Garden Salad: Things you can eat from your garden

What are common plants that are edible, palatable, and perhaps even nutritous that can easily be found in most gardens, specifically in North America, east coast?  Including common 'weeds'...

A) dandelions
bitter leaves, high in iron, leafy salad
flowers can be used for dandelion wine, which is also the title of a nice Ray Bradbury novel.
    

B) Ideas for which weeds to eat and how (Source 1)
-yellow dock/burdock

-lamb's quarter/goosefoot - related to quinoa, good nutrition.

-nettle leaves - leafy salad, good in soup.

-amaranth/pigsweed - food of incas, related to quinoa, can cook leaves, seeds

-plantain the weed, not banana - cook leaves.
 
-purslane - a succulent.  its leaves, stems, flowers can be eaten fresh or cooked. grows in all 50 states of the U.S.


C) Issues with eating weeds (Source 2)

-You could identify the plant wrong and eat something poisonous.
  

-Plants could have pollution in them, from air pollution, chemical runoffs, lawn chemical treatments, pesticides...  If you pick it from a sidewalk there could have been dog poop there.
 

-Usually they don't taste amazing - bitter...

-Some plants are edible in certain parts but not others, like edible leaves but poisonous roots.



Bibliography


1. "7 Edible Weeds" by Chaya.  Care2.com, 2012.  URL: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-edible-weeds.html?page=2.

2. "Edible Weeds" by Erin Huffstetler.  About.com, 2012.  URL: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/eatforfree/tp/Edible_Weeds.htm.

Skin, Dust, & Mites: How much of dust is us?

 

Dust storm image (Source: http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/all-the-bad-news-thats-fit-to-print/)

---------"Dead skin makes up 

90% of the dust on our floors"-----------

(Source 1)

-Cool!

A) On human skin, and how it sheds:

"Scientists estimate that the human body is made up of around 10 trillion cells in total. Your skin makes up about 16 percent of your body weight, which means you have roughly 1.6 trillion skin cells. Of course, this estimate can vary tremendously according to a person's size. [...] Of those billions of skin cells, between 30,000 and 40,000 of them fall off every hour. Over a 24-hour period, you lose almost a million skin cells.
" (Source 2)

"In one year, you'll shed more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) of dead skin." (Source 2)

"It takes roughly one month for new cells to get all the way to the top layer, meaning the skin you have a month from today will be completely new compared to the skin you have now." (Source 2)

 
The Komondor breed, at its moppy best.

   

behold the fiercy beauty of this wild mop dog in its natural environment amid the rocky steppes of the eastern Hungarian mountaintops...


B) On dust mites: 
-Dust mites are everywhere we are.  They are invisible to the human eye, microscopic.  They are 1/80th of an inch long, so cannot be seen with the naked eye.
-The majority of their diet is dead human skin flakes that fall off us, at least when found near humans.
-They are scavengers.
(Source 1)


-You could say that, like with gut bacteria, we are in a constant symbiotic relationship with dust mites, as we shed lots of dead skin shells I mean cells, and dust mites help us clean up this mess by cleaning it up by eating it.  After all, they don't hurt us, they just eat our tiny bits of dandruff that flutters off us every day.

-Actually after a bit more research some people can be harmed by dust mites, in the fact that if you have a lot of dust, and therefore a lot of dust mites, you can have allergic and asthmatic negative reactions to the dust mites, specifically their poop, which is one of the most common allergens in the world. (Source 6)

-Ways to reduce dust and therefore mites and their mite-sized poopy allergen:  vacuuming, washing clothes and bedding regularly, having special allergen-proof or dust-proof pillowcases and bedding, increased ventilation, decreased humidity. (Source 6)
 


C) Artist paints with smog and dust
-Alessandro Ricci does this to raise awareness about the smog problem in Florence, Italy. (Source 3)
 
(Source 5)                                                            (Source 5)

D) Another artist who paints with dust
-Allison Cortson of L.A., California paints portraits of people.  She uses dust from their homes to paint the background.
-On her philosphy behind using dust:

"Through her dust paintings, the artist tries to emphasize the fact that “matter is mostly empty space” and it’s only through interactivity with living beings that they provide any value. That’s why, in all of her Dust Paintings artworks the human subjects are painted in color, while the background is recreated with dust. " (Source 4)



-How does this technique work?

