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Issue 610
PUT ANOTHER STEAK ON THE BAR-BE! SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THIS LIP-SMACKING METHOD OF COOKING by Lindsey Harrison 
“I don’t know why men like to barbecue so much. Maybe it’s the only thing they can cook. Or maybe they’re just closet pyromaniacs.”
– Cecelia Ahern, author of “P.S. I Love You” Close your eyes and think back to those summers from your childhood. You probably remember swimming with friends. Maybe you went to camp or just lazed around the house on those long, hot days. Now think about the food you ate. You probably spent an evening or two gathered around the grill as the mouth-watering ribs or steaks or chicken breasts were cooked to perfection. The tangy yet sweet sauce that was slathered over your meat of choice probably got all over your face, too. It’s okay to admit it; we’re all friends here. Barbecue truly has a place in just about everyone’s fondest summer memories. But when did it become such a mainstay in American summer cuisine? Snippetz takes a look back at the history of barbecue so read on…unless you get too hungry and have to rush out to Broken Bones BBQ, in which case, hurry back! Origins of the Barbecue The word “barbecue” itself is said to be traceable back to the 1600s on the island of Hispaniola in the West Indies. It comes from the Taino word “barbacòa,” which the native Arawak Indians used to refer to a frame made of wooden sticks constructed over a fire that was used to dry meat. Although the original term described the frame on which meat was dried, it eventually became to mean the process itself. And from there it morphed into both a noun and a verb, usually referring to a method of cooking rather than drying meat. The construction of the barbecue changed over time as well and included roasting an animal whole on a spit over a bed of hot coals. Often, true barbecuing is a slow process, requiring the meat to be cooked for a long time at a low temperature. It’s said that in America in the late 1800s, Western cattle drivers used the barbecue cooking method to tenderize the tough, stringy meat they had available. Brisket was usually one of them, as was pork butt, pork ribs, goat and venison. Pork was so often used in American barbecue because pigs were in high number in the American South (thanks to Spanish explorers who brought them over and couldn’t quite keep a lid on the population growth), which is where barbecue in the United States originated. Naturally, the possibility to cook a huge amount of food all at once, as well as the incredible flavors developed through the slow-cooking process, swept the nation and soon everyone was indulging in a variety of barbecuing methods and styles. American Barbecue Styles Now that barbecuing has become a nationwide favorite, different geographic areas have developed their own methods and styles. There are four main styles of barbecue found in the U.S.
International Barbecue Styles
Barbecuing for the Win The world’s largest pork barbecue competition is the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in, where else, Memphis. The contest started in 1978 and had 26 teams but by 1979, the number grew to 50. By 1980, it had 80 teams and by 1981, it boasted 180 teams in participation. Currently, more than 250 teams compete and the attendance estimate is at least 100,000 people. The original idea for the competition came from Rodney Baber and his co-worker Jack Powell in 1977. Baber was the chairman of the Memphis in May events committee for that year and Powell was the state’s reigning chili cook-off champion. Bessie Louise Cathey won the first WCBCC and received $500. She paid $12 to enter. Today, prizes can range from $300 to $10,000 and entry fees cost from $700 to $2,600. The event includes not only the main competition but also several smaller ones including Hot Wings, Sauce and Anything But (where contestants can cook “Anything But Pork”). Barbecue Snippetz
Issue 611 - 7/15/13
SNIPPETZ SAYS WE LEFT OUR HEARTS IN SAN FRANCISCO! by Lindsey Harrison 
When James Marshall struck it rich mining for gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, the word spread fast. Although his partner John Sutter tried to keep the discovery quiet, he was unsuccessful and over the next seven years, about 300,000 people made their way to California to seek out their own fortune. San Francisco was a truly up and coming city!
It's the birthplace of Rice-A-Roni. Its Cable Car is world-renowned. It boasts the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. It’s no wonder people have written about the city for decades. But it can’t be all about the rice or the transportation or the prisons. There’s got to be something more about the city that has drawn the artists and painters to its streets for inspiration. And naturally, Snippetz just had to find out what that something is. So read on and discover the hidden (and sometimes not-so-hidden) treasurers the City by the Bay has to offer. A Few Stats If you assumed that San Francisco is just a city in California, you’d be wrong. San Francisco is officially the City and County of San Francisco (as of 1856), the only city also to be a county in the entire state. This particular city/county measures about 46.9 square miles of land and has a population density of about 17,620 per square mile. That might not sound too impressive but it is the most densely-populated city in the state and the only other city in the U.S. that outdoes it in population density in New York City. History of San Francisco When Don Gaspar de Portolà led a Spanish exploration party that landed him in what would eventually be San Francisco in 1769, the area was already inhabited by the Yeluma group of the Ohlone people. Seven years later, the Spanish returned and established a fort at the Golden Gate (the span of water that separates San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean) and a few miles away, they built the Mission St. Francis of Assisi. The entire territory of California north of the Baja Peninsula, including San Francisco declared independence from Spain in 1821 and was quickly swept under Mexican rule. In 1835 however, an Englishman named William Richardson built a homestead near current-day Portsmouth Square and teamed up with Alcalde Francisco de Haro to begin creating a town they called Yerba Buena. American settlers flocked to the new town and on July 9, 1846 during the Mexican-American War, Capt. John B. Montgomery claimed Yerba Buena for the United States, two days after Commodore John D. Sloat claimed the California territory for the U.S. as well. On Jan. 30, 1847, Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco. The Gold Rush With San Francisco being a main port and depot for the California coast, it also became an entryway for gold miners, resulting in a population increase of the city from 1,000 to 25,000 over that first year, 1849. These hopeful gold miners became known as the 49ers. (You probably aren’t surprised to know that San Francisco’s National Football League team, the 49ers happens to be named after those optimistic prospectors). Back to the point. With all the new work suddenly to be had in the area, the city saw a huge influx of laborers from China. Many were eventually deported but San Francisco’s Chinese population had already laid down a solid foundation and it quickly became the largest Chinese settlement outside of Asia. In fact, San Francisco’s Chinatown remains the largest of its kind in North America. The Earth Quakes Under the City In the predawn hours of April 18, 1906, an earthquake estimated to have measured a 7.8 on the Richter scale shook the city to the ground. The San Andreas Fault had slipped more than 10 feet. The devastation was incredible with about 75 percent of the city destroyed by the quake and subsequent fires that are said to have burned for four days. About 3,000 people were killed and another 250,000 were left homeless. The city made a remarkable comeback and