Comments on: Lemons Galore!

By: Oranges Galore! | Cosmic Variance

Oranges Galore! | Cosmic Variance — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 16:27:02 +0000

[...] I stepped out into the back garden for the first time in a month and was rewarded with the sight of this fully-laden orange tree. Last Spring, I planted the lemon tree and the lime tree, but I did not plant this fellow, but it’s quite faithfully producing each year with no encouragement from me (I think it will need some feeding though….these seem smaller than they were last year). [...]

By: Rochelle

Rochelle — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 18:02:54 +0000

It was a wonder to find janet’s rendition of my award winning lemon thyme marmalade in such a place! we actually made and gave this out as gifts at our wedding it had drawn such raves. and it’s great both on toast and under the skin of chicken before it’s grilled or brushed over a pork roast.

I’m delighted she found it an inspiration and hope you do as well.

By: INT

INT — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 09:44:09 +0000

I don’t think IQ matters that much. I mean, start doing those kind of tests regularly and you’ll see that your IQ rises. That doesn’t mean you are more inteligent than you were before, just that you get used to the type of questions they ask you and learn to answer them faster and better. I think that’s what happens in life in general, one learns to deal with the problems you encounter, and as you face the same problems over and over again you tend to optimize your response so that your results improve.

By: sisyphus

sisyphus — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 08:01:38 +0000

Janet: Getting into another’s head would be like stepping into another universe. There is no way for any of us to truly communicate what we experience in the uniqueness of our private phenomenal worlds; we can use language to stimulate responses in others, but we can never know what is evoked in another’s mind. Even if direct brain-to-brain connection guaranteed a shared event, it wouldn’t guarantee a shared experience.

Sorry if this seems a little non-sequitur. I’m not arguing with you; you just got me thinking.

Regards

By: janet

janet — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 04:15:58 +0000

Clifford — You’re welcome! I should have guessed you’d have canning experience (goes with the gardening). I also forgot to mention that the recipe makes about 1 quart, however you prefer to divide it up.

Sisyphus — I think it’s true that IQ tests measure certain aspects of what we generally call “intelligence.” And I make judgements about people’s intelligence all the time, of course. What I would really like, though, is the ability to get into other people’s heads, to find out not what they think but how they think. Can you imagine what education would be like if we could do that?

By: sisyphus

sisyphus — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 22:10:48 +0000

Nice post, Janet, but hey – don’t get me wrong. I.Q. is just one of many elements in the stuff of intelligence. Nevertheless, if a person is stopped by the kinds of problems presented in stabdard I.Q. tests she/he is likely to have major problems grasping the abstruse concepts involved in quantum theory. Some of us are ’slow and steady’ and are misrepresented by these timed tests that are over before the intellectual turtles get warmed up – and we all know of mental rabbits who have the philosophical depth of, well.. rabbits.

In some circumstances though, I.Q. and special aptitudes tests have been proven to have high predictive value; considering what science professors do, I doubt that many science professors worth their NaCl don’t excel in the I.Q. dep’t.

By: Clifford

Clifford — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:19:12 +0000

Amara:- thanks for those!

-cvj

By: Clifford

Clifford — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:17:49 +0000

Thanks janet (#15). I always like an excuse to break out the Le Crueset pans. Thanks also for the canning/bottling instructions, although having made lots of jams and other preserves in the past, I probably won’t need to open my copy of Joy for this outing.

Cheers,

-cvj

By: janet

janet — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 17:45:52 +0000

I think there are two basic questions to ask about IQ: first, is there any such thing as “general intelligence,” and second, if so, do IQ tests measure that quality? I strongly doubt the first, and given that, the second question is pretty much moot.

“Intelligence” can involve many qualities, and these qualities tend to assert themselves in different ways and at different times of life. Mathematical and musical abilities are famous for showing up early, but the kinds of intellectual qualities that make a great historian or a great diplomat develop later and more slowly. Some people have lousy memories for detail, but a great ability to dig deep into the heart of a problem and see it in a new way. The people who win on Jeopardy rarely seem to be deep intellects; what they have is the ability a) to perform under pressure, and b) to quickly and accurately retrieve information. A great surgeon needs physical stamina as well as dexterity and the knowledge of anatomy and physiology. I could go on and on, but you get the idea: a person can have some qualities that we identify with “intelligence,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are “intelligent” in general, or suited for any type of intellectual activity.

I agree with Clifford and Joanne that hard work and dedication are key traits for scientists, but I would also say that these are mental abilities. Not everybody has the ability to concentrate in the way that scientists have to; most people get bored or tired and lose interest. That’s not just a personality or character trait, but a quality of the mind. I tend to be “quick,” and I marvel at my husband’s ability to buckle down and work at a problem steadily over a period of weeks or months. It’s partly that he’s got more self-discipline than I do, but partly also that he’s able to carry his work over from day to day without getting distracted or sidetracked. On the other hand, of the two of us I’m probably the one you want to have around in case of a crisis, because I’m much better at making decisions and acting quickly.

By: janet

janet — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 17:15:44 +0000

No need for a bribe, Clifford. Actually, I’m glad to be motivated to dig around among my cookbooks and find the recipe. This is paraphrased from a recipe by Rochelle Foles, who made it for the annual San Francisco Bay Area “Chowhound” picnic in 2003.

8 Meyer lemons
6 cups water
5 cups sugar
2 Tbs. thyme leaves.

Wash and dry the lemons. Cut them around their fat little middles and carefully extract the seeds. Set the seeds aside. Cut the lemon halves again, this time lengthwise so you have a flat surface. Place the flat side on the cutting board and slice the lemons as thinly as possible (use a mandolin if you have one).

Place the lemons and the water in a pan, cover, and let sit overnight. (Note: This is the pan you’ll use for cooking the marmalade. We got better results with a Le Crueset ceramic-coated pan than with a stainless steel pan.)

In the morning, tie the reserved seeds in a piece of cheesecloth. Add them to the lemons, along with the sugar. Heat the mixture to 220 degrees (this may take some time). Cook until it reduces by 1/3 to 1/2 and reaches the jellying point.

To check that the mixutre is jelling: Place a small plate in the freezer. When the plate is cold, place about a teaspoon of the mixture on the plate and put it back in the freezer for 10 minutes. If it ripples and is thick when you take it out, it’s jellied.

Add the thyme and cook for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Remove the cloth package of seeds.

Meanwhile, prepare your canning jars by sterilizing them. (See a general reference cookbook such as The Joy of Cooking for sterilizing instructions.) Jars should be hot when you fill them — don’t forget to use tongs to handle them. After filling, put them in a water bath and boil for 10 minutes. Remove and listen for the “pop” as each jar seals. Any jars that don’t seal can still be used, but keep them refrigerated and use them sooner rather than later.