Naturally Science & Lore

Florida Museum of Natural History, Tallahassee, Florida

El Morro Ware
1550 C.E. to 1770 C.E.
Common: Iberia, Mexico; the Carribean region; North Florida, U.S.A.

Florida Museum of Natural History Ceramic Guide: El Morro Ware

El Morro ware is a lead glazed coarse earthenware from most likely originates from Iberia, Mexico and was produced from 1550-1700 CE. It is poorly compacted, sand-tempered, coarse earthenware that can range in color from a reddish brown to a cream or beige tint. The surface of the pottery is minimally smoothed with a thin, transparent lead glaze that was applied to at least one, if not both surfaces. The sand tempering is obvious due to the common protrusions into the glaze giving a gritty or granular surface and is often a yellow orange, green or rust color. Common vessels found are pitchers, plato, taza, escudilla, bowls, and bacins. It sticks out as “El Morro” from other lead glazed earthenware common from Spanish and Carribean sites in the 16th century due to the gritty texture, and thin transparent glaze with a poorly smoothed surface. Both Smith (1962) and Deagan (1987) have written classifications for this pottery type.

Florida Museum of Natural History, Tallahassee, Florida

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Current Mood:  chipper

Wild sunflowers along roadside in New Mexico

Sunflowers a.k.a. “Common Sunflower”, “Mirasol”, “Kansas Sunflower”

Helianthus annuus

Localitie: Located throughout the western and southern United States, Southern Canada, and Northern Mexico. They are native to meadows, roadsides, foothills, prairies, and dry plains preferring well drained soils.

Description: The Common sunflower is a large roadside plant that grows off a coarse, hairy, leafy large stalk with stiff branching upright stems ranging in height from 3-9 feet tall, producing 3-6″ orange-yellow rayed flower heads containing numerous seeds in their brown-purple center disks flowering in summer annually. Common along fences, fields, ditches, roads, trackways, and waste areas especially in the Americas west of the Mississippi. Over the last 3,000 years, Native American and European cultivation of the plant has altered the size and seeds a thousand fold. These have become their own domesticated variety.

Cultivation: Best grown in moist, average well-drained soils under full sun exposure. They can also do well in poor soils, that are on the dry side, as long as full sunlight is granted. Best to plant after the last frost date for the area. The Sunflower was first domesticated by the Amerindians from the regions of southern Canada, western/southern America, and northern Mexico for food. It is believed that the Sunflower was first cultivated by the Native Americans, then spread from Mexico to Spain, onward to Europe, to the Russians, and finally to the European colonists in the New World.

Culinary: Domesticated by Native Americans for thousands of years, the sunflower was used in a variety of cooking methods. The seeds were roasted, cooked, dried, ground, or eaten raw, or pressed to create sunflower oil. The seeds can be roasted and ground to make a coffee substitution. Flower buds are boiled and eaten or added to dishes.

Common Uses: Sunflowers are used as ornamentals and for herbal gardens with companion planting. Black and purple dyes are made from the plant to dye baskets. The ray flowers are used to make a yellow dye. The dyes would be used to dye fabric, basketry, or body paint. Infusions from the seeds have been used as a flea repellent. Stalks are used as fodder for livestock, poultry/livestock food, fuel, and ensilage. Russians use the hulls to manufacture furfural and ethyl alcohol, growing yeast, and lining plywood, or for commercial fiber. Others use it for fiber in plants and paper manufacture.

