Thread killer

[MrYuk]

Wow!! I've been away for about a year and can't beleive this thread is still alive. Good to see that we all have nothing better to do.

As for getting rid of states, is that the original 50 or Obama's 57 States?

[rhvfd1214]

No, dump ALL of California, Oregon, and Massachussetts. Get rid of the Greenies.......... The people who brought California Emmissions to the Automotive World need to be removed...........

Harve, are you having troubles getting that tractor to hook up and pull on ethanol??? Just add about 10-15% to the jet size and run the compression up to about 15:1..

[MalahatTwo7]

Chuck out the chicken, braise a squashed squirrel

Pam Freir, Special to Times Colonist Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I was walking in the woods with a friend who has a keener eye and a surer grasp of nature's bounty than I do. So when she stopped, pointed to the carpet of green by the trail and yelped, "Yerba buena!" I dived right in.

It is thrilling to stumble upon a feast-for-the-picking in the wild. Yerba buena -- "good herb" -- makes a beautiful, restorative tea. And there it was! Mine for the taking. It reminded me of the wealth of food that is everywhere around us and which goes unnoticed by traditional off-the-shelf shoppers like me.

So I gathered up a handful of herbs, made myself a pot of wild tea, and got to thinking.

In a world whose once- munificent larder is rapidly depleting, I can't help but wonder how many other treasures of the wild, like the yerba buena flourishing unnoticed at my feet, lie "hidden in plain sight," waiting for our recognition.

In his book, Unmentionable Cuisine, Calvin W. Schwabe addresses this theory head on.

"Because of prejudice or ignorance, we ... reject many readily available foods that are cheap, nutritious and good to eat." He maintains that opening our minds and re-educating our palates could prove to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience as well as a necessary one. He goes on to present a practical guide to broiled beetle grubs, stir-fried dog, red ant chutney and other culinary adventures. Schwabe is not a sensationalist. He treads cautiously around our sensibilities and presents a pragmatic case for redefining boundaries and avoiding waste in times of scarcity.

He maintains that we should eat more pests. Rodents, for example. Squirrels in particular. This, in England at least, is not an unprecedented proposal. It was the subject of an article in the February 1973 issue of the Cambridge News. It pointed out that many people are "seriously considering the grey squirrel as an alternative to the Sunday roast beef." J.H. Walker from the Kent branch of the Country Landowner's Association is quoted as saying: "I would much prefer grey squirrel to chicken. If you look at the business with a completely detached air and get over any unfounded objections, you will find grey squirrel is much nicer."

A local chef recommends braising it in wine with onions and turnip and serving it with a nut sauce. "Squirrels are so fond of nuts," he adds, presumably with a straight face.

Thirty-five years later, according to a recent article in the Guardian, squirrel is "flying off the shelves" in England. Its taste has been described as "a bit like lamb," and resembling "gamey chicken." Perhaps its burgeoning appeal can also be explained by the fact that it is an organic, local, sustainable source of food, attributes to which we fervently pledge allegiance but frequently fail to embrace.

In England, the wild food movement has been ushered into the spotlight by BBC TV's Roadkill Chef. Fergus Drennan, professional forager and an evangelist for the nutritional value of wild food, recently won an Ethical Cuisine award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "If you must consume meat," went the citation, "the only ethical way to do it is to scrape it off the road."

Drennan is an expert in what nature provides. He knows what grows where, how to find it, and how to cook it. He is living proof that nature, if left to do what she does best, can provide us with all the sustenance we need if we're willing to look, learn, discard all our deeply ingrained prejudices and discover the joys of gathering without a shopping cart.

These noble thoughts accompanied my cup of yerba buena tea. They were, I confess, short-lived. I had dinner to think about. Chicken from Thrifty Foods. Asparagus from Washington. And not a squirrel or dandelion green in sight.

I am such a philistine.

pam@gulfislandswireless.com

© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008

[volfirie]

"stir fried dog". An animal that eats its own (or any other animals) excreta. No, I think I'll pass on that one thanks anyway...

