12wonderY
It sure has been quiet around these parts for a while.
I just wanted to share my experience with some chicken eggs.
I've been trying to up-shop for quality eggs. My neighbor in KY has sold me eggs, a co-worker at the office has brought in eggs for us, I've bought "free-range" eggs at various market booths and grocery stores.
I felt virtuous, but otherwise there was no difference.
Last week, another co-worker stopped by with a carton of eggs for me. She said her early-teen granddaughter had rescued a flock of 30 or so from a neighbor who was disposing of them because they had stopped laying. She has been nurturing them through the winter and they've begun laying again like gangbusters. Her grand wanted me to share in the abundance. (We had gotten acquainted last summer when I helped harvest their potatoes.)
Penny told me to be careful, as they weren't candled, just floated in water to remove any old eggs.
When I picked up the carton to take it out to the car, I was amazed at its weight. They are jumbo sized, but seemed much denser than any eggs I've ever handled.
When I made scrambled eggs this weekend, the freshness and quality were abundantly apparent. Those yolks were so perky and intimately attached to the whites. The color was orange, not yellow. Beating them with my fork was like carving through dough. Those yolks did not want to break and blend. I added veggies in the pan, and I have to say that was the best egg dish I've ever tasted.
It's like a different food.
Reminds me of my first taste of farm fresh whole milk as a child. (At the dairy farm of a great-uncle.)
I just wanted to share my experience with some chicken eggs.
I've been trying to up-shop for quality eggs. My neighbor in KY has sold me eggs, a co-worker at the office has brought in eggs for us, I've bought "free-range" eggs at various market booths and grocery stores.
I felt virtuous, but otherwise there was no difference.
Last week, another co-worker stopped by with a carton of eggs for me. She said her early-teen granddaughter had rescued a flock of 30 or so from a neighbor who was disposing of them because they had stopped laying. She has been nurturing them through the winter and they've begun laying again like gangbusters. Her grand wanted me to share in the abundance. (We had gotten acquainted last summer when I helped harvest their potatoes.)
Penny told me to be careful, as they weren't candled, just floated in water to remove any old eggs.
When I picked up the carton to take it out to the car, I was amazed at its weight. They are jumbo sized, but seemed much denser than any eggs I've ever handled.
When I made scrambled eggs this weekend, the freshness and quality were abundantly apparent. Those yolks were so perky and intimately attached to the whites. The color was orange, not yellow. Beating them with my fork was like carving through dough. Those yolks did not want to break and blend. I added veggies in the pan, and I have to say that was the best egg dish I've ever tasted.
It's like a different food.
Reminds me of my first taste of farm fresh whole milk as a child. (At the dairy farm of a great-uncle.)
2Lyndatrue
It's the difference between chickens that have a "normal" life, and so-called free-range chickens. I miss the eggs from my youth, when we had Araucana chickens (among others), and when the chickens had a job, just like everything else. They were kept away from some of the tomatoes, but otherwise, ran free in the gardens. They all went after the standard garden pests, which was excellent (because it meant that humans could be doing other work). They certainly got standard chicken feed, but the range of food they ate was what you'd expect, when you let them choose their diet.
Eggs from the grocery store were hard to adjust to. It's been more than fifty years since I pulled an egg from under a chicken, and I still miss them.
I was close to writing a short novel, but I'm going to quit now. Thanks for waking up the memory cells. :-}
Eggs from the grocery store were hard to adjust to. It's been more than fifty years since I pulled an egg from under a chicken, and I still miss them.
I was close to writing a short novel, but I'm going to quit now. Thanks for waking up the memory cells. :-}
3tardis
I've only had super-fresh eggs a few times, but they are amazing. Good on your friend's daughter for saving that flock.
Where I generally notice freshness most is fruit and veg. Fresh picked is light years better than anything I can buy. Although I have to say, even the carrots from last year's garden that have been stored in my cold room are still better than grocery store carrots.
Where I generally notice freshness most is fruit and veg. Fresh picked is light years better than anything I can buy. Although I have to say, even the carrots from last year's garden that have been stored in my cold room are still better than grocery store carrots.
42wonderY
I really had no idea what I've been missing all these years; though it's obvious after the fact.
I helped slaughter a young steer once where the liver went directly into the frying pan. OH! That's what it's supposed to taste like!
