MAX FACTS
growing tips, news and trivia
Fresh Fruit in Space
What does fresh fruit look like in space? Follow NASA on Twitter to find out. Astronauts aboard
the International Space Station tweeted in celebration after fresh fruit arrived on board. NASA
sent out a celebratory picture of a fresh apple floating in free space, after the consignment of
produce made it into orbit courtesy of the recent Cygnus cargo craft that arrived with, among
other things, a cadre of ants. Fresh fruit and water are regularly sent to the space station
aboard the regular, though relatively infrequent, cargo shipments. Former ISS Commander
Chris Hadfield wrote in his recent book that as well as the fruit, astronauts on ISS look forward
to the breath of fresh air—literally—provided when the cargo pod opens for the first time.
(Source: freshplaza.com)
Promising Agricultural Drones
Small unmanned aircraft systems, better known as drones, hold great
promise for agriculture, says Kevin Price, Kansas State University
agronomist. Agriculture applications for drones in development include
data collection on crop health, yields, tracking the spread of invasive
plant species and monitoring cattle feed lots. Data collection of field
images by cameras mounted on drones is extremely accurate—to
within one inch, says Kevin, adding that the biggest challenge is
extracting useful data from the high amounts the drones collect.
“New software needs to be created that can take data and
transform it into useful information.” The economic
potential of drones is tremendous in terms of precision
agriculture but will not be realized without approval from the Federal
Aviation Administration. Kevin believes that states with the most
agriculture will reap the greatest benefits from the technology.
(Source: fb.org)
An Alien-like Cabbage
Looking something like a Sputnik in vegetable form, with a squat bulb and antennae-like
shoots, kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family. The name translates as turnip cabbage
and the mild, sweet flavor is somewhere between a turnip and a water chestnut, with a
crisp, crunchy texture. It can be found in two colors—pale green and, less commonly,
purple. Larger bulbs can be tough, so select a medium-sized one that feels heavy
for its dimensions. The leaves should be crisp-looking and intensely green. Avoid
any bulbs that have soft spots or yellowing leaves. To prepare it, snip off the leaf
stems, trim off the base and top and use a potato peeler or sharp knife to peel
it as if it’s an apple. Then, thinly slice, chunk or cut into wedges. To store, trim
off the stems and keep in a perforated bag in the fridge for up to two weeks.
(Source: bbcgoodfood.com)
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Maximum Yield USA | March 2014