Friday, November 16, 2012

Herbs, rice, and isn't that nice?

Minor setbacks in the household: the basil grew too large for the pot, and is now dead of the frost. The cutting did grow roots, but died when transplanted into the old basil pot. That won't stop me from having basil! Ten days after plucking the dead cutting out, I have seedlings sprouting from the potting soil. It may take a while, but I'll have fresh basil soon.

The rosemary plant, on the other hand, has decided that sunlight, an occasional watering, and hydration via the dregs of cold tea mugs is the perfect recipe for doubling in size. We're going to have to start making more Greek dishes in self-defense. Perhaps I should scout for a sunny enough spot for a little meyer lemon tree...

I've heard about golden rice for years - the rice genetically modified to prevent birth defects / death from malnutrition in places where people mainly live on rice. I've heard lots of hope from folks who work with the developing world, and lots of screaming about how all genetic modifications are inherently evil from the "science is settled" crowd. I bet that it was either going to disappear into the black hole of aid projects that return little or get banned for scaring the environmentalism jihadis.

I was wrong - bags of it are now on sale in Costco, at a price point between basic white rice and organic white rice. The future is awesome. And delicious!

Tonight's project: drilling a couple holes in the kitchen trash bin, about three inches up the side, to permanently take care of the way the trash bag will poof out from the sides and need to be burped when I start putting garbage in.

Edited to add: I'm sorry, I forgot Blogger now strips out paragraph breaks. Fixed!

5 comments:

  1. I once squatted with my house boy and his friends and shared their pile of rice and fish heads spread upon a sheet of paper. I followed their lead and ate with my fingers. One of the most memorable meals of my life...anyway, I asked, being naive and young, what other forms of starch they each served during the week. They laughed, as one reached and placed a single grain of rice into my hand. "Only this, its all we need," he said. They whipped our asses on their rice diet. Lesson learned.

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  2. Sounds like a productive little garden there - and good idea on the dust bin.

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  3. Yep, LOTS of folks around the world subsist on that rice and not much else... Glad the 'gardening' is working too!

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  4. Feel free to send extra Rosemary this way.
    I use it on everything fish and fowl.

    Though I have tinkered with vegetables, I've never tried an herb garden. I think I will have a new project once we get moved to Richmond.

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  5. Stephen - it's a great diet, if you're getting enough nutrition in fish and vegetables with the rice. If you're not, it's as poor as any other starvation diet.

    MSgt B - I may be hitting you up for your favorite recipes, then. Rosemary is a weedy shrub that thrives in the cracks of the rocks by an ocean. It appears that if you give it warmth, sun, and a little water, it grows like a... weedy shrub.

    NFO - I am, too. It takes patience, which I'm not that great at, but it's sure nice to have fresh herbs.

    Rev Paul - The dust bin was one of those ideas that when I ran across it, I nearly facepalmed, and did cry "Why didn't I think of that?" Yay internet!

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