Cultural and Mythological: State flower of Kansas. The Sunflower is the common name but the Latin Genus species “Helianthus” comes from the Greek word “helios anthos” which translates to “Sun flower”. The species “annuus” means “annual”. The Hopi Indians believe that when sunflowers are numerous, it is a sign that there will be an abundant harvest. The Teton Dakota say that when the sunflowers are tall and in full bloom, the buffalo are ready for hunt as they are fat with good meat. The Iroquois tribe of North America incorporate sunflowers as part of their creation myth. The Spanish explorer Francisco Hernandez claimed that sunflower held aphrodisiac powers. The Rees, Mandan, and Gros Ventres made an oil from the seeds to lubricate and paint the face and body for ceremony, and also ate the seeds as a stimulant for war or hunting parties to alleviate fatigue. The Navajo used the plant for sun sand painting ceremonies and as a disinfectant preventing pre-natal infections caused by solar phenomena such as eclipses. they also pulverized seeds and roots together to make a salve to apply in order to prevent a horse from falling on a person, and as a moxa of the pith to remove warts. The flowers are worn in the hair of various tribal women (such as the Hopi in Arizona) for ceremonies.

Medicinal: Europeans used the plant as a remedy for pulmonary issues, the seeds for coughs and colds, as a substitute for quinine treating malaria, as well as a expectorant and diuretic. In Mexico, it is believed that sunflowers when eaten was good to soothe chest pains. The Pima would make a poultice from the warm ashes of burnt sunflowers and apply to the stomach to get rid of worms and a decoction from the leaves to stop high fevers. The Dakota would boil the flower heads, separate the involucrul bracts, and create a remedy for pulmonary issues. The Cochiti would make a juice from crushing the sunflower stems and apply them to cuts and wounds to speed healing. Cherokee made an infusion of the leaves to treat kidneys and the Dakota for chest pains and pulmonary troubles. Pawnee women ate a concoction made from dry seeds to protect suckling children from infections. Hopi used the plant for skin issues and as a spider medicine. Navajo used the seeds as a appetite stimulant. The Paiute tribe used sunflower root to alleviate rheumatism. Zuni would make a poultice from the root to treat snakebites.

Wild sunflowers along roadside in New Mexico

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Current Mood:  bouncy

Eggs

We all know “eggs” … and to most of us, those are what we have for breakfast. But there is much more depth to this prehistoric culinary item than just food. Eggs are laid by many different kinds of animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and insects. Eggs belonging to birds and reptiles possess a protective eggshell that contains a vitellus (called an egg yolk) and an albumen (called an egg white) that exists within various thin membranes. In regards as food eaten by humans, the most popular “eggs” found on the table are those of chickens, ducks, quail, and fish eggs such as roe and caviar. Within these egg yolks is a significant amount of choline and protein. Due to the high “protein” content of an egg, the US Department of Agriculture lists “eggs” within the “meat” group of the Food Guide Pyramid. Chicken eggs, being a primary part of the human diet, is mass produced as a global industry. Bird Eggs have been dined on since prehistory from early hunter-gatherers on through domestication in farming. The chicken is believed to have been first domesticated from a jungle fowl native in Southeast Asia and India before 7500 BCE for its egg and meat. This is ample evidence that chickens were first introduced to Sumer and Egypt by 1500 BCE and Greece by 800 BCE. Ancient Hieroglyphics dating from 1420 BCE in Thebes, Egypt show a man carrying a bowl of ostrich eggs, possibly a pelican egg, and other eggs as offerings. Some wild bird eggs are protected – from collecting them, selling them, or eating them.

Folklore: The Ancient Romans would crush the egg shells in their plates to prevent evil spirits from hiding there. Taboos on eggs occur in Christianity during Lent (Middle Ages) because eggs were seen to be too rich.

