We have all heard the phrase “stop and smell the flowers”, and, of course that simply is a metaphor to slow down and enjoy life as opposed to rushing around and missing the not so obvious things around us. Well, it may also be useful to smell the weeds as well. And although there are fragrant weeds, the more interesting aspect about weeds is how they became weeds at all! Weeds are considered invasive and need to be removed from the earth according to purists who fail to see the incredible odds they have against them for survival. For example, the dandelion has migrated across our planet in many forms and is a very successful weed. In part, the dandelion has evolved an interesting way to propagate and distribute its progeny. It uses the wind to send hundreds of seeds to distant places to try and grow. The cover photo is one that I took today and shows perhaps a hundred seeds attached to small white parachutes. When the air become strong enough as a breeze, the seeds fly off and can travel miles and land in someone’s lawn or a field. And statistically, these weeds will survive with continued success. But, the seed are a beautiful view of the complex world of survival.
While many people think of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as an unwanted weed, it is full of vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion leaves are used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make wines. I have made dandelion wine and it was a labor intensive task but it is a common wine made at home. In the past, dandelion roots and leaves were used to treat liver problems. Native Americans also boiled dandelion in water and took it to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and upset stomach. In traditional Chinese medicine, dandelion has been used to treat stomach problems, appendicitis, and breast problems, such as inflammation or lack of milk flow. In Europe, it was used in remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.
So far, there have not been any good quality scientific studies on dandelions. Today, the roots are mainly used to stimulate the appetite, and for liver and gallbladder problems. Dandelion leaves are used as a diuretic to help the body get rid of too much fluid. So, the next time you see a dandelion, take a look at a very tenacious and determined weed with beauty and attitude.

About eight or ten years ago I decided that I wanted to make a gourd birdhouse. Although I could have bought one online, I wanted the fun and satisfaction of making some from scratch. So, I planted the seeds and nursed the growth over the summer. In the fall I had several that were shaped all wrong, some were bug infested, and some were too small. But, I did have five that were perfect. So, on to the next step and that involves drying the inner pulp and seeds. They sat in the basement all winter as I turned them and protected them from freezing and any vermin. Not that I have vermin, but just to be sure they survived. In the spring, three had rotted, one had walls that were too thin, but one was perfect. This was now becoming a lot of effort to make a birdhouse!
So, after consulting several sources on the web as to what size hole to drill, I compromised to accommodate several types of nesting birds. The inside was cleaned and the proud day came to hang it up outside and watch as the new residents moved in. The entire summer went by without any birds even looking at the new digs. And the same result went on for the last several years. Until today! That gourd has hung in the same place for years through snow, rain, heat, and brutal cold. But today, much to my surprise, I saw a house sparrow sitting on the gourd. And then, she went inside! I thought that she/he was just looking but it returned several times. Was I finally going to become a landlord?  Over the next two hours the sparrow returned and had nesting material in its beak. It looks like I have a tenant after all of this time. Apparently, this bird was looking for a fixer-upper! And yes, I know that it is a simple common sparrow, but it was great to see my effort finally pay off.
Today was one of the first really warm days as New Hampshire is at least two weeks behind in what we euphemistically call spring. I wanted to take a photo of this new friend, but suspected that the paparazzi would scare her off. But, I will try to after the family has settled in. Be it ever so humble…

Like many of us, I have a spice rack with several different herbs and spices. Some cooks experiment with the contents and try all of the different flavor enhancers. But, not me! I have spices and herbs in the rack that have never been opened. (For the explanation of spices and herbs see the bottom of the sidebar for an earlier post and details). I tend to cook without recipes and generally use the same spices or herbs. But, I enjoy experimenting and decided to go beyond the usual and try some changes in my cooking. And then came to question that seems inevitable. Are all of my spices and herbs safe to use after a long storage period? So, it was time for more research and this is what I discovered: Spices do not spoil in their chemistry or biology, but they do lose their strength. Stored in airtight containers in cool dry places, spices retain their potency longer than you might realize. Whole peppercorns, nutmegs and cinnamon sticks tend to hold on to their flavor for a long time. One to three years is not unrealistic. And potent whole spices, such as cloves, cumin, and cardamom will also last for a long time.
The smartest way to get the best taste and value out of your herbs and spices is to store them effectively. Store them in tightly sealed containers in a cool dark place. Keeping containers tightly closed will protect them from moisture and oxidation, and they will retain more of their essential oil content when stored in glass jars. Keeping them away from direct light will also keep the color from fading. Never store them above your stove or near other heat sources as heat will degrade the quality. Also keep them away from the heat of the stove and the humidity of the dishwasher. It is also inadvisable to freeze herbs or spices. Condensation will be a problem each time the bottle comes out of the freezer and is likely to introduce moisture to the spices. And don't shake herbs or spices out of the bottle directly into something you are cooking as moisture may be introduced. So, FDA guidelines suggest the following general recommendations: Whole spices and herb leaves and flowers will keep for 1 to 2 years. Seeds will keep for 2 to 3 years and roots for 3 years. Ground spices and herb leaves and seeds will last for 1 year. Ground roots will keep for 2 years.
The best way I have found to test spices and herbs is to look at the color and take a smell test. I guess that it is time to discard my 5 year old spices and herbs. Sad...

