[GAMES] Myriad of Activities (2022-2023)

Deleted • 25 June 2022 at 8:33 AM

Hi there! This is Myriad of Activities by laylamocha!
You are welcome to share your opinion, experience, emotion and knowledge about the prompt! I am even happier if you do some proper research about cherries and tell me about it!

The first prompt is #1 What do you know about cherries?
(Deadline : 25th July 2022)


Prizes : FlourKitty, Hipparchus, Mryell, Nilbinne, NN_SKY_NAT4
https://eggcave.com/trades/1007823/show

No fighting in the comments below, please be civilised folks.

mightyeglantine • 25 June 2022 at 8:58 AM

I know that not all cherry trees produce fruit, many varieties of fruit trees serve only ornamental purposes which I think is both funny and a bit upsetting as there is so much potential for food there. This is also very common within like all fruiting tree species in that they're not all guaranteed to produce viable fruits, but this is very prominent in cherry trees, especially the famous Japanese cherry trees with the pink/white blossoms that are so heralded here in the West. Also cherry trees are monoecious which means all trees aren't simply male or female, they're both. All cherry trees have both male and female flowers on the same tree as opposed to being a dioecious species that would have separate gendered trees with male flowers on one and female flowers on another. (source: I studied botany in college lol)

& for a bit less scientific and more anecdotal knowledge; Here in the US as a kid I remember reading a story in school about immigration and Ellis Island which was a hub for immigrants arriving into the US on the East coast. The story we read in class was 'The Orphan of Ellis Island' which follows a young boy who takes a class trip to a museum and somehow is transported back in time and relives his own families journey of coming to America from Italy. A part of the journey that always stuck with me is the death of one of the characters who ate cherry pits out of desperation and a desire to stave of the hunger he felt throughout the journey to Ellis Island. I probably read this story 15+ years ago now but it has stuck with me for all that time.

Deleted • 26 June 2022 at 9:14 AM

@mightyeglantine

That story sounds very interesting, and it looks like it was published in the 1997! I will definitely check that out, the plot intrigues me.
Hm, we recently bought cherries from the supermarket and they were imported from Turkey and were Napoleon cherries. Their origin is from Germany, based off a brief search- no in-depth research.. yet 😋


You can choose to ping each other if you want to chat about it more.. or should we continue in the Discussions? I don't really mind, so post wherever you (the reader) feels comfortable!

snowywinter • 26 June 2022 at 1:13 PM

- - - -

Original reply:

I know that Cherries are very delicious. 😋
I kind of already liked them as a kid, but not as much as bananas, apples, or oranges. Then My Grandpa brought over a batch of fresh Black Cherries (the darkest I have ever seen) and since they were his favorite, I quickly fell in love with them. They were good by themselves anyhow.
For the record... No sugar added cherry pie does not work as well as no sugar added apple pie *makes 'blech' face* Too tart for my liking. (Even when sweet ones are used.)

Your post amplified the craving I already had going for fresh cherries, so I looked up to see if they were ready yet (it's one of my state's #1 crops, but we don't have nearly as long of a growing season as the West Coast,) not for a couple more weeks.
And I learned (last night) that Black Cherries are usually called sweet cherries. ...Which I found odd, as around my area Black Cherries have always been sold as their own unique category. (Tart, Sweet, and Black.) But it explains why the past few years the grocery stores have "gotten away with" selling some of the red ones as blacks. (Turns out that it's another variety of black cherry. I had thought maybe it was a hybrid. I honestly hadn't seen the dark red/ light black ones until a few years ago.)

Coincidentally I also learned that some of the growers in my state are importing some trees with the Hungarian breed of Cherry! (Started two years ago)
(I'm curious what they taste like, but at the same time am feeling defensive, since we developed our very own varieties and they are absolutely delicious. - And I'm not being biased because it's my state. I get a lot of ire for preferring another state's apples.)

- Aronia Berries are a type of Cherry. (Why don't we have any?! They are delicious!!! ...or at least the juice is. I never got to try the fresh fruit version.)

- Cherries are considered to have anti-inflammatory properties.
(They just cause my blood to thin out... almost to the point of anemia.)

Google says:
*ends up wanting to type almost everything from this site so just going to link it*
https://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/cherry-fun-facts/
buuuut, I *did* already know they are called a Stone fruit ^^
Did *not* know : that they may have originated in the Black and Caspian Seas area of Asia Minor around 70 B.C. Thank you global commerce! ❤️
This site says we've been eating them since around 300 BCE https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82858/13-sweet-facts-about-cherries *
...and 'Bing' variety name may have origins as [Redacted... may go against rules to post here... but it's super interesting imo!]

