Now initially you might think you don't need or even want to know about
butyrate (ˈbjuːtɪˌreɪt) noun,
any salt or ester of butyric acid, containing the monovalent group C3H7COO- or ion C3H7COO–, and when you then bumped into this, having first found out it is in butter, you might well panic:
Examples of butyrate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Clear plastic screwdriver handles are usually made from cellulose acetate butyrate, a material developed in the 1930s.
— Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "Why Do My Old Plastic Screwdriver Handles Stink?," 8 Oct. 2017
But then you would realize that lately it has had a great rise in reputation and helps maintain your biodome and aids in the production of key neurotransmitters that help both our gut and our brains to work. Apparently we make it when bacteria in our bellies ferment high fibre carbohydrates, but it is also, and here is the punchline, found in butter! The highest food source for it. I am relieved, and think I will just butter up everything!
At least these verbose scientist think so:
The neuropharmacology of butyrate: The bread and butter of the microbiota-gut-brain axis?
Good Morning
I have summoned my courage and am going to head up to Go Home for a couple of weeks. It will mean sketchy posting, but I intend to try, putting my phone to a true test of connectivity. But I think I will have to minimize searching and downloads, etc. However, there are a wealth of nature books up there and an ancient encyclopaedia Britannica, so fewer links and more of me blathering is my hope, but probably not yours!
It was very nice to see a wood-pecker poke his beak in.
Is your Scrabble app up to date with all the new words?
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Scrabble-Players-Dictionary/dp/0877798222/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407596556&sr=1-1&keywords=new+scrabble+dictionary
(red sky at morning)
For my daughter, who had a less than stellar, s.r.o. time w/ Ziggy last night at the State Fair.
Hi everybody… just returned from the UP of Michigan. I helped clean out a hunting camp that is being sold, and was given the cast iron for free. I brought back a total of 8 pieces, the two in the picture are the best ones. The griddle is indeed a number 9 Griswold, and the skillet is a Lodge #14 – I bet that skillet could easily hold 3 dozen eggs scrambled. I will take some more pictures when I have time – including better pictures of the markings.
If you need some venison sausage to go with those scrambled eggs, you know how to reach me. Oh, and might as well throw in some Serrano peppers and some Candy onions. I’ll be making some pico de gallo soon.
Popcorn Update 8/9/14
All is well in the popcorn patch. Tassels and silks began to show up a couple of days ago. In other words, there’s a lot of sex going on out there right now.
Nature really is luscious.
And I am having griddle envy. There is the most awesome propane stove up at the hunt camp our neighbour bought/inherited that has a warming oven in-between the stove burners and the main oven, that also is kind of a broiler/toaster depending on how you look at it. I always figured it could feed a dozen people breakfast all at once. That frying pan would fit right in!
We decided to lurk in Penetang one more night. Managed to slow the pace down, hubby hammered the props straight (again, but no one ever claims to have hit anything, or well, not when going fast … and then out it comes), one of them a spare. Went to Canadian Tire and took back the pump we took up last time that made the old pump fixable and got back our $300 smackeroonies, wandered through the woods, swam, hammered nails back into the dock boards (some of us might have mostly identified egregious examples and left the hammering to others), etc. Mum-in-law cooking rack of lamb.
And I really hate lame concerts, especially ones that cost money. Mais, qu’est-ce que c’est s.r.o.?
I just brought back up that darn app, We might be spending some quantity time together soon.
Your French looks like Greek to me, but contextually I will guess that my answer should be “standing room only”.
Qu’est-ce que c’est: What is it that it is? would be a sort of literal translation, but it sounds like Kess-ke-say, which is just funny somehow and I forget how much fringlish we speak up here. [Google translate came up with ‘what’s it?’, which just goes to show that French is wordy, and Google translate is kind of hip.] It is actually a secret plot to get you speaking enough French to pass as Canadian.
Bonne Matin, speaking of which.
I should have taken out the apostrophes to make it clearer:
que est ce que ce est?
But you can’t have two e’s together, it ain’t allowed.
psycho killer?
Mais oui! But yes!
Which actually makes the line “say something once, why say it again” almost a wicked pun.
You know, I never really noticed that was french. We have been brainwashed into a foggy bilingualism, even me, a total Anglo, as I think we are termed.