  There is an age old question about which is better economically; is it better to buy a large size product that may be cheaper by unit amount than a smaller size, or buy the smaller size so that there is less of a storage problem, waste, and transportation issue? Well, of course it depends on personal choice and preferences, and each product will be different. But here is one food item that will always be a better buy when it is larger. Pizza is almost always a better buy when large than when small! Why? It really is simple math.
If you are at a local pizza place and dining for one you have the choice of an 8 inch personal pizza or a family size 16 inch pie. Based on price, the smaller pizza is cheaper, and the large one is perhaps 50 % more expensive but only twice the size so you decide on the small one. But when the math of a circle is considered, the larger is twice as large in diameter, but it is four times larger in area! That is because the area of a circle increases with the square of the radius. Recall that the diameter of a circle is the distance across, and the radius connects the center of the circle with any point on the circumference, which is half of the diameter. When you check the second image above, you might expect the area to be twice as large, but it is actually four times greater!
When you consider the fact that pizza can be reheated, frozen, and is the breakfast of champions, larger is better. But what if the pizza is a square or a rectangle? This does not count as it is no longer a Pi...

There has been a "National Day" for everyone to turn off, disconnect, and re-engage with the real world since 2002. The concept is simply a way to recognize that we have all become too comfortable with the addiction of connection. Whether it is via the computer, cell phone, music, or any other extraneous distraction, we seem to require all of this artificial stimulation. When we have checked the text messages, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and become bored, we go to Youtube and get stuck in the rabbit hole of technology.
Well, I can safely say that I have been essentially unplugged  for quite some time. I bailed from Facebook six years ago, carry a cell phone only for emergencies, refuse to text , have a Twitter account that has never seen a tweet, have never used Instagram, and I have limited my TV time. But what is this? Am I being a hypocrite? Here I am typing a blog entry, researching upcoming posts for all of my topics, checking email, and visiting several sites to keep up with the technology that I am supposed to be disconnected from and advocating technological celibacy. But, I can explain!
Unless you want to live under a rock in the dark, it is impossible to totally be "out of the loop" of life in the 21st century. But, I do believe that the national day of unplugging does have merit. It is perhaps a metaphor for feeling connected to other people. Unfortunately, many of those "other people" are virtual. And, maybe, the 24 hours of disconnection will at least help us to recognize that we are too reliant on technology and should focus more on real conversations with real people. There is a link to the "national day" here. But, I have to end now as my land-line phone is ringing...

Popcorn is one of those foods that seems to always have been around; that probably is due to the fact that it has been consumed for centuries and has been found in fossil remains in Peru. But there is some specific reason that it explodes into popped corn as opposed to a mushy mess. First, corn for popping and sweet corn are not the same plant. Although both plants form kernels, the composition is different. Popping corn has more of a moist starchy center than sweet corn that will cause steam to form when heated and cause a mini-explosion. However, both plants have kernels that have a hard outer husk, but pop corn is more densely packed. It is interesting to  observe that the pressure inside of a heated pop corn kernel is about 135 PSI, (Pounds per Square Inch), (930 kPa) Kilo Pascals. This is generally reached at a temperature of 180 C, or 356 F. Sounds more like a weapon that a tasty treat. Here are some interesting facts from the Agricultural Council of America:

• Americans today consume 17.3 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year! The average American eats about 68 quarts!
• While the first breakfast cereal was made by adding sugar and milk to popped popcorn, a shortage of baking flours after World War II forced bread makers to substitute up to 25% of wheat flour with ground popped popcorn. Over the years, popcorn also has been used as an ingredient in pudding, candy, soup, salad and entrees.
• Popcorn’s nutritional value comes from the fact that, like other cereal grains, its primary function is to provide the body with heat and energy.
• Microwave popcorn is the same as other popcorn except the kernels are usually larger and the packaging is designed for maximum popability.

I think that I am behind the national average so I better get popin! Images are from my friends at WPClipart. Bon Appetite!