Oh yeah... and last night i was reading a blog that said Midwesterners prefer tart cherries. o.O ...That certainly doesn't hold true in my neck of the woods. I don't know anyone besides pie makers who prefer them. Everyone I know in a several county radius buys the sweet cherries for consumption and pie making.
And that the West Coast prefers sweet cherries. (Yet when we find tart cherries, even at local farmers markets, they're almost exclusively from Washington.) o.O Where and what info is that blogger basing their opinion off of? (I mean there's a lot more states that are a part of the Midwest, but still.) Truly I'd like to know (just not enough to reach out and ask them for their source.)
* (that site may have a clue. growing 50% of the nation's tart cherries is a lot ...But where are they all going?! You hardly ever see them at market here.)


- - - -

Interaction section of reply:

to mightyeglantine's point about non-food producing trees: All my younger life everyone told me that crab-apples are inedible. Then as an adult doing my own reading (thank you internet) I find out they are completely 100% edible, they're actually one of the older breeds, and there's so many recipes out there for their use.
(Sorry about all the talk of apples. Apple and cherry talk is almost inseparable in the culture where I live.)

Woot for Botany!

mightyeglantine • 26 June 2022 at 3:19 PM

@snowywinter
More interaction:

Apples are actually one of those crazy ancient fruits that can be traced back centuries to the steppes of Mongolia. In Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan there is so many varieties of apples that come from ancient varieties that its almost impossible to name/study them all. One of my professors spent much of her time in Kyrgyzstan working with small villages to build sustainable and equitable systems for farming from the soviet aftermath of forced settlement of otherwise nomadic peoples and she says that just about every family in every village was growing apples and nearly every family was growing a different variety of apple. Apples are also a fruit that when planted have no guarantee they'll produce fruit, and even less of a guarantee to produce edible fruits; and you almost certainly won't be able to grow the same variety of apple as the seeds you planted as apple trees are insect pollinated and there is no way to dictate the genetics of the parent crops without manual hand pollination which isnt very feasible for a tree with 100+ flowers.

snowywinter • 26 June 2022 at 4:11 PM

@mightyeglantine That is really cool that your professor help time spread the the methods of sustainable farming practices there! (for decades it's been my dream to move to a farm and do it that way myself. Until then I've supported the small local farms that do when I can. ...and they have some of the most delicious produce! ...40ish years ago it used to taste like that from the supermarket too... But now it's like foods from two completely different planets.) The past couple weeks I've been watching a lot of videos on reforestation, homesteading, and permaculture. ^^ (Mostly just for the good of my mental health.)
I forget what the programme topic was that I was watching, but there's an effort in some African communities to spread heirloom seed diversity (after modern crops led to food shortages, as those those plants couldn't handle the environmental conditions there.) It was neat seeing it in progress (unlike the exchanges I've run across where it's words on a computer screen. Reminded my of the old days of going to the farmer's markets with my Grandparents and Aunts. Here these women had their beautiful handwoven baskets and people were calling out what seeds they had and who needed what. Community networking in action... in person!

I forgot that apple tress essentially produce different fruit even on one tree. Thanks for the reminder!
(Mmmm bees. ...another other pollinators too. But I love bees. sooo many varieties of those too. lol
We let the white goldenrod grow wild in our yard, city ordinance be darned. Really helps the bees out in late fall.)
I have seen video of people hand pollinating their apple trees though when they were determined to get certain varieties. (They had some sort of mesh covering the trees... Not bird netting, this was a finer weave to keep the bugs at bay as much as possible.) (Dang, that was dredged up deep from the depths of memory. No idea where it is from. Brain is saying it could be something on PBS on genetics ...or pollinators... or could even be from the segment in high school when we were learning about botany.)

mightyeglantine • 27 June 2022 at 1:12 AM

@snowywinter

I got my degree in Environmental Science and my focus was on botany so I'm all about plants! Here in my area of the US (Southwest) there is an organization called Nativeseedsearch that focuses on cataloguing, distributing and preserving native seed varieties from the Southwest region and theyre pretty amazing. Especially since these seeds have adapted for years to the arid dry heats and low moisture of the desert. I have been slowly stockpiling their seeds and hope to be able to move to a stable place with enough space for gardening in the next year or so!

