The Vent and Rant Thread

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

@Rumpelteazer --- I don't know if it is an option for you, but this is something that worked for me --- I happened to have a rodent problem. I then happened to be keeping a friend's cat for one weekend. At the end of the weekend, I had no more problem. I think just the *smell* of that cat frightened them away.

BTW -- I tried the "supersonic noise" device, but several Japanese friends told me that was like a "jukebox for mice", and they just dance to the music

We used to have cats and the mice still occasionally walked around freely. We had one cat get stuck underneath a sideboard multiple times when chasing a mouse, we had to lift the sideboard for her to get out of it.

I've been thinking of borrowing a cat. The problem with our house is that it's big, with all kinds of hiding places. So a cat can easily hide, you don't want that to happen to a cat you borrowed.

Last night there was no sound of mice moving around. Hopefully my blockage will keep working.

I have one of those supersonic squeaky things. It works occasionally, but I've read mice can get used to the sound. But I've had it scare away mice that took up residence in between the ceiling. But it didn't work for this mouse.

[Blossom]

Peanut butter and catch and release trap. Do you have those there? They are very humane. Once he's caught you can release him on that guy who doesn't like you doorstep. lol No seriously take them to a park and let the little thing go.
These traps really work. You can try different bait if your mouse is picky.

Sent from my XT1528

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Flavour free fruit - who invented that!!

A related rant of my own is fruit and veg which have been jiggered to appeal to popular taste. Grapefruit is supposed to be sour! But it gets sweeter and sweeter. Then there's the now ubiquitous grape tomatoes, where they might as well take the "tomato" out of its name. Good tomatoes are sweet, in their own tomato-y way, but they're not just sugar; there's acidity too. Grape tomatoes are gross.

[Blossom]

How about seedless red watermelon that taste like water without the melon? Watermelon is supposed to be sweet and flavorful but unless it's from a local grower they usually taste flavourless.

Sent from my XT1528

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Blossom

How about seedless red watermelon that taste like water without the melon? Watermelon is supposed to be sweet and flavorful but unless it's from a local grower they usually taste flavourless.

Yeah. I never liked watermelon, but it used to be gorgeous with that green rind, hot pink meat and black seeds. And the seeds were fun in their way. Why does everything have to be denatured?

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Peanut butter and catch and release trap. Do you have those there? They are very humane. Once he's caught you can release him on that guy who doesn't like you doorstep. lol No seriously take them to a park and let the little thing go.
These traps really work. You can try different bait if your mouse is picky.

Sent from my XT1528

We have one and it doesn't work. I think city centre mice are much too savvy to fall for and kind of trap.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by issybird

A related rant of my own is fruit and veg which have been jiggered to appeal to popular taste. Grapefruit is supposed to be sour! But it gets sweeter and sweeter. Then there's the now ubiquitous grape tomatoes, where they might as well take the "tomato" out of its name. Good tomatoes are sweet, in their own tomato-y way, but they're not just sugar; there's acidity too. Grape tomatoes are gross.

and WHY does corn taste like bloody candy??? This drives me insane. I grew up with fresh corn, all summer long, every year. I know what "fresh sweet corn" tastes like, and it is NOT candy. The corn that you get now, frozen, is, to me, unedibly sweet. Real corn never tasted like that.

Even the corn I manage to snag at the grocery, still in their jackets, is abominably sweet. Bleaaachk. D*mmit, if I want candy or sugar, I'll buy candy or sugar. Put the bloody corn back into corn, pls.

Hitch

[BetterRed]

I think most US corn (maize) ends up as corn syrup and motor fuel where a high sugar (maltose) content would be desirable. Another instance of industrial use trumping human consumption.

For some reason most of the garlic sold here now comes from Chile, Argentina, or China, all three have perfected the art of removing the flavour. When Australian garlic was freely available I only needed a few cloves to make a jar of aioli, now I need a couple of heads.

BR

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I think most US corn (maize) ends up as corn syrup and motor fuel where a high sugar (maltose) content would be desirable. Another instance of industrial use trumping human consumption.

