Pictorial- Pollinating Insects & Their Flowers

Next time you swat at a flying insect, take a moment to think about this….Without beetles, bees and wasps much of the foods and flowers we know of (as well as the animals that eat them) would cease to exist. They are some of the most important contributors on our planet.

Here are a few pics of these wonderful little creatures hard at work. You’ll notice a few pests too! Look for the wood bee slicing open the nectary of the flowers without pollinating them and a few Japanese beetles munching away. These photos were taken at the Greensboro Arboretum and Bicentennial Gardens.

Simply click on this link and then use the “Play” button or arrows to view the pictures.
Pollinating Insects and Their Flowers

Enjoy.

Grow, Cook, Taste, and Live!: A Celebration of Local Food

Grow, Cook, Taste, and Live!: A Celebration of Local Food

The Slow Food Symposium is scheduled for Saturday, October 1,
2005 at the beautiful O. Henry Hotel and Green Valley Grill, located at
624 Green Valley Road in Greensboro, North Carolina.

This festival will feature workshops for all people who love food,
thought-provoking speakers, and discussion with friends of Slow Food.
Whether you love to garden, cook, or simply enjoy great-tasting food
and wine, there are workshops at the Symposium for your particular
interests. Included is a delectable three-course “Slow” lunch
featuring local foods and wines, where you’ll meet and mingle with
regional growers, food artisans, and other folks who share your passion
for food produced deliciously, locally, and sustainably.

Slow Food USA members receive a discount for the day-long event, which
lasts from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. If you register for the symposium
before July 31, you’ll receive an additional discount of $5.00 off your
registration fee. The O. Henry Hotel is offering a special reduced rate
for Symposium registrants who wish to stay overnight in this lovely
establishment.

Slow Food USA members: $85
Non-Members: $110
To join Slow Food USA, go to http://www.slowfoodusa.org.

Please take a look at the schedule at
http://www.o.henryhotel.com/slow_food.htm. Then register by emailing
slowfood@qwrh.com or call 336-370-0966 x350. Don’t forget to register
by July 31 to receive your early-bird discount!

“The journey from a disposable society to a sustainable one begins with
the first bite.”

Squash – It’s What’s for Dinner

One of my favorite treats is yellow squash, sliced potato chip thin, dusted with flour and pan-fried so that they are crisp on the edges and sweet and tender in the middle. I only allow myself to do this once a year, as I’ve tried to get away from my childhood food tradition of frying vegetables.

I’m taking one of my favorite dishes, Squash Casserole, to the Slow Food potluck this afternoon. I kept experimenting with different variations of this traditional Southern dish until I got the one that I liked the most. This is it:

4 cups chopped yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 T flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 dozen crumbled (Ritz-like) crackers, divided
1 c grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
butter

Cook the squash and onion together until tender, drain, and cool. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients together except butter, half the crackers and half the cheese. Put in a lightly buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle the other half of the cracker crumbs and cheese on top and dot with butter. Cook for 40 minutes.

Notes: You can substitute other cooked vegetables in this dish. I added some corn scraped off a leftover cob from dinner last night. I’ve also added carrots and broccoli in past versions.

Origins:

Zephyr squash – Dark Hollow Farm and my garden (plants from Dark Hollow also!)

Vidalia onion and flour – Deep Roots Market

Eggs and cheese – The Molners at Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market

Milk and butter – Homeland Creamery

Crackers – Tree of Life Classic Golden, from Earth Fare

Corn – “Candy” corn from W & S Peterson Family Farm at Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market