Cooking: One of the most common ingredients in cooking. Duck eggs, goose eggs, quail eggs, and ostrich eggs are considered to be culinary delicacies. Gull eggs are considered a delicacy in England and Norway. In some African countries, guinea fowl eggs are also common food source. Pheasant eggs and emu eggs are also eaten. During the 17th century, in France, it was popular to scramble eggs with acidic fruit juices. This practice is believed to be the origin of lemon curd. During the 19th century, the dried egg industry was developed just before the frozen egg industry. 1878 in St. Louis, Missouri, the first account of drying eggs by transforming the egg yolk and whites into a light-brown, meal-like substance was conducted, and blossomed by the World War II to be used for food with military troops. By 1911, the Egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle of British Columbia to solve a dispute between a farmer and a hotel owner when eggs delivered were found broken. Originally made of paper, these cartons expanded to cardboard, plastics, and glass. Egg whites solidifies when it reaches 144-149 degrees Fahrenheit (62.2-65 degrees Celsius) and the Egg Yolks coagulates a bit higher temperatures at 149-158 degrees fahrenheit(65-70 degress Celsius). If overcooked during boiling, a green ring will appear around the egg yolk due to the iron and sulfur compounds in the egg but does not affect taste, however overcooking will decrease the protein quality of the egg. Chilling an egg for a few minutes in cold water until completely cooled will prevent the greenish ring forming on the surface of the yolk when boiled. Cooking also increases the risk of atherosclerosis due to increased oxidation of the cholesterol contained in the egg yolk.

Eggs from chickens are the most commonly used for cooking in the world for both sweet and savory dishes, baked goods, or simply as a daily breakfast meal. As a dish itself, it is often boiled (soft or hard), fried, scrambled, added to a piece of toast for an egg-in-the-nest, pickled, or added as an ingredient to pancakes, waffles, or french toast. They are also eaten raw, drank in protein drinks or shakes, and enjoyed as a supplement to beauty enhancers for hair and skin. There is a safety issue with raw eggs in the modern world, as raw eggs can lead to salmonellosis and the raw protein in eggs is only 51% bio-available and not very absorbed by digestion. Protein Absorbtion increases to 91% bio-available when cooked. Egg whites (aka albumen) contain little to no fat, but full of protein, and often cooked separate from the yolk as a additional ingredient in baking and cooking, especially with breads, desserts, puddings, mousse, and meringues. Ground egg shells are often used as a food additive to add calcium. The birds diet will affect the flavoring of the egg. Chickens that eat rapeseed or soy meals will create a fishy smelling triethylamine addition to the taste of the eggs which is often a problem for free-range hens. Eggs can be soaked into mixtures to absorb the flavors as well.

Preservation: In order to prevent food poisoning and salmonella, the handling of eggs will vary from culture to culture, country to country. In the Unied States, the USDA recommends refridgerating eggs to prevent the growth of Salmonella – and this is why in America, you won’t find eggs on the dry shelves like you do in Europe – especially Germany, Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom. Refridgeration is believed to preserve the taste and texture of eggs, but it has been found that un-cracked eggs can be left unrefirgerated for several months without spoiling. Eggs can also be preserved with salt as it draws water out of bacteria and molds preventing its growth. Salted eggs are a culinary delicacy, such as the chinese salted duck egg which is created by immersing duck eggs in brine or coating them with a paste of mud, clay, or salt. These are then boiled before consumption after about a month of absorbtion and served with rice congee. Pickling of eggs is also commonplace as is hard boiling. Boiling the egg and then immersing in a concoction of salt, vinegar and spices (ex. allspice, garlic, or ginger) and/or beetroot juice is used in pickling of eggs. If immersed in beetroot juice for several days, the red coloring will reach the yolk, and if marinated for several weeks or more with the vinegar will dissolve the shell’s calcium carbonate and penetrate the egg making it viable to keep eggs for a year or more without refrigeration. One of the culinary delicacies as well as one of the best preserved eggs is called the “Century Egg”. This 100 year old egg is created by coating an egg with a concoction of lime, salt, ash, clay, and rice straw and let sit for a few weeks upwards to several months. After “sitting”, the yolk becomes dark green and cream-like with full odors of sulfur and ammonia, with the white becoming dark brown to transparent jelly-like substance having a mild and distinct flavor. They are popular in Asian countries.

Alternatives to Eggs for Cooking: Cooking can be quite difficult without the use of eggs as almost all baking recipes at least include them. Alternatives have been found, especially for vegetarian, vegan, and egg-intolerant populations. These include ground flax seeds, applesauce, arrowroot, banana, extracted soybean lecithin, tofu, and potato starch flour are all good alternatives that create a binding-like or rising agent similar to eggs.