OK, back to cast iron. the picture below is the entire haul. the knife is an Old Hickory.
the ruler (and the cat’s head) for perspective. the skillet doesn’t look as huge in this picture as it really is (15 inches across).
Dude – i’ll take some serrano chiles. i have plenty, but they have hardly any heat?!? i can chew them up whole, seeds and all, and i am 100% Gringo. both of my serrano plants this year are duds.
EO – the griddle (10 1/2 X 22) is marked across the cooking surface top to bottom like this…
9
CAST IRON
GRIDDLE
GRISWOLD (small block logo)
ERIE PA.
U.S.A
909
this is the back of the Lodge skillet. i plan on reseasoning all of these in a campfire if i go camping again this year, otherwise this winter in the gas oven when i could use the extra heat.
i will decide what to keep after that. i have duplicates and triplicates of several skillet sizes now if either of you guys nearby need some for your collections or for use. i do cook with all of my stuff.
DP- knife, cat’s head? I’m thinkin’ as I read that you used the knife to cut off the cat’s head. Anywho, nice haul and I may be interested in some of your overstock.
My Serannos are doin’ well and if they are left to mature have a nice warmth. I like to put two of them in my morning smoothie along with a banana and vanilla Greek yogurt and if anything like blueberries are in season, those too, plus milk of course. Gotta live that sweet heat.
On the smaller skillets, it’s tough to tell if there’s anything collectible there without seeing the bottoms, though they certainly appear to be good users. I can’t remember if the collectible corn bread pans are the ones with the hole in the middle or the ones without (like yours). I think maybe one of those videos I posted addressed it. The handle on that one in the middle looks old and interesting, though I’m not sure what the pan is designed for.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure the Griswold markings are actually on the bottom of the griddle. The cooking surface should be the other side, though no doubt it could probably function either way.
That’s a nice haul for sure.
Looks like you have the more sought after BSR corn bread pan. See this vid around the 17-18 minute mark for discussion of BSR.
Very entertaining read from Josh Brown today. Free posting of one of the chapters from his book. This one all about Joe Granville. I go back to those days, plus you can just fill in the name with any number of other guys over the years. The pundit with the golden touch, suddenly can’t get anything right. It’s the oldest story in the world, but I just eat that sort of stuff up.
http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2014/08/10/exclusive-excerpt-the-man-who-moved-markets/
Biscuits. I bet that pan is for biscuits.
Old Hickory. Those are nice old carbon steel knives, I think. That’s a nice find all by itself.
thank you Xty for removing my messed up photograph.
Dude – i will sort through what i want to keep, and then barter with you. speaking of blueberries, i picked some this last week up in the U.P.
EO – the cornbread pan is not only modern, but made in China. in fact it is new and unused. i will keep it anyway for now because i do not have a better one, and i love corn bread made in cast iron. the other pan you ask about is called a plett pan and it is used for making Swedish pancakes. i will keep that also since i do not have another one. the bottom has an interesting pattern, but no markings other than the number 2. the other skillets are all Lodges except for one with no markings at all. one of the Lodges is old, two fairly modern.
the big Lodge skillet, and the Griswold griddle are the winners. i already found comparable items on e-bay. it appears that skillets and griddles of those sizes are uncommon.
Dangit, on the chinese pan. 😥
well, from the top view the Chinese pan does not detract from the collection.
it is weird but i have been looking for cast iron at antique stores, specifically large pieces, and have had little luck lately. all i really want now is a big Dutch oven. maybe i should just say larger than what i have now – 4.5 quart. i don’t know when or how i will use my Paul Bunyan sized skillet and griddle!
and the Old Hickory is better than the French knife i have been using. yes, the old carbon steel cannot be beat. it takes and edge, and keeps it. they just need to be treated a little nicer or they will rust. anyway, i have also been looking for a real steel French knife for some time also.
i think my wife has been right. she says to clarify exactly what you want, and put it out to the universe, and then just be patient.
youthful good lucks and a number 10 Dutch oven is all i need now. oh, and preferably they should also be free.
Oh yes, if you put them away wet, or god forbid, let them sit in the sink, they’ll rust right in front of your eyes. But it’s quick and easy to put an edge on them.
