At Lunch:
I have high hopes of leaving work DRY today. However, my dreams are likely to be crushed after we finish bottling the 200 cases of Merlot this afternoon. Our assistant winemaker will set me to work cleaning the tanks, I just know it. Today we emptied several tanks, bottling our two single-vineyard pinot noirs and our merlot.
Bottling went smoothly this morning. We only broke two bottles. Last week, well, let's not talk about last week. Let's just say machines don't always do what you want them to do and glass is breakable.
Anywho, bottling went smoothly. Thank goodness. Stress during bottling I think must affect the wine. I'm pretty sure I'm a little crazy because my mother was stressed when she was pregnant with me. It's the same thing, right? These wines are our children. And we play music to them, too, like the doctors recommend when women are pregnant. Except our wines don't hear only Mozart. They hear everything from classical to classic rock to folk. Makes for wines with structure and character.
When we bottle, I put on the capsules, those annoying things at the top that are a pain to get off but make the bottle look oh so pretty. It gets rather dull, but at least I can (kind of) hear the music. Putting on capsules is the best job for me, though, considering I can hardly lift a case of wine, which is kind of a handicap in the wine industry. Ah well. Anyone want to be my personal trainer?
Also this morning, before bottling, our winemaker checked the sulfite levels in the wine. Sulfites will not kill you, I promise. Read my research paper - I had to write one last semester. I promise you sulfites are not evil. Rather, they preserve the wines. The test for sulfite levels involves a color change. This is fine for white wines. Reds, it's a little more difficult. You have to be able to detect when the red wine gets darker. I tested them yesterday, but I wasn't really too sure. Especially the merlot - it is already quite dark. A beautiful color, really., It'll be released in November. You should check it out. I was pleasantly surprised when the winemaker got similar results this morning.
As we bottled, several customers watched from the tasting room. I wonder what they were thinking. Would someone like to let me in on their secrets?
Evening:
We got all the merlot in bottles. I helped in the tasting room. Come by, it's a great time. I love talking to the customers and I think they like talking to me. Or they love the wine. Or both. Let's say both.
I was so close to leaving work dry when it started raining. Darn! My car windows are open! Well, I was in the middle of a tasting with some customers, an older couple, their adult son, and his (very good, according to the mother) girlfriend. I wasn't about to interrupt. So, I finished the tasting. I ran to my car to close my windows. Game over. I got wet. So, might as well clean the tanks.
I drove home in wet jeans, as usual.
Friday, July 29, 2011
To Blend or Not to Blend: The Dilemmas of a Winemaker
To blend or not to blend? Wine from a single grape variety from a single vineyard has a character all its own. A pinot noir is not a chardonnay. And a chardonnay is not a chardonnay. Different grape varieties produce unique wines, though most wines are made from fruit of the same grape species (Vitis vinifiera. There are hybrids of V. vinifera, the French grape, with American grapes. Debate over the use of French-American hybrids and the quality of the resulting wines is a topic for another day. If you're interested in learning more I will certainly indulge you.) California fruit certainly produces wines quite different from the wines made from New Jersey fruit.
Duh. I know this already, you may be thinking. A red is quite different from a white, a Riesling different from a Chardonnay. You have tasted these differences. And you've tasted the difference between Pinot Noirs from France and Oregon.
But what about the more subtle differences of terroir? Have you had the opportunity to taste a two Chardonnays from NJ? Two Chardonnays from the same winery. Two chardonnays which were treated nearly identically save for the fact that the fruits were grown in different vineyards. In tasting these, you realize that a grape is not just a grape, a wine is not just a wine, and there are many many factors which influence your final product.
Both these chardonnays are of the highest quality. Great taste, great mouthfeel. The winemaker can certainly bottle them separately and take this opportunity to teach customers a valuable lesson about terroir.
Or, he can blend the two and make something even better. The blend, in this case, outshines the two individual wines. There is a sort of synergy, whole > sum.
What would you do?
Duh. I know this already, you may be thinking. A red is quite different from a white, a Riesling different from a Chardonnay. You have tasted these differences. And you've tasted the difference between Pinot Noirs from France and Oregon.
But what about the more subtle differences of terroir? Have you had the opportunity to taste a two Chardonnays from NJ? Two Chardonnays from the same winery. Two chardonnays which were treated nearly identically save for the fact that the fruits were grown in different vineyards. In tasting these, you realize that a grape is not just a grape, a wine is not just a wine, and there are many many factors which influence your final product.
Both these chardonnays are of the highest quality. Great taste, great mouthfeel. The winemaker can certainly bottle them separately and take this opportunity to teach customers a valuable lesson about terroir.
Or, he can blend the two and make something even better. The blend, in this case, outshines the two individual wines. There is a sort of synergy, whole > sum.
What would you do?
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I love markets
7/7/2011
Today we visited a mango farm to check for fruit flies in more traps. "Off" really works and I am thankful to its creators.
The mango farm runs up to the ocean. We drove out there so they could show me Window Beach. Over time, wind and water and other forces have worn away a large circle in a rocky outcropping, forming a window. Its gorgeous. Right then I wished I had a boyfriend to share the moment with and, if I had one and were with him, he would wish I didn't reek of Off and sweat.
We checked some more traps in a dry-forest-type area behind the Holiday Inn and Tropical Casino. I admit I was feeling a bit confused as we pulled into the hotel parking lot and that stupid rap song started going off in my head. Well, we were trampling through, carrying gallons of water to refill the traps. Guess who slipped on the loose rocks...again...and in the same pants I was wearing the time it happened in Costa Rica! Fortunately, there was no blood, only some scrapes. I was fine.
After that, onto Juana Diaz, where there is another field station. We trekked through the forest (past the old car frame and rusty barbed wire) to get to some more traps and then through the starfruit orchard where the weeds were quite overgrown and the trees were heavy with fruit. Outside of the orchard were more yellow sticky traps. I hate seeing little lizards stuck to them. We tried to save him, but he had so much sticcky stuff on his feet...
7/8/2011
Lab Day
We prepared everything for the ELISA test, which is used to detect the amount of virus present in a sample. So this is what they were collecting all those plants along the roadside for! We were going to test the leaves of papaya, pumpkin, and other host plants, for the presence of the Papaya Ringspot Virus. We macerated the leaf material. In a well plate, you add antibody, followed by the sample, followed by another antibody, to which an enzyme is attached. This forms a double-antibody sandwich. The first antibody sticks to the bottom of the well and catches viral particles from the sample. The second antibody gloms onto the captured viral particles. Then add substrate for the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme attached to the second antibody. The product is colored, so the intensity of the color is correlated to amount of virus present in the sample.
We also looked through dirt from underneath rotting mangoes for fruit fly pupae. Oh gosh. The sangria I had last night was not sitting well and now I had to deal with rotting fruit and dirt and flies. Don't worry it gets better!
In the afternoon, we decapitated female fruit flies. We put the heads between electrodes and squirted different gases to see what scents stimulate them. Delicate business. I got frustrated trying to get this teeny tiny head in exactly the right position. Then, we dropped one of the heads. We looked and looked and looked. Heads will roll! (Haha, pun intended.) She finally found it. How? It looked exactly like a speck of dirt! Anyway, it was too late. The thing wasn't reacting. It was dead.
And it gets even better! Not only do we take off the females' heads, we also cut them open to look at their eggs. Ok. I can't handle that. And the squirm the whole time you're trying to make the longitudinal cut to open the body. Stupid headless fly is still moving and I don't want to hurt it and it's really already a goner, and please stop moving so I can pull out your eggs. Aw man, I did one. Or at least attempted to. I ended up mangling the darn thing and couldn't even measure and count what needed to be measured and counted. But that was it, I was done. I mean, I had asked my high school health teacher if I could step out a moment when the class watched one of those stupic Rescue 911 videos, which really aren't even that graphic!
So, this is why I work with plants (and bees that are already dead and don't need to be dissected). If I had any notion of going to grad school for entomology, that has been squashed.
My stomach recovered.
I prepared yotilla, a hairy root vegetable. I thought it was pretty good.
After dinner, I went out for Rex Cream. Mocha and almond. Yumm...ok, maybe it was a bit more ice cream than I could handle, but it wasonly $2.50 and so good and of course on a cone with sprinkles, so I had to eat the cone! I mean, that's why I GET the cone, so there's no waste. See, I eat sustainably.
7/10/2011
Someone asked me the other day what I miss most about home. After my family and friends and dog, I would probably have to say the farmers' markets. If I'm up in New Brunswick, I go to the market at the Rutgers Gardens. I love talking with Bo the Bread Guy, who has the best olive and pumpernickel rolls and amazing cinnamon bread (that my dad makes into fantastic French toast, but is also great plain or toasted or with PB). Bo also went to Rutgers. We chat about the university, what it was like when he went there, how it's changed, how my last adventure went or where I'm going next.