Science:

Egg shapes vary, but generally have a prolate spheroid or ovate shape with one end larger than the other and a cylindrical symmetry along its long axis. “egg” is actually surround by a thin hard shell that protects the egg matter. The Egg matter consists of an egg “yolk” that is suspended by 1-2 spiral bands of tissue called the chalazae. Yolks that are in newly laid eggs are round and firm. As time goes by, it absorbs water from the albumen increasing its size and causing it to stretch and weaken the vitelline membrane flattening and enlarging the yolk shape. The white liquid or “albumen” (aka glair, glaire) is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of a bird’s oviduct during passage of the egg, forming around fertilized and unfertilized yolks to protect the yolk and aid additional nutrition for the growth of the embroyo. This consists often upwards of as high as 90% water and 10% dissolved proteins (mucoproteins, globulins, and albumins) and contain almost no fat and less than 1% carbohydrate content. There is an “air cell” at the larger end of the egg that forms when the contents of the egg cool down and contract after it is laid. In production of chicken eggs, this air cell is used to grade eggs, based on the size of the air cell. Fresh eggs possess a small air cell and get a grading of “AA”. Once the egg’s air cell increases, the quality of the egg decreases, and grading of eggs move from “AA” to “A” to “B”. Grading can be tested by floating an egg in water, the less dense and the larger end of the egg will rise to increasingly shallow depths. Very old eggs will float in water and are not advised to be eaten. Eggshells vary in color based on the pigment deposition from egg formation in the oviduct differing from species and breed but with a spectrum from white, brown, pink, and speckled blue-greens.

Health: Half of the calories found in eggs come from the fat in the yolk. Those seeking a low-cholesterol diet should reduce egg consumption, although only 27% of the fat in eggs are saturated fats, palmitic, stearic, and myristic acids that contain LDL cholesterol. Egg whites contain primarily water and protein with little to no fat or cholesterol. Some nutritionists discourage eating the egg yolk due to controversial beliefs about health risks with them such as high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease or strokes, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease. Eggs can become contaminated by the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella enteritidis as well as with other members of the Salmonella genus due to exposure to fecal matter from its host. Eggs are quickly washed with a sanitizing solution often within minutes of harvested eggs being laid and most of the concerns relate to sanitary conditions where the hosts are kept, farmed, or raised. Health experts recommend always refrigerating eggs and using them within 2 weeks, cooked thoroughly, and never to consume them raw. Eggs should not come in contact with food preparation or ready-to-eat food. Egg allergies are common today in infants, but usually dissipates once the child grows older. Allergic reactions tend to be to egg whites more than egg yolks.

In religion, mythology, and folklore eggs are a symbol of life and are often celebrated as such. A popular tradition to celebrate eggs are the pracice of decorating or coloring them. This is popular throughout the world in celebration of Pagan Eostre or the Spring Equinox and Christianity’s Easter celebrations. These include dying eggs, hiding them, and having an easter egg hunt. The popular games and rituals have seen a mutation to plastic eggs containing toys or candy in the hunts in the modern day due to health and safety issues with boiled eggs left outdoors. It is also a very popular craft in the Czech Republic and Persian cultures. The Persian New year tradition of “Norouz” consists of family members decorating hard-boiled eggs and setting them together in a bowl. The “dancing egg” tradition, celebrated since the 16th century in Spain, consists of an emptied egg positioned over a water jet or fountain to be suspended dancing turning without falling. Eggs are used in mischief, especially Halloween and high school or college pranks involving “egging” by throwing eggs at houses, cars, and people.

Article by Thomas Baurley

Bibliography/References:

• About.com: Calorie Count – Calories of Eggs. Website referenced July 2012. http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-egg-whole-i1128
  
• Britegg.com: British Egg Information Service. Website referenced July 2012. http://www.britegg.co.uk/
  
• Did You Know: Eggs. Website referenced July 2012. http://didyouknow.org/eggs/
  
• Live Science: A Dozen Facts about Eggs. Website referenced July 2012. http://www.livescience.com/10043-dozen-extraordinary-egg-facts.html
  
• Self.com: Nutritional Data Facts about Dairy and Egg Products. Website referenced July 2012. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/111/2
  
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. “Eggs”. Website referenced July 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food).