Deleted • 27 June 2022 at 9:45 AM

@snowywinter

The cherry fun facts are nice to know 😊
Did any of you have any good times picking cherries at farms? How would you compare cherry pies and apple pies? (Both sweetened with sugar, of course!)

About crab-apples, I think that I may have tried them once, it's those tiny little apples which are super crunchy and mildly sweet, right? If crab apples are what I think you mean, I think that I quite enjoy eating crab apples!

White goldenrod look very beautiful, it must be a sight to behold!

@mightyeglantine

It intriguing to know that apples don't guarantee a harvest, and that some aren't edible. What happens to the varieties which aren't edible? Are those fed to livestock or no.. Have you ever visiting those villages or ever plan to?


Right, since the main prompt is about cherries, and we've moved a little far from the topic how about we use the lonely [Discussion] section which is in general? Come back to this forum if you've got anymore stories about cherries, or a fact you'll like to share! Or just have fun describing what cherry types you've come across and the shape and sizes you have seen!

https://eggcave.com/forums/topic/76533

kataclysm • 28 June 2022 at 5:04 AM

I gotta say, the only thing I know about cherries is that they're delicious. I do happen to work at a site where a cherry tree grows in the back yard, and it's a beautiful sight to behold around this time of year. Little green globes slowly turning red with the early summer sunlight. ❤️

Deleted • 28 June 2022 at 6:05 AM

@kataclysm That sounds magical, are you able to pluck any?

kataclysm • 28 June 2022 at 6:25 AM

@laylamocha
Indeed I am! I work at an Eating Disorder recovery home with young adults and one of the therapeutic activities we do is harvest the cherries and find ways to work them into meal plans. A lot of the time the folks enjoy baking, so it becomes a season of cherry flavoured confections and it really is a wonderful time.

Deleted • 29 June 2022 at 1:29 AM

@kataclysm
That's a really fun activity to do together! So, do you help out in consuming some of the baked confections?
With great amounts of food comes the great responsibility in sharing equal portions of goodies 😉

kataclysm • 29 June 2022 at 4:13 AM

@laylamocha
I sure do! A big part of the work we do is normalising eating, so we have all our meals together with the folks. When baked goods roll around, we always throw tea parties and get togethers to enjoy the fruits of our labours in a homely environment. It's a super rewarding job!

cranberrycat1 • 8 July 2022 at 4:36 PM

@laylamocha

I don't know much about cherries except that they are used in making pie 😊 and there are cherry blossom festivals that happen around the world. I know that the Japanese say that the cherry blossom is a symbol of friendship and call them Sakura. And that their trees don't produce fruit, but in my opinion, I think that their pink and white flowers are really pretty and make up for the fact that they don't produce fruit.

I know some common facts like ...
1. Seed is in the center of the fruit and is called a pit
2. You can eat the uncooked or cooked
3. Dogs and cats can't eat cherries
4. there are sweet and tart cherries
5. low on calories
etc.

Some facts I searched were ...
1. The average cherry tree has 7,000 cherries
2. A cherry tree can be harvested in seven seconds
3. Door County, Wisconsin, is nicknamed Cherryland USA
4. Traverse City, Michigan, is known as the Cherry Capital of the World
5. Midwest has ideal weather conditions for growing tart cherries
6. Michigan hosts official cherry pit-spitting contests-and they’re pretty awesome
7. Delivers some health benefits - packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
8. It’s likely George Washington never cut down a cherry tree

cited article: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/10-absolutely-delightful-facts-about-cherries/?adlt=strict&toWww=1&redig=D248217838E146958BC5ADC377F54554

Deleted • 6 August 2022 at 2:27 AM

The prompt is #2 How do you think we can balance between relaxing and working hard?
(Deadline : 25th August 2022)

cranberrycat1 • 6 August 2022 at 9:51 AM

You could work efficiently and effectively on the things you do while taking breaks in between to relax play or watch tv so you don’t become to submerged. You could spend time with your family and block out parts of the day in your work to do so. You could also balance these to things by working from set times and trying your hardest not to start before or after those set times (I get that important things can come up last second but I mean not let those consume to much time because if you work to much you might not be working to the best of your ability). For the rest of the day spend time with family and do other chores at your house with your family so they will be done faster and you can also spend time with family that way too and for me spending time with my family is the most fun and relaxing part of my day 😊 .

mightyeglantine • 9 August 2022 at 12:36 AM

I think the easiest way humans can find a balance between working and relaxing would require a complete restructure of society at large. Lol In my personal life all of my friends/coworkers/managers know that I very strongly advocate for a restructured day cycle, I feel everyone should be living in a 4-8-4-8 cycle.

