Chocolate

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

It's the holiday season and the perfect time to write about one of the most festive and popular treats in the world, chocolate.

Although chocolate is available almost everywhere today, hand crafted
high quality chocolates are a greatly appreciated hostess and holiday gift.   

The story of humans and chocolate began well over two thousand years ago in 'Mesoamerica', the regions now known as Mexico and Central America.  It is hard for historians to pin down when chocolate was first introduced, but it is clear that it was cherished from the start. The Latin name for the cacao tree,  Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods."  The cacao tree is native to the North American tropics.

 Chocolate was cherished by the Aztecs and Mayans for its spiritual powers.
In Europe the Spanish Catholic Church preached that chocolate was the devil's food.
Priests believed followers couldn't resist chocolate & would brake their fast for the drink. 
.

Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean was magical and even held divine properties, suitable for sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death.  Aztec sacrifice victims who were feeling melancholy were given a gourd of the chocolate cocktail. This was to cheer them up enough so they could join in the ritual dancing required to make them worthy to the gods before their death.

The cacao beans were so important in these great ancient empires that they were used as currency and could buy food and fowl.

The cocoa tree is native to the tropical rain forest of Mexico and Central America.
The unripe fruit are brown gourds growing all over the tree.

For many centuries chocolate was a bitter drink. The pulp of the cacao fruit which surrounds the beans was fermented into an alcoholic beverage of the time.

When the Spaniards arrived, the famous king of the Aztec's, Montezuma, mistaking the conquistadors on horses for reincarnated gods of ancient lore, hosted a banquet for the explorer Hernando Cortes that included the chocolate drink. 

Unlike most trees, cocoa sets flowers along its trunk and branches. 

Unsuitable to the European taste they described it as "a bitter drink for pigs".  In spite of this Cortes did bring the chocolate drink back to Europe where after being mixed with honey or cane sugar, chocolate quickly became popular throughout Spain.

In Spain chocolate quickly found disapproval by the Catholic Church.   In spite of church preaching chocolate as the "drink of the devil" it continued to gain popularity in Spain.

When ripe, the football shaped large gourds turn orange
and are ready for harvesting. 

By the 17th century chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe believed to have nutritional, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties.  It was rumored to be the favorite drink of Casanova.  

In spite of its popularity, chocolate was too expensive for the masses until the invention of the steam engine which made mass production possible in the late 1700's.  During the Revolutionary War in America, chocolate was highly valued and  it was included in soldier's rations and used in lieu of payment.

After the fruit has been cured the beans are ready to be separated from their
pulp, dried and roasted.

In 1828, a Dutch chemist discovered a way to make powered chocolate by removing half the coco butter from the liquor, pulverizing it and adding alkaline salts to cut the bitter taste. This became known as "Dutch cocoa"  and soon after the creation of the first solid chocolate bar.

A man by the name of Joseph Fry is credited for the first modern day chocolate bar in 1847 when he discovered he could make a moldable chocolate bar by adding melted cacao butter back into Dutch Chocolate.  By 1868 the Cadbury Company was selling boxes of chocolate in England.  Milk chocolate was soon after introduced to the public by now well known Nestle Company.

After roasting, the beans are crushed into a powder and are ready for their transformation
by chocolate companies and chocolatiers around the world.  

Today chocolate is a 4-billion-dollar-a year industry in the United States and the average American eats at least a half pound of chocolate every month.

Although chocolate should be eaten in moderation, research shows "dark chocolate" is a rich source of antioxidants and minerals, and it generally contains less sugar than milk chocolate.  Some research suggests that dark chocolate may help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and insulin resistance, and improve brain function.  People who are interested in adding dark chocolate to their diet should keep in mind that it is high in fat and calories, so moderation is key. Many people believe dark chocolate is a mood enhancer and take it to fight the blues.

Happy Holidays,

James

 Thanks to Smithsonian.com (Amanda Fiegl)  for the historical information in this article.

Daffodils

DAFFODILS  / NARCISSUS

Externally hardy and long lived, daffodils will brighten your spring garden
every year with very little care.

Of all the beautiful spring flowering bulbs from early snowdrops to late blooming tulips, few are more dependable than daffodils.  For a reliable display you can count on year after year, these popular perennials  will give you 'the big bang'  for your time and money.

