Will El Paso ever get pawpaws?

There are several things that make me long to live on the East Coast again. I could see the musical The Book of Mormon, for instance. And I could eat pawpaws, Americas' mango.

NPR had a story on them this morning. They are not grown commercially (why?), so people have been foraging for them. They taste like mango custard, supposedly.

Also check out the Ohio Pawpaw Festival that I would have considered going to if I lived on the East Coast. Unless I had tickets for the Book of Mormons.

(Photo is from the blog Temperate Climate Permaculture.)

If meat was grown in a lab, would vegetarians eat it?

Lab-grown meat, grown independently of an animal, might be a reality soon, with one scientist estimating that he is six months away from creating a sausage, a year from a hamburger. But would vegetarians eat it? That was the question asked by Slate magazine here.

What do you say vegetarians and vegans? Would you eat cruelty-free meat?

Behold the pisco

I drank pisco the other night at Thyme Matters. It's from Peru and it's supposed to be all the rage...

New York Times: Freezing in summer

What a great editorial in yesterday's New York Times about our recent (historically-speaking) addiction with air conditioning that way, way too cold. The article mentions that 78 degrees is a reasonable level to set thermostats at in the summer (68 in winter).

I love this quote:

“In the United States there is a strong marketing emphasis on cold,” said Professor Hedge. “When you get a soda it’s chock full of ice. We serve beer chilled. We make a virtue of freezing things.” 

Vegan in El Paso

I'm adding "One Inspired Chef" on my list of favorite blogs. It's a gorgeous blog with many vegan recipes (no animal products at all!) by Alanna, a vegan chef in El Paso. Don't you really admire people who live by their beliefs despite difficult odds?

Dumbest. Product. Ever.

It's a toilet paper cover and Cotonnelle is giving them out for free. If I've ever seen waste in my life...

One year on e.coli lake

That little bubble on the picture is a one-room island in the middle of a lake and an eco-project by the Indianapolis Art Museum. It's also home to Catherine Ball, the daughter of a friend of mine who received a fellowship to spend a year there making filters from hemp, wood chips, and mushroom mycelium, which will be placed in the lake in an attempt to lower E.coli levels in the water over time. Her blog is here.