Also at the Rutgers Gardens market is Chickadee Creek Farm, owned, managed, run, weeded, tended to, etc. by one amazing young woman. She produces fantastic produce, include some of the best spinach I've ever had. She was munching on the leaves one afternoon. Here, try some! She was so proud of her greens! She also grows mustard greens, which I had not tried before, but now love and can't wait for fall to get some more. But I get ahead of myself.
If I'm at home, I go to the Red Bank market, which is a bit larger. Farmer Ed, an organic grower whom everyone who grows or buys organic produce seems to know, has a stand there. The Cinnamon Snail, a vegan and raw food truck parks there every Sunday, selling delicious goodies. The man who owns has an amazing soul. Really the entire family is as sweet as his amazing vegan cinnamon buns. (Ok, that was corny...but rreally, no corn syrup! Ok, I'll stop.) At the Red Bank market there are plenty of produce vendors and bakers. Cherry Grove Farm is there selling their sustainably produced meats and cheeses. It's a great way to spend a Sunday morning.
So, yesterday, I finally found Plaza Del Mercado in Mayaguez! It reminds me of the Reading Terminal in Philly, but smaller and quainter. Produce, meats, seafood. I was surprised that many of the vendors spoke English. That made life easier. I bought some items. I only needed yotilla and pepper, so I stopped at one of the stands and chose the items. Unfortunately, I only had a $20-bill and he couldn't break it for only $1 worth of goods. So he just gave them to me! I went back this morning to see if he was there so I could give him the dollar. He wasn't. : (
Today we visited a mango farm to check for fruit flies in more traps. "Off" really works and I am thankful to its creators.
The mango farm runs up to the ocean. We drove out there so they could show me Window Beach. Over time, wind and water and other forces have worn away a large circle in a rocky outcropping, forming a window. Its gorgeous. Right then I wished I had a boyfriend to share the moment with and, if I had one and were with him, he would wish I didn't reek of Off and sweat.
We checked some more traps in a dry-forest-type area behind the Holiday Inn and Tropical Casino. I admit I was feeling a bit confused as we pulled into the hotel parking lot and that stupid rap song started going off in my head. Well, we were trampling through, carrying gallons of water to refill the traps. Guess who slipped on the loose rocks...again...and in the same pants I was wearing the time it happened in Costa Rica! Fortunately, there was no blood, only some scrapes. I was fine.
After that, onto Juana Diaz, where there is another field station. We trekked through the forest (past the old car frame and rusty barbed wire) to get to some more traps and then through the starfruit orchard where the weeds were quite overgrown and the trees were heavy with fruit. Outside of the orchard were more yellow sticky traps. I hate seeing little lizards stuck to them. We tried to save him, but he had so much sticcky stuff on his feet...
7/8/2011
Lab Day
We prepared everything for the ELISA test, which is used to detect the amount of virus present in a sample. So this is what they were collecting all those plants along the roadside for! We were going to test the leaves of papaya, pumpkin, and other host plants, for the presence of the Papaya Ringspot Virus. We macerated the leaf material. In a well plate, you add antibody, followed by the sample, followed by another antibody, to which an enzyme is attached. This forms a double-antibody sandwich. The first antibody sticks to the bottom of the well and catches viral particles from the sample. The second antibody gloms onto the captured viral particles. Then add substrate for the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme attached to the second antibody. The product is colored, so the intensity of the color is correlated to amount of virus present in the sample.
We also looked through dirt from underneath rotting mangoes for fruit fly pupae. Oh gosh. The sangria I had last night was not sitting well and now I had to deal with rotting fruit and dirt and flies. Don't worry it gets better!
In the afternoon, we decapitated female fruit flies. We put the heads between electrodes and squirted different gases to see what scents stimulate them. Delicate business. I got frustrated trying to get this teeny tiny head in exactly the right position. Then, we dropped one of the heads. We looked and looked and looked. Heads will roll! (Haha, pun intended.) She finally found it. How? It looked exactly like a speck of dirt! Anyway, it was too late. The thing wasn't reacting. It was dead.
And it gets even better! Not only do we take off the females' heads, we also cut them open to look at their eggs. Ok. I can't handle that. And the squirm the whole time you're trying to make the longitudinal cut to open the body. Stupid headless fly is still moving and I don't want to hurt it and it's really already a goner, and please stop moving so I can pull out your eggs. Aw man, I did one. Or at least attempted to. I ended up mangling the darn thing and couldn't even measure and count what needed to be measured and counted. But that was it, I was done. I mean, I had asked my high school health teacher if I could step out a moment when the class watched one of those stupic Rescue 911 videos, which really aren't even that graphic!
So, this is why I work with plants (and bees that are already dead and don't need to be dissected). If I had any notion of going to grad school for entomology, that has been squashed.
My stomach recovered.
I prepared yotilla, a hairy root vegetable. I thought it was pretty good.
After dinner, I went out for Rex Cream. Mocha and almond. Yumm...ok, maybe it was a bit more ice cream than I could handle, but it wasonly $2.50 and so good and of course on a cone with sprinkles, so I had to eat the cone! I mean, that's why I GET the cone, so there's no waste. See, I eat sustainably.
7/10/2011
Someone asked me the other day what I miss most about home. After my family and friends and dog, I would probably have to say the farmers' markets. If I'm up in New Brunswick, I go to the market at the Rutgers Gardens. I love talking with Bo the Bread Guy, who has the best olive and pumpernickel rolls and amazing cinnamon bread (that my dad makes into fantastic French toast, but is also great plain or toasted or with PB). Bo also went to Rutgers. We chat about the university, what it was like when he went there, how it's changed, how my last adventure went or where I'm going next.
Also at the Rutgers Gardens market is Chickadee Creek Farm, owned, managed, run, weeded, tended to, etc. by one amazing young woman. She produces fantastic produce, include some of the best spinach I've ever had. She was munching on the leaves one afternoon. Here, try some! She was so proud of her greens! She also grows mustard greens, which I had not tried before, but now love and can't wait for fall to get some more. But I get ahead of myself.
If I'm at home, I go to the Red Bank market, which is a bit larger. Farmer Ed, an organic grower whom everyone who grows or buys organic produce seems to know, has a stand there. The Cinnamon Snail, a vegan and raw food truck parks there every Sunday, selling delicious goodies. The man who owns has an amazing soul. Really the entire family is as sweet as his amazing vegan cinnamon buns. (Ok, that was corny...but rreally, no corn syrup! Ok, I'll stop.) At the Red Bank market there are plenty of produce vendors and bakers. Cherry Grove Farm is there selling their sustainably produced meats and cheeses. It's a great way to spend a Sunday morning.
So, yesterday, I finally found Plaza Del Mercado in Mayaguez! It reminds me of the Reading Terminal in Philly, but smaller and quainter. Produce, meats, seafood. I was surprised that many of the vendors spoke English. That made life easier. I bought some items. I only needed yotilla and pepper, so I stopped at one of the stands and chose the items. Unfortunately, I only had a $20-bill and he couldn't break it for only $1 worth of goods. So he just gave them to me! I went back this morning to see if he was there so I could give him the dollar. He wasn't. : (
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Custard apples!
6/27/2011
Today I worked in the tissue culture lab. In this lab, they propagate Musa spp (bananas and plantains) and Theobroma cacao for maintenance of the germplasm collections and for distribution to researchers and breeders. They use the techniques of tissue culture, in which plants are regenerated from tissues under aseptic conditions in an artificial environment. Many, many disease-free plants can be propagated relatively quickly in a small space.
TARS has live collections of Musa and Theobroma cacao. The former has 148 accessions, including 118 bananas and 30 plantains, and the latter has 193. These accessions are listed in USDA’s GRIN, the germplasm resource information network.
It is important to have a back-up. Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean, after all. What if a hurricane destroyed the collections? They also maintain Musa in tissue culture and are working on creating a similar collection for Theobroma cacao. It’s kind of bizarre, seeing miniature banana plants in little plastic baggies (they are actually semipermeable bags).
Musa spp and Theobroma cacao are each propagated in a different manner. Meristematic tissue from young Musa suckers are the raw material for micropropagation. In contrast, flower buds of Theobroma cacao serve as the starting material for somatic embryogenesis. In both methods, the plant material must first be sterilized. In micropropagation, the meristematic tissue is induced to form shoots and then to form leaves and roots. In somatic embryogenesis, the staminodes and petals are induced to produces calluses and then embryos. The embryo is then converted and leaves, stems, and roots are produced. The small plants, whether produced from micropropagation or somatic embryogenesis, must be acclimatized to outdoor conditions.
Today in the lab, we prepared Embryo Development media for somatic embryogenesis. The media includes vitamins and macro and micronutrients, as well as sucrose, glucose, and a gelling substance. It is sterilized in the autoclave before it is poured into petri dishes for later use.
