Originally posted on Feral X:
? Climate Change. The C words. The concept of climate change is all too often relegated to a brief mention unless there is an international conference or extreme weather event and even then, it is limited to factual reporting of the event. Too often the media fails to join the dots, delve…
There is a great and sempiternal trinity in the plant kingdom of beings which develop buried under fertile soils who house within them vigorous concoctions of nutrients that have assisted species in maintaining thriving immune systems for many moons. Ginger, the second after turmeric, has been a medicinal and culinary staple in many countries around the … More Ginger
Figs are one of the oldest of all cultivated crops- predating even wheat. The remains excavated in Jordan Valley of the Middle East were discovered to be around 11000 years old. Figs are typically a semi-tropical genus of tree or large bush, where its iconic thick, lobed leaves drape pleasantly around its grand, luscious pith. … More Figs
Peering at these old homes, so lovingly crafted using bare hands may leave one to wonder how today’s societies often get themselves so deep into making structures based mainly on profit. Hundreds of years in success confront me, yet the roofs in my mother’s suburban modern neighbourhood must be replaced in less than 10 years. Thick cement and … More The Shape of Old Spaces
We’ve seen it happen to our vocabulary frequently- coveted words are somehow transformed into a mechanized commodity, skewing meaningfulness and significance. Be it “natural”, redundantly used to trick the public into considering a product in its purest form when is often not the case, or “super”, as in superfruits, superbugs, superpacks (UGH), or even “authentic, original, or green” . Somewhere down … More Health Attacks
Most people are accustomed to the frequent purchasing of turmeric spice from the local grocer; the vibrant yellowy powder that dyes their cuisines readily. Curcuma domestica, only known as a cultivated genus is part of the ginger family, and thus is a finger-like tuber. I know I pour over nutritional values of every plant I’ve included, … More Turmeric
Allspice is an interesting name, as is suggests that it’s not a single dried berry that comes from the Pimento tree. However the name is derived from the fact that this perennial shrub, also referred to as the Jamaican Pepper, combines many tastes from common spices such as clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s an evergreen, … More Allspice
Worth more than its weight in gold, Saffron comes from a brilliant purple crocus originating from Greece. Frescoes depicting the flower dating to 7th century BC display its highly-esteemed legacy, but its utilization and trading has occurred for over 4000 years. The reason that saffron, the most expensive spice in the world by a field … More Saffron
If you, like I was, are absent to the appearance of a chia plant, they are tall, brilliant purple-flowering organisms belonging to the mint family. “Chia” is a Mayan word translating to “something that makes you strong”. Chia is best known nutritionally for its high content of Omega-3 fatty acids, which assist in digestion and … More Chia
Artichokes are not vegetables, but rather a kind of edible thistle. The bud part- also referred to as a “choke”- is picked when immature to be stripped of leaves and scales and consumed. After maturation, the bud develops into large purple florets that are too tough to be eaten. Plants grow between 1.4-2 meters tall adorned with … More Artichoke
Minding the Matter 