The Florida stone crab is a crab found in the western North Atlantic, from Connecticut to Belize, including Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba and the Bahamas. It is widely caught as a source of food.

It is brownish red with gray spots and a tan underside, and has large unequally-sized claws with black tips. The claws are hinged, very dark, and banded with red and yellow. It measures about 6.5 inches in length.

They make burrows in mud or sand below the low tide line, lying in wait for prey, prefering to feed on oysters and other small mollusks, polychaete worms, and other crustaceans. They will also occasionally eat seagrass.

The Florida stone crab is usually fished near jetties, oyster reefs or other rocky areas. The bodies are relatively small and are rarely eaten, but the claws are considered a delicacy.

The popularity of the Florida stone crab has grown again in recent years and is considered to be one of the best varieties to eat, as well as one of the more expensive.

When Europeans first encountered wild turkey in the Americas they incorrectly identified them as a type of guineafowl, also known as Turkey fowl from their importation to Central Europe through Turkey, and that name, shortened to just the name of the country, stuck as the name of the creature. The domesticated turkey is attributed to Aztec agriculture, which addressed one subspecies local to the present day states of Jalisco and Guerrero.

The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving precedes Lincoln’s nationalization of the holiday in 1863. Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that ”no citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day,” but turkey was uncommon as Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. By 1857 turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England.

Because turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called “turkey day″. In 2006, American turkey growers were expected to raise 270 million turkeys, to be processed into five billion pounds of turkey meat valued at almost $8 billion, with one third of all turkey consumption occurring in the Thanksgiving-Christmas season, and a per capita consumption of almost 18 pounds.

The range and numbers of the wild turkey had decreased at the beginning of the 20th century due to hunting and loss of habitat. Game managers estimate that the entire populations of wild turkeys in the United States was as low as 30,000 in the early 1900s. Game officials made efforts to protect and encourage the breeding of the surviving wild population. In 1973 the total U.S. population was estimated to be 1.3 million, and current estimates place the entire wild turkey population at 7 million individuals.

The name given to a group of turkeys is a rafter, although they are sometimes incorrectly referred to as a gobble or flock.

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. In the 20th century, the color of amethyst was attributed to the presence of manganese. More recent work has shown a complex interplay of iron and aluminium is responsible for the color. On exposure to heat, amethyst generally becomes yellow, and much of the citrine, cairngorm, or yellow quartz of jewelry is said to be merely burnt amethyst. Veins of amethystine quartz are apt to lose their color on the exposed outcrop.

Amethyst was used as a gemstone by the ancient Egyptians and was largely employed for intaglios. The Greeks believed amethyst gems could prevent intoxication, while medieval European soldiers wore amethyst amulets as protection in battle. Beads of amethyst were found in Anglo-Saxon graves in England.

In Greek mythology, Dionysus, the god of intoxication, was pursuing a maiden named Amethystos, who refused his affections. Amethystos prayed to the gods to remain chaste, which the goddess Artemis granted and transformed her into a white stone. Humbled by Amethystos’s desire to remain chaste, Dionysus poured wine over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple.

Variations of the story include that Dionysus had been insulted by a mortal and swore to slay the next mortal who crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wrath. The mortal turned out to be a beautiful young woman, Amethystos, who was on her way to pay tribute to Artemis. Her life is spared by Artemis, who transformed the maiden into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god’s tears then stained the quartz purple.

Amethyst is produced in abundance from the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil where it occurs in large geodes within volcanic rocks. It is also found and mined in South Korea. The largest opencast amethyst vein in the world is in Maissau, Lower Austria. Many of the hollow agates of Brazil and Uruguay contain a crop of amethyst crystals in the interior. Much fine amethyst comes from Russia, especially from near Mursinka in the Ekaterinburg district, where it occurs in drusy cavities in granitic rocks.

Traditionally included as one of the most valuable gemstones, along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald, amethyst has lost much of its value due to the discovery of extensive deposits in locations such as Brazil. The highest grade amethyst called “Deep Russian” is exceptionally rare and therefore its value is dependent on the demand of collectors when one is found.

Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. The wild olive tree originated in Asia Minor and spread from there as far as southern Africa, Australia, Japan and China. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is used throughout the world, but especially in the Mediterranean.

Over 750 million olive trees are cultivated worldwide, 95% of which are in the Mediterranean region. Most of global production comes from Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Olive oil is produced by grinding olives and extracting the oil by mechanical or chemical means. Green olives produce bitter oil, and overripe olives produce rancid oil, so for good extra virgin olive oil care is taken to make sure the olives are perfectly ripened.