I also helped transfer small musa plants to new propagation media. The transfer was done in sterile conditions in the hood. I had to wear a mask and gloves and constantly sterilize the tools I was using. We also had some high school girls visit. They were touring the station. Some of these girls looked really young to be in high school (I know; I am in no position to say anything…).
6/28/2011
DNA extraction from semi-young mango leaves. Semi-young? What do you mean by semi-young?
We collected these “semi-young” leaves from 6 mango trees on TARS property. We then used a heavy-duty hole-puncher to punch discs from the leaves. We then extracted the DNA using a kit involving a variety of solvents. We even used PVPP, which I have used in the winery. It gloms onto contaminants and brings them to the bottom so you can pour off a supernatant or rack off the wine.
We then determined the concentration and purity of the samples based on absorbancy values. All 6 samples were pretty clean and contained a fair to impressive amount of DNA.
In the afternoon, I read a couple papers, one on sigatoka, a fungal disease of bananas, and one on microsatellite fingerprinting of the cacao germplasm collection.
After work, my parents picked me up and we visited Boqueron. I wished I had brought my bathing suit. The water was so inviting. We got some pizza for dinner. They dropped me off back at TARS and returned to their hotel. They leave for home tomorrow. See you in 2 ½ weeks! Bon voyage!
6/29/2011
We transferred the Musa shoot tips from 3% bleach solution to 10% bleach solution. This is to remove any potential contaminants. Tissue culture is valuable not only because it produces a large number of clones quickly but also because it generates clean planting material.
While the tip was sitting in the 10% solution, I read some of the books in the lab.
I learned that the banana ranks 4th for gross production value, coming in behind rice, wheat, and maize. Bananas are grown on about 4.84 million hectares in 150 countries worldwide and global production is 95.6 million tonnes. India is the largest producer, responsible for more than ¼ of global production. Following India are the Philippines, China, Brazil, and Ecuador. However, the main exporters of bananas are Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and Colombia. Asian countries grow bananas mainly for domestic consumption.
We then rinsed off the bleach in sterilized, distilled water, trimmed the leaves and corms, and placed the meristems in test tubes with initiation media. These are placed in the dark for 10 days and monitored for contamination. After this time, they are transferred to propagation media.
6/30/11
I started reading The Screwtape Letters. One of the researchers was kind enough to give us a bag full of books. I’m not Christian, not really religious, but The Screwtape Letters is an intriguing book and I am enjoying it thus far. Though I may not agree with C.S. Lewis in all cases, I think he is a great observer of mankind.
In the lab today, we turned on the autoclave to sterilize diseased plant material before disposing of it. The machine made some funny noises and we decided it was probably best to shut the thing off. (Later, the doctor came in and turned on the machine, no problem. WTF?)
The tech guy showed me the now-defunct library. I love old books! We opened one and someone’s family photos fell out – two white women in 1950s bathing suits standing on the beach. Looked like they had a nice family vacation. I’d love to read Gardens of Madeira, or Date Growing or Nuclear Radiation in Farming and Agriculture or some of the station’s early annual reports. It’s so sad that these books are just sitting there! Does no one use libraries anymore? I certainly do. I mean, the librarian at school knows me! I always considered (and still do, at times) being a librarian. I love books and researching and learning.
I bought a wine at the grocery store today. I usually like to taste first, but I used my Ipod app from Wine Spectator. Centine, a red blend (Sangiovese, Cabernet Suvignon, and Merlot) from Tuscany, Italy. 2007. Banfi. Delish.
Gold star for Stacy! Not only did I pick a fairly good, decently priced wine, I also finished reading the plant breeding text book.
7/1/2011
Happy July! I can’t believe this is the end of my fourth week!
Another strange, strange dream last night. I was so anxious about today that I dreamt that they left for the field station without me!
But, I made it in time this morning, and we set off for Isabela, where the Musa spp. collection is located. The TARS collection has many different varieties of bananas and plantains, however, it is biased in that it contains only those varieties that are of agronomic importance.
On the way to Isabela, I read a bit of The Screwtape Letters.
“Pains and Pleasures…are unmistakably real”
Writes Uncle Screwtape
Screw with my mind
Hammer a nail into my heart
I agree with your dear uncle
The Pain you cause cannot be denied
But I will not forget
The moments of Pleasure
Were they real? I wonder now
Some other quotes I like:
· thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly
· they might as well be proud of their hair
· perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow’s end
We stopped at a café on the way. Verde Verde, it’s called. Like a Saladworks, almost. Over desayuno, I learned a bit about agriculture in Puerto Rico. Across the highway was an old sugar cane mill. Sugar used to be the island’s main agricultural industry. Now, it is dairy cattle. The government prohibited import of dairy, so all the island’s milk is produced on the island. Also a big industry is coffee. Growers producing coffee in designated areas receive government incentives.
At Isabela, we characterized 4 accessions in the Musa collection. The main collection is held in tissue culture in Belgium by a Bioversity.
Also at Isabela:
A trial of mangoes. Seeds were planted from open-pollinated parents. Looking for anthracnose resistance.
Nisporo. Widely consumed in Cuba. These trees are very susceptible to wind and insect damage. To combat the former, they are testing an elephant grass border.
Mama sapote. Widely consumed in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
A back-up ollection of mangoes containing selected accessions from the Miami station.
Annona collection.
In the afternoon, we cleaned tubes. Some plants in a previous experiment were infected with fusarium, so we had to clean the tubes before they could be used again. Many were clogged with mud and, I soon found out, frogs! I saw a coqui frog, but not the kind that sings at night.
I also saw a spider. “Arana, one of the few Spanish words I know!” I pointed out the arachnid.
“I think he just crawled up your leg!”
Ah!!
Then I was asked to move the pick-up truck. I thought he was joking.
“Can’t you drive?”
Well, yeah…I was so nervous I couldn’t even figure out how to put it in drive. I’ll stick with my little Honda Civic, thanks.
On the way home, I wondered whether he actually enjoyed the music on the radio station or put it on because I was there. Some of the songs we heard included, Grease, Hotel California, and I Need to Know.
Looking forward to a great 4th of July weekend! A little bummed about missing the fireworks, though…
7/2/2011
I went to the mall. Yes. I went to the mall. It was rainy and cloudy and not a good beach day. I never go to the mall in Jersey, but I go in Puerto Rico? Huh?
I know. I’m just as confused as you are.
7/3/2011
Another beach day rained out. A shame. Rainy 4th of July weekend here on the west side of the island. Well, we tried. We sat there for 5 minutes, saw lightning, heard thunder, and skedaddled.
We went to the farmers’ market in the morning. A small market, but I got to buy some okra and tamarind jam, so I was happy. And I made two new friends. I love farmers’ markets because I love meeting new people and talking to strangers…ummm, yeah. Anyway, I spoke with one of the farmers and her assistant. The farmer, a woman about my mother’s age, was very nice and her English was fairly good, so we got along well. She even gave me some extra okra! I learned that she kept a hive of honeybees for pollination and also for therapeutic purposes. The stings, she said, relieved the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Within 3 months, she felt no more pain! She also provides the service to others. I have heard of people doing this, but I never actually spoke with someone who used this practice. Fascinating. In Spanish, she said to her assistant that I looked like I was only 12. I heard something about 12 anos and she was looking at me and plenty of people say I look younger than my age. I know enough of the language and use context clues pretty well – I understood what she was saying. She went on to tell me her daughter also looked young for her age. Her assistant is a young man studying agriculture at RUM (UPR Mayaguez). He told me he was looking to further his studies in entomology and considering attending graduate school in the states, perhaps North Carolina. He had never heard of Cornell. I told him to look it up. (I love their insect collection and their program is amazing.)
I ate lunch at El Meson, Puerto Rico’s own fast food chain. Not bad, not bad.
I spent a few hours reading my plant pathology textbook and some more time reading Sherlock Holmes. It’s been a quiet weekend.
July 4, 2011
I finished Screwtape Letters and embarked upon The Double Helix, James Watson’s account of the discovery of the structure of DNA. I just had to put the book down to share with you all this great quote: “in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid” (Watson, p. 18-19). Oh gosh, Watson, you are funny…”in France, where fair play obviously did not exist…”
Okay, so why did you, “from a distance,” call Rosalind, “Rosy?” Is that some cute pet name? Sounds demeaning and sexist. Especially since he added in that bit about doing so only “from a distance.” Arg, sometimes...she “might have been quite stunning had she taken even a mild interest in clothes.” What???!!! “She had a good brain. If she could only keep her emotions under control…” I do not understand. “The best home for a feminist was in another person’s lab.” I beg to differ.