Via Flickr:
National Botanical Garden of Ireland in Dublin.

Brisbane River

Queensland, Australia

The Brisbane River quickly became home to me during my Australian travels in the Summer of 2011. It was home to the HMB Endeavour, upon which in May I was a volunteer tour guide and crew member while it was in port at the Brisbane City Center and during its circumnavigation voyage leg from Brisbane to Gladstone. I found the river as it flowed through Brisbane to be a hub of cultural activities from outdoor recreation, panoramic scenery, cultural events, to botanical garden goodness. It was also a hot spot for transportation to and from work while I was living in Manly West and the West End. The Brisbane River is the longest river in southeastern Queensland, flowing through the metropolitan hub of Brisbane before it empties into the Moreton Bay. It was named after Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales, in 1823 by John Oxley who was the first European to navigate and explore the river. Its mouth at Moreton Bay did however get visited by Captain Cook, Matthew Flinders, John Bingle and, William Edwardson, all whom failed to discover the river. After the river was given this name, so was named the penal colony that once habitated the lands where metropolitan Brisbane now stands. This amazing river will astound you with beauty and richness as it is a major waterway between Brisbane and Ipswich. The River from afar in its contrasted beauty shimmering reflections of skyscrapers and modern architecture unfortunately is quite murky, dark, and polluted within its depths. It comes from Mount Stanley, 214 miles away, dammed at Wivenhoe Dam to form Lake Wivenhoe which is the water supply for the city. The river is known to be abundant with the rare Queensland lungfish, Brisbane River cod, and bull sharks. The river has 16 major bridges crossing it, as well as the Clem Jones Tunnel which was built in 2010 to go underneath it . It is a hub of activity as personal watercrafts, large ocean vessels, ferries, yachts, and historic ships travel this waterfare. The River sees alot of commuter traffic on the River CityCat.

The largest ship ever to be built on the river was a 66,000 ton beast done so by Robert Miller, though was un-moored by the 1974 Brisbane flood, one of the most devastatingly damaging floods in the river’s history. The River historically flooded severely numerous times in 1893, 1974, and most recently in January of 2011. The river has expanded its port facilities, especially that on the historic “Fisherman’s Island” which is now known as the “Port of Brisbane”.

The Brisbane river is fed from the Brisbane Mountain Range that is east of Kingaroy. The River proceeds south past Mount Stanley, through the Moore and Toogoolawah townships where the Stanley River meets with the river, then runs into Lake Wivenhoe, eastward to merge with Bremer River, on into Brisbane including Jindalee, Indooroopilly, and Toowong. Within Brisbane, the River goes under the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, a quarry area that is a scenic spot for the River, and a popular location for parties, drum circles, and other outings. The River is also fed by other tributaries besides the above such as Breakfast Creek, Moggill Creek, Bulimba Creek, Norman Creek, Oxley Creek, Lockyer Creek, Cressbrook Creek, Cooyar Creek, Cubberla Creek, Wolston Creek, Woogaroo Creek, Goodna Creek, Six Mile Creek, Bundamba Creek, Pullen Pullen Creek, and Kholo Creek.

