I read this fabulous article (July 4th) in the Sunday section of the Chicago Tribune.  I’ve known for awhile that our precious pollinators were in jeopardy.  I see many, many different bees and insects in our garden. 
I thought I’d share some information on the subject with you today..

Do you realize how incredibly important pollinators are?  Most of us know that they were important for flowers, but what about food?  In the 1996 book The Forgotten Pollinators, Buchmann and Nabhan estimate that animal pollinators are needed for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and one third of human food crops….. Holy Geeze!  I did NOT know that!  I collected much of the information below from http://www.pollinator.org/.  The pictures are from my garden.

Here is a list of pollinators:

Bees-pollinate a wide range of crops including alfalfa, melons, soybeans, and tomatoes.  There are nearly 4,000 species of native ground and twig nesting bees in the U.S.    Some form colonies while others live and work alone.  It is essential that they have the following to survive:  nesting habitat, nectar, pollen, and water.  Different bees have varied tongue lengths that determine which flowers they can obtain nectar and pollen from.

Butterflies-they are mainly attracted to flowers that have a good landing platform.  They get essential minerals from moist or muddy soil.  They also love rotting fruit.

Moths-they differ significantly from the butterfly.  Their bodies are more stout and they are quite hairy.  They are active at night and attracted to  sweet smelling flowers that open later afternoon or night. 

Beetles-they aren’t as exciting to watch as butterflies or hummingbirds and most people do not try to attract them to their gardens.  They are often found on flower heads and sometimes can damage flowers, yet they do play a role in pollination.  Flowers they are most known to pollinate are Magnolia, sweet shrub, paw paws, and yellow pond lilies.

Flies-um, ewe!   No one wants to attract flies for goodness sakes, but they do play a part in pollinating small flowers in most habitats.  Plants pollinated by the fly include the American paw paw, dead horse arum, skunk cabbage, goldenrod and Queen Anne’s Lace.

Birds-well, you know how much I love hummingbirds.  They would be the primary bird that play a roll in pollination in North America.  Their long beaks and tongues draw nectar  from tubular flowers.  Hummingbirds can see the color red, bees can’t.  I plant plenty of red in my garden every spring and we’ve painted our Adirondack chairs red.  Check out how to plant your very own hummingbird garden.
Please do not kill bees.  Get to know the different species of bees.  Most bees are not interested in stinging you.  If you encounter a nest of aggressive bees, do not break out the can of Raid!   They are not insects to mess around with or tease.  Call an expert. 

Have a wonderful day!  Angie

My motivation for hiding vegetables in foods came to be when I met my husband Joe and his boys.  The guys were ages 7 and 9 at the time.   My Grandma always said that a way to a man’s heart is through is stomach.  I thought gee, I’ve got a shoe in!  Well, initially it did not go as I’d expected.  Let me just say that it drives me absolutely INSANE to watch people picking through food…..absolutely crazy!  This coupled with a statement Jack made to me at dinner one night, “Ang, no offense, but my Dad is a way better cook than you.”   What?

I’ve read a bit of criticism about the subject of sneaking healthy vegetables into kids favorite foods. Some critics claim that you are lying to your children……what? The way I look at it, if you can make anything you are cooking more healthy, why not? Most people struggle to get the 5 a day, and now they’ve upped the number to 10! There are times when kids simply will NOT eat certain vegetables. If texture is an issue, this is the perfect solution. The other fact of the matter is that vegetables actually add layers of flavor to the dish, so technically, they are loving vegetables!   My kids devour many of the foods I nutritionally “beef up” because they simply taste good!

The other issue is fiber. Most children (and adults) do not get enough fiber….I haven’t met a kid yet that would prefer a nice piece of whole grain bread with nuts and a tree bark looking substance sprinkled over the top over Wonder bread! When you add vegetables to foods, you are also adding fiber.

So there you have it. I will be posting my recipe for meat loaf next. Wait to see what I put in that!

Have a great Sunday!

Angie

Anyone else happy to have kids go back to school?  Geeze!   My house is a mess.  I’m wondering why the dishes can make it to the kitchen sink but not the dishwasher……and why when I ask certain housemates of mine  (teenagers) to put things away, they simply circulate from the table, to the desk, to the hutch and back to the table….and why does the soap dispenser in the bathroom remain empty until I fill it when the refill bottle is right below the sink?  My biggest and most important question:  Why do we close the back door in mild weather and we continue to walk outside, leaving it open in 7 degree weather?

If nothing else, I get to vent into cyberspace, maybe the universe will hear me.

I must tell you about my Mom and “the green bean incident.”  At the time, it was not funny.  After the “incident,” she went to my Grandma’s house.  Being kids, we were worried she might not want to come back, given our behavior that day.    It’s funny how so many of my memories surround this vegetable.

My Mom was a machine, she cooked, cleaned, canned, gardened, and contended with 5 of us “hunyocks” all day, everyday.    My Dad, who is a very gentle soul,  would arrive home from work at about 5:00 p.m. and liked so sit down for dinner by 5:30 p.m. 

It was a hot summer day, and Mom was rushing to finish up cooking dinner and proceeded to serve the green beans aldente; my Dad liked his green beans “cooked.”    We sat down to dinner and my Dad, completely unaware of her chaotic day, made a comment about the green beans….”they’re not done.”  Well, this tiny comment ignited a fury I’d never seen in my Mother.  She calmly said, “they’re not done….the green beans aren’t done……really.”  She calmly stood up, picked up the pot of green beans, walked to the back door and with the force of what seemed to be a rocket launcher, propelled every last green bean across the back yard.  Can you imagine how great that felt?  All that pent up aggravation with all of us, the humidity, and the last straw, a complaint….what a release!  We could write a book, forget about yoga, deep breathing, or even meditation. We could call it “The Green Bean Release,”  or  “Green Beans for the Soul.”   Just fling the green beans.  Yes, that’s good.

I must say, we don’t ever truly understand our parents until we’ve lived a little.  I sooooo get it now!

Have a wonderful evening.  School tomorrow.  Sweet dreams!

Angie

My favorite pans may not be the most sophisticated, but I think they are the best.  They last forever, in fact, you can find the best ones in antique stores, they are non stick, you don’t have to worry about using the right utencils when cooking with them for fear of scratching, they are not expensive (bonus!), and lastly they have excellent heat conduction.    They are old fashioned, which I adore.  (Grandma Inez’s kitchen was full of them)  They are cast iron pans. 

I bought a two burner griddle pan a few years back on Ebay, I just love it!  I also have a couple of Griswald skillets, they are antiques, they are amazing for even heat distribution when you’re searing or frying.  You have to care for them properly to keep them in good working condition.  You never use dish soap on them, this will remove the natural seasoning that is created through cooking.   Simply fill the pan with hot water, clean food debris from the pan with a scotch brite scrub pad (non soap), dry the pan with a paper towel,  put about a teaspoon of oil into the pan and rub into the pan, top and bottom with a paper towel. Should they become rusty, not a problem.  You have to remove the rust with steel wool & water, rinse well, dry with paper towel & coat with oil.  Place into a 300′ oven for about an hour, you’re ready to go.

If you have a chance, go to an antique store and just look at all the beautiful utencils and kitchen gadgets, they’re fascinating.  I loved my Grandma’s kitchen, it was full of rustic & very functional kitchen tools, pots & pans.   She would have me overnight and she would very gently supervise me in the kitchen, allowing me to make messes and mistakes.  I so love her for those memories.  Ok, now I’m teary!  Geeze!  I started out talking about pans and I am now really missing my Grandma…..

Aren’t memories precious?

Angie