plantations in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa. North Americans began consuming bananas on a small scale at very high prices shortly after the Civil War, though it was only in the 1880s that the food became more widespread.  As late as the Victorian Era, bananas were not widely known in Europe, although they were available.

And then, the Sixth Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, had a banana. And it was good.

This week, the rest of the story on the quest to save the banana from extinction and how Science! could be the answer.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Either I've been missing something or nothing has been going on." - Karen Elizabeth Gordon (American author, 1947 - )

   Inside the Quest to Save the Banana From Extinction 2 by fredwine on Scribd

Inside the quest to save the banana from extinction – Part 1: History

A banana is an edible fruit, and no surprise to anyone who reads this blog, botanically a berry. While the plant it referred to as a "tree," it is actually the largest herbaceous flowering plant on the planet. Recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence in Papua New Guinea suggests that banana cultivation there goes back to at least 5000 BCE, and possibly to 8000 BCE.

And now they are threatened by extinction by disease. How and why, you ask?

This week, we go inside the quest to save the banana from extinction, and start where we should, with some history.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is." - Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch author, philosopher and scholar, 1466 - 1536) 

   Inside the Quest to Save the Banana From Extinction 1 by fredwine on Scribd

The Subversive, Surprising History of Curry Powder

Spice blends were found to be in use almost 4000 years ago, with key ingredients like ginger, garlic, and turmeric, during the days of Indus Valley Civilization. The chili pepper, a ubiquitous ingredient in curry, was brought to the Indian subcontinent from the Americas through the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century.

Curry powder and the contemporary English use of the word "curry" are Western inventions and do not reflect any specific food from the Indian subcontinent, though a similar mixture of spices used in the Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent is called garam masala. Curry powder was used as an ingredient in 18th century British recipe books, and commercially available from the late 18th century. British traders introduced the powder to Meiji Japan, in the mid 19th century, where it became known as Japanese curry.

This week, a look at the subversive, surprising history of curry powder.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line." - Oscar Levant (American concert pianist, composer, music conductor, bestselling author, radio game show panelist and personality, television talk show host, and actor, 1906 - 1972) 

   The Subversive, Surprising History of Curry Powder by fredwine on Scribd

The Century-Long Scientific Journey of the Affordable Grocery Store Orchid

The Orchidaceae are a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants, with blooms that are often colorful and fragrant, commonly known as the orchid family.

Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants. The Orchidaceae have about 28,000 currently accepted species, distributed in about 763 genera. The determination of which family is larger is still under debate, because verified data on the members of such enormous families are continually in flux. Regardless, the number of orchid species nearly equals the number of bony fishes and is more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. 

The family encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants. It also includes Vanilla – the genus of the vanilla plant, the type genus Orchis, and many commonly cultivated plants such as Phalaenopsis and Cattleya. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century, horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars. 

This week, a look at the century-long scientific journey of the affordable grocery store orchid.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "[Memory is] a man's real possession...In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor." - Alexander Smith (Scottish essayist and poet, 1830 - 1867)
 
The Century-Long Scientific Journey of the Affordable Grocery Store Orchid by fredwine on Scribd

Why Is a 'Pepper' Different From 'Pepper'? Blame Christopher Columbus

Pepper properly refers to certain members of the genus Piper. There are several plants in this genus that produce berries that also produce a biting sensation, though not nearly as much as the capsicums. The berries of these plants contain piperine, a different chemical that is an irritant. Among the true peppers are black/white/green Piper nigrum, Cubeb, Long Pepper, and others.

Peppers are the broader classification. Capsicums, called bell peppers by some Americans, are sweet when ripe. The spicy hot ones, with capsaicin, are called chilies (or chili peppers)  and were so called because they came from the Spanish possession governed by the Viceroy of Chile. Actually, the spicy little peppers probably came from part of what is now Peru or Bolivia that was included in Chile. Cayenne peppers are another variety of hot pepper, named after the place in French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America.

Because of some geographic confusion when Columbus first reached the West Indies (he thought he was in Asia), the Spanish word for the Piper pepper was applied to the Capiscum pepper. The confusion continues today, with various parts of the world separating the two (or not!) according to their own ways of seeing things.

This week, a look at why Christopher Columbus is to blame for the confusion between peppers and pepper.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time." - Edith Wharton (US novelist, 1862 - 1937)

Why is a ‘Pepper’ Different From ‘Pepper’? Blame Christopher Columbus by fredwine on Scribd

The Tragic Roots of America’s Favorite Cherry

It is thought that sweet cherries originated in the region between the Black and the Caspian Seas. Cherries derive their name from the Turkish town of Cerasus, and Turkey remains the largest cherry producing region in the world. Like many things, cherries migrated with the colonists from Europe in the 1600’s.

Dark Sweet Cherry varieties include Chelan, Sweetheart, Lapin, Sunburst, Stella, and others. The most popular, the ever-present Bing, originated in Oregon. And who do we have to thank for Bings? That is a little fuzzy, and the exact truth may be lost to history, but we do know it involved Quakers, the Oregon Trail and Chinese laborers.

