Green Apples, Caffeine, and Corn
The Plantrama duo discuss caffeine as an insecticide, and talk about corn, which is a grass and a great deal more. The episode ends with a discussion of picking green apples.
:36 True or False: Caffeine is a natural insecticide.
7:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Corn: it’s a vegetable! It’s a biofuel! It’s livestock food! It’s an autumn decoration!
18:49 Love Letters and Questions: Mary wrote to ask about picking green apples
Link to Michael Pollan article: https://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/whats-eating-america/
Could it be that the caffeine in our cup of cappuccino might also be an insecticide? Well, yes…although this drink is for sipping, not spraying on the bugs.
When corn flowers, each pollinated bloom turns into one kernel of corn. Pretty amazing, right?
When C.L. grew corn one year, the raccoons were well fed. They stripped the ears right on the stalk, and enjoyed their corn on the cob.
Although most of the time we wait to harvest fruit once it’s ripe, there are times when green apples or immature fruit must be picked.