Pre-contact, the river was very popular among the Aboriginal peoples of the Turrbal nation as a location for fishing and fire stick farming. After Contact, with explorations by Captain Cook, Matthew Flinders, John Bingle, and William Edwardson of the area, first being missed by them. It was however discovered by Western settlers in 1823 when convicts sailing from Sydney on a timber retrieval mission to Illawarra were blown north by a storm stranding on Moreton Island. They escaped by making it to the mainland after going south of the Brisbane River. As they were heading home north back to Sydney, they discovered the river, by walking upstream along its banks for almost a month before making their first crossing at “Canoe Reach” where it junctions with Oxley Creek by stealing a small canoe from the Aborigines. At the same time, John Oxley was sailing into Moreton Bay looking for the prime location for a new convict settlement when he discovered the stranded men. In 1823, the river was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane the then governor of New South Wales and saw its first settlement in 1824 on its shores. The first private wharves were built in 1848 and then the first shark-proof river baths established in 1857 at Kangaroo Point. River dredged in 1862 for navigation requirements. Because of the early settlement of Brisbane water quality deteriorated to a level that several public baths could no longer source water from the river. Even to the 1930′s the water was remarked as clear, and swimming in the river was still very popular. But as Brisbane grew, the river clarity worsened and became likened to a sewer and waste dump. A River walk was established and restoration of the river was seen in the later end of the 20th century. Even by 2000, the Brisbane River did not meet environmental standard guidelines. In 2008 river quality still not seen healthy with murky waters and no longer recommending swimming in the waters. In addition, bull sharks have made their home in the river causing much more dangers, being home to numerous shark attacks and deaths.

Photos are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission of authors Tom Baurley or Leaf McGowan. Photos can be purchased via Technogypsie.com at Technogypsie Photography Services for nominal use fees. Restaurants, Businesses, Bands, Performances, Venues, and Reviews can request a re-review if they do not like the current review or would like to have a another review done. If you are a business, performer, musician, band, venue, or entity that would like to be reviewed, you can also request one (however, travel costs, cost of service (i.e. meal or event ticket) and lodging may be required if area is out of reviewer’s base location at time of request).

Current Mood:  cheerful

Edible Exhibit: The Taste of Things To Come
* The Naughton Institute / Science Center *
* Trinity College * Pearse Street * Dublin 2 Ireland *
* http://www.dublinscience2012.ie/2012/02/edible/ * February 10 – April 5, 2012 *

Fermentation

One of the most brilliant natural processes, fermentation is the heart of indulgence, addiction, altered states, cooking, and chemistry. The word comes from the latin “fervere” meaning “to boil” and thought to have come from the science of alchemy in the late 14th century, though not used in modern science until the 1600′s. In food production, it is the conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols, carbon dioxide, and organic acids utilizing yeasts and/or bacteria under anaerobic conditions which is simply put “converting sugar into ethanol”. The process is so brilliant, there is a science totally dedicated to it called zymurgy or zymology. Converting sugars and carbohydrates led to transforming juice into wine, grain into beer, vegetable sugars into preservative organic acids, and carbohydrates into CO2 to leaven bread. In the liquor cabinet, it is used to create cider, mead, grappa, sake, beer, and wine. In the food cabinet, it is utilized for the leavening of bread, creating vinegar, yogurt, sauerkraut, pickling, kimchi, and preservation of some meats. Some popular fermented by-products are alcohol; amazake; asinan; atchara; bai-ming; belacan; burong mangga; bread; cheese; chiraki; com ruou; cultured milk; chicha; dalok; doenjang; douchi; elderberry wine; fermented millet porridge; garri; hibiscus seed; hot pepper sauce; injera; jeruk; lambanog; kefir; kimchi; kombucha; kumis (mare milk); leppet-so; miang; miso; nata de coco; nata de pina; nato; lupin seed; oilseed; chocolate; vanilla; naw-mai-dong; narezushi; Nattō (Japanese soybean food); oncom; pak-siam-dong; paw-tsaynob; prahok; pickling; ruou nep; sake; sauerkraut; seokbakji; shubat (camel milk); soju; sourdough bread; soy sauce; stinky tofu; tabasco; pulque; szechwan cabbage; tai-tan tsoi; tape; tempeh; totkal kimchi; wine; yogurt; yen tsai; zha caivinegar; salami; prosciuto; quark; poi; sago; and many others.