This week, a look at the tragic roots of America’s favorite cherry.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is 'thank you,' that would suffice" - Eckhart von Hochheim (commonly known as Meister Eckhart or Eckehart, a German theologian, philosopher and mystic, c. 1260 – c. 1328)

   The Tragic Roots of America’s Favorite Cherry by fredwine on Scribd

The Rigged Quiz Shows That Gave Birth to 'Jeopardy!'

The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of an ostensibly fair competition. The quiz show scandals were driven by a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons included the drive for financial gain, the willingness of contestants to "play along" with the assistance, and the lack of then-current regulations prohibiting the rigging of game shows.

This week, a look at the rigged quiz shows that gave birth to 'Jeopardy!'.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." - Anatole France (French novelist, 1844 - 1924) 

   The Rigged Quiz Shows That Gave Birth to 'Jeopardy!' by fredwine on Scribd

The Hidden History of the Nutmeg Island That Was Traded for Manhattan

Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus Myristica. Myristica fragrans (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, and mace, from the seed covering.

Until the mid-19th century, the small island group of the Banda Islands, which are also known under the name "Spice Islands," was the only location of the production of nutmeg and mace in the world. When something tends to be valuable, other people covet it, and nutmeg was no exception. How valuable, you may ask? Maybe not enough in today's dollars, but at the time it was worth Manhattan.

This week, a look at nutmeg and how the Dutch traded it for Manhattan Island.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Nothing is so awesomely unfamiliar as the familiar that discloses itself at the end of a journey." - Cynthia Ozick (American short story writer, novelist, and essayist, 1928 - )

   The Hidden History of the Nutmeg Island That Was Traded for Manhattan by fredwine on Scribd

Breaking Down the Physics of Wok Tossing

A wok is a versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel, originating in China. It is one of the most common cooking utensils in China and similar pans are also found in parts of East, South and Southeast Asia, as well as becoming a popular niche cookware in all the world.

The main advantage of wok is its curved concave shape. The shape produces a small, hot area at the bottom which allows some of the food to be seared by intense heat while using relatively little fuel. The large sloped sides also make it easier for chefs to employ the tossing cooking technique on solid and thick liquid food with less spillage and a greater margin of safety. Curved sides also allows a person to cook without having to "chase the food around the pan" since bite-sized or finely chopped stir-fry ingredients usually tumble back to the center of the wok when agitated.

This week, a look at breaking down the physics of wok tossing.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." - John Albert Holmes Jr. (poet and critic, 1904 – 1962) 

Breaking Down the Physics o... by on Scribd

The Tangled History of Weaving with Spider Silk

Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as sticky nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons to protect their offspring, or to wrap up prey. Spider silk is incredibly tough and is stronger by weight than steel. Quantitatively, spider silk is five times stronger than steel of the same diameter. Scientists have found that each strand, which is 1000 times thinner than a human hair, is actually made up of thousands of nanostrands, only 20 millionths of a millimeter in diameter.

Useful, yes...but how do you get the spider to give it to you?

This week, a look at the tangled history of weaving with spider silk.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The world belongs to the energetic." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (US essayist and poet, 1803 - 1882)

   The Tangled History of Weaving With Spider Silk by fredwine on Scribd

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets

Fog forms when the air near the ground cools enough to turn its water vapor into liquid water or ice. There are many different types of fog, too. Ice fog forms when the air near the ground is cold enough to turn the water in fog into ice crystals. Ice fog forms only at extremely cold temperatures. Another kind of fog is freezing fog. Ice crystals form in the air when it’s cold enough and particles like dust or smoke in the air provide a “seed” for the ice crystal to form around.

This week, a look at the secret world inside tiny fog droplets.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable." - Brenda Ueland (journalist, editor, freelance writer, and teacher of writing, 1891 – 1985) 

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets by fredwine on Scribd

The Puffing Gun

The oldest puffed grain was found in west central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ears of popcorn were found that were up to 4,000 years old. These pieces of puffed grain were smaller than a penny to two inches in size and can be made in a similar way to popping popcorn. The modern process of making puffed grains was invented by Dr. Alexander P. Anderson in 1901 and first introduced at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904. The puffed grain was shot from a battery of eight guns and on a poster it was called “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”

This week, a look at Dr. Anderson's device, the puffing gun.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Part of what makes us human is what we mean to other people, and what people mean to us." - John Michael Scalzi II (American science fiction author, 1969 - ) 

The Puffing Gun by fredwine on Scribd

Found: Evidence of the Oldest Beer Ever Brewed

We've talked about beer and its mineral content, how beer was one of the six drinks that shaped the world, about studying really old beer, how beer is better for post-workout replenishment, the color of beer, churches that attract new members with beer, five things you might not have known about God and beer, and the close ties between exercise and beer. Yes, it is a good topic. And tastes great. 

This week, a look at what might be the oldest beer ever brewed.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy." - Florence Scovel Shinn (American artist and book illustrator, 1871 – 1940)

   Found: Evidence of the Oldest Beer Ever Brewed by fredwine on Scribd

Why One Island Grows 80% of the World’s Vanilla

By and large, Americans seem to like vanilla ice cream better than chocolate. The International Ice Cream Association, which should know, puts vanilla at the top of the charts as first choice of 29 percent of ice-cream eaters, feebly followed by chocolate (8.9 percent), butter pecan (5.3 percent), and strawberry (5.3 percent).

