Ned likes eggs, and does not subscribe to those fear mongers who decry egg consumption due to some trumped-up hysteria about cholesterol. Eggs are a nearly perfect food, with high quality protein, and, if raised humanely, can be a great addition to anyone's diet, especially those who wish to reduce their consumption of meat.
OTOH, Ned believes in buying local eggs from places that raise happy chickens. His belief in the intrinsic value of local humanely grown eggs was further vindicated today (Aug 20) when the NYT reported that 400 MILLION eggs have been "recalled" from grocers' shelves due to the possibility of bacterial contamination. These eggs were produced by industrial-scale, non-humane egg factories in Iowa, from where the eggs are shipped all over the country. Ned asks his readers to kindly imagine the suffering and pure waste involved in packing chickens into metal cages so small the birds can't move, producing 400 million eggs and then throwing them away.
If we needed further evidence of the virtue of buying a few, locally-grown, humanely-raised eggs at a time, we have it here. And Ned advises his readers not to be overly concerned with saving a few pennies by buying industrially-produced eggs.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
NED'S FRUIT ADVENTURES
Ned has several fruit trees, but the most prolific is a golden plum tree. For the past few days Ned has been picking and eating plums, but the dern tree seems to be growing them faster than he can pick and eat them. So, in self defense, he has started peeling and freezing them. Here's how.
The plums must be peeled because the skin is very tart. They are easy to peel but are not freestone so must be cut off the pit, which is very bitter. The golden fruit is sweet as honey. Ned spent an hour this morning peeling and freezing them, and now has three bags full in the freezer. He dumps the skin and pits in the composter. They make great cobblers in the winter. Ned figures he has at least three bags left to fill and freeze and that is after eating as many as he and Mrs Ned can, and leaving some on the tree for birds, squirrels and bugs to eat.
He also has a sad little apple tree but very productive, and some creeping berry vines that produce small, raspberry-like fruit, orange in color, with smaller seeds than raspberries.
Last, but NOT least, there is one productive fig tree and the figs are golden and wonderful. Last year, Ned dried many figs.
So, Ned has much fruit to eat in the summer and fall.
The plums must be peeled because the skin is very tart. They are easy to peel but are not freestone so must be cut off the pit, which is very bitter. The golden fruit is sweet as honey. Ned spent an hour this morning peeling and freezing them, and now has three bags full in the freezer. He dumps the skin and pits in the composter. They make great cobblers in the winter. Ned figures he has at least three bags left to fill and freeze and that is after eating as many as he and Mrs Ned can, and leaving some on the tree for birds, squirrels and bugs to eat.
He also has a sad little apple tree but very productive, and some creeping berry vines that produce small, raspberry-like fruit, orange in color, with smaller seeds than raspberries.
Last, but NOT least, there is one productive fig tree and the figs are golden and wonderful. Last year, Ned dried many figs.
So, Ned has much fruit to eat in the summer and fall.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)