I helped slaughter a young steer once where the liver went directly into the frying pan. OH! That's what it's supposed to taste like!
5elenchus
Love this thread. I've had only the average exposure to farm produce and food, given my raising in suburbia and now living in a metropolitan area. I sometimes suspect a romanticised memory when I come across reports of how different (better) are goods when fresh-picked or -harvested compared to factory farm goods. Posts like these persuade me there really can be a difference.
>4 2wonderY: I helped slaughter a young steer once where the liver went directly into the frying pan. OH! That's what it's supposed to taste like!
A friend raised on a farm recently confided in me that chicken shouldn't be eaten the same day the bird is slaughtered. She described the taste as "off". I inwardly wondered if that wasn't simply the difference in fresh versus factory farm chicken, but didn't say anything. Anyone here heard of this "rule" about waiting a day? And if so, what supposedly explains it?
>4 2wonderY: I helped slaughter a young steer once where the liver went directly into the frying pan. OH! That's what it's supposed to taste like!
A friend raised on a farm recently confided in me that chicken shouldn't be eaten the same day the bird is slaughtered. She described the taste as "off". I inwardly wondered if that wasn't simply the difference in fresh versus factory farm chicken, but didn't say anything. Anyone here heard of this "rule" about waiting a day? And if so, what supposedly explains it?
6Lyndatrue
>5 elenchus: News to me (the idea that you ought to wait a day). Sounds like you should probably ignore anything from your friend, unless you can check on it elsewhere. Laying hens usually ended up in the stew pot, but all those wanna be roosters were delicious, and I don't remember any of them waiting until later... Well, except for those headed to the freezer, of course.
Most people have such odd ideas of where food comes from, and if they saw the factory farms that produce a lot of it, they'd be staggered.
Beef's a different matter than most other meats. It really needs aging (not the organ meats, but the rest of it). I don't eat it, in any case (my digestive system doesn't handle it well, any more).
Most people have such odd ideas of where food comes from, and if they saw the factory farms that produce a lot of it, they'd be staggered.
Beef's a different matter than most other meats. It really needs aging (not the organ meats, but the rest of it). I don't eat it, in any case (my digestive system doesn't handle it well, any more).
72wonderY
>5 elenchus: Factory chicken has very little taste, in my opinion. And it seems soggy as well. If you season and cook it well, it's fine. But I also recall an old rooster, abandoned by it's owner, that found it's way under the wheel of my vehicle. Mighty fine tasting. The meat was chocolate colored from his foraged diet.
8Darth-Heather
>1 2wonderY: does the breed of chicken make a difference in the consistency and flavor of the eggs? I don't know much about chickens and always wondered about that. I ate a duck egg once, and it was very different from chicken egg.
>5 elenchus: I have had wild game meats that tasted... strongly... when eaten right away. Deer are hung for at least one day before butchering, to allow fluids to drain. Turkeys are not hung, and can be cut up right away, but the meat does lose a lot of fluid in the first day. maybe it is those lymph fluids and blood that gives what your friend tastes as "off"?
>5 elenchus: I have had wild game meats that tasted... strongly... when eaten right away. Deer are hung for at least one day before butchering, to allow fluids to drain. Turkeys are not hung, and can be cut up right away, but the meat does lose a lot of fluid in the first day. maybe it is those lymph fluids and blood that gives what your friend tastes as "off"?
9lesmel
>5 elenchus: & >6 Lyndatrue: Supposedly, if you can't eat freshly butchered chicken within an hour...you should wait at least a day so the body passes through rigor mortis & the meat does not end up tough.
11Lyndatrue
>9 lesmel: News to me. It's a bird, not a mammal. Not even a particularly large bird. It's been a long, long time since I had anything to do with freshly killed anything, mostly because I've lived a different life, not from any philosophical change in outlook. Still, I remember the roosters being culled from the flock (because you need, at most, one or two), and I know that a couple of them ended up as dinner, with the rest going in the freezer. It was a few hours from kill to dinner (they were in the fridge in the mean time), but they were very tasty.
All this talk made me pick up Cornish game hens from the grocery store. If it weren't headed into spring, I'd have probably got a nice duck to roast as well.
Truthfully, I recall ALWAYS having the bird go in the fridge for a while, and being killed early enough that it could go there.
