Miscellany - December 21

Here is some miscellany I wanted to share with you ...

BLOG

I likE plants! is a very cool blog by Tamarac resident Eric Bronson, who describes himself as:

I'm an amateur grower of Tropical Fruits, Species Orchids, Aroids, Bamboo, Rare Palms and other unusual tropical plants. I'm located in Zone: 10b, Lat/Lon: 26.25N 80.26W My garden is completely organic. I am also a member of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, The Rare Fruit & Vegetable Council of Broward County and the American Orchid Society. All the photos you see here are of my yard (unless otherwise noted) and were taken with a Kodak EasyShare M853 Zoom.

Eric also has a Flickr stream and a Rare Tropical Fruits Flickr group.

FLORIDA ADVENTURES

Do you remember the ghost orchid? Well, don't miss Prem Subrahmanyam's amazing photo gallery. Prem has a gorgeous website detailing his nature expeditions in writing and photography.

LOCAL ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

The best thing about growing things: eating them! Paradise Farms is a must see:

Paradise Farms is a beautiful five acre certified organic farm located in tropical south Florida. We work in harmony with nature to grow the finest quality delicious greens, micro-greens, herbs, edible flowers, fruits and vegetables available to the best chefs in the Miami area.

And, if you're really into it, become a member of Gabriele's Gardening Angels:

Gabriele’s Gardening Angels is an informal network of South Florida gardeners who have expressed a willingness to contribute some of their time and energy to promote the concept and benefits of home based sustainable agriculture to their friends and neighbors.

I'm happy to include all these sites on the sidebar. Happy gardening, everyone!

Are You a Chicken When It Comes to Eggs?

Photo by Jagosaurus on Flickr.

Yesterday, I volunteered at Fairchild's first Kitchen Gardening event, which offered a handful of great classes on how to grow your own edibles and enjoy them. (I'll post about the event in detail later next week.)

The chickens from Williams Grove paid Fairchild a visit yesterday. When I left after a long and rainy day, I got to take home a freshly laid egg. I was really excited to try the egg because the only other time I had tried fresh eggs was in Spain, in the rugged Peaks of Europe, where my grandfather was born.

Yet, yesterday, a brief informal survey of a few family members revealed that they are squeamish about eating fresh eggs. My mother said: "I feel sorry for the chicken. I could never eat it."

What the ... ?

Now, I can't for the life of me figure out why on earth an omnivore that doesn't think twice about buying a carton of eggs from Publix would feel sorry for a chicken that lives the life o' Riley down in Homestead. I met those chickens personally. They're allowed to roam the farm and enjoy a deluxe coop where to lay eggs and rest at night. Why cringe and say "ew" to fresh and organic?

So I'd love to know: would you feel weird about eating fresh eggs? Please comment if you have a moment.

PS ... I haven't tried the egg yet. It's waiting in the fridge.