All parts of daffodils are toxic so deer and other wildlife pass it by as they devour the other plants in the environment. If you live in an area with deer, daffodils are one of the few fool proof plants you can count on.

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Deer will devour almost everything in sight but pass daffodils by,
leaving them to bloom for our enjoyment.

Once properly planted daffodils will come back for many years, blooming in early spring with very little care.

There is a long standing debate on the correct name, Narcissus, Daffodils  or Jonquils.  In this article I am simply going to use the most common name in our area, daffodils for all of them.

Trumpet shape flowers which begin to bloom in April, daffodils have a large selection of color patterns to choose from. The most popular yellow will brighten up any garden from the front door to large displays in back yards or even in open fields. In addition pure white flowers are available as well as mixed trumpets blends of two or three colors on the same flower.

For the largest variety of  daffodils and the best quality of  bulbs
order them from a good catalog company. 

Easy to plant, place the 'bottom' of the bulbs six to eight inches in the ground, 5 to 6 " apart. They will fill in quickly.

The bulb is a storage chamber supplying everything the daffodil needs to
survive until next spring.

In our clay soil and handful of chopped leaves will lighten the soil and help with drainage. If you don't have leaves take advantage of your neighbors who mow their leaves and put them on the street.

There are so many color combinations such as 'Fragrant Breeze' you can to to your daffodil display
every year for more interest and impact. 

 After daffodils have bloomed leave the green leaves until they turn yellow before cutting them back. These leaves will supply the energy for next year's bloom.  One of the few drawback of daffodils is that these leaves will remain until early June. When planting my summer flowering plants, I simply push the greens aside and put the new flowers between them. They quickly over grow the yellowing leaves and draw attention away from them.

One of the few yearly task you should do to help your daffodils remain viable is to cut off the dead flowers after they have bloomed, a technique known as dead-heading. This will force the bulbs to transfer major energy from setting seed into producing next year's flowers and ensuring a healthier bulb to survive the winter. I also sprinkle  a fertilizer such as bulb tone around the greens when dead-heading the flowers.

When your daffodils have become overcrowded they will flower less. This is the time to lift
them out of the ground, gently wiggle apart and replant them to increase your display.
 

If your flowers begin to dwindle it's time to dig up the bulbs and divide them. This should be required only once every ten years. This process will re-new your bulbs and double your stock.

Hybridizing daffodils has created  color blends and textures that are dramatically
different from the original trumpet parent plants.
Above: Double Narcissus 'Cherefulness' 

Happy Gardening,

 James

Pumpkins

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins are native to North America where seeds have be found in Mexican graves and temples dating back five to seven thousand years ago. Up north, pumpkins were grown by Native Americas for hundreds of  years before the first European settlers arrived here.

When the Europeans "discovered" America they actually found a
great civilization that had existed here for thousands of years.

The American Indians created a farming technique called "The three sisters". Corn was grown in the same plot as beans and squash. The corn would grow tall and the beans would use it as a trellis. The pumpkins and squash were planted at the base and would discourage raccoons and other critters from eating the corn and beans. 

The "Threes Sisters" planting system would get wildlife to focus on the harder to eat
pumpkins and squash, distracting them from the beans and corn. 

The Natives later taught this practice to the Pilgrims. Without pumpkins it is doubtful any of the Pilgrims would have survived the first long winter.

In later years the Pilgrims would carve out pumpkins, fill them with milk and bake them until they turned in a rich, flavorful custard. This tradition later became today's pumpkin pies. 

Sugar pumpkins are used for baking while the larger pumpkins are used mostly for display.
The stems add interest to the pumpkins and your display. 

Pumpkins and other winter squash are easy to grow if you give them their basic requirements, warm rich soil, heavy but even moisture, lots of sun and most importantly, plenty of space to spread out and grow. If they outgrow their space your can turn the growing tips towards where you want them to grow. When harvesting leave at least one inch of stem attached and let your pumpkins sit in the sun for ten days to cure them before storing them.

If you want to grow a large pumpkin, remove all but one from the vines so the
plant can focus all it's energy the one remaining fruit. 

Our modern Halloween tradition of carving out pumpkins began in ancient Ireland. The Celtic people believed the dead arose from their graves every year on October 31.  

To ward off evil, people carved faces into rutabaga or turnips, beets or potatoes and put them in windows and at their doors. Even the name Jack-O-Lantern is derived from Irish lore and folktales.