Here's an interesting piece (don't read it if you're squeamish, but then, anyone that 's read this through so far should know what to expect).
https://www.cornerstone-farm.com/processing-info/
The one interesting item in that was the suggestion that the bird *needed* to go through rigor mortis, or else it would be tough.
All this talk made me pick up Cornish game hens from the grocery store. If it weren't headed into spring, I'd have probably got a nice duck to roast as well.
Truthfully, I recall ALWAYS having the bird go in the fridge for a while, and being killed early enough that it could go there.
Here's an interesting piece (don't read it if you're squeamish, but then, anyone that 's read this through so far should know what to expect).
https://www.cornerstone-farm.com/processing-info/
The one interesting item in that was the suggestion that the bird *needed* to go through rigor mortis, or else it would be tough.
12MarthaJeanne
I am reminded of a quote fron The Grand Sophy:
"Certainly that is so," agreed the Marquesa. "There is a way of preparing fresh-killed chickens, so Vincent shall at once kill me two chickens, for chickens this woman tells me there are in abundance, and I shall contrive."
Unfortunately, Heyer does not go on to tell us how the Marquesa cooks the chickens.
"Certainly that is so," agreed the Marquesa. "There is a way of preparing fresh-killed chickens, so Vincent shall at once kill me two chickens, for chickens this woman tells me there are in abundance, and I shall contrive."
Unfortunately, Heyer does not go on to tell us how the Marquesa cooks the chickens.
132wonderY
>8 Darth-Heather: I've not had any experience with duck eggs, but I was curious and found this comparison page:
https://thefreerangelife.com/duck-eggs-vs-chicken-eggs-whats-the-difference/
I didn't know about the rigor mortis question either, though it makes sense. My experiences have been one-offs, though my intention is to raise some meat animals in the future.
https://thefreerangelife.com/duck-eggs-vs-chicken-eggs-whats-the-difference/
I didn't know about the rigor mortis question either, though it makes sense. My experiences have been one-offs, though my intention is to raise some meat animals in the future.
142wonderY
I hung out with old friends this weekend. They have a sweet and quirky old home on the banks of the Ohio. (It's a steep bank, and they've only been flooded twice in 47 years.) But I am reminded of Ratty's home.
They have a small flock of chickens that they baby. They love 'em too much to eat them. But I was able to answer Jim's question about hard boiling. Somewhere last week, and tied to this discussion, I learned that too fresh eggs are poor candidates for hard boiling, as removing the shell is difficult. That corresponds to the cohesiveness of a fresh egg. They need to age just a bit, acquiring a bit of air inside, losing some mass and aging that skin that separates the white from the shell itself. I told him about the float test.
They have a small flock of chickens that they baby. They love 'em too much to eat them. But I was able to answer Jim's question about hard boiling. Somewhere last week, and tied to this discussion, I learned that too fresh eggs are poor candidates for hard boiling, as removing the shell is difficult. That corresponds to the cohesiveness of a fresh egg. They need to age just a bit, acquiring a bit of air inside, losing some mass and aging that skin that separates the white from the shell itself. I told him about the float test.
15Lyndatrue
This conversation has made me wistful for older times. I used to be able to tell when the (wood burning stove style) oven had reached slow, or medium, or hot, depending on how a drip of cold water skipped across the surface. (Where slow = 325, medium = 350, hot = 400 or so.) I remember why "muffins" used to be called "gems" and even used to have an ancient Gem tin for cooking them in. Who knew those would become rare, and valuable?
16MarthaJeanne
We made an excursion yesterday that got off to a bad start. There had been snow forecasted, but just a few flakes in the air as we left. Of course an hour later and further north and higher up there was more. Not quite enough to make driving really hard, but not nice to push a walker through, especially in a medieval castle where the going is rough anyway. The stands I had really wanted to see at the Easter market weren't there this year. The heating wasn't working (even as well as usual). Bleh! My husband stopped at the hat stand, and was finally able to get an acceptable deal on a Stetson. I picked up a rolling pin that makes butterfly patterns. Too expensive and do I really need to roll butterfly patterns onto cookie dough? But at least I found something to buy after dragging us up there.