nine years later the Panama-Pacific International Exposition was held there. The exposition was an opulent world’s fair, showcasing “palaces” dedicated to things such as fine arts, horticulture, social economy, food products and education to name a few. The Golden Gate Gets a Bridge Probably one of San Francisco’s most recognizable landmarks is the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge represents the only road connecting the San Francisco Peninsula and Marin County across the bay. Joseph Strauss, the engineer responsible for the bridge’s design had little knowledge and understanding of the cable-suspension design that was deemed the most logical. He oversaw the overall design and construction of the bridge but it was Leon Moisseiff who actually conceptualized the bridge that was eventually built. Construction on the bridge began on Jan. 5, 1933, costing more than $35 million by the time it was completed in April, 1937. The project came it at an unbelievable $1.3 million under budget when completed. The completed bridge spans 8,981 feet and had the world’s longest suspension bridge main span at 4,200 feet until 1964 when New York’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was built to connect Staten Island and Brooklyn; it spanned 4,260 feet. The Golden Gate Bridge sits 746 feet above the water and the weight of the roadway portion of the bridge is hung from two main cables, each containing 27,572 strands of wire measuring in at 80,000 miles of wire in total. It took about 1.2 million rivets to complete the bridge. Opening celebrations for the bridge began on May 27, 1937 and lasted for a week. San Francisco Snippetz
Issue 612
SNIPPETZ PROCLAIMS LOVE IS GRAND: FAMOUS COUPLES by Lindsey Harrison “Couples are wholes and not wholes, what agrees disagrees, the concordant is discordant. From all things one and from one all things.” - Heraclitus Long before Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, before Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, even before Prince William and Kate Middleton, there were famous couples that captured our attention. What makes them so interesting? Is it because they represent a fantasy that we each wish we could fulfill? Maybe the media has a hand in making their lives seem so much more appealing than our own. Or perhaps it has more to do with our morbid curiosity about when these relationships will crash and burn…and how bad the fallout from such a breakup will be. Whatever the true motivation behind our obsession with famous couples, we can’t deny the attraction! Antony and Cleopatra This couple needs no introduction. Antony and Cleopatra’s love affair is well-known and is even echoed in William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” And why wouldn’t their story be intriguing? Cleopatra VII was the last Pharaoh of Egypt and Marc Antony was a Roman general. She was very smart, said to have been very beautiful and devoted to her faith. Naturally, Antony fell for her. But there were a couple of obstacles he would need to dodge in order to have her all to himself. First off, she was married to her younger brother Ptolemy, which was customary for the time. She was also the mistress of Julius Caesar, another Roman general. But apparently Antony’s skills far surpassed those of either of Cleopatra’s other men and even though it became the talk of the town in Rome, the couple married in 36 B.C. Using their combined skillsets, the couple planned to take over Rome. Roman general Octavian wasn’t about to let that happen and in 31 B.C., he divided and conquered the couple during the battle of Actium. Now here’s the Shakespearean part: Antony was told that Cleopatra was dead so he fell on his sword, killing himself. Cleopatra, who was not in fact dead, found out about Antony’s suicide and pestered a poisonous snake (an asp to be precise) to bite her, resulting in her death as well. King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson You might assume that anyone in line for the role of King of England would be ecstatic about the power and control he would wield. But not King Edward VIII. It’s said that even from a very young age, he came to despise all the pomp and circumstance surrounding his royal status. That’s not to say that his title didn’t land him several different love interests, albeit married ones. Prince Edward, as he was titled before he inherited the throne, maintained relationships with two other married women before meeting Simpson. He met Mrs. Winifred “Freda” Dudley Ward in 1918 when he was 23. She had already been married for five years but that didn’t matter to either she or the Prince. They had a 16-year affair. He also had a rather long affair with Viscountess Thelma Furness. It was actually at her party that the prince met Simpson and her husband, Ernest. Although Prince Edward and Wallis’s affair didn’t begin immediately upon their meeting, it was only four short months later that she became a VIP guest at his parties. By 1934, both Freda and Thelma were cut from Prince Edward’s life as he focused his attention on Simpson. But let’s not forget that she was a Mrs., not a Ms. with one divorce already to her name. In 1916, she married Lt. Earl Winfield “Win” Spencer but filed for a divorce after Win became increasingly abusive. Her divorce was granted in 1927 and in July 1928, Wallis married Ernest Simpson. Prince Edward became King Edward VIII at five minutes to midnight on Jan. 20, 1936. When faced with an ultimatum of either ending his affair with Simpson or give up his throne in order to keep his government happy, King Edward VIII chose to abdicate. On Dec. 10, 1936, King Edward VIII signed the abdication papers and his brother Albert took the throne as King George VI instead. Edward was given the title of Duke and after Simpson’s divorce was finalized, he married her on June 3, 1937. Bonnie and Clyde The true story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rivals many of today’s action movies. There were shoot-outs and fast driving and jail breaks and (of course) a love story mixed in for good measure. But their story doesn’t end with “… and they lived happily ever after.” The pair met in January 1930 and things were far from perfect. Bonnie was married to Roy Thornton who was in prison serving a five-year sentence for robbery. Clyde had already been in trouble with the authorities for stealing. Those crimes caught up to him just a few weeks after meeting Bonnie and he was sentenced to two years in prison. But the crafty Bonnie smuggled a gun in and Clyde used it to escape. After a week of freedom, Clyde was once again put in jail but this time it was a 14-year term he was to spend at the Eastham Prison Farm near Weldon, Texas. Hoping to earn a transfer from Eastham, he convinced another inmate to chop off some of his toes. His two missing toes didn’t earn Clyde a transfer but he was released early and on Feb. 2, 1932, he was a free man yet again. Everyone began feeling desperate thanks to the Great Depression that settled over the country, so Bonnie and Clyde resorted to robbery to get money to survive. While Bonnie was in jail for her part in a robbery of a hardware store, Clyde and Raymond Hamilton (an on-again off-again member of the Barrow Gang) attempted another robbery in April 1932. Although the crime was supposed to be quick and easy, Clyde and Hamilton hit a snag and the store’s owner, John Bucher, was shot and killed. This marked the start of the couple’s two-year crime spree spanning five states, that involved kidnapping, robbery, auto theft and an alleged 13 murders. They often lived out of one of the many vehicles they stole in order not to be recognized. Their crimes earned them a notorious reputation and ultimately death in a massive police ambush in Louisiana on May 23, 1934. Johnny and June Carter Cash It was 1961 and June Carter Cash, already an established country singer/musician as a member of the Carter Sisters band (the other members were her sisters Helen and Anita) began to work with Johnny Cash. Cash’s career was taking off and right beside him was June Carter. He must have realized what a keeper she was because Cash proposed to her onstage at a concert in London, Ontario and the pair was married in 1968. The couple performed together for the next two decades, although Cash’s career was clearly the more successful of the two during that time. June Carter Cash staged a comeback in 1999 and proved herself to be a musical force not to be reckoned with. Their marriage lasted 31 years and saw plenty of trials and tribulations including Cash’s addiction to and recovery from amphetamines. Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003 and Cash died just four months later. Their love story prompted the movie “Walk the Line” in 2005. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Well-renowned artists in their own rights, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo met when Kahlo was an art student, hoping to garner advice from the muralist who was 20 years her senior. The pair fell in love and married in 1929. While their marriage and divorce in 1939 and then remarriage in 1940 was extremely tumultuous, their love was undeniable and only served to bring notoriety to both Rivera and Kahlo as important artists of the time. Other noteworthy couples
Issue 613
UNCOVERING THE PAST: SNIPPETZ TRACES THE HISTORY OF GENEALOGY by Lindsey Harrison “Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you.” – Mark Twain Think back to high school. Did you have to put together a family tree for a class assignment? Many of us did and may not have had the same resources available to us back then that kids have today. How much easier would it have been to just type in your name and start following the prompts a website or software package instructs you to follow. The true study of genealogy isn’t about taking the easy way to find your ancestors. It’s about uncovering the past and seeking answers to questions like, “Who am I?” or, “Where does my family come from?” As always, you can trust Snippetz to provide answers to some of the questions you may have about genealogy itself. What Is Genealogy? The word “genealogy” comes from the Greek words “genea” and “logos,” translating to “generation knowledge.” Pretty self-explanatory. At the root of most genealogical studies is determining the location of one’s ancestors and key life events. In a fairly young country like the United States, people have literally come from every part of the globe; whether to make a new life, escape from an old one or simply because they had no choice in the matter. That creates a bit of a kink in knowing what happened to the generations before you. Another Reality TV Topic And where would we be if a few celebrities didn’t partake in the family history hunt? Television shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” which premiered on NBC in 2010, follow celebrities like actress Sarah Jessica Parker and ex-pro football player Emmitt Smith as they trace their family history across the country and sometimes around the globe. Although NBC cancelled the series in 2012 after airing three seasons, TLC picked up the fourth season which is set to air in July 2013. The celebrities slated to join the search are Christina Applegate, Jim Parsons and Zooey Deschanel, to name a few. The First Family Tree? You might be wondering where the idea of a “family tree” came from. Well, it’s said that the first image of a tree used to illustrate a family came from one created in medieval times called the Tree of Jesse. Supposedly, the Tree of Jesse depicted the genealogy of Jesus Christ based on what the Bible attributes to Isaiah’s prophecy. The world’s longest family tree includes more than 80 generations and includes more than 2 million people. It was created by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and educator who lived from 551 to 479 BC. His tree shows that he is a descendant of King Tang who lived from 1675 to 1646 BC. In September 2009, the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee spearheaded an international effort to retrace Confucius’s steps and revise the tree if needed. The most recent edition of that family tree is said to contain 1.3 million members currently living all over the world. Another important family tree is called the Lurie lineage. This extremely old and large family tree, which is said to contain Sigmund Freud and Hezekiah among others, can be traced back to King David who was born in 1037 BC and possibly even further. Historical Importance In past centuries, knowing your family history was extremely important. Proving that your family had a better “pedigree” than someone else’s could be the difference between getting married to a powerful viscount and getting pawned off on someone who just really wants the dowry. There are other things to consider as well. For instance, in medieval times, particularly in Europe, there was a doctrine called Divine Right. This idea emerged after the Protestant Reformation as a way to justify the absolute power and authority given to the king, both in spiritual and political matters. The Divine Right claims that the right to rule was bestowed on someone directly from God. To question the authority of the king was seen as akin to questioning the will of God. It’s likely not a huge surprise to find out that several kings of the time strongly supported the idea. King James I of England, who also ruled as King James VI of Scotland was one proponent, as was Louis XVI of France. However, by the late 1600s, the idea didn’t hold as much appeal and by the late 1600s, England had abandoned the doctrine entirely. If Divine Right had held up through modern times, the ability to prove that you are descended from the king whom God bestowed absolute power upon would be significant. Tracing the bloodline of such a king could ultimately settle any debate regarding who should be the ruler, especially if you consider that these kings said God had given them the power. Practical Applications Of course, that previous example was a “what if,” so what exactly would someone in modern times use a family tree for other than for personal interest? For starters, knowing your family history could help determine a family’s health history. In cases of inherited diseases, family health histories are very important to help determine the likelihood of inheriting or passing a disease on to the next generation. In some countries like England, Scotland and Ireland, names are determined in large part to the child’s ancestors’ names. Here’s how: If the child is the couple’s first son, he is usually named after his paternal grandfather. The couple’s second son is usually named after his maternal grandfather. Their third son would be named after his father and the fourth would be named after his father’s oldest brother. Girls aren’t left out of this naming pattern. The couple’s first daughter is often named after her maternal grandmother; the second daughter is named after her paternal grandmother; the third is named after her mother and the fourth is named after her mother’s oldest sister. How To Build The Tree Thanks to websites like Ancestry.com or Genealogy.com, the average person with a little bit of knowledge about their family and access to a computer and the Internet can perform their own genealogical search. Start with the present and work backwards from the most recent to the earliest material you have. The basic information you need to start your family tree is as many of the following criteria for each person as possible: resident or birth place names, occupations, family names, first names and dates. That will be pretty easy to identify for yourself so just follow those same criteria as you backtrack through your family. Collecting first-hand accounts or stories, family documents and records is the best place to start compiling a family tree. Census results can be helpful but can also be misleading so consider other sources when possible. Some chat rooms or message boards online offer a place to find information about a particular surname and could be a good place to begin the search. Websites such as FamilySearch.com offer products like a publicly-editable, lineage-linked database that pulls information from three collections of genealogical information, giving you the ability to cast a large net when looking for specific information. Fun Facts About Genealogy