By 4-8-4-8 I mean I think everyone should spend 4 hours asleep, awake for 8, sleep for 4 awake for 8. I think with this new cycle it'd be easier to find a work life balance especially as for most everyone who is working a regular 9-5 job, they're awake during the hottest hours of everyday which as climate change continues to raise the daily temperatures worldwide will only negatively impact our ability to be productive at those times. So with the average person sleeping for 4 hours at the latest part of the day, then being awake for early morning until the midday, sleeping for another 4 hours to avoid the heat of the day then being awake well into the night to enjoy both the calmness of nighttime as well as the good weather brought on by time without sunlight.

This is however still a theory I'm trying to sell because most people don't think they could survive on 2 separate 4 hours periods of sleep. Although sleeping for one period of 8 hours is totally excessive once people reach adulthood as their growth slows down.

On a more mainstream note I think finding that fine balance between work and relax requires both discipline and the ability to say no. I've worked plenty of jobs that required tons of mental and emotional work from me while on the clock and it became really difficult at times to not take those things from work home with me at the end of the day, especially when a lot of the things I had to handle at work would be dragging from one shift to the next so I knew I'd have to deal with it later. But with the ability to say No as well as having the discipline to keep work problems out of mind when not actively at work it's not too hard to find peace.

kataclysm • 9 August 2022 at 6:29 AM

Peeeersonally, I think the line between relaxation and hard work is relative to the individual. I might look like I'm relaxing, but unless I'm at the mental place where I'm ready to put the work aside and embrace chilling out, it's no good to make me sit and pretend to relax. It's a fine line, and it's one that requires self-moderation and a deal of maturity. Especially when it comes to finding that line between relaxation and laziness.

What are some of you guys' preferred methods of relaxation? ... Apart from Eggcave, that is. (;

snowywinter • 13 August 2022 at 2:00 PM

I really don't think it could be better worded that how @kataclysm put it.

I'm trying to put into words this abstract idea how I feel about it and just keep coming up short.
But basically not working so much that other things get ignored in your life. And if all you are doing is working to try to make ends meet, than one needs to evaluate their life, take stock, and hopefully can make some major changes. (Even if that means moving to another country or adopting a whole new lifestyle.) If all one is doing is goofing off and can barely afford one activity to the next, it's time to think about contributing to society in some way.
But I really think it comes down to what one i getting out of life and if they are enjoying it. It's not a one size fits all issue. I mean, many people have turned goofing off into their careers. (i.e. travel bloggers.) (but if what something you once LOVED doing starts to feel like work... it's time to reevaluate all over again. lol.)

It's good to take quiet time to yourself, and just LISTEN to what your inner-self is telling you. Don't try to rationalize, just feel. See where it takes you. You can't work it out after the session of looking inward.


@kataclysm when I could, there was nothing better than going for a walk in the woods. Totally rejuvenating. I used to also love going to the dog park (30 acres, partially wooded.) Being surrounded by dogs was heavenly.
So was going to the state's biggest poultry show. Something about all that crooning from the chickens was soothing on a primal level. (Hard to get my limbic system to calm down that easily any other way. Listening to chickens in person is to me how most people experience "massage glow.")
Drinking mint tea still helps. Sometimes watching cartoons (but it has to be happy ones with nothing snarky or sad in it.) and when I have enough brain function, nothing helps get me in the zone like writing. I love writing fiction. (In a weird paradox, sometimes my social anxiety can be calmed down by emailing friends.)

@mightyeglantine
I definitely can NOT function on a 4-8-4-8. Thanks to ongoing insomnia and such I've actually been on that pattern a few times, and it is among the top five most exhausted I've felt in my life.

(I still feel most refreshed if I can sleep 7-8 hours straight... but I rarely achieve that anymore. ...and even on those days I still require a 1- 2 hour nap.)

Coincidentally though I first heard about it while talking to viking longboat reenactment crew. And that's the pattern they kept while sailed over the ocean. And apparently a lot of seafarers do too.



In closing thoughts... I recently read an article about the French lifestyle and how it was even written into their law that they get a LONG lunch break. It was meant to have adequate time to socialize in the middle of the work day. (I mean I knew about it from my forced French lessons ages ago, but it was interesting reading up on it again.)

This might be it
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/10/1103463809/why-eating-at-your-desk-is-banned-in-france-lunch-law