- NYT reports on the US Justice Dept’s probe of seed prices. CAS-IP submitted evidence.
- University of Guam funded to study noni (Morinda citrifolia)
- Mostly-foliage-fed vs mostly-seed-fed: the debate continues.
- Edible Blue Honeysuckle berry news. Who knew? (Link removed as spam.)
- The Scientist Gardener tackles grapes. Cheers.
Food nostalgia: it is what it was
Just because nostalgia for the foods of the past isn’t a new development, doesn’t mean there aren’t real problems with the food we eat today.
Unpack that, if you can. Better yet, read the whole thing. h/t James.
Nibbles: Corn, Saffron, Pacific, Carrots, Food, Quarantine, Medicinal plants
- “Can corn be taught to fix its own nitrogen?” Probably not.
- Many saffron clones identical shock.
- New Agriculturist on agrobiodiversity conservation and use in the Pacific in general and Pohnpei in particular. Go Local!
- An idiosyncratic take on carrot diversity and history.
- The Indigenous Food Systems Network has a new website. h/t PAR
- Landscape of Quarantine, an exhibition that addresses, among other things, the spread of pests and diseases.
- Semillas Sagradas — Sacred Seeds.
Nibbles: Rabbit, Evolution, Water purification, Micronutrients, Report, Diversification, Pest epidemic, Drylands
Junk food of the Gods
Ah, the intersection of medicine, nutrition, archaeology and other stuff. Recently published studies from a team at Manchester University have revealed that priests in ancient Egypt suffered heart disease as a result of scoffing the sacred food offered to the gods. But it’ll take more than a pinch of salt to persuade me. OK, so Egyptian toffs ate loads of fatty goose. Clearly they didn’t drink enough wine. Either that, or perhaps they weren’t susceptible to the Gascon Paradox. Probably they just didn’t get enough exercise.