Issue 614
SNIPPETZ ASKS, "WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?" by Lindsey Harrison “When you’ve told someone that you’ve left them a legacy, the only decent thing to do is to die at once.” – Samuel Butler, British poet We all have an idea of what we want our legacy to be. Perhaps it’s kind acts you’ve done that will keep your memory alive. Or maybe you’d like to be able to leave your children and grandchildren with enough worldly goods to ensure they live comfortably for a very long time. There’s no sure-fire way to guarantee that your legacy will turn out as you’ve hoped. Ideally, we would all be able to bequeath our families with plenty of money to take away their financial worries AND be remembered for the plethora of good deeds we performed that made the world a better place. The likelihood of that happening is slim to none. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try, right? Plenty of people have made a positive mark on the world before they bowed out. Others, well, maybe their mark wasn’t exactly positive. It could’ve been the complete opposite. But you can always count on Snippetz to round up some good stories about people who left a legacy. What exactly is a legacy? Most people probably know how to use “legacy” in a sentence but it’s a bit harder to define it in precise terms. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a gift by will especially of money or other personal property, or something transmitted or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. So let’s take a look at some famous people who left a legacy that left a mark on the world. Adolf Hitler (Ok, this is probably not who you expected to see in this article, but bear with us.) Clearly, Hitler’s legacy is NOT a good one. His role in the mass murder of millions of people during World War II still haunts the history books and is an extremely disturbing example of how warped one person’s views of the rest of mankind truly can be. So what is his legacy? Besides demonstrating how not to treat your fellow human beings, he also has living descendants. His legacy is the DNA he donated to each of them. However, it’s unlikely that any of them will be admitting it any time soon. In fact, three of his descendants who can say they share Hitler’s blood are said to have changed their last name to Stuart-Houston, live in Long Island, New York and supposedly have been told by the American government that they are not, under any circumstances, ever to have children. The rest are said to live in Austria and potentially don’t even know they are Hitler’s descendants. It’s probably not the type of information a family likes to share around the dinner table… Queen Mary I As you might remember from our “Obsession with Royalty” article we published on April 8 of this year, we took a look at King Henry VIII of England. King Henry VIII had a pretty tough time conceiving a male heir with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. He did manage to sire a daughter, Mary. Mary ascended to the throne after King Edward VI died and abruptly turned the country on its head by violently thrusting it back to Catholicism. Mary’s father separated from the Catholic Church when he demanded an annulment from Catherine of Aragon so he could pursue Anne Boleyn. At that time, the country became a Protestant nation, which apparently didn’t suit Queen Mary I. She executed Protestants left and right, simply for going against her Catholic beliefs. This behavior earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary,” which frightened hundreds more Protestants who fled the country, not to return until the queen had died. Again, Queen Mary I’s legacy isn’t exactly a great one, but her memory lives on not only as the former Queen of England, but also as “Bloody Mary,” the ghost who will supposedly appear in the mirror of a darkened room if you say her name and spin around three times. Ernest Hemingway Arguably one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Hemingway wrote such novels as “The Sun Also Rises,” “The Old Man and the Sea,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” You’d be pretty hard-pressed to find someone who either hasn’t heard of or read at least one of his novels or short stories. Hemingway served on the Italian Front during World War I and his experiences had a profound influence on his style and the themes about which he chose to write. Those same themes (said to be love, war, wilderness and loss) have carried down to modern-day high school English classrooms where teachers often use his work as a point of study. Hemingway left his family plenty of money (supposedly to the tune of $7.5 million), which can be classified as a legacy but he also left the world his books, which are of much more import than any amount of money could ever be. His writing style, which he called “the iceberg theory: the facts float above the water; the supporting structure and symbolism operate out of sight” is used in both positive and negative ways to either support or criticize such a style. Mother Teresa Officially named “The Blessed Teresa of Calcutta,” Mother Teresa is another household name, which proves her legacy, in part. She left home at 18 to join a missionary and took her vows as a nun in 1931 at nearly 21 years old, although it’s said that she had made up her mind to commit herself to a life of religion by 12 years old. After a number of years teaching, Mother Teresa said she got “the call within the call” and decided to leave the convent where she lived so she could serve the poor people of Calcutta by living among them. Mother Teresa was given permission to start the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 with just 13 members but by 1997, more than 4,000 sisters were members. The Missionaries of Charity ran orphanages, AIDS hospices, cared for the disabled, the poor, flood victims, and those affected by epidemics and famine, among other charitable services. Mother Teresa received awards and praise for her work, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She has her own day on Oct. 19 in Albania. Mother Teresa Women’s University is located in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India. The Memorial House of Mother Teresa opened its doors in 2009 in Skopje (her hometown) located in the Republic of Macedonia. It’s clear that Mother Teresa’s legacy extends beyond the good she did but to the good deeds she inspired in others. She is so highly-regarded that, even though she has long since passed, having died in 1997, the Holy See has begun the process of beatification, which is the third step toward possibly being declared a saint. More Notable Legacies It would be nearly impossible to name every person that has left a legacy, good or bad, but here are a few of the more recognizable people:
Issue 615
