old 99 farm. week of Aug 30, 2015

Are plants intelligent? So asks Albert Bates, currently in Iceland teaching a permaculture course.
“Plants communicate — they are actually quite loquacious communicators. They are able to distinguish kin and non-kin. They communicate with plants of their own and other species and they communicate with animals and humans.

We are here in Iceland teaching a permaculture course with Robyn Francis and she likes to say plants are just upside-down humans. We have our senses up at the top — in our mouths, noses, ears and fingertips. Plants keep those mostly down in their roots but they also smell and taste and touch like we do. We keep our sex organs hidden down in our bottoms, but plants put them up on full display at the top.

But can a plant be intelligent? Some plant scientists, like Stefano Mancuso, think they are — since they can discover, learn, remember, and even react in ways we would call intelligent."

http://peaksurfer.blogspot.ca/2015/08/distributed-intelligence.html

Check out this TED talk about quantum biology: using quantum physics to fathom how birds migrate using the earth’s magnetic field, etc. http://www.ted.com/talks/jim_al_khalili_how_quantum_biology_might_explain_life_s_biggest_questions?language=en

Oh yes we do have more mundane things to mention this week! tomatoes, squashes, potatoes etc. As of Aug 30th, we can offer 48 items including the following crops: zucchini, plum tomatoes, cilantro, basil, napa and early white cabbage, arugula (rocket), kale, three varieties of chard, red cabbage, collards, and beetgreens, peppers, eggplant, spaghetti squash. There are lots of eggs. So please surf on over to the locallygrown site and see what you’d like to eat.

Healthy eating to you all,
ian and Cami