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Biocitizen interviewed by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 29, 2011 in Director's Notes, GMO, citizenship, consumerism, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, evolution, sustainability, technological determinism, time

Click here & listen to our lively discussion of how Monsanto’s patented “Round-up Ready” “Terminator” food corn seeds are breeding a new sub-species of corn rootworm that is resistant to “Cry3Bb1.” Here’s an academic report and a news report about our new neighbors, the BT resistant corn rootworm. (If Monsanto owns the patent on the [...]

Food plants that grow like weeds: black walnut

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 22, 2011 in Director's Notes, beauty, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, evolution, food weeds, imagination, locavore, sustainability, time

Once they get going in a microbiome, black walnuts take over. They exude chemicals into the soil that prohibit the growth of other plants. But—if you have room to grow them—that’s a good thing, b/c they’re beautiful, offer the best furniture wood, and produce oil & protein -rich nuts. You can de-worm your dog by [...]

Food plants that grow like weeds: arugula

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 21, 2011 in Director's Notes, beauty, bees, consumerism, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, food weeds, imagination, locavore, sustainability, time

Harvested arugula today: December 21, 2011. Is it global warming, or is it possible I’m becoming a decent gardener? Or is it the seeds—these plants like growing in winter? Maybe 3 “yeses” have allowed this vivacious pile to grace my cutting board, + one other thing: I love sharing the freedom of free food, & [...]

Food plants that grow like weeds: ¡¡frosted!! tatsoi & mustard

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 12, 2011 in Director's Notes, ecology, economy, food weeds, imagination, locavore, sustainability

I love tatsoi. It’ll freeze and thaw out a few more times before it starts looking ragged: Still yummy when used in stir-fry, soup or stew! Even after a month of frosts, these mustards provide fresh, wholesome nourishment—with an exciting wasabi bite: Stir-fry, soup or stew! Imagine next year, harvesting—right now—the tatsoi and mustard you [...]

Food plants that grow like weeds: wineberry

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 11, 2011 in Director's Notes, beauty, consumerism, ecology, economy, food weeds, imagination, locavore, sustainability

The raspberries you buy, and you grow, do not taste as good as wineberries. Honest. Wineberries are sweeter, sourer and juicier than raspberries. So why don’t you ever see them for sale? Ans: they’re more delicate than raspberries—their skins so easily break. They’re unmarketable. You can’t buy wineberry plants, either. And if you ever see [...]

Food plants that grow like weeds: tomatillo

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 10, 2011 in Director's Notes, economy, food weeds, imagination, locavore, sustainability

Few food plants are as promiscuously weedy, and gastronomically exciting & productive, as the tomatillo. As the main ingredient of salsa verde, the tomatillo is prized south of the border by chefs who regard it as a kind of tomato and serve it raw or cooked. (They’re members of nightshade family; tomatillo means little tomato.) [...]

Food plants that grow like weeds: shallots

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 08, 2011 in Director's Notes, food weeds, locavore, permaculture, sustainability

Shallots are better tasting and more expensive than onions—and, unlike onions, they grow like weeds! Which is another way of saying: they’re easy to grow. I demand you order some starter bulbs immediately. The moment you see mustards coming up next spring, go and plant your bulbs in rich soil, in a full-sun location. They’ll [...]

Pascommuck = “bend of the river”

By Kurt Heidinger on Dec 06, 2011 in Director's Notes, beauty

Pascommuck means “bend of the river”

Food plants that grow like weeds: Tatsoi

By Kurt Heidinger on Nov 29, 2011 in Director's Notes, aesthetics, deep biotic immersion, ecology, economy, food weeds, imagination, sustainability

AH here we are again, thinking about free food! Take a moment and imagine a world where, if you’re hungry, you go and gather food that is growing conveniently around you—and you eat. Imagine sowing seeds next spring that grow weeds that produce food, plants that self-propagate, that are tough enough to endure the round [...]

Report: Obama “changed more than 80%” of EPA rules for the worse

By Kurt Heidinger on Nov 29, 2011 in Director's Notes, citizenship, consumerism, ecology, economy, evolution, sustainability, time

If you’ve been following the news, you know that global warming is no longer considered a hoax. Even if you haven’t been following the news, you can’t help but notice that our trees are being splintered by vicious and bizarre weather: the Halloween blizzard, the August hurricane, the June tornadoes, the weeks of rain followed [...]

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