SNIPPETZ SOARS WITH THE EAGLES! by Lindsey Harrison “As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill.” – Helen Keller Other than being the inspiration for Philadelphia’s team in the National Football League or the name of the band who sang “Hotel California,” eagles have long been a symbol of strength and freedom for our country. As you probably well know, the bald eagle is the national emblem of the United States. When the decision was made back in 1782, not everyone was for the bird, however. So what’s the big deal about eagles? Why would some people see it in such a good light while others openly insulted the poor birds? Well, just leave it to Snippetz to do some digging and find out all about these controversial birds. Eagle Facts Eagles are large, strong birds of prey and are closely related to hawks. Eagles are usually larger with longer wings and typically fly faster and more directly at their prey than their smaller counterpart. Eagles have a large, hooked beak and long, sharp talons which are particularly useful for tearing into the flesh of their prey. The type of prey depends on the size and strength of the eagle in question; some prefer fish while others go after other birds, snakes, or small animals. Two main groups of eagles exist: land eagles and sea eagles. Land eagles are identifiable by their leg feathers that grow all the way down to their toes, while sea eagles’ leg feathers stop halfway down their leg. Most eagles typically build their nests in tall trees or on the face of high cliffs. Their nests are called eyries and are home to the eagles’ eggs until the babies hatch. Often, only one of the chicks lives because the two will participate in an ultimate display of sibling rivalry: a fight to the death. Usually, if the babies are male and female, the female wins since the female is said to be larger in all identified species of eagles. Eagles’ eyesight is extremely good (hence the term “eagle eye” for someone with great eyesight) and is mainly due to the fact that they have very large pupils, making for much less diffraction or scattering of the light coming into the eye. It’s said they can see up to 3.6 times better than the average human can see. They also see five basic colors while humans see variations of just three. The smallest species of eagle identified is the South Nicobar Serpent Eagle, weighing in at one pound and measuring 16 inches. The largest eagle species is harder to determine because some are very large in wingspan or body size, while others are just heavier. The heaviest eagle is the Steller’s Sea Eagle which weighs 15 pounds. The Philippine Eagle is the longest in total length, measuring three feet, three inches. The eagle with the longest wingspan is the White-tailed Eagle whose wings measure seven feet, two inches from wingtip to wingtip. What did Benjamin Franklin have against the bald eagle? It’s said that Franklin was seriously disturbed by the selection of the bald eagle as the nation emblem of the U.S.A. because he felt that the bald eagle was not of good moral character and doesn’t make his living honestly. It’s true that bald often waits around for another eagle to catch something, then swoops in and steals it. In that respect, Franklin may be right. Franklin also called the bald eagle lazy because they can often be seen perched atop a tree, waiting for something worthwhile to happen. Again, that may be true. Bald eagles will typically ignore annoyances by smaller birds without using its large size to chase them away. In fact, bald eagles sometimes flee from larger mobs of these smaller birds and Franklin, of course, recognized this and claimed that the bald eagle lacked courage. However, Franklin must not have spent too much time studying these eagles, especially when they were attempting to defend their territory or to attract a mate. It’s said that bald eagles will put on some serious aerial performances that include swooping down on each other at break-neck speeds and mid-air fights where they locks talons with each other and grapple as they spiral to the ground in a free-fall. So if Franklin didn’t think the bald eagle fit the bill for the national emblem, then what bird did? He felt the turkey was more suitable bird. Not only was it native to the Americas, he also claimed that turkeys wouldn’t hesitate to attack British soldiers wearing their red coats who had come to invade their land. Why was the bald eagle chosen? Supposedly, at an early battle of the Revolutionary War, the noise of the men fighting had awoken some bald eagles that were sleeping peacefully. Apparently, the eagles didn’t much like the skirmish and flew circles over the battle, screeching the whole time. It’s said the American soldiers took these shrieks as a symbol of freedom and used it as motivation to continue fighting. Whether or not that incident factored in on June 20, 1782 when the bald eagle was chosen as the national emblem or not is debatable. But nevertheless, the bird was chosen and its long life, great strength and stately looks have graced the backs of our coins and The Great Seal of the U.S. that occupies the floor of The Oval Office in The White House. Eagle Snippetz
Issue 616
SNIPPETZ WATCHES THE SKY: ALIEN SIGHTINGS by Lindsey Harrison “It was the darndest thing I’ve ever seen. It was big. It was very bright. It changed colors and was about the size of the moon. We watched it for 10 minutes but none of us could figure out what it was. One thing’s for sure, I’ll never make fun of people who say they’ve seen unidentified objects in the sky.” – President Jimmy Carter Have you ever looked up into the night sky to ponder the meaning of life, only to have your revelry interrupted by a flash of light that streaked across the sky? Or maybe you were driving with your family and saw something hovering over a huge cornfield in Kansas that looked like nothing you’d ever seen before. If you haven’t had a first-hand experience of this kind, you’ve probably heard stories about people who say they have. It’s hard to deny that our country has a particular fascination with the idea of visitors from outer space. If you’re into the conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, a military base located in a remote part of Nevada, or you’re a “E.T.” buff who can quote every line from the movie, you’re in good company; millions of people are “alien obsessed.” So Snippetz decided to take a peek into the mystery surrounding these alien sightings! What is a U.F.O.? The acronym “U.F.O.” stands for “unidentified flying object.” That’s not very specific but the bottom line is that whatever object people are reporting to have seen is unidentifiable and usually is attributed to some sort of alien life form. And these sightings occur pretty frequently. The National U.F.O. Reporting Center is located in a former underground nuclear bunker in Harrington, Wash. According to its records, an estimated 5,000 new U.F.O. sightings are reported each year and their records contain as many as 70,000 total reported sightings from as far back as the 1950s. While the Reporting Center may have records from over 50 years ago, that doesn’t mean sightings hadn’t occurred until then. In fact, there are some well-recorded accounts that go back as far as the 1560s. Nuremberg, Germany – 1561 Reported two different German broadsheets (what amounted to newspapers in that century) was an account shown of several strange objects in the sky. Hans Glasser was an eyewitness to the event and just so happened to be a professional illustrator as well. He depicted the sighting through an engraving which showed the objects ranging from huge globe-like shapes to massive cigar-shaped ones. They appeared to be battling each other. Part of the engraving showed two of the U.F.O.s (since they really are unidentifiable) having smashed into the ground with smoke spiraling up from the wreckage. Along with the engraving, Glasser included a description of what he saw. He said he and many other men and women witnessed the objects fly back and forth, seeming to fight amongst themselves for over an hour. Once they had apparently run out of steam, Glasser claims they all fell from the sky, crashed to the ground and burned to ashes. Massachusetts – 1639 Colonial governor John Winthrop made an entry in his journal that described the account of James Everall. Winthrop wrote that Everall saw a great light in the night over the Muddy River, more formally known as the Charles River. Winthrop made sure to state that Everall was a sober, discreet man so as not to confuse his sighting with that of any drunken hallucinations reported around that time. According to Winthrop, Everall said the “great light” was about nine feet long and flew up and down the length of the river for up to three