22 over 7 = [aspects and concepts of matter and energy / form, flame, light, space, image and imagination]

Kalonji continued, once more

This was exciting:

I've written before about the benefits of "blackseed," properly known as black cumin (Nigella sativa). The seeds of this plant are used as a spicing agent and as a source for antimicrobial, antiparasitic, I think antibiotic and immune-boosting oil throughout the Middle East and South Asia. I first learned about black cumin's culinary and medicinal uses when I lived in Egypt.

Anyhow, as I walked through the aisles of World Fruit Market on Devon Avenue in Chicago (a nexus of Indo-Pak culture and cuisine), I spotted the honey seen above. Jaw dropped. Camera was pulled from bag. Mind reeled.

I bought a less expensive honey, however (the blackseed variety was $17?), into which I plan to mix some of my own Nigella seeds.

Eyes on the sky

Foraging wild food in Chicago

I know, I barely visit my own digital home. I started a new blog for my organic gardening service, I've been caring for my own garden, and so on and on.

Here are images and videos from an urban foraging walk led by Nance Klehm on Sunday. The next walk 'n' talk is scheduled for June 7, 3-5 p.m., at Garfield Park in Chicago.

Ground ivy

Plantain

Yellowdock

Burdock

Sweet violet

Spring beauties

Garlic mustard
(from the yard, not the park)

Two quick links

Astronomers Without Borders

"The boundaries we place between us vanish when we look skyward. Whoever, whatever or wherever we are, we all share the same sky."

The World at Night

"The World At Night is a new program to create and exhibit a collection of stunning photographs and time-lapse videos of the world’s most beautiful and historic sites against a nighttime backdrop of stars, planets and celestial events. The eternally peaceful sky looks the same above all the landmarks and symbols of different nations and regions, attesting to the truly unified nature of Earth as a planet rather than an amalgam of human-designated territories."

They really ought to rename
this volcano Mount Jindal.

"Alaskan authorities were on alert Monday after the Mount Redoubt volcano erupted five times, spewing plumes of smoke and ash some 15 kilometers (nine miles) into the air and forcing flight cancellations.

"The Alaska Volcano Observatory said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the 3,100 meter (10,200-foot) volcano, located not far from Anchorage, Alaska's most populous city.

"The eruptions, which began late Sunday, have unleashed a cloud of ash reaching up to 18,200 meters (60,000 feet) above sea level, said Rick Wessels, a geophysicist at the observatory. The explosions were also "pretty good-sized," he said.

"'We expect these activities to last for weeks,' said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, speaking with volcano experts on a conference call to reporters.

"Salazar said that Alaska officials were monitoring the safety of local residents and that of air travelers. Some 20,000 passengers fly through the area on any given day, Salazar said.

"Alaska Airlines canceled 19 flights out of the international airport in Anchorage, which lies some 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of the volcano, and residents of nearby towns have been warned to prepare for falling ash."

Now does Gov. Bobby understand what purpose volcano monitoring serves?

Your friendly neighborhood garden man

If you live around Chicago, that is.

I now offer vegetable garden installation and plant care services in Chicagoland.

A weblog connected to the venture is located at backyardharvester.com/blog/.

Blowin' up under the sea

Somebody call Bobby Jindal and tell him this is what volcano monitoring is for...

The White House will grow its own greens.

"Almost the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, 'whether they like it or not,' Mrs. Obama said laughing. 'Now Grandma, my mom, I don’t know.' Her mother, she said, would probably sit back and say: 'Isn’t that lovely. You missed a spot.'"

"Mrs. Obama, who said that she never had a vegetable garden before, said the idea for it came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet. Eating out three times a week, ordering a pizza, having a sandwich for dinner took it’s toll. The children’s pediatrician told her she needed to be thinking about nutrition.

"'He raised a flag for us,' she said, and within months the children lost weight.

"For children, she said, food is all about taste, and fresh and local taste better.

"'A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat,' she said. 'And my children know the difference, and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things."

Overhead update

"The $410 billion spending bill signed by President Barack Obama this week includes about $900,000 for the Adler Planetarium for the 'overhead projector' that became controversial during the presidential campaign.

"The machine is actually a sophisticated $3 million to $5 million light-projection system that beams images of the stars, planets and galaxies onto the ceiling.

"The museum wants to spend millions to update its original, 78-year-old domed Sky Theater auditorium, including replacement of the huge, 40-year-old Zeiss planetarium projection system, which is falling into disrepair. The Zeiss machine is so old that the German manufacturer no longer has employees who know how to fix it, said Charles Katzenmeyer, Adler's vice president of external affairs."

Masanobu Fukuoka

I saw a post about Fukuoka's book, "The One-Straw Revolution," on the Arthur blog about an hour ago. Please bear with me while I throw many related links at you.

"Masanobu Fukuoka's book about growing food has been changing the lives of readers since it was first published in 1978.* It is a call to arms, a manifesto, and a radical rethinking of the global systems we rely on to feed us all. At the same time, it is the memoir of a man whose spiritual beliefs underpin and inform every aspect of his innovative farming system."

"'One Straw' describes the events that led to the development of Fukuoka's concept of natural farming. In this book, he emphasises the basic principles of non-cultivation and non-chemical farming by the incorporation and controlled use of weeds rather than their eradication. Using these methods Fukuoka produces greater crops than achieved by chemically-based and modern farming practices. Year by year the soil becomes richer and more productive. This book should be compulsory reading for all who wish to bring about change, not only in agriculture, but also in how we view the entire process of food production."

"What is remarkable is that Fukuoka's natural farming and permaculture should resemble each other so closely despite their nearly opposite approaches. Permaculture relies on the human intellect to devise a strategy to live abundantly and sustainably within nature. Fukuoka sees the human intellect as the culprit serving only to separate people from nature. The 'one mountain top, many paths' adage seems to apply here."