I think most US corn is produced for animal fodder. Which is also problematic.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I think most US corn (maize) ends up as corn syrup and motor fuel where a high sugar (maltose) content would be desirable. Another instance of industrial use trumping human consumption.


BR

Yeah, well, the cows want me to tell everyone that THEY don't like it that sweet, either, d*mmit.

Hitch

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yeah, well, the cows want me to tell everyone that THEY don't like it that sweet, either, d*mmit.

Hitch

Yea, but the extra calories make the prime rib ONO!

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I think most US corn (maize) ends up as corn syrup and motor fuel where a high sugar (maltose) content would be desirable. Another instance of industrial use trumping human consumption.

In the US, there are two forms of corn - sweet corn (Zea mays convar. saccharata var. rugosa), and field corn (Zea mays indentata). The stuff normally sold to people is sweet corn, and is about 1% of the total grown. Field corn is primarily animal feed, and a principal substance fed to cows.

We get corn from the farmer's market, and can get several varieties. There's a lot of sweet corn because that's what folks like to eat (especially when served as corn on the cob) and farmers grow what sells.

The issue with corn syrup in foods is that a lot of it is high fructose corn syrup, which is problematic. The fructose is an addition, not a natural part of the syrup.

And use as motor fuel varies. Corn is something whose oil can be refined into biodiesel. (So are soybeans, which also get refined to biodiesel.) As the name implies, biodiesel is useful if your vehicle has a diesel engine. It's no help in a standard automobile that expects gasoline.

I don't have a breakdown handy, but I believe corn refined into biodiesel is a relatively small fraction of total corn production.

A chap I met in upstate NY (which is a major agricultural area) a while back told me his son was working on a setup to refine biodiesel. He'd source used cooking oil from restaurants as the ingredient to refine. You wouldn't put it in your car, but it might be just the thing for your tractor or emergency generator. I was tickled.

And there are several outfits in NYC whose business is collecting and recycling cooking oil. I see them periodically pulled up in front of local Chinese and Thai places. I suspect biodiesel is their end product.

There's a chap in Australia I ran across who is a micro-distiller. He's a farmer growing rye as feed stock. He taught himself TIG welding, constructed a still, and refines some of the rye into whisky. While he's at it, he also refines used cooking oil from a roadhouse near his fields, and converts it to biodiesel. He uses it in his tractor and to provide the heat for his still. He's a one man shop and a small batch producer, but I suspect his spirits are quite nice, thank you.

For some reason most of the garlic sold here now comes from Chile, Argentina, or China, all three have perfected the art of removing the flavour. When Australian garlic was freely available I only needed a few cloves to make a jar of aioli, now I need a couple of heads.

Garlic here mostly come from California, and has retained its flavor.
______
Dennis

[Greg Anos]

I grow my own raspberries and blackberries. The potato crop didn't do well this year. . .

[wodin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

...
And use as motor fuel varies. Corn is something whose oil can be refined into biodiesel. (So are soybeans, which also get refined to biodiesel.) As the name implies, biodiesel is useful if your vehicle has a diesel engine. It's no help in a standard automobile that expects gasoline.
...
__
Dennis

Dennis, there are two ways to convert corn to fuel; one is as you say refining the corn oil into biodiesel. The other is to ferment the sugar/starch in the corn to produce ethanol which is then mixed with gasoline to increase the volume. gasoline pumps here have signs saying that the gasoline may contain up to 10% ethanol.

Although I don't know if it's economical I'd think one could do both with the same corn. First squeeze out the oil, then ferment the remaining mash.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by issybird

A related rant of my own is fruit and veg which have been jiggered to appeal to popular taste. Grapefruit is supposed to be sour! But it gets sweeter and sweeter. Then there's the now ubiquitous grape tomatoes, where they might as well take the "tomato" out of its name. Good tomatoes are sweet, in their own tomato-y way, but they're not just sugar; there's acidity too. Grape tomatoes are gross.

Well, if you ever find that they've managed to make non-bitter grapefruit let us know Sour I can take, but I don't eat grapefruit because of the bitterness.