Some comfort for those of you out there who are not too fond of organic chemistry: Watson did not delve into difficult chemistry courses until after earning his PhD.
Thank you, Andrew Zimmerman, for offering free episodes on Itunes. I now want to go to Syria and try some ice cream and pistachio candies and pastries. I think I’ll pass on the camel, though. I’m not a big fan of camels after my experience riding one. It spit and pissed and tried to cut the other camels. And then another camel tried to chew the saddle off…so scary.
7/5/2011
I am in the entomology lab this week! And one of the projects is pollination! I can’t control myself I’m so excited. Ah, the wheels in my mind are turning.
On the way to Isabela, I finished The Double Helix. I was glad to see that Watson somewhat made up for his unkind words about Rosalind Franklin. In the epilogue he acknowledged the importance of her work and the challenges women in science face. When he was a young man listening to her speak, he said he “wondered how she would look if she took off her glasses and did something novel with her hair.” But, in his epilogue, he writes that his “initial impressions…were wrong” and that he realizes “the struggles that the intelligent woman faces to be accepted by a scientific world which often regards women as mere diversions.” Thank you, Watson.
At Isabel, we first collected yellow sticky traps which were set to catch aphids. The goal is to determine whether more aphids visit papaya trees surrounded by a windblock compared to those not surrounded. Aphids transmit papaya ringspot virus.
We then collected flowers from Atemoya, a hybrid of Cherimoya, commonly referred to as custard apple, (Annona cherimola) and sugar apple (A. squamosa). Annonas are native to tropical America, with A cherimola originating in the Andes in Peru and Ecuador and A squamosa native to the West Indies, Central America, and northern South America. I think I tried cherimoya once. Delicious Orchards was selling them for $10/lb. Before I spent that much money, I needed to know exactly what I was buying, so I asked. The kind gentleman pulled a slightly damaged one from the box and cut it for me to taste. Delicious! If you ever see them in the store, go for it. Better than any custard, I swear.
Atemoya flowers are white and have only 3 petals. As the flowers are first female and then male, a pollinator is required. A few small beetle species seem to do the job. However, I have to wonder how much pollen they can carry! And what are they looking for in the flower? Pollen? Nectar? Sufficient pollination is necessary if one wants full, perfectly-shaped fruits. Flowers are typically hand-pollinated. This seems like a lot of work to me. But the fruit is very good.
On one of the Atemoya trees, we saw a beautiful black and white bird. Long black tail feathers, longer than the body! And a small vibrant red-orange bill. Too bad I couldn’t get a photograph.
We went to a vegan restaurant for lunch. How does one find all these vegetarian/vegan places and why did I not know about them earlier? There was lots of traffic, but we eventually got there. And I got plantains, so I think it was a good day.
After work, I went to see “Bad Teacher” at the town center. Only $3.50 for a movie! What would that get me in Jersey, an extra-small popcorn?
7/6/11
Today we went to Guanica, the dry forest, to check on the fruit fly traps there. They are trying to prove that the dry forest acts as a natural barrier and that fruit flies cannot cross it.
Again, my coworker brought cocoa-dusted almond. When I get home, I’m buying some nice cocoa powder and using it to dust almonds and popcorn…oh the possibilities! And combining it with other spices, like cinnamon! Yum…
I started reading Omnivore’s Dilemma. I swore I wouldn’t, simply because everyone says it’s so great and I’ve already read so much Pollan, but it was in the lab, so I figured I’d give t a shot. Not bad, so far. Of course he started by discussing corn. Did I expect any less?
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Arecibo
6/23/11
For the past two days now, we have been cleaning, counting, and weighing beans at work. There are some beautiful varieties, including canary yellow and cranberry colored beans and ones that are speckled like cows! It’s truly amazing the diversity that is out there! I love seeing the rainbow of colors and wonder why I can’t find them in the store. I mean those canary yellow beans look awesome! Like Skittles, my friend says. Unfortunately, they lose their color when you cook them. But the cranberry beans and speckled beans probably don’t.
Yesterday, after work, my friend and I went to get frappes (fruit smoothies) at Fruitera, a locally-owned Frappe “kiosk” on the main highway. Choose whatever fruits you want! Only $3.00 Delicious, and I definitely got my money’s worth. Banana strawberry pineapple. Yum.
After some shopping, she took me to see some of the sights in Rincon, including Stair Beach and El Faro, the lighthouse. My parents also arrived. They are staying near Rincon. My parents met us at the lighthouse, my friend went home, and my parents and I went to dinner. I sat in the front; my mother was tired of navigating and my dad was probably tired of her navigating. I’m sure they had an interesting car ride from San Juan, where they landed that afternoon. We tried to find this Thai restaurant, but it’s pretty well hidden, so we ended up at the Lazy Parrot, which was just fine. I had a nice glass of red wine and my mother had a mojito. There were vegetarian options on the menu and my father and I split key lime pie for dessert. All was going well. Till I thought I lost my key! Oh no! I was freaking out, really freaking out, afraid of admitting I lost it. Who would I tell? How would I tell them? Ah, no, so stressful!
Phew, found it.
Today after work we tried to see JJ Barea in the town plaza. He is from Mayaguez and plays for the Dallas Mavericks. We were told the event started at 6 PM. It was so hot and there were just too many people. Among these many people I saw a young girl that reminded me of, well, me! She was tan and had skinny legs (my parents called me chicken legs…did wonders for me self-esteem haha) and dark brown hair with a flip at the end and glasses (except my glasses were so much uglier, big pink frames reminiscent of Dr. Ruth’s). We bought some small Puerto Rican flags and waited. And waited. And waited. By 7:30 PM the band had just started and we had no idea when JJ would get there and I was getting pretty darn frustrated because no one understands the idea of personal space. Everyone, seriously, please do not invade my bubble! Anyway, we gave up and came back to the station. I was just out for a walk and saw the fireworks. I guess JJ finally showed up.
6/24/11
Some more counting and weighing of beans today. Yes!
Also, we amplified DNA with PCR and ran it on a gel. We reviewed proper pipette technique. Everyone here seems very concerned that I know the correct way to use a pipette. I remember electrophoresis from freshman year of high school. The two boys in my lab group thought agar gels were good substitutes for footballs and broke ours. Ugh, testosterone.
My parents picked me up for the weekend today after work. Only my parents would come down to visit me during this internship. Ah my life. Ah family. I love ‘em. I especially love them in the car. Riding with them is quite entertaining, to say the least. When I’m in the car, my mother is a true backseat driver. We put her in the back partly because I’m a better navigator and partly because my dad is sick of her sound effects and commentary by the time I come into the picture.
I took my dad to La Frutera for a frappe. Pineapple and mango. Yum. Except the girl had trouble understanding my father’s order.
We dropped my bag off at the hotel – it is a nice resort, right on the beach – and continued on to dinner at a Thai restaurant way off the beaten path. The Thai restaurant has a second location in Rockaway Beach, NY. The food was delicious and I love that I can taste a variety of different wines while I’m here. An albarino from Spain. Quite lovely. And restaurants pour generously. Oh happy night. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to read any more of the nice thick plant pathology textbook.
6/25/2011
I still woke up at 10 to 6:00 AM. I wandered the hotel and read my plant pathology textbook.
My parents arose a couple hours later. We ate a leisurely breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. My mother and I wanted to sit outside; only problem was, the blackbirds are everywhere, including overhead. Sorry mom, might want to wash that dress.
After a delicious breakfast, we spent the morning at the beach. I again enjoyed the warm waters, so much better than Jersey! My father and I watched the yellow crabs dig their holes in the sand. I finished my book, Chaim Potok’s The Chosen (and can’t wait to read the sequel, The Promise…anyone have a copy they’d like to lend me?).
Then lunch at a natural foods store. We drove through the torrential downpour to get there. FreshMart is the island’s answer to Whole Foods. It’s their only natural foods store chain. The Aguadilla branch has a café as well. I was a bit disappointed by the falafel (so I will be making a trip to get falafel in Jersey when I get back if anyone would like to join me) but was so happy to find a store selling most of the things I’m used to getting at home! My mother said it reminded her of Dean’s, the natural foods store I used to work at when I was in high school. Yea, that sounds about right.
A lot of people sell things (or beg) at traffic lights. You can always get water and coconut candy and peanut M+M’s. Never plain or almond or crispy M+M’s, always peanut.
Then down south to La Parguera. It was about an hour and a half away. That’s the only problem, really, you have to drive to a lot of different sights. On the way, we stopped at a pineapple stand (I love roadside fruit stands.) I bought a pineapple and treated my father to a coco frio. The man cut open the coconut (with a machete!!!) right there and gave it to my dad with a straw. My dad loved it. Personall, I could do without it, but I got my pineapple and I was happy. But anyway, we made it down there. It reminds me a bit of Keansburg, lots of fried food and pizza. Vendors selling tee-shirts and towels and jewelry. We walked around and got drinks before heading out on the boat to see the bioluminescent bay. At the restaurant, there was a cute little girl with her parents. The little girl wanted her own menu and wouldn’t let mommy do anything for her. She was adorable, little miss independent.
