Rebel Rose

Yes, Roundup has been used for decades on regular crops, and as others have commented, has also been used by home gardeners. It is considered the safest of all herbicides available on the market, barring perhaps citrus-based ones but even those are so concentrated they require protective gear during application. Over a dozen people have tried to commit suicide by drinking Roundup or other glyphosate-based herbicides (god knows why, because the surfactants make it sweet, I suppose) and all but one failed. Dogs have eaten glyphosate crystals (Labs will eat anything) and survived. Yes, small and mid-size farmers can and sometimes do grow crop for seed, but the process of hulling and sifting the crop is laborious and requires special equipment, so it is more cost-effective to buy seed from agribusinesses who specialize in crop propagation. Specialists also have the laboratories to test seed and assure quality, and they have proper storage protocols to assure the seed does not get moldy or infected during storage. You may be interested to know that GMO seed is more expensive, and growing a GMO crop is entirely optional on the part of the farmer. Seed, water, fuel, chemicals and labor are the top 5 production inputs for most grain crop farmers. So if the cost of seed goes up dramatically, the farmer has to figure out how to reduce one of the other inputs and/or increase productivity.

I don't want to get into too many areas that don't already have some verifiable information, but I do explain that the transferred genes come from common soil bacteria that are all around us and exist within us already. (I am also a firm believer in keeping one's gut bacteria happy and healthy!)

Yes, as I indicated in the OP, I do take a stand against hysteria, hyperbole and hypocrisy. I'm also including brief profiles of 5 or 6 high-profile anti-GMO personalities and basically debunking them. This will probably make me unpopular with the anti-GMO crowd, but I believe that truth, integrity and authenticity make for a stronger position whether you are for or against GMO's. Also, I object to children and youth being fed lies, propanganda and hate speech about food and farmers.

Yes, thanks, I have a section on GMO animal production and research. Any particular reason you are concerne about GMO fish?

Back to questions, the major issues are not only covered, but have been broken down into individual questions. The basic sections of the book are as follows: 1. What GMO's are and how they are created. Some Botany 101 (hybrids, grafts, etc.) 2. Specific GMO's: RR corn, Bt corn, Bt wheat, Bt cotton, etc. Also a discussion of dwarf wheat (which is not GMO) 3. GMO's and our health 4. GMO's and the environment 5. GMO's and the economies of farming 6. GMO's in the global village (how US pricing and availability affects other countries, how subsidies play into this, etc) 7. GMO's in the media (how to vett articles for authenticity, etc) Some of the questions already included: Do Roundup Ready crops create a need for even more herbicides and pesticides? Is Bt corn responsible for a glut of “sweet corn” – low protein/high sugar corn? Will golden rice save starving populations? If I buy garden seeds, will I get stray GMO seeds? Are there GMO’s in beer, wine and liquor? Does Monsanto control the supply of GMO seeds? Do GMO’s create monoculture farming? Do GMO’s require more water than other crops? What about Agrobacterium transfer to other plants, animals and humans? Why is there resistance to GMO labeling—don’t we have a right to know? The book is nearly finished, so this is sort of a "last call" for specific questions. But if you don't have specific questions, just raising your hand and sharing general concerns (as gfweb and annabelle did) helps to give me an idea of where people are at in their understanding of the topic and what your deepest areas of concern are. Thanks! dcarch, that's a really good question, and no one has ever asked me that before! I don't think anyone could give a factual answer to that (which is what the guide is about) but I will definitely include it as 'food for thought'. Thank you!

I have been asked by eGullet to announce that results of the poll will be shared with respondents and the public. SurveyMonkey poll results are immediately available to all respondents and will be available for 30 days after the poll has closed. I will also be sharing the results of the poll on my blog, and I am willing to share them here on request.

Mary, What are you smoking? I have no problem with natural fermentations, have made one release of my own and the winery where I was a partner for 10 years has had multiple releases of natural or partially spontaneous fermentations. I was pointing out, for those who are interested in learning more about commercial yeasts, that they are not lab creations but isolated and propagated native yeasts chosen for their unique properties. I do object to Feiring's rather simplistic, only-old-world-is-good "Green Acres" approach to wine. As can be seen in my interview with her here: http://cellarrats.proboards.com/thread/150 where we spar a little over yeasts and amendments.

I forgot to mention, there is also a poll here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V2QBKX Thanks!

Hi all, I'm finishing up a book about GMO's. It's meant to be a "quick and dirty" fast track guide to real and authentic answers to the most commonly asked questions about GMO's and GMO-related topics. It started out as an article, then a series, then maybe a column, and by this last Christmas I just threw my hands in the air and said, whoa, it's a book! At this point, I have over 80 questions to answer about GMO's, but I'd like to make sure I've got all the bases covered, so if you have some questions to ask, now is the time to get involved, and I would really appreciate your input. If you want to bring on some fire and brimstone, I'm okay with that too. I really want to try and address everyone's concerns. My position is neutral, except that I do consistently take a stand against inaccuracies, hyperbole and hysteria. I won't quote anyone by name without asking permission first, nor seek interviews without consulting eGullet guidelines.

Actually, commercial yeasts are simply propagated from harvests of natural, indigenous yeasts. They are not "manufactured" to create certain elements in a wine. And some yeast packages are 'blends', sort of like teas. Specific yeasts - which already exist in nature - are already known to have certain qualities ... some boost floral aromas, some bring out the spice, some support darker pigmentation. It is true that they are grown and packaged in a laboratory setting, but that is done to keep the strains pure, viable, and to be able to grow them in commercial quantities. Think of it as a nursery, growing cuttings of roses and raising seedlings for your garden. To answer the original question ... no, you can't tell. From the yeast alone, that is. However, Alices' penchant for 'natural' winemaking means a lot of the wines she recommends are also high in brettanomyces infections, suffer from imbalanced acidity, and other factors that have nothing to do with the yeast. She's a sucker for caves dripping with dank moss and fungus (also getting into the corks), and vineyards with thigh high weeds and thistles.