October 31 was celebrated as Samhain, marking the end of the harvest season and the being of the
dark winter ahead. It was the day the dead walked the earth.

When our Irish immigrants arrived in America they brought these traditions with them and quickly learned pumpkins are much easier to carve out.
Today pumpkins can be found in a variety of sizes, from the massive orange pumpkins to jack-be-little, which can fit in the palm of your hand. 

Pumpkin craving is a creative and fun event that millions of Americans enjoy as an annual
Halloween tradition. 

Color choices now start at white, then orange, and blended. There are even pumpkins with warts for folks looking for something different.

With the addition of heirloom pumpkins, choices of color and textures are continuing to  grow.

Selecting a pumpkin is often a family event with everyone going to a local farm to make their selections. When choosing your pumpkin pay attention to the stem. Pumpkins with stems last longer; long or curved stems add character to the pumpkin.

Halloween has a centuries old history as an adult holiday.
It has only recently that it has become a children's  celebration with preparations and decorations
 starting weeks before October 31

A pumpkin placed by a door or in front of a house today has come to symbolize the autumn season, good fortune and prosperity.  

A pumpkin placed by the front door in the autumn is a symbol of hospitality and welcome.

Happy Halloween
 Drive Extra Safe,                                                                                                           James

Although not as spooky as it used to be, millions of people still go to sleep
on Halloween with one eye open. 

Emerald Ash Borer

THE  ASH TREE CATASTROPHE 

     STRIKES NEW JERSEY   

   
THE EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB)

Emerald ash borer (EAB) is a non-native insect pest from Asia that infests and kills all species of ash trees in North America. It was first discovered in southeastern Michigan in 2002 and EAB has since been found in 27 additional states and 2 Canadian providences. The EAB has killed tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan alone, as well as hundreds of millions of additional trees in the other infested states and providences.

EAB only flies approximately one mile a year, but mankind has helped it spread
much faster by transporting infested firewood.

The adult EAB is approximately 1/2” long and 1/8” wide, metallic green in color, with a metallic copper red abdomen. The larvae are white or cream colored, measure approximately 1 to 1 ¼” long and have 10 abdominal segments that are bell shaped. The EAB has a 1-year life cycle.

Too small to detect with naked eye, most homeowners wont know if they have a problem
until after the damage is done. 

EAB adults emerge in May or early June creating D-shaped exit holes, undetectable to most people, on the branches and trunks of infested trees. The female adult EAB feeds on the margins of the ash leaf. After feeding, the female EAB deposits eggs in bark crevices or under bark flaps on the trunk or bark. The adult beetle stays active until August. After the egg matures, larvae burrow under the bark and feed on the cambium - the water and nutrient transporting layer of the tree. The larvae become adult beetles in April or May. Then the cycle begins again.

The damage to the tree is done by the larvae which eats the "cambium" layer under the bark.
This is the tissue that carries water up to the top and nutrients down to the root system.  

EAB first infest the top of the tree’s crown, which makes spotting adult beetles or exit holes nearly impossible from the ground. Woodpecker activity and damage on live trees is often an initial symptom of an EAB infestation. 

 Xylem transports water from the roots to the leaves and top of the tree. Phloem then transports sugar and nutrients from the top of the tree to the root system. Once this complex system is destroyed the ash tree rapidly dies, usually withing 3 years.  

As EAB populations increase, crown dieback, ideal branching, bark splits, and exit holes lower on the bark become more prevalent. Trees will only live an average of 3-4 years after infestation and 99% of ash trees will die.

The EAB  turns into an adult in May and June, and then exits the tree leaving small "D" shaped exit holes.
The  beetle first infest the top first making it difficult to detect.

WHAT SHOULD THE HOMEOWNER DO

The first thing a homeowner should do is to identify the trees on your property. There are other trees that look like Ash trees but are not affected by the EAB.

A positive identification is required by a professional before
any action is taken.  Black walnuts, hickory and
'Trees of Heaven' all look  very similar to Ash trees. 

React now to save your tree with insecticide treatment or prepare financially to have it removed soon.

Treated trees must be re-injected every two or three years.  Although treatment is expensive in some cases treatment may be less expensive than removal.  The recommended timing for systemic treatment (injection) is in mid-May though June while leaves are leafing out.

Early detection and professional insecticide injections are the surest way to
save a your ash tree from the Emerald Ash Borer.  