Before we embarked on the bio-bay boat trip, we were served dinner: chicken empanadas (and my mom had a couple MEdallias, the only beer made on the island). Being a vegetarian, I whipped out the bread and hummus we bought earlier at FreshMart and made myself a nice sandwich. IT was nice to have real hummus (not chunky blender hummus) for a change. The bio-bay was amazing. When you move your hands around and stir up the water, the microorganisms light up! Of course my mother did not go in the water, but my father and I did. We moved around quite a bit to stir up some light for her. I was glowing.
On the way home, we stopped at Rex Cream in Mayaguez. I tried the bizcoccho, which everyone loves, and I also liked it, but went with vanilla chocolate chip instead. My parents did not even try the corn or tamarind ice cream. I was very disappointed in them. But they liked the ice cream, and I got to show them the town plaza with all the neat statues.
6/26/2011
I wore my new knit orange hat today. It made me happy.
Today we ate breakfast in the room (darn, no pancakes) so we could get off to an early start. It is quite a long drive from Rincon to the Arecibo Observatory. But, my dad wanted to see it, and a professor from Cornell University told me it was pretty amazing, so I did not protest. I did, however, want some tea. We stopped at two bakeries on the way and no tea! Again, darn.
So, I read a bit in the plant pathology textbook (not as much as I would have liked). In the backseat, my mom read The Chosen. She reads so much more quickly than I do! I was impressed.
So, eventually, after mostly highway driving and some winding roads, we made it. We climbed up the 500 steps to the visitor center and viewing platform. There are a lot of things to read and see in the small museum there, and a lot of the physics stuff went over my head, frankly. However, I was happy to see a woman’s name. Annie Cannon, from Harvard. Read a short biography here: http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hua12001
We planned to stop at the lighthouse in Rincon on the way back to the hotel, but it started pouring when we were about 20 minutes away. So we stopped at a supermarket. And my mother went into Payless, of course. And my father got pizza at a Pizza Hut-like place. And we waited out the storm.
I, of course, had the hummus sandwich I packed in the morning.
The rain finally stopped and we went to the lighthouse. We walked around the town of Rincon, as well, and got some nice fruit at a roadside fruit stand. The town is small and there are very few shops and the art gallery was closed for a flute recital, so we came back to the hotel. It was drizzling, but we went in the ocean for a bit anyway. I’m hoping for more beach time next weekend.
Now we are off to dinner. Again to the Thai restaurant Ode to the Elephants. Delicious food and a nice wine selection. I hope I can get away with pairing a red wine with spicy Thai food.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Organization is Key
6/20/11
Today I started work in the “bean lab.” However, we were not inside the air-conditioned laboratory today. No, we were outside, all day, harvesting beans.
The work of the bean lab centers on breeding and genetics. In the field, there is selection for phenotype, or physical appearance, and in the lab, there is selection for genotype, or genetic makeup. Some key agronomic traits include resistance to bacterial blight and to root rot. The former is, as you probably guessed, a bacterial disease. It can be transmitted through seed. The latter is a fungal disease, which, unlike many other fungal disease, does better under drought conditions.
We went to the Isabela station today to harvest beans. We here refers to three technicians, another student, and myself. I don’t know Spanish (though I can kind of pick up on key words and usually can figure out the general gist of the conversation). They are not fluent in English. The lab head is fluent in both languages, but he didn’t come with us today. I was nervous, but everyone is just so nice, as I’ve said several times already, so things went well.
The plot in Isabela has been used for beans for about 40 years now. It has never been fertilized. It was inoculated with the fungus responsible for root rot. On this plot, pretty much all the agricultural “shouldn’ts” are practiced, making for the terrible growing conditions. A variety that produces high yields in this plot must have something going for it!
On the way to Isabela, one of the technicians picked up a carrot cake in Aguada and shared it with us. Delicious. Great way to start the day. Counts as a serving of vegetables, right?
Then we harvested. We pulled the bean plants out and ran them through the thresher, making sure to keep the rows separate and leaving one buffer plant at each end of the row. When I worked at the thresher, I had to wear ear plugs, headphones, and a mask to protect my nose and mouth. It was a loud, somewhat frightening machine. Then again, a lot of big machines scare me. Remind me why I am majoring in agricultural science please?
Oh yea, I know why.
So, as I was sitting at the thresher, collecting the beans as they came out the bottom, I was amazed by the diversity of sizes and colors and the range of yields. Some varieties produced enough beans to fill the bag, others produced practically nothing. Some beans were purple, some were red, some were white with speckles. So pretty.
We wrapped up when the thunder started. We weren’t done though; there are still more beans to harvest. I spoke with the head researcher briefly after work and borrowed some books on plant breeding and bean diseases. I’m excited.
I enjoyed a walk in the rain. Yes, I did sing in the rain. However, I didn’t wear yellow rubber boots and carry an umbrella. Rather, I put on my bathing suit. Try it one day.
6/21/11
Beans. Lots and lots of beans. We counted out beans to send to researchers in other regions so they could grow and evaluate them. One project is focused on developing heat-resistant, drought-tolerant varieties. These plants are grown in Puerto Rico in the winter, when it is still hot but much drier, and in the states in the summer.
I was once again reminded of the importance of organization. The beans are stored in numbered paper lunch bags, which are in turn stored in boxes. The bags are in no particular order in these boxes. We were charged with finding the bags for selected numbers. We tried our best to organize as we went along.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Just Keep Swimmin
6/19/2011
Yesterday started off slow. I took a long walk (and found yet another bakery…there seems to be no shortage of those). I picked some starfruit – I had to climb a fence and got a few little scrapes, no big deal, I just have to remember starfruit is not worth injuring myself over, no matter how much I like it.
After lunch, I walked to the plaza, where I was to meet my friend. She was late – but it’s Puerto Rico; everyone’s a bit late, and actually she wasn’t really late, I was early. I’m always early. Anyway, I was just sitting on a park bench reading, then the downpour started. I followed some other people under the tent that happened to be set up for a concert that evening. Thank goodness! An older gentleman pulled a chair from one of the piles and offered me a seat. There I sat, with all the locals. One woman gave me a flyer about some church service happening on the 26th. I smiled and said, “Gracia.” Here in Puerto Rico, people often drop the last letter or sound, so it’s Gracia, rather than Gracias. At least that’s what I think. I took French in high school, though, so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me.
When the downpour slowed to a drizzle, I decided to take a short walk down a side street I’d never ventured down before. I passed yet another bakery, this one seemed to specialize in flan and cupcakes. I just liked the name: “Sweet Sins.”
I met up with my friend and we went to Ponce, the second-largest city in Puerto Rico. It is a lot smaller than I expected, but when I hear city, I think NYC, so it’s really not fair. The plaza in Ponce is beautiful, with a church and the mayor’s office (of course) and a fountain with statues of lions (the “mascot” of Ponce). There’s also a red and black building that houses some historic items pertaining to the city’s firefighters, as well as a tourist info center. We wandered about the city.
We went into the produce market, only minutes before it closed. Most of the stands were actually closed, but a few vendors were still there, ready to sell. I bought some produce (we needed onions) and the man also gave me some kenepas (not sure of the spelling). This is the city’s official fruit. It is related to lychee and looks like a green kumquat. But tastes much better than a kumquat, rest assured.
We wandered some more then got ice cream. I tried the maiz, or corn, with canela (cinnamon) sprinkled on top. It was delicious! However, I had to eat it really fast so it wouldn’t melt all over my hands. (My hands still got sticky. I’m a mess with ice cream. I think if an ice cream parlor happened to be my first date with a guy that relationship wouldn’t go anywhere…) The man in the ice cream store didn’t look particularly happy and it definitely affected his work performance. He did not push the ice cream down into the cone so it just kind of sat precariously on top. Deliciously messy business.
However, I cam to learn the painful lesson that corn ice cream is perhaps not for me. Delicious, no doubt, but, let’s just say, I will eat it sparingly and leave it at that.
After ice cream, we walked back to the car to put our bags (and umbrella) away and found a ticket! So we went to the mall. I never go to the mall in my home state, the land of malls, but I end up in one in Puerto Rico. There’s some irony for you! We were lucky to see a band play some great music while we were there. Sears was hosting a fiesta for fathers.
After the mall, off to the boardwalk. There, we saw pelicans and some huge fish! The pelicans came right onto the boardwalk (the fish didn’t). A couple stores sold sardines to feed to the pelicans and fish. I’m glad my friends didn’t want to buy any. I was not about to play with sardines and tempt hungry pelicans.
