A collection of lightly researched facts to satisfy my curiosity.
You might hear someone say “I ran hydro to that building” or “they put new hydro lines in.” Water? No. Electricity. Why?! “Hydro” is a shortening of “hydroelectricity,” which is electricity generated from dams using gravity and a turbine. In Ontario, the word gained popularity when the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario was formed in 1906 to build power lines from private dams to…
I’ve been reading about farmland lately because in my area, I’ve noticed more and more real estate listings for farm properties that are getting split up and subdivided. I’m not talking about the 1,000-acre tracts that are getting graded, compacted, and turned to housing—that’s happening here, too. I see small farm properties under 50 acres that are getting parcelled up into small acreages. Arable…
FRBs are “fast radio bursts,” and scientists use radio telescopes to discover them. FRBs usually come from space, at least the ones that scientists are interested in, but sometimes they come from the lunch room. Around 1998, the Parkes Observatory started noticing FRBs that they couldn’t quite explain. They seemed to come from an earthly source, but no one could figure out where. Someone dubbed…
Cucumbers used to be called “cowcumbers” . Via I had to verify this one myself with my favourite source, Etymonline : Cowcumber was the common form of the word in 17c.-18c., in good literary use and representing the modern evolution of the Middle English form. Cucumber is an attempted reversion to Latin. In 1790s the pronunciation "cowcumber" was standard except in western England dialects and…
If you search “the last duel in Canada,” you will find multiple sources citing the fatal duel between Robert Lyon and John Wilson in 1833. A duel so famous that the local town has a park named after it and a plaque from the Ontario Archeological and Historic Sites Board . It’s on a plaque. It must be true. Aside: follow that link for interesting comments on unanswered questions about the people…
There are two ways of categorizing grasses that I know of. Or at least, two ways that are important to me: Growing season: Some grasses grow in cold seasons, others grow in warm seasons, which is why one clump of grass will be green in early May and another might still be brown. Structure: Some grasses form clumps and send out runners to spread and create a new clump. Some grasses form sod, a…
I set out to write about bitterness in olive oil and was caught off guard by some interesting facts about the compounds that create the flavour and, sometimes, full-bodied experience of tasting a good olive oil. I recently had a chance to taste three different olive oils from three different regions, thanks to the discount rack at our local grocery store. All three olive oils were produced around…
Plain old wheat flour doesn't have gluten in it until you do something with it. Gluten is formed with two proteins, gliadin and glutenin, that bind during the cooking (or digestive) process. Non-wheat flours can still produce gluten! Its homologous seed storage proteins, in barley, are referred to as hordeins, in rye, secalins, and in oats, avenins. These protein classes are collectively referred…
I’ve been home-baking bread on and off for 15 years. I started with commercial yeast breads, and then followed The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and focused on sourdough (levain) breads. Eventually, I got tired of maintaining a starter and started following Ken Forkish’s simple yeast recipes in Flour Salt Water Yeast . Over the years, I’ve noticed different loaves keep for different durations. Some,…
I recently came across photos of Sarah Paulson’s 2026 Met Gala outfit featuring a $1 bill covering her eyes and thought, “Oh, that tired trope.” Paulson’s outfit reminded me that I rolled my eyes when Banksy’s statue of a person with their eyes covered by the flag they are carrying hit the news. The symbolism is so overused and obvious that I feel a bit bludgeoned by it. Covering the eyes is meant…