"Once she has gathered enough dust, she renders the human subject in oil paint, and moves on to the bland background. ”I sprinkle the dust on the canvas and manipulate with a brush. When finished the dust is coated with an acrylic sealer”, Allison explains. " (Source 4)



Bibliography


1. "The Unknown Micro World: Dust Mites" Youtube video uploaded by Mr1in10.  URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47CIdUld8eQ&feature=related.
-This is a cute little video, very much, 'you will never believe the gross little creatures crawling over you at every moment.'

2. "How Many Skin Cells Do You Shed Every Day?" by Ed Grabianowski.  Health.howstuffworks.com 2012.  URL: http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/shed-skin-cells.htm.
-Also views this topic as disgusting.  Why can't an article just talk about it objectively - it's not bad, it's cool!

3. "Painting with Dust and Smog" article by Spooky.  Democratic Underground, LLC, 2012.  URL: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1028126.

4. "Innovative Artist Creates Beautiful Dust Paintings" article by Spooky.  Democratic Underground, LLC, 2012.  URL: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1028126.

5. "Florentine Artist Fights Pollution by Painting with Smog"  article by Spooky. Odditycentral.com, 2012.  URL: http://www.odditycentral.com/news/florentine-artist-fights-pollution-by-painting-with-smog.html.

6. "Dust Mites: A Household Health Hazard" by Rallie McAllister.  Creators Syndicate Inc., 2008.  URL: http://www.creators.com/health/rallie-mcallister-your-health/dust-mites-a-household-health-hazard.html.

How is porcelain different from other pottery?

A) Article on pottery types
(Source 1)

"Ceramic is the general term, referring to any non-metallic object that has been made by subjecting an inorganic material, like clay, to heat. Ceramic materials can be divided into three main groups: pottery, glass, and refractory materials (used in industry and manufacturing). Pottery and Glass are distinguished by their molecular structures: pottery has a crystalline structure, while glass does not. Glass flows, though at an imperceptible pace!

Regarding pottery, there are three major types: Porcelain, Earthenware, and Stoneware.

Earthenware is usually made of baked clay and must be glazed to make it impervious to liquids (i.e., it is non-vitreous). Terracotta is earthenware that has not been glazed, while Majolica and Creamware are just two of the many types of glazed earthenware.

Stoneware is a hard, vitreous ceramic, like porcelain, but is generally opaque, like earthenware. Wedgwood's Jasper Ware is one of the better-known examples of stoneware.

Of the three types of pottery, porcelain most resembles glass - it's hard, fine-grained, impervious to liquids, and usually translucent. "

So it uh goes uh something like-ah thiyus....

-chart by me!

B) Ceramic example


C) Pottery example

(Source 2)




D) Glass examples
"Seven glass vessels recently acquired by the Toledo Museum were created at the 1962 experimental workshop. The bowl and vessel at rear are by Tom McGlauchlin, a respected Toledo glass artist who died in 2011. The five objects in the foreground were created by Edith Franklin, a ceramicist now in her late 80s."


(Source 5)















(Source 6)                                                                                                    

E) Refractory materials

"Thermal Capacity Refractory Material Ceramic Fiber Blanket " (Source 7)

F) Porcelain pottery

(Source 8)

G) Earthenware pottery

(Source 9)

H) Stoneware pottery
        
(Source 3)                         (Source 4)


Bibliography
1. "Collector's Corner: Pottery Types" by Michele Alice.  EcommerceBytes.com, 2010.  URL: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y210/m02/abu0256/s06.

2.  "Hopi Bear Paw Pottery" by Verla Dewakuku. Southwest Affinity, 2001.  URL: http://southwestaffinity.com/artifacts/pottery.htm.

3.  "Fine Stoneware Pottery" by Andrew Quient.  Andrew Quient Pottery, 2003.  URL: http://www.andrewquientpottery.com/.

4. "Unique Coffee Mug: Handmade Stoneware Pottery" by Mark Lendsey.  Pottery Country.  URL: http://www.potterycountry.com/index.html.

5. "Glass Art Event Set for Toledo" by Tahree Lane.  Blade, 2012.  URL: http://www.toledoblade.com/Art/2012/05/13/Glass-art-event-set-for-Toledo.html.