From the boardwalk you can take a boat to Coffin Island. Yes, Coffin Island. Apparently it looks like a coffin. Umm, no thanks.
We stopped for pizza on the way back to Mayaguez. Honestly, I had my doubts. I mean, I’m from NJ. We have some great pizza and we’re so close to NY, also home to good pizza. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. I was also happy to see that their personal pies are smaller than those I see at home, much closer to what a personal pizza probably should be!
This morning we got an early start. We went kayaking and snorkeling in La Parquera. It was amazing. The water was blue and warm! Some families were there celebrating father’s day on their boats. One actually had a barbecue going on their little motor boat!
We passed some houses built right on top of the water. People used to have houseboats there but their government banned them because of all the pollution. So they built houses. Once these house are gone, though, they’re gone. No more building.
I am a terrible paddler, by the way. I was in a double and when I paddled alone we got nowhere. My partner did most of the work. Sorry.
We had lunch in the town there; only the tostones were vegetarian – this is why I always travel with food.
I’m exhausted and it’s only 3:30 PM. I’ll probably turn in early.
Hope all is well.
Friday, June 17, 2011
This s*** is BANANAS!
n6/11/2011
I walked to the plaza this morning. I woke up before 6 AM. This would not have been a problem, except I got in at 3 AM. So it was a big problem. I don’t function well on little sleep. Well, I function, but not happily. I was thirsty and my stomach hurt and I had a headache. The French toast I made for breakfast did help a little bit. Cinnamon has curative properties, right? Our washing machine isn’t working. It didn’t even spin for me, but my clothes soaked in hot water a bit, so that makes them clean, I think. There is still a pool of water in the machine that didn’t drain out and I guess it’ll sit there until Monday when I can ask someone in the office and they’ll probably just come to our house, flip a switch, show us that the machine now works, and laugh all the way home.
I sat in the plaza this morning for a bit. Nice morning. Free wi-fi. Music. People walking around and sitting on park benches and reading and talking. Very calm.
We stayed in all day. Except for during the rainstorm. I put my bathing suit on and we went for a nice walk in the rain. If I knew the lyrics, I would have sung the song. I have to say that walk did wonders for my headache.
Later, we tried making mofongo. Fail. I’ll just have to buy some for lunch one day, that’s all. We fried the plantains and mashed them up and everything. It was ok, nothing stellar. We had some more of the Trumpeter Cab Sauv with dinner. Now I just have to keep myself awake for another couple hours. I really don’t want to go to bed at 7 PM, wake up at 2 AM, and completely throw off my sleeping schedule.
6/12/11
We went to the beach in Cabo Rojo today. At Baqueron there was a gay pride parade, which would have been cool to see, but we were afraid there would be too much traffic so we went to a different beach, still in Cabo Rojo, but a little farther south. It amazed me that we could just walk right onto the beach. What, no bage? No one asking me to pay? Wow, fantastic! And the water was light blue – blue! – and warm. I actually went in! not just my toes, or up to my knees, or run in, dunk my head, scream it’s freakin cold and run out. Ah, so refreshing! I loved it. And there were plenty of attractive men and men who could be attractive if only they cut off that stupid rat tail! Arg, get a new hairdresser, please!
We went to lunch at a restaurant on the beach. Unfortunately no vegetarian empanadillas. : (
We stayed till about 4. Then a quiet evening at home, resting for the workweek to come. I figured I’d gather some more interesting info for everyone. Dragonfruit!
Pitayaha, pitaya, dragonfruit, strawberry pear
Hylocereus spp. (over 25 species have been identified) and Selenecereus megalanthus (the yellow or Colombian pitaya); family Cactaceae
Species of Hylocereus and hybrids thereof have a variety of flesh and skin color combinations. The yellow pitaya (Selenecereus megalanthus) has yellow thorny skin and white, translucent flesh.
Native to tropical America with a range extending from Southern Mexico to Northern South America, dragonfruit was a popular Aztec food. At the turn of the 19th century, the French brought it to Southeast Asia. Currently, Nicaragua is the main producer of red flesh varieties of Hylocereus spp. in Central America, with an estimated 800-1000 HA planted. Colombia is the leading South American producer of yellow pitaya. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a leading producer. Israel also produces and exports to the EU. Commercial growers typically propagate via cuttings. While germination rates for seeds are high, the plant is slow-growing and may not produce fruit for 6 years. The cactus is grown on a trellis system.
The large, night-blooming flowers are pollinated by moths and bats in Central America. Cross pollination and hand pollination, where pollinators are not common, can improve fruit set. Fruits mature in 35 – 50 days, depending on the cultivar and location.
Ants and aphids can damage young shoots and flower buds, and I saw evidence of this in the greenhouse at TARS.
References:
6/13/11
Today I worked in the chemistry lab. We prepared soil samples to be tested for phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and potassium and also weighed out samples of seeds and fruits from Mamey Sapote. This is all in an effort to determine how well the plants take up fertilizers.
Phosphorus exists as aluminum, iron, or calcium phosphate in the soil. The relative concentrations depend upon the soil pH, with aluminum and iron phosphates dominant in low pH (acid) soils, and calcium phosphate dominant in higher pH (neutral to alkaline) soils. There are a number of procedures commonly used to extract phosphorus from soil samples. We used the Bray P2 method, which is designed for soils with low pH, low cation exchange capacity, and low organic matter. In this method, the reagents are ammonium fluoride and hydrochloric acid. The acid makes phosphorus more soluble and the fluoride anion lowers the readsorption activity of aluminum.
Magnesium, calcium, and potassium are all cations, though they may be present in multiple forms in soil. We used the solvent ammonium acetate at pH 7. The ammonium acts as an exchange ion, essentially pushing the magnesium, calcium, and potassium into solution. Therefore, extractions using this reagent give the concentrations of exchangeable cations.
A group of high school students came in to tour the lab and see what we do. Of course the tour was given in Spanish. I followed with my notebook and tried to pick out key words. The lab head was a little disappointed they weren’t more interested.
We’re getting a new washing machine tomorrow! The one we had didn’t work – didn’t even spin! I was afraid we’d have to wash our clothes in the bathtub for the next 5 weeks!
I learned some new Spanish words today. So proud of myself. Labradora – washing machine. Semilla – seed. Hoja – leaf. See you’re learning with me!
Later in the week, we may test the concentrations of reducing sugars in banana pulp. I guess biochemistry is good for something! Reducing sugars include glucose and fructose. Sucrose is not a reducing sugar. They have aldehyde or ketone groups which can reduce other molecules. Aldehyde groups can be oxidized to carboxylate groups.
I’m in the plaza. I just saw people riding horses down the street. Awesome.
6/14/2011
Today, we extracted iron, manganese, and zinc. These are all micronutrients, as are boron, chlorine, and copper. They are needed in amounts less than 0.10% of the plant’s total dry matter. We followed the Mehlich Number 1 method, which is designed for acid soils, with low cation exchange capacity and low organic matter content. This method uses hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. The filtrate (the liquid after the solids have been filtered out) will be examined using inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP) to determine the concentrations of these elements. In spectrophotometry, an element is identified by the wavelength of radiation emitted when an excited electron returns to ground state. The intensity of the radiation at this characteristic wavelength is indicative of the concentration. ICP can measure the concentrations of multiple elements simultaneously.
We also determined prepared samples for nitrogen content determination.
In the evening, I went to the Teatro Yaguez, in the town center, for a free movie screening. I didn’t know what the movie would be, but it was free and in walking distance, so why not? I was pleasantly surprised. There was also complimentary wine before the screening. I had arranged to meet up with some UPR girls at the theater. I also saw one of the researchers (and his father) and two technicians there! While I was waiting for the girls to arrive, I people-watched (this sounds better than: I watched people”). A lot of people were eating Rex Cream (yum…). Most of the people walking into the theater were quite well-dressed – I was certainly not prepared for this! Some really cute dresses…and some really, umm, clunky?, shoes. Chunky platforms that were pretty damn tall! How were these women walking around in them? I never could. If I had a choice between heels and platforms, I’d opt for the former, but apparently that is not the style here. When one of the girls arrived, I shared my observations with her. Yea, you’ll see those shoes a lot, she replied calmly. Oh gosh, how do they do it? My friend also looked very nice. I mean, the way she did her eye makeup, it really was like one of those magazine ads. Black and white eyeshadow, black inside (closer to her nose) and white outside…or was it the other way around? Doesn’t matter. She looked pretty damn good…not like that? Umm, oops…moving on. I miss when my sister would do my makeup. She’s a great makeup artist. Did my makeup for my prom – I got so many comments. Better than any professional job (and a heck of a lot cheaper). I’m pretty clueless. I just learned to put on mascara this past December.