Given our passion for vanilla, it seems peculiar that “plain vanilla” is the going synonym for anything basic, bland, or blah. A plain-vanilla wardrobe lacks pizzazz; plain-vanilla technologies lack bells and whistles; plain-vanilla automobiles miss out on chrome, fins, and flashy hood ornaments; and plain-vanilla music is the sort of soulless drone that afflicts us in elevators. The truth is, though, that plain vanilla is anything but dull.

Nor is it easy to make. In fact, if not for one 12 year old child,vanilla may still be the elite item that was added a dash at a time to it the Aztecs' Drink of the Gods, chocolate.

This week, a look at why one island grows 80% of the world’s vanilla.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society." - Judith Martin (better known by the pen name Miss Manners, an American journalist, author, and etiquette authority, 1938 - ) 
   Why One Island Grows 80% of the World’s Vanilla by fredwine on Scribd

The Warlike Origins of 'Going Dutch'

"Going Dutch" (sometimes written with lower-case dutch) is a term that indicates that each person participating in a paid activity covers their own expenses, rather than any one person in the group defraying the cost for the entire group. The term stems from restaurant dining etiquette in the Western world where each person pays for their meal. It is also called Dutch date, Dutch treat (the oldest form, a pejorative) and doing Dutch.

But where did the phrase come from? One suggestion is that the phrase "going Dutch" originates from the concept of a Dutch door, with an upper and lower half that can be opened independently. The Oxford English Dictionary connects "go Dutch" and "Dutch treat" to other phrases which have "an opprobrious or derisive application, largely due to the rivalry and enmity between the English and Dutch in the 17th century", the period of the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

This week, a look at what makes "Going Dutch" fighting words.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust (French novelist, 1871 - 1922)  

   The Warlike Origins of 'Going Dutch' by fredwine on Scribd

Why Are Bananas Berries, But Strawberries Aren't

Tomatoes and avocados are fruits, as most people know. Yet more often than not they're found alongside vegetables in culinary uses. The the plant world is full of strange cases of counter-intuitive classification.

Botanists define a fruit as the portion of a flowering plant that develops from the ovary. It contains the seeds, protecting them and facilitating dispersal. (The definition of a vegetable is a little fuzzier: any edible part of a plant that isn't a fruit.) Subcategories within the fruit family – citrus, berry, stonefruit or drupe (peaches, apricots), and pome (apples, pears) – are determined by which parts of the flower/ovary give rise to the skin, flesh and seeds.

Strawberries and raspberries aren't really berries in the botanical sense. They are derived from a single flower with more than one ovary, making them an aggregate fruit. True berries are simple fruits stemming from one flower with one ovary and typically have several seeds. Tomatoes fall into this group, as do pomegranates, kiwis and – believe it or not – bananas. (Their seeds are so tiny it's easy to forget they're there.)

This week, a look at what makes a berry a berry...and why some berries aren't berries.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right." - Isaac Asimov (US science fiction novelist & scholar, 1920 - 1992) 

   Why Are Bananas Berries, But Strawberries Aren't by fredwine on Scribd

The Anti-Waiter Sentiment That Made Automat Restaurants Go Mainstream

It all sounds so futuristic: a restaurant without waiters, without workers behind the counter, without any visible employees whatsoever, where you simply feed your money into a glass-enclosed kiosk, remove a steaming plate of freshly made food, and carry it to your table. Forward into the past, specifically the early 20th century, to a time when automats served hundreds of thousands of urban customers every day.

This week, a look at the anti-waiter aentiment that made Automat restaurants go mainstream.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it." - Lyndon B. Johnson (36th president of US, 1908 - 1973)

   The Anti-Waiter Sentiment That Made Automat Restaurants Go Mainstream by fredwine on Scribd

Touring the Abandoned Atlantic City Sites That Inspired the Monopoly Board

Monopoly. It seems like a wonderful idea when it is first brought out of storage, but inevitably the game it wearily packed back into the box with little enthusiasm. It can be plodding, tedious and argument-inducing. It is simplistic, dull and far too reliant on chance. While we know the locations on the board, what we hardly ever consider when playing the game is that it is based on an Atlantic City that no longer exists.

This week, we take a tour of the abandoned Atlantic City sites that inspired the Monopoly Board.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Sometimes old things need to go away. That way, we have room for the new things that come into our lives." - Randy K. Milholland (Something Positive webcomic, 1975 - )

   Touring the Abandoned Atlantic City Sites That Inspired the Monopoly Board by fredwine on Scribd

Why Do We Sleep Under The Blankets?

Linus van Pelt had it right. Blankets are a security thing.

This week, a look at why we sleep under the blankets.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Actions have consequences...first rule of life. And the second rule is this - you are the only one responsible for your own actions." - Holly Lisle (American writer of fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance and romantic suspense novels, 1960 - )

Why Do We Sleep Under the B... by on Scribd