While we're in the area, let's take the smaller roads back. Less traffic in the snow. We even got behind the truck salting the road for a while, and the snow, while still falling, doesn't seem to be accumulating. Could the ostrich farm be back in production after the winter break? They were open, so we went in. First fun thing noticed: At the Easter market we could have bought egg liqueur made with quail eggs. Here they had egg liqueur from ostrich eggs. I'm not a big fan of the stuff, so I can't report on what difference the size of the eggs makes. Anyway, the big question was: do they have ostrich steaks? Yes! But she wanted to know when we'd be eating them. If they haven't aged a few days they will be too tough. She chose the steaks to sell us based on a probable cooking date of tomorrow night.
We then decided to continue on to a grilled chicken place we like. (Chicken cooked on long metal rods turned in a giant fireplace in front of a wood fire.) We were greeted very enthusiastically as most reservations for the weekend had been cancelled due to the weather. The chicken liver pate and the poppy seed cake were as good as ever, and the pieces seemed more generously cut than usual. The snow continued to fall, but not to stick much. We got home fine, and in the end the day was a success.
(Most of this was off topic maybe, but I guess idle chitchat applies.)
While we're in the area, let's take the smaller roads back. Less traffic in the snow. We even got behind the truck salting the road for a while, and the snow, while still falling, doesn't seem to be accumulating. Could the ostrich farm be back in production after the winter break? They were open, so we went in. First fun thing noticed: At the Easter market we could have bought egg liqueur made with quail eggs. Here they had egg liqueur from ostrich eggs. I'm not a big fan of the stuff, so I can't report on what difference the size of the eggs makes. Anyway, the big question was: do they have ostrich steaks? Yes! But she wanted to know when we'd be eating them. If they haven't aged a few days they will be too tough. She chose the steaks to sell us based on a probable cooking date of tomorrow night.
We then decided to continue on to a grilled chicken place we like. (Chicken cooked on long metal rods turned in a giant fireplace in front of a wood fire.) We were greeted very enthusiastically as most reservations for the weekend had been cancelled due to the weather. The chicken liver pate and the poppy seed cake were as good as ever, and the pieces seemed more generously cut than usual. The snow continued to fall, but not to stick much. We got home fine, and in the end the day was a success.
(Most of this was off topic maybe, but I guess idle chitchat applies.)
17elenchus
Not officially a Spring Snow, but close enough. Sounds like a fun excursion after it threatened to be disappointing.
Couldn't help but notice that comment about the fowl being too tough if not aged ... interesting!
Couldn't help but notice that comment about the fowl being too tough if not aged ... interesting!
18MarthaJeanne
That was why I posted here. Tonight they are saying that March is colder than January this year, and that such cold snaps (down to -6°C) come about every 10 years.
Oh, yes. I also had a nice conversation with a woman who was demonstrating bobbin lace. I do not need another textile hobby. I do not need another textile hobby. I do not... Do I? No! I need to play with my loom more.
Oh, yes. I also had a nice conversation with a woman who was demonstrating bobbin lace. I do not need another textile hobby. I do not need another textile hobby. I do not... Do I? No! I need to play with my loom more.
192wonderY
>18 MarthaJeanne: But bobbin lacemaking is so fascinating!
20MarthaJeanne
Which is why I recently bought The Unknown Wiener Werkstätte : Embroidery and Lace 1906 - 1930.
Wonderful Art Nouveau bobbin lace, often including the patterns. But I don't have to do it myself. BTW this is a bilingual book with the text in both English and German. And noone else on LT owns it (yet).
Wonderful Art Nouveau bobbin lace, often including the patterns. But I don't have to do it myself. BTW this is a bilingual book with the text in both English and German. And noone else on LT owns it (yet).
212wonderY
>20 MarthaJeanne: Oh - Nice!
22MarthaJeanne
The rolling pin works. Just my oven doesn't, So I'm baking them on the hot air setting of the microwave. Slow work 12-14 on a tray, one tray at a time instead of 30 on a tray and two at a time. OK, I couldn't have rolled them all out that fast, but still.
23NorthernStar
>22 MarthaJeanne: - very pretty!
24fuzzi
Reading this thread reminded me of one of the reasons I enjoy LT: so much so-called "idle chit chat" with people who read...a lot...and therefore have fascinating bits of trivia and knowledge to share.
>1 2wonderY: we had banty chickens for a few years when the children were young, and while they did not have access to the gardens, they were fed on salad scraps leftovers from my restaurant work, and whatever insects they could find in their fenced yard (and that the kids would catch for them). The yolks were dark orange, and very thick. I've thought about getting a few hens once I retire.