It is an ancient technology, preceding human history, as it naturally occurs in nature. One of the earliest recorded uses of it by humans was found in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, where 7,000 year old jars were found containing “wine”. Archaeological finds of Beer fermented in Ancient Egypt as early as 3,150 BCE and Babylon in 3,000 BCE. The first recorded evidence of the living nature of yeast comes from three publications appearing between 1837-1838 where Cagniard de la Tour, T. Swann, and F. Kuetzing concluded it was a result of microscopic investigations that yeast was a living organism that reproduced by budding. In the 1870′s it was a common term especially in connection with baceria and largely connected with studies of diseases and germs. The world’s first zymologist, was the chemist “Louis Pasteur” who made the connection that yeast was involved in fermentation and labelled the process as “respiration without air”. He theorized that the fermentation of sugar to alcohol by yeast was catalyzed by a vita force called “ferments” that existed within the yeast cells. He originally believed them to funcion only within living organisms and hypothesized that “alcoholic fermentation” was an act correlated with the life and organization of the yeast cells, not with the death or putrefaction of the cells. The truth however, yeast extracts can ferment sugar even in the absence of living yeast cells. This was proved in 1897 by Eduard Buchner who found hat sugar was fermented even when there was no living yeast cells in the mix by a yeast secretion called “zymase”. His theory led him to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research and discovery of “cell-free fermentation” in 1907 as well as the discovery of NAD+. The benefits of this process is 5-fold, in that it (1) enriches the diet with a variety of flavors, textures, and aromas in food substrates; (2) preserves large quantities of food through alcohol, lactic acid, acetic acid, and alkaline fermentations; (3) biologically enriches food substrates with essential amino acids, protein, fatty acids, and vitamins; (4) Eliminates anti-nutrients; and (5) Decreases fuel requirements and cooking times in food preparation.

It has however been involved in cases of botulism, especially in Alaska which is caused by a process of fermentation used by the Eskimo allowing animal products such as walrus, sea lion, whale flippers, beaver tales, whole fish, fish heads, seal oil, and birds to ferment for an extended period of time before eating them. In the modern era, this is intensified by the use of plastic containers in the process instead of the tradition grass-lined holes as the botulinum bacteria thrives in the anaerobic conditions created by air-tight enclosures such as plastics.

Fermentation is also used popularly in bio-chemistry, creation of fuels, industry, bio-chemicals, and chemistry. It can be used to create more exotic compounds such as butyric acid and acetone. It naturally occurs in mammalian muscle structures during periods of intense exercise when oxygen supply is limited and thereby creates lactic acid. The Chemical Formula for Ethanol is C2H5OH (C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2). Hydrogen Gas is also produced in many forms of fermentation, especially mixed acid, butyric acid, caproate, butanol, and glyoxylate fermentations which regenerates NAD+ from NADH.

Bibliography/Recommended Reading:
• Berg, Linda R. 2007 “Introductory Botany: Plants, People, and the Environment.
• Dickinson, J.R. 1999 “Carbon metabolism”. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
• Klein, Donald W.; Lansing, M.; Harley, John. 2006 “Microbiology”. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Soyinfocenter.com. “A brief history of fermentation, East and West”. Website referenced May 2012.
• Technogypsie.com “The Spirituality of Alcohol”. Website referenced May 2012. http://www.technogypsie.com/reviews/?p=1080.
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. “Fermentation”. Website referenced May 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_(food)

Edible Exhibit: The Taste of Things To Come
* The Naughton Institute / Science Center *
* Trinity College * Pearse Street * Dublin 2 Ireland *
* http://www.dublinscience2012.ie/2012/02/edible/ * February 10 – April 5, 2012 *

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Current Mood:  impressed

Eustrephus latifolius in * Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia * – April 2011

Eustrephus latifolius:
* Wombat berry *

Common Names: Wombat berry
Taxonomy: Kingdom: Plantae; Angiosperms; Monocots; Asparagales; Asparagaceae; Lomandroideae; Geitonosplesiaceae; Eustrephus laifolius.

Location/Environment:
Native to Malaysia, Eastern Australia (especially Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria), New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the Pacific Islands. Common in sclerophyll dry or wet forests, woodlands, heaths, marginal rainforests, and gallery forests.