I sort of collect old pocket knives too, same story there.
Stainless Steel blades? No F’ing way. Once that crap goes dull, good luck ever sharpening it again. Might as well throw them away. That’s why the thrift stores are overflowing with them.
This post pretty much puts to rest any idea that commodities are a worthwhile long term investment or component of an asset allocation scheme. As if I didn’t already sense it from my own experience, lol. Definitely a “trading sardine”, not an “eating sardine.”
http://bencarlsonyahoofinance.tumblr.com/post/94534158595/are-commodities-for-trading-or-investing
Great chart on this one. 20 year total returns on pretty much every asset class out there.
1 chart shows just how badly average investor lags — even cash
Found a pretty good video on cast iron restoration. It’s comprehensive, and the only part I quibble with is maybe the wire wheel stuff. That scares me a bit so I wouldn’t go there with a precious pan.
This one is more short and to the point, but with the same basic process. I guess I probably like it because the girl is kind of cute and ditzy…and I’m a guy and…yeah, yeah, it is what it is, I know. 🙄
unless i don’t go camping yet this summer, and it is likely i will, i will wait to reseason my new old cast iron until winter. i have a gas oven, so no automatic self cleaning setting, but that is not much different than setting a gas oven at 550F. but at that temperature, i can heat most of the house on a winter day. if you are careful you can do the same decrudding process of old cast iron cookware in a campfire, once you have it down to mostly coals – a reducing environment for all of you chemists reading. heat it up evenly so it doesn’t warp, and don’t let it get glowing either.
that second video ends with a bit of a testimonial that she did it right. she claims to have cooked an egg in her skillet after she finished. cast iron is the first and the last non stick cookware. one cast iron skillet will outlast 10 X ? non-stick pans. even the new “green” pans are only one screw up away from losing their stick, i know, and besides they are worthless for searing a steak – no thermal mass.
i have found a use for the giant Lodge skillet already. my deep fryer went into the Goodwill box today. it never was any good for frying big fish filets. also not that great for pan fish. EO, you know i have a source for the fish too. it’s so much easier to dredge then drag and drop those blue gill filets over a big open skillet… thus keeping them from sticking to each other or the fryer basket…
i’m making myself hungry.
as usual, or as unusual at least lately, sorry for the ramble.
Grape Ape
and now some doobs for 44…
momma said ‘that ain’t no way to have fun, Son’.
All the women in the family are off on a trip to New York. My son and I are hunkered down for a weekend of peace and quiet and an all carnivore diet. Good times all around.
post some pictures EO and i will do the same. i think i’ll do something in cast iron on or in the grill, depending on what i find at the grocery store.
Will do. I think it will be a Chuck Roast in the cast iron dutch oven tonight. NY Strips tomorrow. Probably Wings and Baby Back Ribs on tap for the weekend. Eggs, bacon, and sausage served all day, just as in only the finest establishments. Oh, I have a nice piece of Ham too.
Maybe some Lipitor on the side, lol.
Remember last year when I posted some vids about how to do a steak in a cast iron pan? I sent all those to the kid up at school, he’s not a big fan of messing with charcoal. Apparently he has become quite the adept at the pan method, impressing both the girlfriend and her mom. Everytime I see them he tells me about all the steaks he’s done in the cast iron pan I gave them.
I’ll find out tomorrow if he has the courage to show me how it’s done, or whether he’ll wimp out and just have me do it on the Weber. He might be a little intimidated. Life is full of little tests, that we often don’t even know about. Tonight I’ll be handholding while he makes the gravy. Another one of life’s little humps to get over.
I think this is the one that he has largely adopted, though with olive oil, and I don’t know if he does the butter part. I prefer to just butter my steak right on the plate. I blame my Mom for that nasty habit. She’s the original butter fiend. My wife and daughter just shake their heads in wonder (or is it disgust?).
it isn’t too difficult to sear a steak in cast iron. it is quicker and easier than grilling one i suppose. but i prefer to charcoal grill my steaks, usually using a marinade.
i picked up a pork roast. i ain’t paying no twenty bucks for a beef chuck roast! (i really said that to myself at the store) i am going to make some pulled pork in my dutch oven, in the grill, and have it on corn tortillas tonight. i will fry the tortillas in one of my cast iron skillets. i think i’ll make some Mexican style rice and some black beans to put in or have on the side.
i have to go to the Mexican store to get some tomatillos to cook with the meat. if you have never used them, they tenderize meat really well, and provide a lot of liquid (moisture) also.
i’ll check back in later.