We never ate our chickens, they were our friends, and had unique personalities.
On the question of meat, I have read many references to deer being "cleaned" quckly, but the carcase being hung for a day or two.
>1 2wonderY: we had banty chickens for a few years when the children were young, and while they did not have access to the gardens, they were fed on salad scraps leftovers from my restaurant work, and whatever insects they could find in their fenced yard (and that the kids would catch for them). The yolks were dark orange, and very thick. I've thought about getting a few hens once I retire.
We never ate our chickens, they were our friends, and had unique personalities.
On the question of meat, I have read many references to deer being "cleaned" quckly, but the carcase being hung for a day or two.
252wonderY
Hey again!
Timber Press sent an email out advertising one of their books, Shinrin Yoku, the Art of Japanese Forest Bathing.
And they offer a supply kit.
Forest Bathing? Do I have to get naked?
Turns out this is merely spending time in a forest environment.
From Forbes Magazine
'Forest Bathing' Really May Be Good For Health, Study Finds
Duh! "Spending more time in green spaces was linked to reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, lower heart rate, reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduced risk of type II diabetes, reduced all-cause mortality and death from heart disease. ..Among all the participants, on average, there was an increased likelihood of self-reporting one’s health as “good.”
Timber Press sent an email out advertising one of their books, Shinrin Yoku, the Art of Japanese Forest Bathing.
And they offer a supply kit.
Forest Bathing? Do I have to get naked?
Turns out this is merely spending time in a forest environment.
From Forbes Magazine
'Forest Bathing' Really May Be Good For Health, Study Finds
Duh! "Spending more time in green spaces was linked to reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, lower heart rate, reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduced risk of type II diabetes, reduced all-cause mortality and death from heart disease. ..Among all the participants, on average, there was an increased likelihood of self-reporting one’s health as “good.”
26MarthaJeanne
Obviously it is much more effective if you spend lots of money on the right supplies, right? I mean just walking in the woods looking at the butterflies and dragonflies and fish like we did yesterday can't be nearly as effective since we didn't call it forest bathing and didn't have a supply kit.
272wonderY
Whoa! It's a boom field apparently -
https://www.amazon.com/Among-Trees-Guided-Journal-Bathing/dp/1604698896
"In addition to blank pages for capturing the date, season, weather, and location of specific outings prompts will help you to notice the splendors and details of the natural world around you, as well as encourage you to record your most meaningful and surprising observations in one place. Describe the texture or shade of leaves, explain the sounds of footsteps on the trail, draw the animal life seen and heard, and much more. Inspirational quotes and sidebars"
Hmmm... I could rent out perching rocks on my place by the hour, dontcha think?
I do have to admit that the photography in Shinrin Yoku is pretty phenomenal
https://www.timberpress.com/blog/2018/06/what-is-shinrin-yoku/
https://www.amazon.com/Among-Trees-Guided-Journal-Bathing/dp/1604698896
"In addition to blank pages for capturing the date, season, weather, and location of specific outings prompts will help you to notice the splendors and details of the natural world around you, as well as encourage you to record your most meaningful and surprising observations in one place. Describe the texture or shade of leaves, explain the sounds of footsteps on the trail, draw the animal life seen and heard, and much more. Inspirational quotes and sidebars"
Hmmm... I could rent out perching rocks on my place by the hour, dontcha think?
I do have to admit that the photography in Shinrin Yoku is pretty phenomenal
https://www.timberpress.com/blog/2018/06/what-is-shinrin-yoku/
28MarthaJeanne
http://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/find-a-guide.html
You really need a certified guide to do it right apparently. Do it in a group and describe what you felt. You know, this reminds me of Chorus Line somehow.
You really need a certified guide to do it right apparently. Do it in a group and describe what you felt. You know, this reminds me of Chorus Line somehow.
29Lyndatrue
I can supply any number of supply kits for this effort, and I'll be happy to do it at cost, as well. Okay, not exactly at cost, but they'll be very inexpensive, I swear. I can even construct supply kits for different kinds of wild areas (bear repellent might be a good idea in some, and a snake bite kit is always handy, too).