Description:
Coming from the Greek “Eustrephus” meaning “to twist” and describing its twining habit of the vines. Latifolius meaning having broad leaves. A monotypic genus of the Asparagaceae and Lomandroideae families it is a sole species that is an evergreen vine that vigorously twines and scrambles as ground cover. Vine gives sprout to lamina variable shaped elliiptic, lance-shaped, to linear leaves ranging from 3-10 cm in length and 3-35 mm in width. The veins of the leaves are equally distinct. The leaves in the Spring give blossom to 15 mm diameter pink, mauve, and/or white flowers with 1-2 cm diameter yellow-orange globose capsules with black seeds set in a white aril. The fruits remain on the plant for several months.

Cultivation:
Propagated best from fresh young seed.

Common Uses:

Culinary:
Fleshy roots are edible. Tubers are baked and eaten. They are notable to have an earthy sweet flavor.

Medicinal:

Folklore and Magic:

Mythology:

NOTE: This article is in constant state of research, updating, and evolution. If you have information to add, please submit to science@technogypsie.com

Bibliography/Recommended Reading:
• Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L.; Fay, M.F. 2009 Botanical Journal of Linnean Society 161: “A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, and Xanthorrhoeaceae”; pages 132-136.
• PlantNET: “Eustrephus latifolius”. Website referenced May 2012.
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. “Eustrephus latifolius”. Website referenced May 2012.

* Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia *

Photos from:

Australian National Botanical Gardens*
Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia *

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Current Mood:  chipper

Jeanie Johnston
Dublin, Ireland

One of Ireland’s most famous ships is the Jeanie Johnston which is moored off the Custom House Quay in Dublin along the River Liffey. It is a replica of the three masted barque that was originally built in 1847 by Scotsman John Munn in Quebec, Canada. The original ship was bought by the Tralee merchants John Donovan and Sons from Kerry County as a cargo vessel that traded between Tralee and North America for many years bringing emigrants from Ireland to North America and timber back to Europe. Her first maiden emigrant voyage went from Blennerville in Kerry to Quebec in 1848 with 193 emigrants on board due to the Potato Famine that ravaged Ireland. From 1848 until 1855 she made 16 voyages to Quebec, Baltimore, and New York. On average the trip was accomplished in 47 days and her largest number of passengers were 254. No crews or passengers were ever lost on board thanks to the captain James Attridge who would not overload the ship and made sure doctor Richard Blennerhassett was on board for every journey. In 1855 the ship was sold to William Johnson of North Shields in England, but during a 1858 trip to Quebec from Hull carrying timber became waterlogged and slowly sank – crew was rescued by the Dutch ship Sophie Elizabeth. This replica ship, is reduced in size by 30%, and is only licensed to carry 40 people. The replica was made from indepth research of the original, and took from 1993-2002 to build. It was constructed by a international team of young people who linked Ireland North and South, the U.S., Canada, and other countries costing approximately 16 million Euro (4 times the original estimate of 3.81 million Euro) which was paid for by the Irish government, Kerry County Council, Tralee Town Council, the European Union, the American Ireland Fund, Bord Failte, Shannon Development, Kerry Group, the Training and Employment Authority Foras Áiseanna Saothair and the Irish Department of the Marine, most of which later agreed to write off their losses. It was built with larch planks on oak frames and was altered to apply with current international maritime regulations by adding some modern concessions including two Caterpillar main engines, two Caterpillar generators, and an emergency generator that is located above the waterline in the forward deckhouse fully compliant to the highest standards of modern ocean-going passenger ships, with steel water-tight bulkheads, down-flooding valves, and fire-fighting equipment. The replica shiped sailed in 2003 from Tralee to Canada and to the U.S. She raced in the 2005 tall ships race and finished 60th out of 65 from Waterford to Cherbourg. The replica is owned by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority who bought it in 2005 for 2.7 million Euro. Today it is not in seagoing condition. Today she is primarily used as an Onboard Museum and evening venue.

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