Wondering where my posts have been? Actually, I'm pretty sure that Lena and maybe Mom are the only ones that actively read this blog, an they both know that I haven't been posting because my internet has been out for nearly the past week. while an inconvenience at times (like when trying to look up the # for an oil change, or make study abroad plans, or a cattail recipe) it has been refreshing and pleasant for everyone on property not to have the internet. We played more games together. Ate more meals communally. Played more sports.
Highlights of this past week:
WEDNESDAY
Foraging dinner w/the entire Lodge Lab. This meal was inspired by invasivore.org, a blog created by some of Lindsey and Ashley's friends back at Notre Dame. It focuses on how to identify and eat all sorts of invasive species. You're helping the environment! Our meal included the invasive rusty crayfish that we trapped ourselves, the invasive Chinese Mystery Snails that we collected, and wild raspberries that I picked before the meal. I decided to try a crayfish because a) I know where it is coming from. There is no meat fresher or more sustainable than the crayfish out of Big Lake and b) when else will I have this opportunity? But still, I only ate just one. That's the same reason that I felt okay about eating the CMS. I saw where the snails were living. I collected them myself, and saw how they were cooked. I followed them in every step of the way from Big Lake to plate. No "out of sight, out of mind" ideology about picking out slabs of meat in the grocery store.
The entire foraging dinner was lovely because the undergraduate class students that were working in the Lodge Lab were also invited, so we had a big group of about twelve of us, including Dr. Lodge. Very family-Thanksgiving-esque.
THURSDAY
FOOD CHRISTMAS - the most wonderful day of the summer when Santa's elves leave out merry food for the taking! Since the undergrad course ended and they left UNDERC today, there was so much food that they didn't have room to take with them back to South Bend, so it is an annual event to go over and take what we want! Here's a pic of what I got. Key items: tofu, peanut butter, jams, blueberries, oatmeal, chai tea, granola bars, giant vat of spaghetti sauce.
We then used most of the food we got for dinner. Bradley and Ricky brought over free pasta, I cooked some free frozen veggies, heated some free tomato sauce, and we enjoyed that with some watermelon leftover from the foraging dinner. Best Day Ever!
Also, I can now do handstands! ...kinda. not for very long. Katie and I were practicing and then joined in for half a game of ultimate frisbee.
FRIDAY
Fish Fry @ Bent's Camp - All-you-can-eat friday fish fry is a big thing up here in the North Woods. I didn't actually eat any of the all-you-can-eat fish fry, but I did indulge in some of their all you can eat free sides and ordered a surprisingly good veggie pizza. We ate at a table out on the water right as the sun was setting and had more good conversation as a lab and Dr. Lodge was kind enough to pay for our meal! If there's time, I really want to try to canoe to Bent's Camp. Mammie lake is part of the Cisco chain, which is accessible by Big Lake which is right off UNDERC property. Wouldn't that be an awesome evening? Paddle to dinner, enjoy a hearty meal, and ((slowly)) paddle back. I think it takes over 3 hrs. but it'd be worth it.
Oh and as for sciencey things:
- my experiment is going, slowly but surely. abstracts for the research symposium are due on sunday.
- thursday was the last day for hand-collecting rusty crayfish! ;-;
- today we sampled two new lakes: Forest and Big Musky. We were collecting O. propinquus and O. virilus. Virilus are so passive! I liken them to the pacifists of crayfish. They don't really use their claws much, and were all in all very pleasant to handle.
Highlights of this past week:
WEDNESDAY
Foraging dinner w/the entire Lodge Lab. This meal was inspired by invasivore.org, a blog created by some of Lindsey and Ashley's friends back at Notre Dame. It focuses on how to identify and eat all sorts of invasive species. You're helping the environment! Our meal included the invasive rusty crayfish that we trapped ourselves, the invasive Chinese Mystery Snails that we collected, and wild raspberries that I picked before the meal. I decided to try a crayfish because a) I know where it is coming from. There is no meat fresher or more sustainable than the crayfish out of Big Lake and b) when else will I have this opportunity? But still, I only ate just one. That's the same reason that I felt okay about eating the CMS. I saw where the snails were living. I collected them myself, and saw how they were cooked. I followed them in every step of the way from Big Lake to plate. No "out of sight, out of mind" ideology about picking out slabs of meat in the grocery store.
The entire foraging dinner was lovely because the undergraduate class students that were working in the Lodge Lab were also invited, so we had a big group of about twelve of us, including Dr. Lodge. Very family-Thanksgiving-esque.
THURSDAY
FOOD CHRISTMAS - the most wonderful day of the summer when Santa's elves leave out merry food for the taking! Since the undergrad course ended and they left UNDERC today, there was so much food that they didn't have room to take with them back to South Bend, so it is an annual event to go over and take what we want! Here's a pic of what I got. Key items: tofu, peanut butter, jams, blueberries, oatmeal, chai tea, granola bars, giant vat of spaghetti sauce.
Also, I can now do handstands! ...kinda. not for very long. Katie and I were practicing and then joined in for half a game of ultimate frisbee.
FRIDAY
Fish Fry @ Bent's Camp - All-you-can-eat friday fish fry is a big thing up here in the North Woods. I didn't actually eat any of the all-you-can-eat fish fry, but I did indulge in some of their all you can eat free sides and ordered a surprisingly good veggie pizza. We ate at a table out on the water right as the sun was setting and had more good conversation as a lab and Dr. Lodge was kind enough to pay for our meal! If there's time, I really want to try to canoe to Bent's Camp. Mammie lake is part of the Cisco chain, which is accessible by Big Lake which is right off UNDERC property. Wouldn't that be an awesome evening? Paddle to dinner, enjoy a hearty meal, and ((slowly)) paddle back. I think it takes over 3 hrs. but it'd be worth it.
Oh and as for sciencey things:
- my experiment is going, slowly but surely. abstracts for the research symposium are due on sunday.
- thursday was the last day for hand-collecting rusty crayfish! ;-;
- today we sampled two new lakes: Forest and Big Musky. We were collecting O. propinquus and O. virilus. Virilus are so passive! I liken them to the pacifists of crayfish. They don't really use their claws much, and were all in all very pleasant to handle.
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