30fuzzi
Wow. I used to do "forest bathing" when I was a teenager, but without the kit. I took my dog with me and we went for long walks in the woods. I went "beach bathing" too during the off season, when the tourists were gone. I remember being about 11 or 12, and very unhappy...so I'd ride my bicycle to the beach (10 minutes away) and just sit on the sand watching the waves. It made me feel better.
31MarthaJeanne
My husband says that he was careful not to brush up against any more plants than necessary - it's a very bad tick year.
322wonderY
Hello this morning. I’m procrastinating. Just wanted to report that I’ve found that real milk taste again!
I replaced my almost 30 year old refrigerator, and bought a few upscale groceries to celebrate. Homestead Creamery from Burnt Hill, Virginia, is pasteurized but not homogenized and comes in returnable glass bottles. Shake before pouring. Yum! I don’t plan to go back to the other. This is very satisfying.
I replaced my almost 30 year old refrigerator, and bought a few upscale groceries to celebrate. Homestead Creamery from Burnt Hill, Virginia, is pasteurized but not homogenized and comes in returnable glass bottles. Shake before pouring. Yum! I don’t plan to go back to the other. This is very satisfying.
33MarthaJeanne
I'm facing the annual 'my garden is stopping production, but soo are my good suupliers of vegetables' blues. It's getting to the point where I have to buy some veggies at the supermarket. Eeew! However we have found a good source of potatoes closer than we had before, so we should at least have potatoes with flavour this winter.
342wonderY
found on a dishtowel, of all places ~
“I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.” - D. H. Lawrence
“I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.” - D. H. Lawrence
362wonderY
New York Times literary gift idea. I sent a picture of it to daughters but made sure to say don’t buy it for me. I liked the quote, but I’ve got enough dish towels!
38fuzzi
>37 2wonderY: I love it! As a child I used to watch all the nature shows, and recall seeing salmon making incredible treks, but never like that!
392wonderY
We had a delayed Thanksgiving gathering at daughter's house this weekend. The fevers and stuffy noses seem gone enough so that other daughter was willing to bring grandbaby. Everyone wanted to hold and fuss over Theia, but they had to get in line behind me. Ha! Happily, baby was mostly cooperative and smiled on everyone. She seemed to remember me slightly. We held gazes frequently. And I brought her her own cup to play with. Sitting at table, she so desperately wanted to reach all the crockery. This one is just her size in enameled metal. Perfect! She learned that dropping it made her older cousins go fetch it for her.
Sent tubs of ornaments home with other daughter. Her husband surprised her with a cut tree - full size, which they've never done before. I'm sure it has everything to do with making Christmas memories with baby. They are so cute!
Spent a part of Sunday digging daughter's front patch with the older grands and planting 90 daffodil bulbs. Rural King had a very good deal on them.
Sent tubs of ornaments home with other daughter. Her husband surprised her with a cut tree - full size, which they've never done before. I'm sure it has everything to do with making Christmas memories with baby. They are so cute!
Spent a part of Sunday digging daughter's front patch with the older grands and planting 90 daffodil bulbs. Rural King had a very good deal on them.
40fuzzi
>39 2wonderY: making nice memories...
412wonderY
Reminiscent of 'Forest Bathing,' the NYTs posted an article written by Oliver Sacks which will not surprise any of us.
The Healing Power of Gardens
But it does point out how distinct the benefits can be.
oh dear, there is probably a paywall. but it is an excerpt from Everything in Its Place, a posthumous collection of writings by Dr. Sacks.
The Healing Power of Gardens
But it does point out how distinct the benefits can be.
oh dear, there is probably a paywall. but it is an excerpt from Everything in Its Place, a posthumous collection of writings by Dr. Sacks.
422wonderY
>41 2wonderY: sharing the heart of his story:
I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication.
My friend Lowell has moderately severe Tourette’s syndrome. In his usual busy, city environment, he has hundreds of tics and verbal ejaculations each day — grunting, jumping, touching things compulsively. I was therefore amazed one day when we were hiking in a desert to realize that his tics had completely disappeared. The remoteness and uncrowdedness of the scene, combined with some ineffable calming effect of nature, served to defuse his ticcing, to “normalize” his neurological state, at least for a time.
An elderly lady with Parkinson’s disease, whom I met in Guam, often found herself frozen, unable to initiate movement — a common problem for those with parkinsonism. But once we led her out into the garden, where plants and a rock garden provided a varied landscape, she was galvanized by this, and could rapidly, unaided, climb up the rocks and down again.
