Filed under: Gardening, Habanero | Tags: 7 pot, blogging, gardening, Habaneros, jim downey, Lauren Collins, Moruga Scorpion, New Yorker, Red Savina, Trinidad Scorpion
In recent years, “superhots”—chilis that score above 500,000 on the Scoville scale—have consumed the attention of chiliheads, who debate grow lights on Facebook (“You can overwinter with a few well-placed T-8s”), swap seeds in flat-rate boxes (Australian customs is their nemesis), and show up in droves at fiery-foods events (wares range from Kiss My Bhut hot sauce to Vanilla Heat coffee creamer). Chilis, in general, are beautiful. There is a reason no one makes Christmas lights in the shape of rutabagas. Superhots come in the brightest colors and the craziest shapes. Their names, evoking travel and conquest—Armageddon, Borg 9, Naga Morich, Brain Strain—sound as though they were made up by the evil twins of the people who brand body lotions. Trinidad 7-Pots are so called because it’s said that one of them is enough to season seven pots of stew.
* * *
Eating, more than breathing or sleeping, lends itself to competition. There are bake-offs, wing wars, contests to see who can eat the most hot dogs, bratwurst, Twinkies, tamales, cannoli, apple pies, buffalo wings, ribs, oysters, pastrami, sweet corn, deep-fried asparagus, ice cream, pancakes, pepperoni rolls, and boiled eggs. Superhots are the most accessible of thrills—fugu straight from the garden. For the culinary extremist, or exhibitionist, they provide an outlet for impulses that might have compelled his adolescent self to drink a concoction or try to swallow a teaspoonful of cinnamon. (A recent study found a positive correlation between chili-eating and “sensation-seeking” behavior.) As a leisure activity, superhots offer some of the pleasures of mild drugs and extreme sports without requiring one to break the law or work out. They are near-death experiences in a bowl of guacamole.
* * *
Barrus consumes whatever people send him, from raspberry-chipotle fudge to ranch-dressing soda. Armed with a jar of peanut butter and gallons of milk (casein, a protein in dairy products, can alleviate the effects of capsaicin), he regularly sets himself such stunts as eating twenty-one of the world’s hottest peppers: seven bhut jolokia, five Trinidad Scorpion Butch Ts, four Douglah 7-Pots, three Trinidad Moruga Scorpions, two Jonah 7-Pots. (He made it through eleven of them.)
Hmm. Sound familiar?
Superhots!
Yay, baby!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Faith healing, Wales, Writing stuff | Tags: excerpt, Holywell, jim downey, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, St. Winefride's Well, Wales, Well Hopper, writing
The writing continues to go well. Thought I’d share this bit from today:
She looked around the edge of the table, to where his shoulder bag sat on the floor. “Got your hand-held in there?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Get it out, search St. Winefride’s plus 1917.”
Darnell picked up his bag, opened the pocket where his hand-held was, took it out. He turned it on, and while it booted up looked at Megan, who was calmly finishing her dinner, watching him. He tapped an icon on the phone.
“Hi, I’m Andi, your assistant application. How can I help you?”
“Andi, find me information on St. Winefride’s Well in Holywell which is either tagged 1917 or has that date in the entry.”
“Very good. The search results are displayed on your screen. Would you like me to read relevant passages?”
“No, thanks. That will be all.”
“Very good.”
Darnell looked at Megan. “The assistant isn’t very good at finding context in articles, usually just reads the sentence with the specific information requested. Is there a specific reference you had in mind?”
“Yeah. Is there a link to a blog called ‘Well Hopper’ there?”
“Yup.”
“Try that one. Should be towards the end.”
Darnell went to the blog post, scanned down through the entry. “Yeah, here it is: All early descriptions and illustrations of the well indicate that the volume of water flowing from the well was much greater than that seen today, the spring forming a small river that ran from the well. Disaster struck the well at 8am on 5th january 1917 when nearby mining works struck and diverted the underground stream that fed the well causing the well to run dry. Eventually another source was found to feed the well; however the force of this is much less and the well now forms a modest bathing area outside the shrine rather than the rapid stream that used to flow from the building in earlier days.”
He looked up at her. “Huh. So, it’s not really the same well?”
“Does the source of the water matter more than where it emerges?” She sipped her wine, considered, then continued. “You went there, expecting one thing because of your previous experience at the place.”
“Yeah, but I did what you told me, and tried to see the place as the believers see it.”
“But Dar,” she said, “you didn’t try to believe. You just tried to see their perspective. There’s a difference.”
“Now, wait a minute …”
“Don’t get upset. I didn’t figure that this would be something you could do on your first try. You’d been there before, and were necessarily going to have some understandable barriers in place.” She smiled. “It was a good start. Leave it at that, and move on.”