First the olives are ground into paste using large millstones or steel drums.If ground with mill stones, the olive paste generally stays under the stones for 30–40 minutes. A shorter grinding process may result in a more raw paste that produces less oil and has a less ripe taste, a longer process may increase oxidation of the paste and reduce the flavor. After grinding, the olive paste is spread on fiber disks, which are stacked on top of each other in a column, then placed into the press.

Pressure is then applied onto the column to separate the vegetal liquid from the paste. This liquid still contains a significant amount of water. Traditionally the oil was shed from the water by gravity, since oil has a lower specific weight than water. This very slow separation process has been replaced by centrifugation, which is much faster and more accurate. The centrifuges have one exit for the heavier watery part and one for the oil. Olive oil should not contain significant traces of vegetal water as this accelerates the process of organic degeneration by micro organisms. The separation in smaller oil mills is not always perfect, thus sometimes a small watery deposit containing organic particles can be found at the bottom of oil bottles.

The oil produced by only mechanical means as described is called virgin oil. Extra virgin olive oil is virgin olive oil that satisfies specific high chemical and organoleptic criteria suchs as low free acidity, no or very little organoleptic defects. Sometimes the produced oil will be filtered to eliminate remaining solid particles that may reduce the shelf life of the product. Labels may indicate the fact that the oil has not been filtered, suggesting a different taste.

There is a large body of clinical data to show that consumption of olive oil can provide heart health benefits such as favourable effects on cholesterol regulation and LDL cholesterol oxidation, and that it exerts antiinflamatory, antithrombotic, antihypertensive as well as vasodilatory effects both in animals and in humans.

World production in 2002 was 2.6 million tons, of which Spain contributed 40% to 45%. In 2006, Turkey accounted for about 5% of world production, similar to the Spanish province of Jaén alone, well known for the biggest olive groves in the world. Of the European production, 93% comes from Spain, Italy, Greece.

Zooplankton are a type of plankton that obtains its carbon from other organic compounds. They are organisms drifting in the water of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The name of zooplankton is derived from the Greek zoon, meaning animal, and planktos, meaning wanderer or drifter. Most zooplankton are too small to be seen individually with the naked eye.

They are a broad categorisation spanning a range of organism sizes that includes both small protozoans and large metazoans. It includes holoplanktonic organisms whose complete life cycle lies within the plankton, and meroplanktonic organisms that spend part of their life cycle in the plankton before graduating to either the nekton or a sessile, benthic existence. Although zooplankton are primarily transported by ambient water currents, many have some power of locomotion and use this to avoid predators or to increase prey encounter rate.

Ecologically important protozoan zooplankton groups include the foraminiferans, radiolarians and dinoflagellates. Important metazoan zooplankton include cnidarians such as jellyfish and the Portuguese Man o’ War, crustaceans such as copepods and krill, chaetognaths or arrow worms, mollusks such as pteropods, and chordates such as salps and juvenile fish. This wide phylogenetic range includes a similarly wide range in feeding behavior such as filter feeding, predation and symbiosis with autotrophic phytoplankton as seen in corals. Zooplankton feed on bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, other zooplankton, detritus and nektonic organisms. As a result, zooplankton are primarily found in surface waters where food resources are most abundant.

Through their consumption and processing of phytoplankton and other food sources, zooplankton play an important role in aquatic food webs, both as a resource for consumers on higher trophic levels including fish, and as a conduit for packaging the organic material in the ecology. Since they are typically of small size, zooplankton can respond relatively rapidly to increases in phytoplankton abundance, for instance, during the spring bloom.

Crude oil and natural gas are the preserved remains of prehistoric zooplankton and algae which had settled to a sea or lake bottom in large quantities under conditions of depleted oxygen. Over geological time the organic matter mixed with mud and was buried under heavy layers of sediment resulting in high levels of heat and pressure. This caused the organic matter to chemically change, first into a waxy material known as kerogen which is found in various oil shales around the world, and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in a process known as catagenesis.

The artichoke is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 3-5 inches in diameter with numerous triangular scales. The mass of immature florets in the center of the bud is called the choke.

The true origin of artichokes is unknown, though they are said to have come from North Africa. The seeds of artichokes, probably cultivated, were found during the excavations in Egypt. Artichokes are known to have been cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century.

The Dutch introduced artichokes to England, where they grew in Henry VIII’s garden at Newhall in 1530. They were brought to the United States in the 19th century, to Louisiana by French immigrants and to California by Spanish immigrants. The name has originated from the Arabic al-kharshof, through a Northern Italian dialect word, articiocco.

In the United States, California provides nearly 100% of the U.S. crop, and approximately 80 percent of that is grown in Monterey County. Castroville proclaims itself to be “The Artichoke Center of the World”, and holds an annual festival at which artichoke ice cream is served.