I have a number of patients with very advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, who may have very little sense of orientation to their surroundings. They have forgotten, or cannot access, how to tie their shoes or handle cooking implements. But put them in front of a flower bed with some seedlings, and they will know exactly what to do — I have never seen such a patient plant something upside down.
My patients often live in nursing homes or chronic-care institutions, so the physical environment of these settings is crucial in promoting their well-being. Some of these institutions have actively used the design and management of their open spaces to promote better health for their patients. For example, Beth Abraham hospital, in the Bronx, is where I saw the severely parkinsonian postencephalitic patients I wrote about in “Awakenings.” In the 1960s, it was a pavilion surrounded by large gardens. As it expanded to a 500-bed institution, it swallowed most of the gardens, but it did retain a central patio full of potted plants that remains very crucial for the patients. There are also raised beds so that blind patients can touch and smell and wheelchair patients can have direct contact with the plants.
Clearly, nature calls to something very deep in us. Biophilia, the love of nature and living things, is an essential part of the human condition. Hortophilia, the desire to interact with, manage and tend nature, is also deeply instilled in us. The role that nature plays in health and healing becomes even more critical for people working long days in windowless offices, for those living in city neighborhoods without access to green spaces, for children in city schools or for those in institutional settings such as nursing homes. The effects of nature’s qualities on health are not only spiritual and emotional but physical and neurological. I have no doubt that they reflect deep changes in the brain’s physiology, and perhaps even its structure.
I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication.
My friend Lowell has moderately severe Tourette’s syndrome. In his usual busy, city environment, he has hundreds of tics and verbal ejaculations each day — grunting, jumping, touching things compulsively. I was therefore amazed one day when we were hiking in a desert to realize that his tics had completely disappeared. The remoteness and uncrowdedness of the scene, combined with some ineffable calming effect of nature, served to defuse his ticcing, to “normalize” his neurological state, at least for a time.
An elderly lady with Parkinson’s disease, whom I met in Guam, often found herself frozen, unable to initiate movement — a common problem for those with parkinsonism. But once we led her out into the garden, where plants and a rock garden provided a varied landscape, she was galvanized by this, and could rapidly, unaided, climb up the rocks and down again.
I have a number of patients with very advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, who may have very little sense of orientation to their surroundings. They have forgotten, or cannot access, how to tie their shoes or handle cooking implements. But put them in front of a flower bed with some seedlings, and they will know exactly what to do — I have never seen such a patient plant something upside down.
My patients often live in nursing homes or chronic-care institutions, so the physical environment of these settings is crucial in promoting their well-being. Some of these institutions have actively used the design and management of their open spaces to promote better health for their patients. For example, Beth Abraham hospital, in the Bronx, is where I saw the severely parkinsonian postencephalitic patients I wrote about in “Awakenings.” In the 1960s, it was a pavilion surrounded by large gardens. As it expanded to a 500-bed institution, it swallowed most of the gardens, but it did retain a central patio full of potted plants that remains very crucial for the patients. There are also raised beds so that blind patients can touch and smell and wheelchair patients can have direct contact with the plants.
Clearly, nature calls to something very deep in us. Biophilia, the love of nature and living things, is an essential part of the human condition. Hortophilia, the desire to interact with, manage and tend nature, is also deeply instilled in us. The role that nature plays in health and healing becomes even more critical for people working long days in windowless offices, for those living in city neighborhoods without access to green spaces, for children in city schools or for those in institutional settings such as nursing homes. The effects of nature’s qualities on health are not only spiritual and emotional but physical and neurological. I have no doubt that they reflect deep changes in the brain’s physiology, and perhaps even its structure.
43fuzzi
>42 2wonderY: interesting. Thanks!
44Lyndatrue
>42 2wonderY: Thank you for the gift of this excerpt. Even as I age, and lose interest in things that used to be central to my state of being (or so I thought), the gardens remain a gift, providing peace and serenity. Of course, having cataract surgery has helped too. :-}
Sometimes I get lost in the amazing blue of the afternoon sky, and the variations in the colors of clouds. I don't think I realized that my world had become greyscaled until it wasn't. Biophilia and Hortophilia; who knew?
Anyone need dandelions? I have extras.