Jim Downey
And yes, that is a real blog post. Remember, St. Cybi’s Well is set in 2012, in a timeline very close to our own. There will be a lot of material in the book drawn straight from our reality.
Filed under: Art, Google | Tags: art, blogging, Burr Oak, Communion of Dreams, health, jim downey, photography, WIlliamson Oak
McBAINE — Five years ago, when the father-son duo of Bill and Kyle Spradley teamed up to give the state champion bur oak at McBaine some much-needed attention, they were joined by a handful of people.
Yesterday, more than 40 people gave the majestic tree a hefty dose of TLC. The gathering included representatives of 10 organizations and businesses from across the state — most of them arborists or rural electric linemen experienced in tree-trimming and pruning.
That goes to show how much people care about this tree,” said Kyle Spradley, a senior information specialist at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Spradley also has his own photography business, and many of his photos feature the McBaine bur oak.
I’ve written about the tree previously, for the very good reason that it is the image used on the cover of Communion of Dreams (and so, at the top of this blog). And I’m glad to see this sort of effort to help care for the tree, and preserve it for future generations. Seriously, if you haven’t ever seen it in person, and you find yourself in the area, it is worth a visit.
In the meantime, you can see images of the work done this week here, and a simple image search will bring up plenty of great shots of it.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Wales, Writing stuff | Tags: Conwy, excerpt, Great Orme, jim downey, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, Wales, writing
As he came into the open from the narrow spiraling stairs, he saw a man standing on the upper viewing platform, calmly looking out over the city as he leaned on the ramparts. He was tall, even though he had a slight stoop which Darnell sensed came from extreme age. And while he wore a large, wide-brimmed hat, it was clear that he still had a full head of hair, mostly of the sort of silver color which suggested it had once been deep black. His full yet neat beard was completely white. He wore no glasses, and noticed as Darnell emerged from the darkness of the tower.
Darnell nodded to the man. “Hello.”
“Good afternoon,” said the man in reply. His voice was rich, still solid. There was a touch of an accent that seemed familiar to Darnell, though it was neither American nor Welsh. He turned his attention back to the city below them, but spoke again. “You’ve come a long way.”
And with those words, Darnell was better able to define the accent. Mediterranean. Possibly Greek. “So have you.”
“True enough.” He looked at Darnell, smiled just a bit. His eyes were dark, a little sad. He glanced east to the castle proper, then north, where the mass of the Great Orme disappeared in low-hanging clouds. Then back at Darnell, seeming to size him up. “I suspect that both of us have a ways yet to go.”
“If we’re lucky.”
“Perhaps.” He stepped past Darnell, and disappeared down the stairs without another word.
The writing is going well. Things are coming together nicely.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Gardening, Habanero | Tags: blogging, cooking, gardening, Habaneros, hot sauce, jim downey, Moruga Scorpion, Trinidad Scorpion
Remember this?
Hab harvest, 2013
Well, this morning I got started turning those into this:
Simmer, simmer
Which resulted in this, after other ingredients were added and it was allowed to simmer for a while:
Mmm.
Which was then run through a blender for a bit, then cranked through a Foley food mill to remove seeds and skins, resulting in this:
Oh. Yeah.
Which became 30 half-pint jars of just incredible sauce. So, there’s about two full habs per ounce of this stuff. I just had about 1/8th a teaspoon on a burger, and my oh my.
I think I’ll call it Scorpion Blood, since it includes (among other varietals) two different ‘Scorpion’ peppers: the Moruga Scorpion, and the Trinidad Scorpion.
Mmmm.
Jim Downey
Recipe, for those interested:
- Approximately 500 peppers, crown removed and cut in half
- Half a gallon of natural apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups white sugar
- 8 tablespoons of Kosher salt
- Quart of homemade tomato sauce
- 20 ounce of chopped garlic
- 2 yellow onions, rough chopped
Prepare all ingredients. Put peppers, onion and vinegar in 5 gallon stock pot, simmer until peppers & onion all soft. Add other ingredients, simmer about an hour, stirring often.
Scoop into blender, do a rough blend for 15 – 20 seconds. Then pour into Foley food mill, and crank until just seeds and skins are left. Transfer to jar, can.
Filed under: Architecture, Humor, Travel, YouTube | Tags: AIA, architecture, blackberry cobbler, Claysville Store, food, Hartsburg, humor, jim downey, Katy Trail, reviews, travel, video, www youtube
Among other things, my Good Lady Wife is the exec of the local chapter of the AIA. And last night they had their annual awards dinner.
Now, you might think that such an event would be formal and fancy. But that would be ‘big city’ thinking. This is where it happened:
No, I’m not kidding. Here’s another pic:
It’s the Claysville Store, just off the Katy Trail at mile 150 outside Hartsburg.
