art – A travelers odyssey

July 11, 2025

Our gardener friend is always on the lookout for fresh fruit and vegetables sourced from local farms and orchards. She often buys in bulk and then splits the cost (and produce) with Melissa. Several weeks ago, we got a baker’s dozen ears of corn (Zea mays), but we missed out on a bushel of fresh peaches (Prunus persica). She texted Melissa several days ago and said she had found another farm selling peaches nearby and she was going to get them. These were the free-stone variety that I really like, and I began to think of ways to use a half bushel of sweet Georgia peaches. After she bought them, she called Melissa and said she also had 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of cherries. When Melissa told me she was going to pick up the fruit, the only thought on my mind was, “What are we going to do with 10 pounds of cherries?”

When I went online, I found a cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus and is a fleshy stone fruit (drupe). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet Prunus avium and the sour Prunus cerasus. The English word cherry derives from Old Northern French or Norman “cherise” from the Latin “cerasum”. These are a reference to the ancient Greek region of Kerasous near Giresun, Turkey, where cherries were first thought to be exported to Europe. The name ‘cherry’ also refers to the cherry tree and its wood and is sometimes applied to almonds and visually similar flowering trees in the genus Prunus, as in “ornamental cherry” (Prunus serrulate) or “cherry blossom”. The word “cherry” is also used for some species that bear fruits with similar size and shape even though they are not in the same Prunus genus. These include species like the “Jamaican cherry” (Muntingia calabura) and the “Spanish cherry” (Mimusops elengi). Cherries, along with many other fruiting trees and plants, probably first arrived in North America around 1606 in the New France colony of Port Royal, which is modern-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.

While Melissa was picking up the cherries, I googled to find out what to do with 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of cherries. I was surprised to find several sites attempting to address the exact issue. It seems unless you buy a controlled amount in the grocery store, they come in bulk. The obvious choice (other than eating them fresh) was to turn them into jellies, jams, or preserves. Melissa occasionally eats jam, but I rarely do, so 10 pounds of cherry jam seemed a bit much. Then there was cherry cheesecake and other cherry desserts. Again, we rarely eat dessert, let alone 10 pounds of such. That is when I came across a recipe for brandied cherries (brandy, water, sugar). This was said to be like maraschino cherries but with a wonderful flavor. The suggestion was to replace the maraschino in your favorite cocktail, but they could be used in a variety of ways. When the cherries arrived, it turned out to only be five pounds (2.25 kg), or 5 each. Our friend also lent us her cherry pitter. This quickly popped out the seed rather than cutting the pits out of a bulk of cherries with a knife. Five pounds (2.25 kg) of cherries is still a lot.

THOUGHTS: As we were pitting the cherries Melissa came up with several ways to use them. We made four cups into two pints brandied cherries, one of which was destined to become cheesecake. Another four cups were reserved to become cherry crisp. The last batch we left unpitted for Melissa to snack on. The first cherry pitter dates to the 1880’s as home cooks sought to simplify the task of cutting the stones out of the cherries for canning, baking, or other food uses. A straw or chopstick can also be used to push out the pit. The pitter I used reminded me of the cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Both were designed to speed up the process and reduce the tedious task of seed extraction. Mechanical ingenuity saves time. These savings could/should be put back into building your family or community. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 21, 2025

Inside the front section of Monday’s newspaper was a USA Today article on the birth of a baby swell shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum). The swell shark pup hatched on January 3rd after an egg was spotted by the Shreveport aquarium’s animal husbandry team eight months ago. The birth could be from rare form of asexual reproduction (parthenogenesis), or from delayed fertilization. The two female sharks present in the tank had not been in contact with a male for more than three years. A DNA analysis once the pup is big enough for a blood sample to be taken will determine how the birth occurred, but it will take months before the test can be performed. “This situation is incredible and shows the resilience of this species,” said Greg Barrick, the curator of live animals at Shreveport aquarium. “We are very excited in the coming months to confirm whether this was indeed a case of parthenogenesis or if it was delayed fertilization.”

When I looked online, I found parthenogenesis (Greek parthénos, “virgin” and “génesis, “creation”) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly from an egg without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell. Parthenogenesis occurs naturally in some plants, algae, invertebrate animal species, and a few vertebrates (some fish, amphibians, and reptiles) and has been induced artificially in animal species that naturally reproduce through sex (fish, amphibians, and mice). Normal egg cells form in the process of meiosis (division) and have half as many chromosomes as their mother’s body cells (haploid). Such individuals are usually non-viable, and parthenogenetic offspring usually have a complete number of chromosomes (diploid). In parthenogenesis, the offspring having all of the mother’s genetic material are called full clones and those having only half are called half clones.

The baby shark has been named Yoko, after the Native American Chumash people’s word for shark (onyoko) and is said to be thriving, although sharks born by such reproduction face significant challenges. The aquarium staff said she will leave an “unforgettable legacy” to the study of shark reproduction and conservation. If Yoko was born via parthenogenesis, she would join a small number of invertebrate animals capable of “virgin births”. Laying eggs without mating is much rarer in vertebrates, but it has been seen in zebra sharks (Stegostoma tigrinum), sawfish (Pristis zijsron) and a handful of reptiles. This type of birth was first documented in Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) in 2006 in two separate British zoos. Charlotte, a stingray (Hypanus americanus) in an aquarium in North Carolina, was found to be pregnant in 2024 despite not having been in contact with a male for eight years. While scientists assume vertebrates turn to parthenogenesis when no mates are present, it is unknown why they occur and what triggers birth.

THOUGHTS: Whether Yoko was born from delayed reproduction or parthenogenesis, she is an extraordinary birth. The aquarium staff said she will leave an “unforgettable legacy” to the study of shark reproduction and conservation. While the behavior of domesticated animals has long been studied (ethology) attention has only focused on animals in the wild during the last century. What we have found is they are far more complex and diversified than we previously believed. The study has even forced us to reconsider what “makes us human”. It seems we are not so different after all. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.