The first four I can understand and certainly would want to avoid, but hallucinations? Think maybe some ergot found its way into the wine? (Not sure how it'd do that, since it infects only grasses and some grains, iirc, but given the first four symptoms, who knows?) All right, all right, I was exaggerating. Although, an overabundance of copper sulfate can induce hallucinations. I've just never really known if it was the copper or the alchohol.

Ew. You are all officially grossing me out. Although ... I have to say that box wine has been the least of my experiences. Mostly, it's been home winemaker efforts. I've had the craps, the runs, cramps, explosive vomiting, and hallucinations from 'tasting' the next American Idol Winemaker efforts.

Canned pineapple and tomatoes are much higher in sulfites, ounce for ounce, than wine. That being said, BeeZee has an interesting point that I've never considered. It must be very difficult to avoid sulfites in food and beverages when taking sulfide-based medication. Yikes. The whole 'headache = sulfites in wine' mythology is getting old. Allergies to sulfites do not cause headaches, as was pointed out upstream.

Definitely a thumbs up on Ridge and Ravenswood. I find the Turleys to be a little heavy ... they appeal to the Robert Parker crowd but I'm not sure they represent the peppery style that only zinfandels can achieve. I used to love Rosenblum, but a few years ago the wine began upsetting my stomach ... consistently, across all vineyards ... so I had to stop buying or storing it. Couldn't even finish the last few bottles in the cellar and left them with my ex. Benito and Dante Dusi's granddaughter is now producing her own wine, J. Dusi, which I think is very exciting. One of the few (maybe the only?) old vine zinfandel vineyard and winery productions that is still in the direct family line.

I had no idea. Bravo to you for calling them out on it. Are the wines produced in the sierras exported to the US, do you know? Or are they small productions that sell out regionally? It sounds as though you would love to get your hands on everything they produce.

There was a time in this forum when people would flap their hands in distress and say, "Rebel Rose! How can you ask that? Let's not discuss such indelicate things when there are so many wonderful wines in the world." To whom I say, "Go away. You're no fun." There are some pretty awful, gut-wrenching wines out there. One of them even made me sick. (It had been doctored with too much copper sulfate.) So I tell you what, you don't have to 'name names' if you're squeamish about that, but I'll bet you have tasted at least one wine in your liftetime that made you want to gag. And if you haven't ... well you just aren't trying enough new wines. One of mine (and I've had many) was memorable because it was proudly served to me by a blind date. He knew nothing about wine, but he knew I liked wine, so he had somehow found an old 1980's era Mastantuono cabernet. It tasted like pureed asparagus, sea slug, and mouse fur with an aluminum foil finish. So tell me, what was YOUR worst experience with a wine?

I don't even know about this trend. Who is selling must? There 'must' be a lot of it to make the freight worthwhile ... Is the must coming from another country near Ecuador? Why is it unconscionable? Wouldn't it be the fault of the buyer, who is buying crap and making awful wine? I'm truly curious!

Is he still alive? (Just kidding. I think.)

Great points. And thank you for pointing out the acidity issue! Some wines have such sharp acidity they will never come into balance, even with age. And some wines that are perceived as being 'acidic' or 'mineral' clearly (to a producer) taste artificially acidified. And if it isn't that, it's "phat" wines ... wine with such a high pH that reviewers love them fresh out of the gate, but they don't have enough acidity to age for even 5 years ... It's a tightrope, for sure, and one I wish consumers were more familiar with.

Do you mean barrel LEES? Because must does not exist in a barrel ...

Are we still stuck on the screwcap vs. cork issue? How passe. Clearly wine shipping laws aren't going to change in the next millenium ... What about filtration? Use of sulfites? Additions of copper? Is 'biodynamic' real or marketing bullshit? Overpriced American wine? If you could get all up in a winemaker's grill about anything, what would it be? What would YOU really like to ask a winemaker?

Maybe the San Francisco edition from the 'Savor' series. It's available on Amazon. Recipes with recommended California wine pairings. Are you looking for books about food and wine? Wine touring? California wine history?

I was wondering if any one else here has turned to food as a way to connect with friends and neighbors after a divorce or separation. As many of you may know, after a separation, the couple's friends tend to split up according to their loyalties. In my case, the ex kept the house and business, and as most of 'our' friends were industry associates they've gravitated to him, and I stopped seeing or hearing from friends just when I needed comfort the most. However, through a friend here on eGullet who started a monthly dining group in my hometown and invited me, I have met some really REALLY interesting people, been offered wonderful opportunities, and had the chance to unload some woes on kind ears. I can't wait for our next meeting this month. Has anyone had a similar experience?

There's a new restaurant, PROFILE, at 450 Marsh St. in San Luis Obispo. They just opened and do not have a website yet. (For locals, it's the old Benvenuti restaurant, completely remodeled.) Chef Casey Wolcott trained under Laurent Grangien. The concept is bistro-style food and pricing, and the menu will feature locally procured foods, ingredients and wine, hence the restaurant name. Casey is only 25, and a family friend so I am very excited for him. I am planning a blitz on the restaurant--Casey will create a special prix fixe menu if I can fill the place (100 people). Anyone local who would like to be in on it, please email me and I will let you know the date (TBD).

Great notes, Craig, thank you! I will be utilizing them in my search for "Mary's personal stash."