hours. The object supposedly contracted and took on the shape of a pig, a rather unusual shape for a U.F.O. but who are we to judge, really? Anyway, Winthrop goes on to say that a variety of other credible witnesses also saw the same light in about the same place. Naturally, no one could explain it and although the sighting was attributed to “some operation of the devil” by James Savage, who edited the journal in 1835, others firmly believe it was a genuine U.F.O sighting. Delaware – 1860 On Friday, July 13, 1860 (yes, we know . . . Friday the 13th, how cliché) Wilmington, Del. in nearly its entirety was awash with a pale blue light. Supposedly, people began noticing a massive object, estimated at about 200 feet long flying about 100 feet above the ground. An account printed in the Wilmington Tribune even stated that the object sparkled in the manner of a rocket. Even stranger still, the object seemed to have brought along reinforcements because people claimed a pitch-black cloud could be seen flying in front of it. And they also claimed that tagging along about 100 feet behind the principle object were three glowing red balls. Once the object turned south over the Delaware River, a fourth ball apparently joined the parade and the caravan flew around for a while before heading east and disappearing from sight. Washington State – 1947 Pilot and businessman Kenneth Arnold was flying his small two-seater plane near Mt. Rainier on June 24, 1947 when he supposedly saw nine U.F.O.s flying nearby. He said the objects looked like pie plates, sort of saucer-like and that they moved erratically. When he gave his report to a newspaper reporter, the writer changed Arnold’s description to that of a “flying saucer” and thus, the first flying saucer sighting was recorded into the pages of history. Arnold claimed to have had the objects in his sight for up to three minutes. In 1977, Arnold attended an international conference on U.F.O.s in Chicago and added more descriptive language to his previous statement about his sighting. He said the objects were moving at a speed of around 1,700 miles per hour and that they were shiny and appeared to be pulsating. He added that the objects “seemed to be alive in the center, to have the ability to change their density.” And the icing on this otherworldly cake of alien sightings . . . North Carolina – 2008 Compliments of the Reporting Center we mentioned above, we have a record of a sighting reported on Feb. 20, 2008. The report indicates that a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot was spending a peaceful evening on his front porch watching the lunar eclipse. The 47-year-old claimed that out of nowhere, a bright round object appeared. He stated that the object, which he said flew in a straight line in what looked like a straight line toward Earth, was very obviously not “a naturally formed object.” He claimed the light then crossed directly in front of the moon which, by that time had been fully eclipsed. He then said the light shot off to the right of the moon and disappeared. In his report, the event only lasted about five seconds. The former pilot made sure to clarify that he had 20/12 and 20/15 vision in his eyes, was not a “U.F.O. nut” and that based on his experience, the object was making intelligent turns, almost as if it were purposefully flying around the moon. He added that it was moving extremely fast. As you can imagine, it’s difficult to verify these claims of U.F.O sightings but supposedly one study was done that indicated at least one-third of the Earth’s population believes in the existence of aliens and their U.F.O.s. It definitely makes you wonder . . . are we alone? Issue 617
SNIPPETZ IS FAIRLY EXCITED: WE'RE OFF TO THE FAIR! by Lindsey Harrison “If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair, because five minutes at the fair and you’ll be going, ‘You know, we’re alright. We are dang near royalty.’” – Jeff Foxworthy, comedian If you close your eyes and imagine you are at a fair, what’s one of the first things you think of? Maybe it’s the flashing lights of the games and vendors along the midway. Or maybe you imagine the slightly queasy feeling you get when you’ve just gotten off that creaky rollercoaster. Or perhaps it’s the strange combination of smells that you can only find at a fair. Cooking meats like hotdogs and hamburgers mingle with the sweet smell of funnel cakes and cotton candy, all topped off with the pungent smell of livestock. There’s truly nothing like it in the world. And at first glance, the idea of mixing rides, games, food and animals in one place might seem a little strange. After all, the smell of goat doesn’t typically make you hungry for a big meal of random fair food. Regardless of all that, fairs have been around for centuries and have become so popular that just about every state has their own fair which is held place annually. And as usual, Snippetz has rounded up some information to satiate your hunger for state fair facts! HISTORY OF THE FAIR Fairs have traditionally be a place of gathering where people can display, sell or trade their goods and display their animals. Sometimes, as is the case in modern fairs, entertainment such as games was included. In the Middle Ages, fairs were typically a form of temporary marketplace for travelers, both local and international, could come together to participate in trade. Because this type of venue offered access to large amounts of people gathered in one place, vendors could make a decent profit off the sale of their wares in a relatively short amount of time. And fair-goers could be assured of a large variety of products to peruse. Sometimes fairs were held for just a day, while at other times, they lasted for 10 weeks or more. As fairs gained in popularity, rather than cropping up in random places, cities and towns began dedicating spaces specifically for fairs. The timing of these more regularly-occurring fairs was often in conjunction with a special religious occasion, in particular the anniversary of the dedication of a church. Churchyards were the prime place for these fairs to set up and were often held annually on the feast day of the patron saint to whom that particular church was dedicated. A PIE-POWDER COURT? As you can probably imagine, in the early days of the fair, many people would be gathered in a relatively small area. And naturally, things had the potential to get out of hand. In order to “keep the peace,” officials were chosen to handle dole out discipline when necessary. These officials were clumped together into a make-shift court, called the pie-powder court. The name comes from an Old French term literally meaning “dusty feet.” The pie-powder court would see to the adjudication of any infraction or dispute that arose within the fairgrounds. FROM STATE TO STATE FAIR While fairs have been around for quite some time, state fairs in particular have been around since the 1800s. State fairs as larger versions of regular fairs or county fairs and include livestock and agriculture competitions as well as recreational activities like games and rides. Most competitors at state fairs are the winners of their local county fair in their respective category. State fairs are significantly larger than their local counterparts, sometimes admitting more than one million fair-goers over the one or two-week period in which they are held. The first state fair in the United States was held in Syracuse, NY in 1841 and has been held annually ever since. At last count, there are about 80 different state fairs. That doesn’t quite match up with the 50 states but there’s a good reason for the discrepancy. Several states hold more than one state fair, usually at different times and in different locations. For example, Georgia holds four state fairs annually, one in Macon in the spring, one in Atlanta in the fall, one titled the “Georgia National Fair” in Perry, and one titled the “North Georgia State Fair” in Marietta. Texas is another state that hosts more than one state