Sometimes I get lost in the amazing blue of the afternoon sky, and the variations in the colors of clouds. I don't think I realized that my world had become greyscaled until it wasn't. Biophilia and Hortophilia; who knew?
Anyone need dandelions? I have extras.
45fuzzi
>44 Lyndatrue: I have plenty of dandelions, violets, etc. of my own. My yard is one huge garden of wildflowers that I allow because of what they contribute. Oh, except for invasives such as Star of Bethlehem.
462wonderY
My nephew pointed me to this:
Sustainability in Prisons Project in the state of Washington
http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/
Their Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/sustainabilityinprisons/
Healing the bent and broken.
Sustainability in Prisons Project in the state of Washington
http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/
Their Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/sustainabilityinprisons/
Healing the bent and broken.
472wonderY
Frog spit is a non-Newtonian fluid?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuF2GShtA39/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuF2GShtA39/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
48MrsLee
>47 2wonderY: The things one learns online! :D
50MrsLee
>49 2wonderY: I would love to do that in the spring, but there are 2 problems. 1. I don't have good enough fencing, and 2. Goats are not very discriminating in what they eat.
51MarthaJeanne
>50 MrsLee: I thought they were quite picky. Only eating what will cause the most damage.
52MrsLee
>51 MarthaJeanne: I cannot tell you from personal experience. I am prejudiced by my father. He hated goats because when he was a young man he had to re-roof the huge barn. To do this, he had to make each wood shake by hand using an axe. This was tedious work, because they had to be of uniform size and thickness. When he got the whole barn roof done, he came out one morning to find the neighbor's goats up on the roof eating the shakes. Made him madder than a hornet, and my dad could carry a grudge.
I now have a great-niece who raises goats for show and meat. She adores them.
We have people who will bring a herd of goats to clean the fire hazard weeds from your property. I watched them take three foot high grassy undercover down to nibbins on a property. They also ate the lower branches of the oak trees and everything else as far as I could see. Pretty amazing. They were protected by 2 huge white dogs who were very intimidating. I wanted to get a photo, and although I was in my car, across the street from the fence, the dogs were having fits.
I now have a great-niece who raises goats for show and meat. She adores them.
We have people who will bring a herd of goats to clean the fire hazard weeds from your property. I watched them take three foot high grassy undercover down to nibbins on a property. They also ate the lower branches of the oak trees and everything else as far as I could see. Pretty amazing. They were protected by 2 huge white dogs who were very intimidating. I wanted to get a photo, and although I was in my car, across the street from the fence, the dogs were having fits.
54MrsLee
>53 2wonderY: Well, she obviously didn't live in the hot California valley I live in, because if you want to grow things here it takes a little more water than mulch provides. I love her motto though! "I don't do anything I don't want to do, and I don't want to. " or something like that. lol
552wonderY
Serendipity. I browsed the free cart at the library and found her No-Work Garden Book. I will skim it and send it back. I think I’ve already read one of her books.
56MrsLee
>55 2wonderY: I love when that happens.
57fuzzi
>49 2wonderY: I saw a video of a goat renting company, I think based in western NC. They would put up temporary fencing wherever you wanted the goats to graze.
I do want a wether or two once I retire.
I do want a wether or two once I retire.
582wonderY
I ran across this interesting article on Snowdrops:
https://mallorymeadows.co.uk/snowdrop-fun-facts/
I do have one small bunch in my garden which has already come and gone. It originally came up in the lawn and I moved it, knowing I would be disturbing that part of the lawn later.
https://mallorymeadows.co.uk/snowdrop-fun-facts/
I do have one small bunch in my garden which has already come and gone. It originally came up in the lawn and I moved it, knowing I would be disturbing that part of the lawn later.
59MarthaJeanne
>58 2wonderY: I'm sure the facts are interesting, but why is it considered artistic to drop the colour of print from black to medium grey and at the same time raise the background from white to tan? I would love to read it, but, sorry, it just doesn't work.
60MrsLee
>58 2wonderY: I have what has been called "snowdrops" in my yard, but I think it is a different plant than the one in that article. Mine are more like white bells with tiny green dots on the edges of the bell. They seem hardy enough to not be endangered at all.
612wonderY
>60 MrsLee: Yes, that describes mine too. The poster is in England. That might make a difference in both variety and endangerment.
I want mine to spread, but so far it’s still pretty modest.
I want mine to spread, but so far it’s still pretty modest.
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