6. "Glass Vessel, Origin: Central Asia, circa 1000 CE to 1100 CE."  Antiques.com, 2012. URL: http://www.antiques.com/vendor_item_images/ori__1986942347_1062904_Glass_Vessel_-_AMD.108.jpg.

7. "Thermal Capacity Refractory Material Ceramic Fiber Blanket ," product description.  Made-in-China.com.  URL: http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/qiqoun/product-detailaeSxjGCdrqro/China-Thermal-Capacity-Refractory-Material-Ceramic-Fiber-Blanket-LCJ001-.html.
 
8.  "Chinese Export Porcelain," Wikipedia article.  URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_export_porcelain.

9.  "Handled Dish with Pears" by Josie Walter.  URL: http://www.josiewalter.co.uk/.

Large Bodies of Water

What percentage of the human body is water?
            
                      Are we all washed up

                                  or are we humans of substance? and who are those cute guys ^ (Source 3)?



Let's find out!  In today's Fun Fact du Jour!

(doo da doo dah doo da dooo da dadooo yeaaaaaahhhh)

Body Water: Your body water, a.k.a. the "water content of the human body" (Source 1) varies from person to person.  It depends on factors such as sex, age, amount of body fat, the type of population you are sampling, etc.

--
   ---
         ---> great blue heron says "this body of water suits me just fine" <----






Stats:  Let's see those numbers!

A man of average weight = 57% of his total body weight is water
A newborn infant = can be as high as 79%
In a person who is obese = can be as low as 45%
(Wikipedia didn't mention the women of average weight!)

More Stats:  Next, for some comparison, according to Source 2....

The average adult = 50-65% is water (about 45 quarts)
Average man = 60-65% water
Average woman = 50-60 % water
Infants = 70% water

Summary:  So both sources for the statistics show that the average adult is anywhere from 50-65% water, and that infants usually are more watery, which may explain why they are so fun to pinch and squeeze...
  

 but eventually they may learn to squeeze back...

What does it do?  So what's all that water doing in there, just swishin' around like inside a hoola hoop, looking for hidden desiccated crevices to make a little more squishy?  No!  These water molecules have important duties, like:

1. intracellular fluid

2. extracellular fluid

3. plasma

4. interstitial fluid

5. transcellular fluid

6. fluid inside organs, like gastrointestinal, cerebrospinal, peritonal, and ocular fluids


Variation throughout the Body:  Also, not all body parts are alike in terms of their water percentage.  Percentages of water:

-brain = 75%


-heart = 75%

-lungs = 86%


-muscle = 75%                     -liver = 85%                                             -kidney = 83%
   

-bone = 22% (! Them bones them bones them, dry bones!)

(them bones them bones gonna...rise again...)

-blood = 83%                                  -saliva = 95%               -perspiration = 95%
   

Drink Up and Be Healthy!  Keep those cells nice and lubricated, to enjoy the benefits of hydration and avoid dehydration, 'the excessive loss of body fluids' (Source 4), which can cause:

• headaches
• dizziness, fainting
• decreased blood pressure
• fatigue
• constipation (my favorite)
• darker urine than normal, and less of it
• being tired and irritable
• in moderate to severe, can also have seizures
• if it's severe and untreated you can experience faster breathing and heart rate, temperature rising, nausea, tingling limbs, sleepiness, muscle spasms, skin wrinkling, dimmed vision, delirium, go unconscious and eventually die.
• If you lose more than 15% of your normal water volume, you will most likely die. :(
• Also, after you're 50 years old you have less ability to sense thirst, so make sure you're hydrated because a lot of seniors suffer from dehydration, but they might not even know it.
• If you have vomitting or diarrhea, these can cause sudden loss of fluids so make sure to hydrate afterwards
• If you're dehydrated, don't drink seawater, alcohol, or urine (haha), because these will only make it worse.

...and always remember to drink safely and use a coaster!

Bibliography

1. "Body Water," Wikipedia article.  Wikipedia.org, 2012.  URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water.

2. "What Percentage of the Human Body is Water?" question by Charles.  FunTrivia.com, 2002.  URL: http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question18791.html.

3. "Men Skinny-Dipping" Image from Blog by GasGuys.wordpress.com/create-a-group/, a group for "Christian Men who Love Skinny-Dipping" (wow sounds awesome :)).  URL: http://gasguys.wordpress.com/create-a-group/.

4. "Dehydration" Wikipedia article.  Wikipedia.org, 2012. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydration