Apart from a couple of comments, not much notice was taken of land subsidence yesterday so I looked it up and here is an article about it. It is not restricted to the Middle East by any manner of means, humans are drawing underground water up as fast as they can and causing subsidence all over. Some of the worst areas are in the south western United States.
These are the kind of cracks being caused in the land by Ground Water Pumping. It's obvious to me that if you remove something, the earth above is going to collapse to fill the space. If I were a young American I would be hounding the government about this desecration of my land. Not that you will have a land if this goes on much longer. I don't know if this is happening anywhere in Canada, but we could end up all on our own if the States keep doing this. If the land sinks low enough the sea will take over. Just Googled and we are doing it too in Canada, think it is a worldwide problem. This is all about growing food and here again there is an answer to growing many things. The people of the Netherlands have found answers to growing many crops hardly using any water at all. This wouldn't work for everything, but many things could grow using this minimal water system usage of theirs.
May 1, can't believe it. Asparagus should be ready any day now. Fingers crossed.
Yesterday morning I had to go to the grocery store because they had only sent me a few bananas - I called and asked if they were short and was told they were not - so I arranged to go collect more yesterday. I have never seen so many cars in the PC Express parking lot. Anyway, whilst out, I am short on fizz so thought I would go get some. Joke, a) it was raining and b) the line-up went right round the building. Like queuing in wartime. Actually, I am not too sure the store was open yet. Maybe they are opening late 'cos of the virus. So, I'm still short of the bubbly stuff. (Just checked, opening is at 11).
I discovered Thursday morning that Red Lobster is open for delivery after all. I was going to place an order but think I will do it Friday evening.
I haven't bought pork chops in a while, but......
Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple, Kale, and Sweet Potato
Apple, kale, and sweet potato cook with fennel-rubbed pork chops in this easy, all-in-one skillet
dinner.
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
¾ tsp salt, divided
4 (1-inch thick) boneless pork loin chops
¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
½ onion, cut thinly into half-moons
1 red apple - unpeeled, cored, and sliced into1/4-inch-thick wedges
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale
1. Place fennel seeds and peppercorns in a small zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag and pound spices using a mallet or rolling pin until coarsely ground, or pulse them briefly in a spice or coffee grinder. Sprinkle mixture and 1/4 teaspoon salt on both sides of chops.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then transfer to a plate.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops and reduce heat to medium; cook, turning once, about 4 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest parts registers 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Transfer chops to a plate and tent with foil.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onion to the skillet; cook until onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add apple; cook 1 minute more. Add broth, stirring to scrape up browned bits, then stir in mustard and sweet potatoes. Increase heat to medium-high; simmer until apple is slightly softened and liquid has slightly reduced, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add kale and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 1 minute. Add any accumulated juices from the plate with pork. Serve chops with vegetable mixture.
Servings: 4
Author: Ellie Krieger
Author Notes
Jonagold or Honeycrisp would both work well in this recipe.
Have a great day
These are the kind of cracks being caused in the land by Ground Water Pumping. It's obvious to me that if you remove something, the earth above is going to collapse to fill the space. If I were a young American I would be hounding the government about this desecration of my land. Not that you will have a land if this goes on much longer. I don't know if this is happening anywhere in Canada, but we could end up all on our own if the States keep doing this. If the land sinks low enough the sea will take over. Just Googled and we are doing it too in Canada, think it is a worldwide problem. This is all about growing food and here again there is an answer to growing many things. The people of the Netherlands have found answers to growing many crops hardly using any water at all. This wouldn't work for everything, but many things could grow using this minimal water system usage of theirs.
May 1, can't believe it. Asparagus should be ready any day now. Fingers crossed.
Yesterday morning I had to go to the grocery store because they had only sent me a few bananas - I called and asked if they were short and was told they were not - so I arranged to go collect more yesterday. I have never seen so many cars in the PC Express parking lot. Anyway, whilst out, I am short on fizz so thought I would go get some. Joke, a) it was raining and b) the line-up went right round the building. Like queuing in wartime. Actually, I am not too sure the store was open yet. Maybe they are opening late 'cos of the virus. So, I'm still short of the bubbly stuff. (Just checked, opening is at 11).
I discovered Thursday morning that Red Lobster is open for delivery after all. I was going to place an order but think I will do it Friday evening.
I haven't bought pork chops in a while, but......
Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple, Kale, and Sweet Potato
Apple, kale, and sweet potato cook with fennel-rubbed pork chops in this easy, all-in-one skillet
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
¾ tsp salt, divided
4 (1-inch thick) boneless pork loin chops
¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
½ onion, cut thinly into half-moons
1 red apple - unpeeled, cored, and sliced into1/4-inch-thick wedges
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale
1. Place fennel seeds and peppercorns in a small zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag and pound spices using a mallet or rolling pin until coarsely ground, or pulse them briefly in a spice or coffee grinder. Sprinkle mixture and 1/4 teaspoon salt on both sides of chops.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then transfer to a plate.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops and reduce heat to medium; cook, turning once, about 4 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest parts registers 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Transfer chops to a plate and tent with foil.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onion to the skillet; cook until onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add apple; cook 1 minute more. Add broth, stirring to scrape up browned bits, then stir in mustard and sweet potatoes. Increase heat to medium-high; simmer until apple is slightly softened and liquid has slightly reduced, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add kale and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 1 minute. Add any accumulated juices from the plate with pork. Serve chops with vegetable mixture.
Servings: 4
Author: Ellie Krieger
Author Notes
Jonagold or Honeycrisp would both work well in this recipe.
Have a great day
It scares me witless (more witless) the things we do without a thought for the long term consequences. And sadly the people who extract water/drill/frack are NEVER the ones whose homes disappear into the murky depths. Hiss and spit.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely fingers crossed on the asparagus front. Fresh asparagus is a taste all of its own.
Me to Sue. We humans scare me witless most of the time. But it's not just the loss of homes, but the ruination of our world.
DeleteYes it is, one I long for from year to year.
I had heard of the water problem. I think it's partly due to us setting up big cities in deserts. I think California draws a lot of water from the west coast. Beautiful places, just not enough water.
ReplyDeleteCrops are more of the problem than cities I think Liz. Either way, we are causing a lot of devastation.
DeleteHi Jo - lots of underground extraction ... been going on through the centuries. Very technical and scientific to fully understand ... London's water came/comes from aquifers. The pork looks good. I was about to go down to town to see if Sainsbury's had asparagus in ... but it tipped it down just as I was about to set out to get an early slot -so no queueing (or very little). I suspect it'll take a while to get through ... as we haven't got pickers - but when I get to town it's on my list. Take care - glad you got the bananas ... good luck with the fizz. Take care ... Hilary
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about London Hilary. But it's the huge expenditure of water for crops which is doing so much damage. You should do a post about London. Sorry it tipped it down just as you were planning to go out. Love a good pork chop.
DeleteA court in our state just allowed Nestle to withdraw more water for their bottled water. Over-population is a serious problem. That is one of the reasons I think we should have allowed the virus to 'do its thing', so to speak. Mother Nature is just trying to save her planet.
ReplyDeleteRidiculous. Bottle water should be disallowed anyway Denise. What a very provocative statement, I tend to agree though.
DeleteOverpopulation is at the root of all of this, Jo. And we keep growing our numbers. It would have been better for this pandemic to wipe out half of us, and the world could settle back to near normal perhaps. None of this is going to happen, however, and we slowly keep paving the road to our own destruction.
ReplyDeleteVery true David both you and Denise had the guts to say this in public. However, we fight to preserve our species to our own detriment.
DeleteI have the guts to say it here on your blog, but when I have said it in public or with friends, the backlash is unbelievable. So I keep my thoughts to myself for the most part. My friend is worried about his 96 year old MIL getting sick and dying. Like it is never going to happen!
DeleteThe trouble is Denise, would you feel the same if you lost your own family, what about Charlie for instance. I tend to agree with the pair of you because I have nobody particular to worry about for myself.
DeleteSadly, most of the water goes to growing crops that are fed to animals. Don't think we'll all sink into the ocean though.
ReplyDeleteAll, in the end, for human consumption Alex. And don't be so sure about that. We may not be around to see it, I certainly won't, but if governments don't put a stop to it soon, I think we could end up in the ocean.
DeleteWe humans have a very cavalier attitude to things like water and clean air - climate change, too, for that matter, don't we. We just treat everything as if it's inexhaustible and, of course, it's not. We're having some terrible problems in eastern Australia where the prolonged drought combined with mismanagement of the huge Murray-Darling river system has meant that rivers that would normally supply more than enough water are all but dry. There have been huge fish kills and some towns are having to have water brought in. Water is being taken from underground, too, and the long term consequences of that as you've said are scary.
ReplyDeleteI've heard it predicted that water shortages combined with climate change are likely to cause huge political instability worldwide in the relatively near future. I honestly despair of what the lives of my grandchildren are going to be like.
Glenda Larke predicted the next war would be about water and I believe it Helen.
DeleteWould you have any interest in dehydrating banana slices on a low oven? They would last a good long time, too.
ReplyDeleteNow that's not a bad idea Ivy, I used to eat something like that in the Dominican although I think they were plantains, but delicious. Do you know how to do them?
Delete