Now I'll happily eat braised bunny - but only if I'm the one that has picked up the bunny! I'll watch it moving first thanks, we've used some nasty poisons here through the years trying to get rid of that pest! Now as for some venison - mmmm, yes please. And they're also introduced species so strictly speaking could be called vermin! Kangaroo is gaining in popularity as well.

PS. I've tried 'wichety grubs' (big white things that live under the bark of certain trees out in the bush). Once. Never again. An insectivore I'm not.

[hwoods]

Harve, are you having troubles getting that tractor to hook up and pull on ethanol??? Just add about 10-15% to the jet size and run the compression up to about 15:1..

322 Feet...... Full Pull, off the end of the Track. 40 feet off the line, front end was reaching for some blue sky, stayed up there until the red flag....... So No, everything is REAL Good right now. She runs on an Alcohol Blend from Torco, and Sticker Shock at the pump gets worse on Alcohol. $ 11.75/Gal for this stuff. And we use about 57 Gallons per Mile.......

[rhvfd1214]

322 Feet...... Full Pull, off the end of the Track. 40 feet off the line, front end was reaching for some blue sky, stayed up there until the red flag....... So No, everything is REAL Good right now. She runs on an Alcohol Blend from Torco, and Sticker Shock at the pump gets worse on Alcohol. $ 11.75/Gal for this stuff. And we use about 57 Gallons per Mile.......

You should seriously consider E85 ethanol with it being 85% alcohol.

...Seriously.. If it's available around your area.

That is the only benefit I've really seen in E85, it provides a cheaper race fuel.

I would like to know how the diesel crowd is doing. Nothing like the huffing and puffing, whine and shine, of a big turbo diesel.

[jerrygarcia]

Went fishing today. Caught 30 crappie! Yipeeeeee!!!! They haven't spawned yet! Yippeeeee!

[jerrygarcia]

And now for something completely different..................... ........

[RspctFrmCalgary]

Well well well, look what the cat dragged in ... No, not a dead fish


Hi Jerry!

[rhvfd1214]

Went fishing today. Caught 30 crappie! Yipeeeeee!!!! They haven't spawned yet! Yippeeeee!

All hail Jerry, the Crappie King.....

(bows down to computer keyboard..)

[firecat1]

Well well well, look what the cat dragged in ... No, not a dead fish


Hi Jerry!

I didn't drag him in, HONEST! (hi Jerry, have fun fishing!)

[rhvfd1214]

I hope Jerry wasn't just teasing us.. Hopefully he will post again soon. Some of us need his divine wisdom and guidance on how to properly kill.....

Threads... kill threads...

[FlyingKiwi]

One would assume you are familiar with the following singular fact.

"Jerry is a failure at killing threads."

[superchef]

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend all.

[rhvfd1214]

One would assume you are familiar with the following singular fact.

"Jerry is a failure at killing threads."

That is true, but people need to set goals in life...


I'm thinking it's a conspiracy. Jerry started a thread that nobody will let die, thereby immortalizing himself and his creation.. One has to wonder, Did he really want to kill in the first place???

[superchef]

The crook of your elbow is not just a plain patch of skin. It is a piece of highly coveted real estate, a special ecosystem, a bountiful home to no fewer than six tribes of bacteria. Even after you have washed the skin clean, there are still one million bacteria in every square centimeter.


Bacteria Thrive in Inner Elbow; No Harm Done
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: May 23, 2008
New York Times

[rhvfd1214]

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend all.

Have a safe Memorial Day, Yourself!


P.S. Don't lick your inner elbow...

[hwoods]

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend all.

And the same to you, my dear.


AND, an easy and fun weekend for those who are on duty.

[MalahatTwo7]

Ya, working Viva Vienna this weekend, Sunday and all day Monday, EMT standby on both days.

[rhvfd1214]

Ya, working Viva Vienna this weekend, Sunday and all day Monday, EMT standby on both days.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT LET THEM HAVE A FIREWORKS DISPLAY!!! If they still do, run, run like the wind, and come back after the carnage to care for the wounded....