Home gardeners in northern regions can attempt to produce a crop without the need to overwinter plants with special treatment or protection. The peak season for artichoke harvesting is the spring, but they continue to be harvested throughout the summer, with another peak period in mid autumn.

In the US, artichokes are most frequently prepared for cooking by removing all but 5–10 mm or so of the stem, and cutting away about a quarter of each scale with scissors. This removes the thorns that can interfere with handling the leaves when eating. Then, the artichoke is boiled or steamed until tender. Leaves are often removed and eaten one at a time, sometimes dipped in butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice or other sauces.

In France artichokes are very popular deep fried. In Spain, the more tender younger and smaller artichokes are used. They can be sprinkled with olive oil and left in hot ashes in a barbecue, sauteed in olive oil with garlic, or sauteed and combined with eggs in a frittata. More often cited are the Greek artichokes of which the finest examples are to be found on the island of Tinos.

Artichoke stems, which are often thrown away, are perfectly edible and taste like the artichoke heart.

Mizuna is a Japanese name used for similar varieties of mustard greens with jagged or frilly dandelion like leaves and a sweet, mild, earthy flavor. Mizuna has been cultivated in Japan since ancient times, but most likely originated in China.

It is a vigorous grower producing numerous stalks bearing dark green, deeply cut and fringed leaves. They have a fresh, crisp taste and can be used on their own or cooked with meat. The Japanese are fond of them pickled. Mizuna is highly resistant to cold and is grown extensively during the winter months.

The vegetable averages 14″ to 16″ in height with leaves that are green and yellow, smooth in texture and somewhat feathery in shape. It is available as a mature green or as a baby version that is smaller in size and more tender in texture. As a salad green mizuna can be steamed, boiled, stir fried or used to complement other greens mixed together for a salad, especially Red Asian Mustard greens. When cooked it shrinks to about half its size so it takes a large amount to make a cooked vegetable dish containing only mizuna. 

The taste has been described as a mild peppery flavor, slightly spicy, but less so than arugula. Mizuna makes an excellent salad green, and is frequently found in mesclun. It is also used in stir-frys, soups, and nabemono.

Not only is it good to eat, it’s also quite decorative, with glossy, serrated, dark green leaves and narrow white stalks, looking good in flower beds and as edging. It is vigorous, adaptable and easy to grow in most soils. The usual sowing time is from early to late summer, but it can be sown in late spring or early summer, when it may have a tendency to bolt. Another alternative is to sow in early autumn for transplanting under cover.

Mizuna is nutritious and contains vitamin C, folic acid, and antioxidants. And like other brassica vegetables, it contains glucosinolates, which may inhibit the development of certain cancers. Glucosinolates are the compounds that give brassicas, like Brussels sprouts and cabbage, their bitter flavor.

Here in Northern California, we’re entering the months when all the trees, plants and vines begin to produce. Everywhere I look there are apples, plums, squash, tomatoes, the list goes on and on. But it’s not just a few of each. There is so much fruit and produce it is difficult to harvest it all. The fruits of the earth are everywhere. 

Everyone begins setting up their drying racks and getting out their canning jars. The cider mills start up their operations and the produce stands are overflowing. There’s someone on nearly every stretch of highway with a pullout spot vending a truck full of fresh items. The vineyards have not yet begun the process of harvesting grapes and fermenting them into the many refined varietals of wine, but it’s right around the corner.

It’s all because of the giving nature of the earth and the ever regenerating spirit of creation that we are able to enjoy such prosperity. Every force in the universe comes together in an exact and delicate way to produce the single plum or kernel of corn. So many things have to go right, and it is still difficult for the experts to determine quite what it is that allows the earth to give so much.

Every particle of matter goes to the right place. Each tiny worm and bit of bacteria engage in their perfect role to create the necessary components. The biodynamics of the earth are constantly working to create the optimum conditions for each other. For each thing a creature takes from the environment, it gives back something for another to use. This is the necessary order of things here on earth.

This patterning of life carries over into what I do and how operate. The same consciousness that creates all that there is and assigns each molecule a part in the universe also governs how I function and each of my thoughts. The abundance of the universe manifests when I allow the replenishing system to live within me. For everything I give there is something that I receive.

What is most interesting about this is that when I am not mindful of this law of abundance or try to accelerate it, it all falls apart completely. Just like that single flower or precious berry, there is a fragile and delicate system of consciousness that is serving all of creation. When it is disturbed or not allowed to function it is unable to work as a conduit for the spirit of prosperity.

Sometimes I get thrown off course. There are times when I am frustrated and things seem impossible, but in the center of my being I know that the perfect universe is playing its part through me. It is showing me exactly what I need to see and what I need to know, and it is doing it without restraint and with profusion. I am extremely blessed to live in the midst of this abundant universe.