Cincinnati Burgoo: ecology

Monday, April 14, 2008

Earth Day in Cincinnati, 2008

Earth Day is Tuesday April 22nd. Here are some links to events and celebrations in the Cincinnati area.

Earth Day at Sawyer Point is the big event held April 19th from noon until 7 PM. There will be music, contests, an awards ceremony and much more.

Glenwood Gardens Highfield Discovery Garden has programs this week to celebrate Earth Day. Learn how to beautify your world by planting flowers, learn how to reduce your impact on the earth by reducing, reusing and recycling everyday products. Programs are Tuesday (April 22nd) through Saturday (April 26th) at 10:45 am, 1 pm and 4 pm; Sunday (April 27th) at 1 pm and 4 pm.

Blue Ash Nature Park (4433 Cooper Road, Blue Ash, OH 45242 513-745-8550) is hosting an Earth Day event on Friday, April 25, 2008 from 4 PM to 7 PM. This special event will include Toyota, Rumpke, Veg Head, Gorman Heritage Farm, demonstrations, free samples, family activities and more.

This Land is Your Land Earth Day Celebration Thursday, April 18 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Fountain Square

To celebrate Earth Day 2008, Cincinnati Computer Cooperative (C3) will participate in the Recycling Collection event being held on Saturday April 19 at the Miami Township Service Department, 5900 McPicken Drive, in Clermont County from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and an E-Cycling event on Saturday April 26 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at its facility, 49 Novner Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio (Woodlawn) Phone 513-771-3262.

More links to events world-wide can be found at Earthday Network.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Seahorses in London

Little seahorses have been found in the Thames river in England as far upstream as London, according to this article in National Geographic. The Thames is an ecological recovery success story. Subjected to decades of pollution, the Thames was declared biologically dead in the 1950s. Serious efforts to clean up the river began about twenty years ago and have had marvelous results. The river is the cleanest it's been since pre-industrial times and a number of extirpated species are reclaiming their old stomping grounds. In addition to the seahorses, brown trout, Atlantic salmon, dolphins, seals and one lost whale have been spotted in the Thames in recent years.

Cincinnati Burgoo

I created this dish one day when I was thinking about making something using only ingredients native to the Americas. I thought it was quite original at the time, but later I found it had more than a passing resemblance to both Kentucky Burgoo and Brunswick Stew. I still quite like my version however and have taken to calling it Cincinnati Burgoo:

1 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole red chilies, minced
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 pound sweet corn, fresh or frozen
1 pound lima beans, fresh or frozen
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes OR
1 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 cup beef, chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onion and ground turkey in a small amount of vegetable oil until turkey is browned and crumbled. Add the zucchini, garlic and chilies and sauté for about five minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

I realize the onions and garlic aren't native to the Americas, but they add a nice flavor to the dish. Serve up some cornbread on the side.