Is a show I watched on OPB.
One of the quotes "If it was made by a plant eat it, if it was made in a plant don't."
Very interesting, I don't know if they will show it again, but if you get a chance I think you will find it interesting as well.
The history of many plants we know and how they change our lives.
Apples, etc...
and where things are going.
Apples came from Asia
Animals ate them and moved them around the world
There was a man names Johnny Chapman who the folk lore Johnny Appleseed came from.
People drank hard cider because the water wasn't good until it became a problem with alcoholism.
then people took out the sour apples and planted the sweet apples and became what people began to use more in cooking and eating.
Then apples had to compete with soda and the flavor became sweet and boring.
Now there is a resurgence to bring back the old flavors of apples.
and a man who is bringing back hard cider to compete with wines.
Then they talk about tulips
There is a thing called Tulip fever
Of course Holland is the place to go see the tulips
Hortis has the largest collection
angiosperms, forms fruit and seed
stamen (male) pollen by wind, bee or man
pistil (female) when fertilized makes seeds
The mountains of Asia is where they first appeared.
Then cultivated
Then in Turkey Sultan Amman the 3rd started a festival over the tulip
in the 17th century a country went mad over the tulip
1634 and 37 Tulip mania the biggest investment speculative bubble.
Tulip was a display of the extraordinary and gem and wealth.
Broken tulip of a second color and rare.
White tulip with carmine red was the greatest tulip ever found.
When in fact it was a tulip with a virus and unhealthy.
Its sold for 10,000 florence the average worker earned 300 a year.
or 15 million in todays currency.
Auction in 1637 the tulip market dropped and crashed.
then worthless and people were ruined.
It became a symbol of human folly.
People in Holland are the experts on tulips and making money on tulips again
a perishable flower that last for a short time.
can you imagine 200 football fields of flowers sold every day and sent around the world. The largest building in the world. 19 million flower from all over the world sold and ship from Amsterdam. All for something that is short lasting.
Flowers keep us interested by reengaging us.
then they talk about cannabis
The illegal drug and legal in some parts
It's a drug that gives pleasure
They are a very fussy plant
It relieves pain
in the 20th century it became illegal
It came from Mexico
it was used among jazz musicians
in the 60's it became the drug of the culture
makes you not want to strive, it seconds the motion what ever it is
It became a problem
It's grown all over the west coast the drug war continue
a 12' plant so grower cross it with a low growing plant so they could grow indoors.
now pampered and more potent
Hydroponics in 90 days 24 /7 light, air conditioning and all electronic
it's worth 6 , 7 thousands a dollar a pound. It's a weed people want for the THC that causes a high.
What dose it do to the brain?
It's like a key to a lock opening receptors in our brain.
Receptors are for a chemicals that the body makes not for THC.
appetite pain and memory is effected by THC
Soldiers that are trauma (drugs can help them to forget)
post traumatic syndrome
In Amsterdam sells cannabis is sold in coffee shops and garden shops.
Like the apple it can be a bad or good thing depending on how it is used.
The next thing talked about is the potato.
started in Peru
the Inca's
don't eat green potatoes they are poisonous
The potato came to Europe
It better in the wet and poor soils and colder areas.
Fewer people needed to grow potatoes.
In Ireland the potatoes were a great food source.
They depended on potatoes.
They planted only one kind of potato which was a problem.
A ship from south America carried a wind spore the fungus that killed the potato
The famine lasted 3 years
1 out of 8 people died that was around one million people.
That is why monoculture is bad. Don't put your eggs in one basket.
french fries are creating a mono culture the russet Burbank.
This could be a problem in the future if a spore came along it could cause a problem.
Idaho is were most of the potatoes are grown.
There is no control on the price it's not economical to grow the same thing over and over.
The problem farmers are going out of business.
Insects and viruses and weeds are the other problems. When you don't rotate crops or use different varieties you have to use chemicals and fungicide.
Using chemicals and fungicides is costly.
Colorado potato beetle is a problem, So a potato was develop to protect potatoes from potato beetles.
So farmers switched to the New leaf potato plants.
genetic modified potatoes were being sold to the public.
GMO's are being sold all over.
It's lower in cost.
People are not happy about Genetic Modified Organism
So the new leaf potato is no longer sold
Corn, Cotton, and soy beans are now GMO
98% of Cotton is BT the bug are building a resistance
Some folks are torn about BT crops.
People who are Organic gardeners work with nature
growing many varieties.
And using ladies bugs costs are high
and good prices in the right markets he makes more money per acres.
The answer is not monoculture but diversification.
We are part of the web of life.
Today's harvest