Once infested with EAB the trees die quickly, usually within three years. The dead trees become very brittle making it a hazard to home owners as well as the tree company taking it down. Branches can snap and fall to the ground striking workers below.

Dying from the top down, it is often too late to save an ash tree once detected.

For more information, including how to identify Ash trees go these following sources.

www.emeraldashborer.nj.com*

        Contact your local state or county 
                                cooperative extension service.                                            

Call your hometown Department of Public Works. Especially if you believe it might be a city street tree.

Contact a certified licensed "Tree Expert". To detect damage, a professional certified tree expert is often required.

My advice is react now. As more trees die, Ash tree removal prices are likely to go up also. 
Winter is the best time to remove trees while the insects 
          are not active and unable to escape.    

Share this information with friends and neighbors.

Good luck & Keep safe,                                             

James

*Thanks to www.emeraldashborer.nj.gov 
& Rutgers Cooperative Extesion 
for the information in this article

FOX

RED TAIL FOX

Living in woodlands and county parks, most humans are surprised
when they see a fox in the wild. 

Most people living in New Jersey would be surprised to know we
share our territory with the 'Red Tail Fox'.

Sadly for many of us the only encounter we might have is to see a Red Tail Fox dead on the roadside. It's heartbreaking when we realize how the fox has adjusted to living beside humans for centuries. Now with new construction enclosing on their habitats and faster vehicles, the plight of the Red Tail Fox is more perilous than ever.

The life span of the red fox in the wild is two to four years.

Although I've never seen a "fox crossing" sign, as a general rule if you have rabbits in your area
you most likely have Red tail fox  also.  

Red foxes are about three feet long and two feet tall. One of the most noticeable characteristics of the red fox is the fluffy white-tipped tail. Red foxes have long snouts and red fur across the face, back, sides, and tail. Their throat, chin, and belly are grayish-white. Red foxes have black feet and black-tipped ears that are large and pointy.

Like a cat's tail, the fox's thick tail aids with balance, but it has other uses as well. A fox uses its tail, called a brush, as a warm cover in cold weather and as a signal flag to communicate with other foxes.

Red tail fox scent their territory to warn others of it's presence and to
find a mate. in winter. 

Foxes like all canines signal each other by making scent posts, urinating on trees or rocks to announce their presence.

If you are lucky enough to spot a Red Tail Fox it is easy to distinguish by sight from other members of the canine (dog) family. Please don't follow it or scare it away. They are justifiably scared of humans, their major predator, especially if they have young. 

Red foxes live around the world in many diverse habitats including forests, grasslands, mountains, and deserts. They also adapt well to human environments such as farms, suburban areas, and even large urban communities. The red fox's resourcefulness has earned it a legendary reputation for intelligence and cunning.

Both male and female fox care for their young all summer until they
go on their out to hunt on their own in the autumn.

Red foxes are solitary hunters who feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game—but their diet can be as flexible as their home habitat. Foxes will eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. If living among humans, foxes will opportunistically dine on garbage and pet food. Red foxes have excellent hearing. They can hear low-frequency sounds and rodents digging underground.

Fox, like all wild animals will fight ferociously to defend their
territory and their young.  

In winter, foxes meet to mate. The vixen (female) typically gives birth to a litter of 2 to 12 pups. At birth, red foxes are actually brown or gray. A new red coat usually grows in by the end of the first month, but some red foxes are golden, reddish-brown, silver, or even black. Both parents care for their young through the summer before they are able to strike out on their own in the fall.

The fox is the symbol of the Shinto god of prosperity, Inari.
In Japan, people make offerings at shrines dedicated to Inari in the hope of good fortune in career and business.

In mythology, lore and religions, the fox has been held in high esteem around the world from the time of ancient Egypt. The Red Tail Fox is usually depicted as clever and a cunning trickster, but seldom evil.

A member of the canine family this Egyptian god Horus, bares a strong resemblance to a fox.
Horus is the god of the sky.

Please NEVER feed or approach a fox. They are wild animals and their fear of humans is essential for survival. Once tamed a fox cannot be successfully returned to the wild.

Cute and adorable, young foxes need their natural fear of humans to survive in the wild.
  

Information for the Red Tail Fox from National Geographic                & the National Wildlife Federation  

Drive Safe,                                                                                               

James