fair. The State Fair of Texas held in Dallas holds the record for the largest number of people in attendance each year. The estimate is 3,000,000 people. YOU ATE WHAT?! What would a state fair be without some unusual sights, sounds and yes, foods. It’s become quite the custom in state fairs around the country to bring a wide variety of tasty treats for fair-goers to enjoy. But lately, the trend has been to create something unique, maybe even a bit strange but delicious nonetheless. Here are a few of the more interesting creations from across the nation. Chicken-fried bacon – as the winner of the Best Taste at the 2008 Big Tex Choice Awards, this dish is a clear indicator of our country’s recent obsession with all things bacon. Fried butter balls – yep, that’s right. This treat is simply butter dipped in batter and then tossed in a deep-fryer. The Montana State Fair proudly boasts this selection. Pickle pop – have you ever had a craving for something cold, tangy and . . . pickle-y? Well, head to the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson where pickle juice is frozen and served as a popsicle. Fried pickle on a stick – speaking of pickles, what better way to enjoy one than to shove it onto a stick and deep fry it. If you’ve ever had deep-fried pickle slices, you’ll understand the importance of this creation. Deep-fried Twinkies – we all know that Twinkies aren’t exactly the picture of health food but the folks at the Indiana State Fair decided to kick it up a notch and freeze the snack before giving a dip in a deep-fryer so it doesn’t melt away in the hot oil. Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich – the name says it all . . . this treat is simply a sliced Krispy Kreme doughnut containing a fried chicken patty and a slice of Swiss cheese. Thanks, California for that lovely invention. Krispy Kreme hamburgers – not to be outdone by California, the Alabama State Fair has introduced a hamburger that defies all laws of physics. Well, not really but it does contain 67 grams of fat. Ugh. This dish contains a quarter-pound hamburger, bacon, cheese and not one but two Krispy Kreme doughnuts serving as the bun. Spaghetti and meatballs on a stick – the Minnesota State Fair has come up with the perfect solution for all those fair-goers who crave something a little more substantial but just can’t take the time to sit down for a meal. Enter the spaghetti and meatballs on a stick treat, in which spaghetti is mixed into a meatball and then the whole thing is cooked, battered, fried (of course) and shoved onto a stick before taking a quick roll in some marinara sauce. Mealworm-covered caramel apples – so far, this treat has only appeared once at the Arizona Exposition and State Fair. Since it is just what it sounds like, there’s probably a good reason for that! Fried beer – yep, once again, you read that correctly. The Texas State Fair has found a way to fry beer by injecting it into a nugget of pretzel dough and then tossing it in the deep-dryer. Just what will they think of next? STATE FAIR SNIPPETZ
Issue 618
MISERY LOVES COMPANY: SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE ART OF COMPLAINING by Lindsey Harrison “I personally believe we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.” – Jane Wagner, comedian Believe it or not, there is actually a right way and a wrong way to complain. For all you parents out there who have had to endure night after night of your child or children complaining about the dinner you’ve served or that they have “nothing” to wear for school the next day, this might not sound likely at all. There is no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to complaining; no complaining is good complaining. But in the business world or even as a consumer, there are definite do’s and don’ts when it comes to lodging a complaint. The way to correct way to complain in a restaurant is not the same as the correct way to complain about your boss. So how do you know what to do in each situation to be heard and find a speedy resolution to the problem? Leave it to Snippetz to lay it all out for you! HOW DO WE COMPLAIN? There are really just two basic types of complaints: instrumental and expressive. Instrumental complaints are useful in that they are intended to achieve a certain goal. Let’s say you order soup at your favorite restaurant and there’s a fly in it. If you complained to the server at the restaurant about the fly, it’s probably because you want something to be done about it. You probably want the server to solve the problem of your soup being inedible by bringing you a fresh bowl, sans fly. That’s the goal. In expressive complaining, there isn’t really a goal in mind. The complainer is typically just trying to explain how they are feeling, often called venting. Complaining that your jeans are too tight is one example. There isn’t really a goal in mind when you complain about the jeans; you’re just venting about something that’s bothering you. And usually, you feel better after you’ve vented. It’s this second type of complaining that can become a bit of a nuisance when someone does it all the time. While it can be helpful to vent to create a bond, connection or feeling of camaraderie with others who can empathize with how you feel, overusing expressive complaining can often do just the opposite. It can create a rift between people by highlighting the negative a bit too much. People are often turned off by this type of interaction if it happens more than necessary. WHY DO WE COMPLAIN? Why we complain obviously has a lot to do with what’s going on around us. Whether or not we realize we are complaining, it happens every day and there are several main reasons why we do. Reason #1: To “break the ice” – this is what you are doing when you complain about the weather to a complete stranger as you wait in line for your coffee at the local coffee shop. Reason #2: To avoid taking action – this is what you are doing when you complain about how hungry you are to your mom and she tells you to get a snack but you just complain more about how there’s nothing to eat when the pantry is full. Reason #3: To control others – this is what you are doing when you complain to your friend about how much you dislike someone else in the attempt to sway their opinion of said person and side with you. Reason #4: To demonstrate superiority – this is what you are doing when you complain about the driver ahead of you who failed to use their turn signal because you are implying that you are a better driver who always uses your turn signal. Reason #5: To excuse anticipated poor performance or behavior – this is what you are doing when you storm into your office complaining about how awful the traffic was on your commute as a way to justify being late. Reason #6: To be funny – this is what you are doing when you complain about how you were so tired when you woke up that you tripped getting into the shower and cracked your head on the wall. While these types of complaining are often considered the most common, there’s also the situation in which a complaint is completely necessary. Two very popular examples are while dining at a restaurant or when a product or service doesn’t meet your expectations. So how do you effectively handle a situation like that? Read on! HOW TO COMPLAIN IN A RESTAURANT We’ve all heard the horror stories about what can happen to your food if you complain about it while dining out. But people typically have a higher work ethic than that and will honestly try to satisfy their customers rather than exact some covert type of revenge on them. But complaining effectively can go a long way to determining what type of response you’ll get.
HOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A PRODUCT OR SERVICE Outside of the food service industry, there are times when a product or service just isn’t up to snuff. That’s where the often-frustrating world of customer service representatives comes into play. Here are a few ideas for how to deal with these reps effectively.