We are all concerned with food safety and consuming what we buy and expect some degree of honesty on the part of manufactures and retailers. But, as I have posted before, there are several areas of concern that are still confusing. Perhaps it is the “sell by”, “best by”, “use by”, “expires on”, labels that cause most of us to discard food even though it is still fine to use. As consumers, we trust that these are reliable guidelines and believe that they are helpful. But, this belief is far from the truth.
First and foremost, there are no federal regulations that are required to sell most foods. The regulations are left to the states and many do not have any laws as to labeling. The map below is from a recent report from the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic:

There is no easy way to advise any of us to know when a food is safe or not. We are not guaranteed that we are buying food without salmonella, lead,  or other contaminant. In fact, we cannot even be certain where the food is grown and packaged. China is working with a number of US manufacturers to save money. But, we can use some common sense when dealing with everyday foods. First, refrigerate at 40 F or lower to preserve foods that have refrigeration as a requirement. Second, cook all meat to recommended temperatures. Third, use reasonable care in handling and preparation. I have a link to the United States Agricultural Department, (USDA) that has a quick Q & A and general guidelines for reference here. I believe that it is very conservative and I generally try to buy only what I can reasonably use, and try to avoid throwing away such a valuable resource. Bon Appetite!

Most of the people who cook follow recipes and it is not often necessary to know what is happening chemically as the food cooks; of course, the exception may be with chefs and chemists! Such is the question of why some recipes call for baking soda, (sodium bicarbonate), and some for baking soda, (sodium bicarbonate and potassium bitartrate). Potassium bitartrate is also called also called cream of tartar. Are they the same or are they quite different?
Both are leavening agents, which mean that they are used in baked goods before baking to produce carbon dioxide that will allow the material to “rise” as in cakes, muffins, and similar airy baked goods. And, to confuse things a little, baking powder does contain baking soda. The difference in the two ingredients is in the way they are used and they both require different conditions.
Baking soda, when combined with an acidic material like citric acid, buttermilk, and others, in the presence of moisture, generates bubbles of carbon dioxide at oven temperatures to cause the baking material to rise or become lighter. For example, if you add baking soda to vinegar, the carbon dioxide forms immediately.  Think of the way children make a small volcano!
Baking powder has baking soda plus the cream of tartar, an acidifying agent, and starch, as a drying material. It is available as a single-acting or double-acting product. The single-acting baking powder reacts with moisture and must be baked immediately after mixing. The double-acting product reacts to some degree at room temperature to release some carbon dioxide, but releases the most when it is baked at higher temperatures causing the rising action.
It is possible to use baking powder in place of baking soda but it requires more than indicated by the recipe and it may cause taste differences. But, you cannot use baking soda in place of baking powder. Baking soda does not have the acid necessary to cause carbon dioxide production. The good news is that you can make your own baking powder by mixing two parts cream of tartar with one part of baking soda. That satisfies the need for the acid component. Or, you can just buy a cake! Thank goodness for carbon dioxide…

I do a lot of patent searches for interesting technology and occasionally find some really odd entries. But this one is somewhat over the top in the world of strangeness. It is a mask that is designed to prevent the wearer from putting food in their mouth! What, we need a muzzle to stop food from getting in to our mouth? The surprising fact is that it is a utility patent that has as a requirement that the device has to be "new and novel". And, there is nothing new here at all. I could understand a design patent being issued but not as a protected product. Particularly as it was issued in the 1980's and not the 1920's when thin was in!
Although we are an increasingly obese society, it seems unlikely that anyone would be willing to wear this apparatus to Burger King or even outside of the house.
The first thing I thought of was this must be an accessory for use while reading "Fifty Shades of Grey". I really wish that there had been an infomercial selling this item as it would have been fun to watch people wearing the mask from the Hannibal Lecter collection! There is a link to the patent that can be viewed as a PDF here. Silence of the Lambs anyone?

This post comes from a good friend who lives in Hiroshima, but travels frequently and in this entry covers the interesting moss ball found in lake Akan. Thanks to my great friend, Yumi. Enjoy!
This summer we tripped to Hokkaido, the Northern most island of Japan.  One of the places I would have always liked to visit in Hokkaido was Lake Akan. When we were there, a sign was posted saying, "A brown bear was found a few days ago here. Would you like some bells to carry for your safety?"  They live only in Hokkaido in Japan. There are several lakes in Hokkaido, but this one in particular is famous for its peculiar moss ball called “Mari-mo (mari =ball, mo=algae)”. 

Moss ball can be found in north Europe, Russia, and North America. However, the marimo in Akan can grow up to 30cm (12 inches) in diameter, and make a lovely round shape by being rippled by lake water. 
Inside, it branches out tightly and radially and is covered with hard yet velvety green algae.  We bought our son two marimos in a glass jar.  They are not natural, but cultured.  The man at the store collects some algae, keeps it in a container, and rolls it up until nice and round behind his counter when he has some spare time for his customer.  He told us to change the water once a week and roll them between palms from time to time to keep shaped, and they would grow bigger every year.  Once I had some marimos myself.  One day I found they were broken into some pieces and thought I lost them.  According to this man the marimo cannot stay tight in still water but if we roll them they will once again make a round shape.  I wish I knew it years ago.