Text 221, 87 rader
Skriven 2006-01-23 09:36:10 av Ardith Hinton (1:153/716.0)
    Kommentar till text 217 av James Bradley (1:134/77.0)
Ärende: Gardening/Nutrition
===========================
Hi, James!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

JB>  I think I mentioned escargot there, too. We only have
JB>  slugs here, so I don't think they make quite as tasty
JB>  eating. (READ: They might even be toxic.)


          I don't know whether or not slugs are edible.  People in this area
use the same poisons on both snails & slugs, though... (sigh).



JB>  But my wonder is true, in why we all aren't becoming
JB>  used to grasshopper stew. All this cafuffle over Methane
JB>  generating, ozone depleting, (whatever!) cattle industry;
JB>  maybe we should start eating reptiles. <?>


          Some folks already do!  I'm noticing changes here in the types of
fish available.  Years ago Dallas & I often ate turbot... it was very cheap,
and very good, but we couldn't get it after the major food processors
discovered it.  Now I understand it's been "fished out".  A lot of other things
I used to enjoy have also been "fished out" and replaced with what was once
regarded as junk....  :-/



JB>  Nitrogen and carbs... Never looked at it that way. The
JB>  only association I have with that, regards composting.


          I'd never looked at it that way before either... and I'd never seen
it in any gardening books.  But if you want some of that nitrogen to end up on
your dinner table in the form of protein, you need to make sure there's enough
in the soil to begin with.  Conversely, if you know which foods contain
protein, you'll know how to make good use of that raw egg you dropped on the
floor... unless the dog gets to it first!  Hence the phrase "faster than a
speeding bulldog".  :-)))



JB>  (Here I am, looking at the South end of a cow again!)


          Hmm.  I presume that's what Albertans do for fun... [D&RFC].



JB>  If it's green, it has nitrogen, brown+dry - carbon.


          The City of Vancouver uses the "green/brown" system too.  I
understand cows get collywobbles (or something) from eating fresh green grass
in the spring after eating silage all winter... maybe because the nitrogen
content is higher?? In any case, I've heard that fresh grass is higher in
nitrogen at that time than later in the season regardless of whether or not it
remains green.  I guess what matters most is that it was actively growing until
the time it was used....  :-)



JB>  Now, they tell us never to compost meats, but that's
JB>  never stopped me.


          I interpret that as another rule of thumb.  If "they" say we should
or shouldn't do something, it's enough for an SJ and it may be enough for those
who have a limited grasp of English or a limited knowledge of the subject.  But
it's not enough for you or me.  You say to heck with the rules... I ask why. 
What we both do, essentially, is test the rules.  There's the "P" (perception)
aspect of our preferred reasoning styles.  We'd like to collect more data
before making up our minds about the practical application of rules like "NO
MEAT, FAT OR BONES".

          It seems to me... on the basis of my own experience... that "they"
are trying to warn us to be cautious with items which break down slowly and/or
which might annoy the neighbours (e.g. because they smell bad or attract
animals).  If the way you're composting meat doesn't cause problems with regard
to the above & if you're not hiding evidence of any illegal activity in the
back forty, I don't see why you shouldn't do it.  Mother Nature composts meat &
whatnot too....  ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver BC, CANADA [604-266-5271] (1:153/716)