So, onto the movies. The screening was hosted by the UPR-Mayaguez film society, or at least that’s what I was able to gather. They have a pretty strong certificate program in cinema studies.
They showed a short film first. It left me very confused – was I supposed to be happy or sad? I wasn’t sure, and I still haven’t made up my mind. However, it was very well done.
Then, the feature film. A Hindi film (with English subtitles, thank goodness!). There were plenty of funny parts, but it was also pretty depressing. Udaal was the title, I believe. This boy gets kicked out of boarding school and is sent home to live with his abusive father. He wants to be a writer, but his father wants him to be an engineer, to follow in his footsteps and work in his factory.
The movie was much longer than I expected, and it had started later, too. (My friend assured me it was normal for Puerto Ricans to be late.) I didn’t get home till quarter to 11. So late, especially since I’ve been going to bed by ten every night!
6/15/2011
I weighed more fruit and seed samples this morning – my favorite task…not! So tedious. Makes me really appreciate the work behind the large sample sizes demanded for statistical analysis and publishable research.
In the afternoon, however I wasn’t sent to that little room to weigh samples. Instead, I helped with the nitrogen determination assay. We added boric acid and indicator solution to the digested samples. In the procedure we used, nitrogen in the sample is converted to ammonium. We add sodium hydroxide to convert the ammonium to ammonia and then distill it so that the ammonia is added to the boric acid-indicator solution. We then titrate with hydrochloric acid to determine the amount of ammonia present. Using an equation, we can determine the amount of nitrogen present in the original sample.
I saw another movie that evening. The movie started early though! Wait, aren’t we in Puerto Rico? It was a documentary on the Freedom Riders. This group of people, black and white, Jew and Christian, rode buses throughout the segregationist South in the early 1960s. They hoped that, through nonviolence, they could create change and achieve equality. Eventually, after much struggle, and after suffering greatly from the violent acts of others, they did succeed. I finally learned who James R. Hoffa was. I receive a scholarship named after him from the Teamsters’ Union. He was head of that union at the time of the Freedom Rides. He spoke on behalf of the bus drivers – they did not want to drive any bus with the Freedom Riders as passengers. I was disappointed to hear that. However, I understand that it must have been quite difficult for them. These bus drivers only wanted to earn a living, to provide for their families. There was so much violence surrounding the Freedom Rides (which was part of the non-violence movement for equality!) that to drive a bus with these riders on board meant you were putting your life on the line! It was a powerful documentary. The family behind me almost ruined it. They were all chewing gum, all 5 of them! Maybe if only one was chewing gum I could’ve ignored it, but all 5! And the mother was making comments, like, Oh my gosh, and laughing (some of the riders’ stories were funny, yes) and sighing and gasping and…seriously?!? I mean, come on! This is pretty powerful stuff! I do not need your chewing and your commentary.
I didn’t stay for the second film. I didn’t want to be out past 11 PM really. I was told it was about Iraq and was a tad depressing.
6/16/11
Today we were supposed to analyze samples in the ICP for phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, and manganese. The machine was acting up. We didn’t have enough of the internal standard on hand, unfortunately. So this was delayed for next week.
I finally finished weighing all the samples, all 204 of them! Gold star please.
In the afternoon we discussed how we would be testing the dried banana pulp for sugars and starches. This is the first time we’re doing this….we’ll see how it goes!
6/17/2011
We extracted starch from dried banana and determined starch concentration. I found this very exciting – today was my favorite day in the chemistry lab, no doubt about it. We first dissolved the dried banana in DMSO and HCl. Some of the solutions were a nice bright pink. We then raised the pH to 4-5. The color changed – no more hot pink : ( I love these experiments in which colors change. I find it so exciting. I wonder what compounds in banana are responsible for color, what other compounds have been extracted and identified. I will definitely need to look this up. I’m just so curious (and I like hot pink). The chemist teased me because I asked for more scientific articles to read. What else do I have to do though, without tv or internet in the house?
In order to determine starch concentration, we had to first extract starch (see above) and then degrade it to glucose (enzymatic reaction using ATP), which can then reduce NAD to NADH (another enzymatic reaction), which can be detected at 340 nm wavelength. Today was the first time we did this assay so we had to work through some issues, such as how much starting material to use, how much do we dilute it, how long should it sit for, etc. etc.
We did find that starch content decreased as the banana aged, which we expected. We also found that the variety already in commercial production had a greater starch content than the variety the team is trying to introduce. This new variety is tolerant of sigatoca, a fungal disease of banana.
The chemist will conduct this experiment again, after making a few changes to the protocol.
I do miss the pollination work I did last summer. I loved going around to the different farms, watching the bees fly from flower to flower. I especially loved the blue-green bees – they’re freakin awesome. Yes, I am a geek.
I also miss blueberries. I don’t like raw blueberries, but I love them in oatmeal and in my father’s pancakes. My sister assured me she would freeze some extras for me. And make muffins. : ) Fantastic.
This week I'm reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
I'm also editing my autobiogrpahy, which I wrote two summers ago. How Precocious.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Those high schoolers must think I'm quite odd
6/11/2011
I walked to the plaza this morning. I woke up before 6 AM. This would not have been a problem, except I got in at 3 AM. So it was a big problem. I don’t function well on little sleep. Well, I function, but not happily. I was thirsty and my stomach hurt and I had a headache. The French toast I made for breakfast did help a little bit. Cinnamon has curative properties, right? Our washing machine isn’t working. It didn’t even spin for me, but my clothes soaked in hot water a bit, so that makes them clean, I think. There is still a pool of water in the machine that didn’t drain out and I guess it’ll sit there until Monday when I can ask someone in the office and they’ll probably just come to our house, flip a switch, show us that the machine now works, and laugh all the way home.
I sat in the plaza this morning for a bit. Nice morning. Free wi-fi. Music. People walking around and sitting on park benches and reading and talking. Very calm.
We stayed in all day. Except for during the rainstorm. I put my bathing suit on and we went for a nice walk in the rain. If I knew the lyrics, I would have sung the song. I have to say that walk did wonders for my headache.
Later, we tried making mofongo. Fail. I’ll just have to buy some for lunch one day, that’s all. We fried the plantains and mashed them up and everything. It was ok, nothing stellar. We had some more of the Trumpeter Cab Sauv with dinner. Now I just have to keep myself awake for another couple hours. I really don’t want to go to bed at 7 PM, wake up at 2 AM, and completely throw off my sleeping schedule.
6/12/11
We went to the beach in Cabo Rojo today. At Baqueron there was a gay pride parade, which would have been cool to see, but we were afraid there would be too much traffic so we went to a different beach, still in Cabo Rojo, but a little farther south. It amazed me that we could just walk right onto the beach. What, no bage? No one asking me to pay? Wow, fantastic! And the water was light blue – blue! – and warm. I actually went in! not just my toes, or up to my knees, or run in, dunk my head, scream it’s freakin cold and run out. Ah, so refreshing! I loved it. And there were plenty of attractive men and men who could be attractive if only they cut off that stupid rat tail! Arg, get a new hairdresser, please!
We went to lunch at a restaurant on the beach. Unfortunately no vegetarian empanadillas. : (
We stayed till about 4. Then a quiet evening at home, resting for the workweek to come. I figured I’d gather some more interesting info for everyone. Dragonfruit!
Pitayaha, pitaya, dragonfruit, strawberry pear
Hylocereus spp. (over 25 species have been identified) and Selenecereus megalanthus (the yellow or Colombian pitaya); family Cactaceae
Species of Hylocereus and hybrids thereof have a variety of flesh and skin color combinations. The yellow pitaya (Selenecereus megalanthus) has yellow thorny skin and white, translucent flesh.
Native to tropical America with a range extending from Southern Mexico to Northern South America, dragonfruit was a popular Aztec food. At the turn of the 19th century, the French brought it to Southeast Asia. Currently, Nicaragua is the main producer of red flesh varieties of Hylocereus spp. in Central America, with an estimated 800-1000 HA planted. Colombia is the leading South American producer of yellow pitaya. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a leading producer. Israel also produces and exports to the EU. Commercial growers typically propagate via cuttings. While germination rates for seeds are high, the plant is slow-growing and may not produce fruit for 6 years. The cactus is grown on a trellis system.
The large, night-blooming flowers are pollinated by moths and bats in Central America. Cross pollination and hand pollination, where pollinators are not common, can improve fruit set. Fruits mature in 35 – 50 days, depending on the cultivar and location.
Ants and aphids can damage young shoots and flower buds, and I saw evidence of this in the greenhouse at TARS.
References:
6/13/11
Today I worked in the chemistry lab. We prepared soil samples to be tested for phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and potassium and also weighed out samples of seeds and fruits from Mamey Sapote. This is all in an effort to determine how well the plants take up fertilizers.