OK, I’m rolling…
In the picture on top is a 3# bone in pork shoulder, and my 4.5 qt. Dutch oven.
On the cutting board are starting top left, shelled pumpkin seeds, limes, onion, garlic, tomatillos, guajillo chile, whole cumin and sesame seed, and chile morita (smoked jalapeno). I cut the dried chilis with a scissors and removed the seeds – you need not get them all out, but the moritas are much hotter if you leave the seeds in.
I ground up the pumpkin seed, chili, cumin and sesame seed in a coffee bean grinder. I rubbed that into the pork roast wetted with the lime juice, in a big bowl. I put that in the pot, and surrounded it with chunked tomatillo, chopped onion and garlic. The beer and V8 are to add more liquid as it cooks. I will cook it uncovered at least part way to get some smoke on the meat. I will only add salt and pepper near the end – called correcting the seasonings. One can always add salt, but can’t take it away if you have added too much!
I have black beans cooking in a pot on the stove, and will also make some rice later.
I did not forget the Pico de Gallo either. But I need to have a few beers before I go pick tomatoes and serrano chilis. 🙂
In this picture starting bottom left is the charcoal “chimney” for starting the coals, foil, charcoal briquette, hard maple chunks, and a small “Smokey Joe” Weber grill. The roast is in the Dutch oven in the middle, surrounded by charcoal and wood chunks. I started the charcoal in the chimney, and then poured it over the Dutch oven which I had covered with the piece of foil. It is easier to distribute the charcoal around the pot that way. I will cook with the grill cover on, and control the heat and smoke using the top vent only. In fact I always leave the bottom vent wide open because Weber grills are tight enough that all you need for control of airflow is the top vent. My goal is to slowly cook and smoke this roast for about 4 hours. As I said above, I will cook part way with the lid off the Dutch oven to get some smoke on the meat, and will add V8 (also provides some salt) and beer as needed to keep the meat from drying out.
I forgot to mention that the bottom grate is in the grill and I set the Dutch oven on top of that. Here is a picture with the lid off. It already smells amazing!
Doug Casey. One of the great criminal frauds of our time.
47 minutes of him, in all his orange jump suit deserving glory, from the Donahue Show in 1980.
Don’t vote. Have half your wealth in gold. Gold will go from 640 to 3400 in the next 5 years (from November 1980). The stock market will crash. The Dow will go from 900 perhaps as high as 3000, before it crashes to 300. Today it’s around 17,000. Bonds are even worse (of course it’s been a 34 year bull market in bonds ever since this show was recorded).
I’m only 16 minutes in and I just can’t take it anymore. And I bought his fucking book. Subscribed to his fucking newsletter. That sonofabitch cost me money. And cost millions more many millions more.
Everything out of his mouth sounds like a bunch of tea party, libertarian, Austrian (sorry xty), anarchist, doomsaying, fearmongering, goldbuggering, bunch of complete and utter horseshit.
One thing I’ll say about Casey. In 30+ years, he has never, EVER, changed his tune. In spite of being wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong, he has never wavered. I have to assume it’s because the message itself has been so amazingly profitable for him personally. A role model for most of the hacks out on the web today.
Add noodles, make the gravy, and off you go. Some of those white spots in the meat are garlic cloves. 😎
We keep it pretty simple. There’s nothing in there but beef, salt, pepper, onions, garlic. Plus carrots and noodles. Then we take our turn making our bowl right there on the counter, and head for a comfy chair. We rarely eat at the table anymore, but that’s a whole other societal, cultural, discussion.
This is a picture from earlier, still in the oven. When the beef is pretty much done, I add the carrots and maybe some water, put the cover back on and give it another half hour while I make noodles. Sometimes I add potatoes here, instead of noodles.
I’m noodle folk. My wife is potato folk. One of the great dichotomies in the world. But tonight, my wife isn’t here! Noodles!