COMPLAINING SNIPPETZ
Issue 619
SNIPPETZ TOILS IN THE SOIL DOWN ON THE FARM by Lindsey Harrison 
“The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchen, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard.”
– Joel Salatin, author It’s pretty safe to say that farming and agriculture are the backbone of this nation. They have sustained generations of families as they built their lives and this country. Although the tradition has lasted the test of time, farming now looks very different from the way it did in the early years of the United States’ history. How has it changed? What has stayed the same? More importantly, what has farming contributed to our way of life? In a word, lots. But Snippetz would never leave you hanging with such a simple explanation. Read on to discover more about farming and how its impact has affected every one of us! FARMING INFORMATION There are four main types of farms: crop, hay, livestock and mixed. Crop – this type of farm is for growing crops only. Many include a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. Hay – this type of farm is for growing grass and legumes only. These crops are usually grown, harvested and sold to livestock owners, although it is sometimes exported for sale overseas. Livestock – this type of farm is for raising and caring for animals such as cattle, chickens and pigs. Often livestock farms involve breeding operations to maintain the herd, while sales are frequent as well to make sure not to overload the farm with animals. Mixed – this type of farming involved two or more types of farming located on one farm. The most common pairing is livestock and crop or hay production and usually consists of cattle and grain as their main focus. THE HISTORY OF FARMING Farming in Europe in the Middle Ages was back-breaking work, as it still can be today. Most farmers did not own the land they worked. Instead, they worked the land for the person who owned it, acting as serfs. The land owner, in turn, provided protection and the opportunity for the farmer to use a portion of the land to farm for his family’s needs. Naturally, these early farmers didn’t have access to tractors and often didn’t even own a single ox to help perform the work that would have taken several strong men to complete. Oxen were often shared among farmers within a village in order to get through the plowing, seeding and harvesting times. By utilizing the available oxen, farmers were able to strap large metal-tipped ploughs to the “beasts of burden” to turn the soil and create rows in which seeds could be sewed. Harrows, which were dragged across the soil and pushed the dirt back over the seeds that had been planted, were the other essential tool of the early farmer. Farming generally had two times of the year in which the land produced crops. The spring brought crops including barley, oats, peas and beans. The fall brought crops to include wheat and rye. Using crop rotation, something still in use in farming today, farmers were able to plant different crops on the same field during different years. Doing so allowed the soil to retain certain nutrients that were needed for one crop while using other nutrients needed to support another. FARMING IN THE U.S.A. Since the early settlers in the U.S.A. had emigrated from Europe, the crops they used were the same as those used across the Atlantic, with one main difference. The settlers learned about corn and how to grow it from the natives they encountered when they took over the land. The livelihood of roughly 90 percent of the early settler population was agricultural. While most farms were small and intended strictly for the use of the family that owned and worked it, some farmers realized the potential profit in exporting their agricultural products. To speed up production, farmers began thinking more innovatively. Tools such as the sickle and scythe were effective but really only served one purpose: to cut hay, wheat and barley during harvest time. But in the 1750s, tools like the cradle scythe, a wooden tool with fingers that arranged the stalks of grain which essentially tripled the amount of work a single farmer could do in one day, became popular and helped farmers work their fields more quickly and effectively. Compliments of a huge increase in European population in the mid-1700s, farmers in America were able to make a great living by exporting their farming products, like wheat and barley. In fact, by 1770, a bushel of wheat cost as much as twice what it had cost in 1720. About the same time, flaxseed also became popular, as did corn and both products were exported for international use overseas. Cotton was also increasing in popularity, especially in the region from North Carolina arcing through to Texas, where the climate was ideal for cotton-growing. Recognizing the importance of this crop and seeking to simplify its harvesting, Eli Whitney developed a machine called the cotton gin, which separated seeds, hulls and other unwanted materials from the cotton after it had been picked. He obtained a patent for his invention on March 14, 1794 and by the 1800s, in part thanks to Whitney’s machine, cotton had become a main crop in the southern states and the use of slaves to harvest the cotton had become commonplace. THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 Since settlers had first set foot on this continent, disputes of property boundaries and claims to plots of land had been an issue. Figuring out how the federal government would distribute these pieces of land was also a major concern. The Land Ordinance of 1785 standardized the size of the plots the government owned into six-mile square territories called townships. These townships were then divided into 36 one-square mile (or 640 acre) sections. Selling this land at $1 per acre for each 640-acre plot was thought to be a great source of revenue for the government. After years of rewrites, revisions and flat out vetoes by the government, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862 on May 20 of that year. The law basically said that any U.S. citizen could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of government land. Over the course of the next five years, the homesteaders had to live on and improve the plot of land by building a 12-by-14 dwelling (the actual units of measurement were no specified and created confusion and conflict) and growing crops. Having done so, the homesteader could then file for the deed of title to the land by submitting the appropriate paperwork. Unbeknownst to the people of that time, this particular act served to spread farming across the continent like a virus spreads across the Internet. The Railroad Act followed six months later and by May of 1869, a transcontinental railroad was built. The promise of land and freedom lured many immigrants and other adventurous and ambitious people to the west to claim their piece of the U.S. By and large, family farms, albeit a loose term, are the most prolific type of farm in the country today. Residential or “lifestyle” farms, described as small farm whose operators report a major occupation other than farming, account for over 36 percent of the total farms in the country. Less than one percent of the U.S. population actually claims farming as their occupation. COLORADO FARMING August is typically the beginning of the Colorado’s harvests. So what are some of these local crops we as Coloradans can enjoy fresh from the farm? Rocky Ford Melons – located in southeastern Colorado, Rocky Ford produces watermelons as well as cantaloupes, which are often considered the town’s most popular product. Rocky Ford is also considered one of the nation’s premier melon-growing towns. Palisade Peaches – located on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains, Palisade is not only a renowned producer of peaches but is also considered to be the heart of Colorado wine country. Pueblo Green Chiles – located roughly 45 minutes south of Colorado Springs, Pueblo is the place to go for green chiles. This particular type of chile can’t be grown anywhere else so whether you like mild, medium or hot, Pueblo’s the only place to get these chiles. Olathe Sweet Corn – located near the western boundary of the Black Canyon in the Gunnison National Park, Olathe produces sweet corn unlike any other. And Colorado grocery stores and farmers’ markets are the prime place to get your hands on this local crop. |
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