Phosphorus exists as aluminum, iron, or calcium phosphate in the soil. The relative concentrations depend upon the soil pH, with aluminum and iron phosphates dominant in low pH (acid) soils, and calcium phosphate dominant in higher pH (neutral to alkaline) soils. There are a number of procedures commonly used to extract phosphorus from soil samples. We used the Bray P2 method, which is designed for soils with low pH, low cation exchange capacity, and low organic matter. In this method, the reagents are ammonium fluoride and hydrochloric acid. The acid makes phosphorus more soluble and the fluoride anion lowers the readsorption activity of aluminum.
Magnesium, calcium, and potassium are all cations, though they may be present in multiple forms in soil. We used the solvent ammonium acetate at pH 7. The ammonium acts as an exchange ion, essentially pushing the magnesium, calcium, and potassium into solution. Therefore, extractions using this reagent give the concentrations of exchangeable cations.
A group of high school students came in to tour the lab and see what we do. Of course the tour was given in Spanish. I followed with my notebook and tried to pick out key words. The lab head was a little disappointed they weren’t more interested.
We’re getting a new washing machine tomorrow! The one we had didn’t work – didn’t even spin! I was afraid we’d have to wash our clothes in the bathtub for the next 5 weeks!
I learned some new Spanish words today. So proud of myself. Labradora – washing machine. Semilla – seed. Hoja – leaf. See you’re learning with me!
Later in the week, we may test the concentrations of reducing sugars in banana pulp. I guess biochemistry is good for something! Reducing sugars include glucose and fructose. Sucrose is not a reducing sugar. They have aldehyde or ketone groups which can reduce other molecules. Aldehyde groups can be oxidized to carboxylate groups.
I’m in the plaza. I just saw people riding horses down the street. Awesome.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Where did my new amigo go?
6/9
Who knew counting lychee fruits could be so exciting and dangerous? A thrill-seekers dream job? Perhaps. I found a tarantula at the bottom of one of the bins. He (or she?) was just hanging out with the lychee fruit, probably ate all the other little creatures that ended up in there. Was I frightened? Duh, comes to mind. So my coworker proceeded to poke the spider with a stick. “These jump.”
Thank you for that interesting fact. “It jumps, and you’re poking it! Ah!”
I’m the only girl in the lab and the only one that does not speak Spanish. Ah, silly Jersey girl. I’m sure they all got a kick out of my anxiety. It was all in good fun. I’m ok. The spider did not bite anyone. We put it in a large graduated cylinder and proudly showed off our new pet to all our visitors.
Just before lunch break, I found a cockroach in another bin. The tarantula feasted on it. I thought I was supposed to be studying plant science! I was treated to an Animal Planet show. So Mr. (or Miss) Tarantula got their own lunch!
I am happy to report we have our hot water back. The switch in the kitchen that we thought belonged to an outside light actually controls our hot water heater. No wonder we haven’t had hot water! We turned it off Sunday night.
More dragonfruit! The cactus is so productive, the plant so vigorous. It’s truly amazing. I wonder if anyone has done any research on the compounds in the fruit. It has such a magnificent, unique color. what gives it that amazing magenta color?
I also did some grafting in the afternoon. What is grafting and what’s the point? Grafting is a method of vegetative propagation. Because the seedlings of many fruits are not identical to their parents, vegetative propagation is preferable to ensure quality and limit variability. Grafting involves putting a desirable variety onto a different rootstock. As stated, this ensures that you get the desired variety. It also brings fruit trees into production earlier. Furthermore, once can use rootstocks with desirable characteristics, such as dwarfing habit (to keep trees small and manageable) or disease resistance or drought tolerance. So what did I graft? A grapefruit-orange hybrid called chironha, breadfruit, and rambutan. There are a number of different grafting techniques. We used side veneer and T-budding. In the latter, only a bud is taken from the desired variety and inserted into the rootstock. I practiced a bit of grafting in plant propagation class last semester. I am too scared of cutting myself to be good, I think. And I am no less awkward in the tropics, I am sad to report. I hope the grafts are successful. At least here, there is less of a chance of them drying out!
After work a lot of us went over to the beach to play volleyball. I was reassured several times, by several people, that Puerto Rico has much more beautiful beaches. Please do not judge Puerto Rico’s beaches solely on your impression of those in Mayaguez…The park was constructed for the Central American games, which were held in Mayaguez last year. Across the street was the baseball stadium, where the Mayaguez Indios (?) play. Hmm…maybe we’ll see a baseball game? Someone help me, is this baseball season? I think it is, right?
You must all be wondering: did she actually play? I hate sports; I hate volleyball. Ever since sixth grade, when that girl yelled at me in gym class for missing the ball (well, pretty much since I learned how to play…but even more so after this incident). I did play. For a bit, at least. But I am easily frustrated and lost motivation and interest. It’s fine, I had a fine time socializing.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and, I admit, I practiced my right to purchase alcohol. A nice 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza (Argentina). Oh, I want to go back to Argentina! Great wine, at least in my humble opinion, and a great price too. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a great selection at the grocery store. I think I’ll go for a German Riesling next. I mean, a Riesling from Germany would be great! I’ve only had NJ and NY Rieslings…recommendations anyone?
6/10
Our new friend is missing! The tarantula was not in the container we left it in. It wasn’t in our boots, either. Mysterious…
I used a refractometer to test Brix of lychee fruits. A valuable skill in viticulture, too. I hope to use it again during harvest season. It’s not a very difficult task, actually. Just squeeze some juice over the light of the refractometer. Most of the lycees had brix from 15 to 25, with the majority falling around 20.
I saw the new spectrometer in the chemistry lab. It measures the concentrations of multiple elements in a solution using plasma and detecting characteristic states of excitation. Solutions of ground plant tissues (root, shoot, and leaf) are to be tested for the macro and micronutrients to determine fertilizer uptake.
After that, planting! We planted gosh knows how many breadfruit trees. TARS is the home of primary germplasm collections. However, it is not enough to have one germplasm collection – as we learned after Hurricane Andrew devastated the mango collection in Florida. So TARS has a back-up collection for mangoes and is now planting a backup collection for breadfruit (the primary collection is in Hawaii..my next stop?).
A germplasm collection is a collection of a number of varieties of one species. We want to make sure that we are preserving the genetic material of all these different varieties – some may be valued for their delicious fruits, others for disease resistance, others for pest tolerance, etc. A germplasm collection stores all of these unique traits. Breeders can draw on specimens to develop new varieties.
So, we planted breadfruit. Pretty big trees for being so young! They were started from air layers. What is air layering? Another form of vegetative propagation. Expose the tissue beneath the bark and apply hormone to stimulate the tissue to develop roots. Surround with potting mix and wrap with plastic. We planted, as I said, gosh knows how many. Trees were 20’ apart, with 25’ between rows. It was hot! Very hot. Every once in a while we benefitted from a slight breeze. I think I should stick with planting tomatoes. I can’t handle moving the heavy trees and digging big holes (we used a backhoe, actually) and moving so much dirt! So, I think, in my case, planting tomatoes and doing labwork are more doable.
After our first week, we treated ourselves to ice cream at Rex Cream. Yum…mocha…I also tried the tamarind and key lime pie. Both pretty good, but my heart belonged to the mocha. I’ll have to try more, including the corn! I hear it’s great with cinnamon on top. And of course I will get it with sprinkles on a cone. Cones are much more sustainable than cups. Yes, that’s the reason I always get a cone. Sustainability. Some day, however, I should really take to heart how messy ice cream cones are. You think that, at my age, I’d be able to eat one without staining a shirt. Ha!
Later we went out to a bar in Cabo Rojo. We did karaoke. Of course we did songs in English, i.e. Britney Spears “You Drive me Crazy.” Towards the end of the night, though, I was getting a handle on some of the Spanish songs. Once you get the rhythm down, it’s not too difficult. It was a lovely way to end the week. We got in at 3 AM, though, and my body will no longer let me sleep later than 6AM after a week of waking up at 5. So, I was up at 5:30 AM. I am going to be so cranky later. You have been warned.
So, I tried doing some laundry. I'm not really sure how to use our washing machine, though, so,mm, that didn't go too well. I mean my clothes soaked a bit in hot soapy water and are now hanging to dry, so, mission accomplished? Feeling antsy, I decided to go for a walk. I wandered a bit around teh TARS grounds and located the miracle berry tree. One ripe fruit! A small red berry, the miracle fruit Synsepalum dulcifium Daniell (Sapotaceae) makes sour foods taste sweet. There is a lemon in our fridge - I can't wait to try it! I also found a ripe cacao pod. I really need to locate some dark chocolate. So far all I have seen is milk. : (
I'm in the Plaza now. Music is playing. I"m in the shade. I'd say it's pretty nice. Come join me!
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