Real Spontaneous Combustion
Real Spontaneous Combustion Why hay lights itself on fire As a kid I was enthralled by and terrified of spontaneous human combustion. The thought that I might be walking out the door for recess one minute and reduced to a smoldering corpse the next took vivid hold of my eight-year-old imagination. Looking back, I think...
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder Roast
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder Roast Tender, flavorful lamb in a simple pan sauce For some reason many people find cooking lamb intimidating. part of the reason is likely a bad experience with tough, or gamey, but I think the biggest issue is familiarity. In America we eat far less lamb than is the norm in...
The Money Saving Garden
The Money Saving Garden Intuitively, a vegetable garden should be an easy money saver; put some seeds in the ground, pull up a few weeds, and before you know it you have lunch growing in your backyard. While this can be the case, there are a few common mistakes that can leave you with a...
Shallow Roots
Shallow Roots The gardening season in central New York is short. Nights stay cold deep into spring, and two years ago all the squash got killed by a frost on the last day of August. You only get one shot at growing most vegetables, particularly those that take a long time to mature. My project...
The Global Burden of Disease
The Global Burden of Disease I have been experiencing something of an epistemic crisis, which is a fancy way of saying I’m less sure about not just what I know, but why I think I know it. And I’m not talking about the pressing but obviously intractable issues facing the country, like how to bridge...
How Bad Will Food Shortages Get?
How Bad Will Food Shortages Get? In the spring of 2020, as lockdowns spread across the country, there were a couple weeks in which supermarkets emptied out, with meat and other fresh goods in particularly short supply. Even after the initial shock, the prevalence of COVID in industrial meatpacking plants along with other ongoing supply...
Does All Beef Contain Antibiotics? Does Chicken?
Does All Beef Contain Antibiotics? Does Chicken? The results of a new study are disappointing A recent study by researchers at George Washington University found that 15% of a broad sample of cows in the USDA “Raised Without Antibiotics” (RWA) program contained detectable levels of tetracycline. I suspect the actual number is a bit higher,...
Hair of the Dog
Hair of the Dog The greatest mystery on the farm is what’s going on with Oban’s coat Oban has always had too much hair. As a puppy he looked like he’d borrowed the coat of an older, larger dog, and as he grew it grew with him. For the first few months it went every...
How Bad Are Seed Oils?
How Bad Are Seed Oils? The latest nutritional fad Have you heard that seed oils are killing you? That they cause inflammation, cancer, diabetes, all manner of mental illness, and basically any other health problem you might be experiencing? If you haven’t yet, keep an eye out. Given how predictably health ideas move from the...
The Conduit
The Conduit Two days ago, just as the light began to go, I saw a small form loping along the creek that runs through the middle of the farm. I only caught a glimpse before it vanished behind a stream bank, but the distinctive arched back and serpentine body identified it as some sort of...