Here’s a nice little video about the place:
Here it is from the Trail:
And here are a couple of images taken from the Trail while I was wandering around:
And:
So, if you find yourself on the Trail, or in mid-Missouri sometime and are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, give them a look. Excellent, simple fare. Limited menu, and hours.
But man, the blackberry cobbler was delicious.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Gardening, Habanero, Weather | Tags: Alwyn, Death, gardening, Habaneros, jim downey, loss
My sister dropped me a note. It included this:
Also, now that it has been a bit, how are you doing without Alwyn there? I’m sure that you miss him terribly!!
* * * * * * *
Typical for this time of year, weather forecasts are now starting to include the possibility of frost. I decided that this afternoon I’d go out and harvest the rest of my Habanero crop in advance of some rain we’ll probably get tonight. This is what I brought in:
Hab harvest, 2013
Compare that to three years ago:
Notice the difference? Yeah, a *lot* more fully or partially ripe ones in this year’s crop. Even though both of those other picks were taken about two weeks later in the season. Interesting.
There’s about 700 – 800 in this year’s pic, based on the totals listed in those earlier posts. Should make for a nice big batch of insanely hot sauce.
* * * * * * *
My sister dropped me a note. It included this:
Also, now that it has been a bit, how are you doing without Alwyn there? I’m sure that you miss him terribly!!
My reply:
Yeah, definitely. Still keep expecting to see him when I turn a corner, still by reflex go to call him when I go out to take something to the compost pile, and so forth.
“And so forth.”
That would have included going out with me this afternoon to pick peppers. He just loved going outside with me, any chance he got.
But it’s been a good year for peppers.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Alzheimer's, Connections, Health, NPR, Science, Sleep | Tags: Alzheimer's, beta amyloid, dementia, health, jim downey, NPR, science, Shakespeare, sleep
Interesting. They may have found the reason that animals sleep: in order to flush the brain of toxins which build up during waking hours.
And more importantly, this may also be part of the explanation for Alzheimer’s and other age-related dementia. From the NPR article linked above:
The brain-cleaning process has been observed in rats and baboons, but not yet in humans, Nedergaard says. Even so, it could offer a new way of understanding human brain diseases including Alzheimer’s. That’s because one of the waste products removed from the brain during sleep is beta amyloid, the substance that forms sticky plaques associated with the disease.
That’s probably not a coincidence, Nedergaard says. “Isn’t it interesting that Alzheimer’s and all other diseases associated with dementia, they are linked to sleep disorders,” she says.
Researchers who study Alzheimer’s say Nedergaard’s research could help explain a number of recent findings related to sleep. One of these involves how sleep affects levels of beta amyloid, says , a professor of neurology Washington University in St. Louis who wasn’t involved in the study.
Perhaps it is time for a nap …
Jim Downey
*With apologies to Mr. Shakespeare.
Filed under: Art, Astronomy, Bad Astronomy, Cassini, NASA, Phil Plait, Saturn, Science, Science Fiction, Space | Tags: art, Bad Astronomy, Cassini, Communion of Dreams, jim downey, NASA, Phil Plait, Saturn, science, Science Fiction, space
Via Phil Plait, had to share this:
Saturn, obviously. But from a new perspective, as Plait explains:
But dominating this jaw-dropping scene are Saturn’s magnificent rings, seen here far more circular than usual. Cassini’s mission has been to observe Saturn and its moons, which means it tends to stay near the planet’s equator. But now scientists are playing with the orbit more, to do more interesting science. The spacecraft is swinging well out of the equatorial plane, so here we see the rings at a much steeper angle, and they are less affected by perspective.
And here’s the link to the full-size image, which is definitely worth a look.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Ad Astra, Apollo program, Art, Astronomy, Bad Astronomy, Heinlein, Man Conquers Space, movies, NASA, Paleo-Future, Phil Plait, Predictions, Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein, Science, Science Fiction, Slate, Space, Space X, tech, YouTube | Tags: Apollo, art, blogging, Destination Moon, Grasshopper, jim downey, Lunar Module, Moon, movies, NASA, paleo-future, Phil Plait, predictions, R is for Rocket, Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein, science, Science Fiction, space, Space Shuttle, SpaceX, STS, technology, video, www youtube
I grew up reading stuff like this:
And even had a really cool metal rocket based on the images from Destination Moon which one of my relatives made and gave me. For the longest time those sleek rockets landing and taking off again (what NASA calls ‘Direct Ascent‘) defined what space travel meant, and I loved watching early launches which hinted at Things To Come.
Then space technology advanced, and I got a little older. Rockets were no longer cool. With all the wisdom and knowledge of a 14 year old, I dismissed the idea that anyone would want to use them for anything other than lobbing other things into orbit, and even at that they would be soon surpassed by more efficient and reusable shuttles and aerospace vehicles.
I’m glad not everyone was so easily distracted:
Welcome back to the future of my youth.
Jim Downey
Communion Of Dreams 