More places than Stonehenge
Photo thanks to https://pixabay.com/users/chiemseherin-1425977/
Summer Solstice is upon us again. This means it’s the longest day of the year. No, it’s not longer than 24 hours. We just see more sun than any other day during the year. Stonehenge is famous for its standing stones lining up with the sun on solstices and equinoxes. Basically, it’s a giant calendar relying on the sun to work. Now we have a calendar on our smart phones, watches or other devices. And, they may or may not use solar power to work. So, it’s apparent, Solstice occurs in More places than Stonehenge. So let’s celebrate the official start of Summer, and the happiest days of the year. Never mind the heat, we’re here to enjoy the natural world around us. It’s a wonderful time. Maybe that’s why so many ancient aliens came to visit us. Solstice only happens this way on our planet.
With this much daylight, we spend less time gazing at the stars. It’s, literally, our time to shine. That is unless you are at the South Pole. Since the Earth is tilted on its axis, The North pole faces the sun, creating a period when the sun doesn’t set. But, the south pole faces away, creating weeks of darkness. So, Summer Solstice in June is really a Northern thing. Either way, it points out our relation to the sun more than anything else. And, that’s something to celebrate.
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Do we celebrate upside down in the southern hemisphere?
Technically, our Summer in the North is winter in the South. We’re not talking about Kentucky, or even Florida. We mean south of the equator. So Christmas in July isn’t just a sales pitch when you get far enough south. There is less land there than in the northern hemisphere. But, if you are in Southern Argentina or Chile it’s probably snowing about now.
Solstice affects More places than Stonehenge
When we see or hear the word solstice, we think of mystical things, Ancient Aliens, the Druids, and Stonehenge. While these may be the obvious symbols, there are standing stones and astrologically aligned structures all around the world. Ancient alien theorists believe that this is proof of their hypothesis. But, More places than Stonehenge mark time only here on Earth. If visitors came from another planet, Earth time wouldn’t be relevant to them. At best, it would be tangential to their measurement of time and space. The more likely scenario, if you want to believe in visitors, would be humans in time machines. Or we can go with the more likely scenario that people actually built these.
Take the Mayans. They could have been a very advanced civilization. And, all we have left are the ruins of that once great society. Did they necessarily need help building pyramids like chichen itza or Tulum? We assume this because we compare our modern technology to theirs. But, look at how much our technology and capabilities have changed in just the last 100 to 200 years. And, at the rate we’re going now, we could destroy it all in less time than that. Who’s to say Ancient Egyptians, Aztecs, Mayans, and others didn’t have technology and abilities beyond what we have, but lost everything due to catastrophic events like a tidal wave or meteor crash? We assume they were undeveloped humans. But, the dinosaurs were wiped from the face of the Earth. Couldn’t a superior race of humans suffer the same fate?
After the big crash
In the movie “Don’t look up”, we see a “planet killing” comet that destroys the Earth as we know it. So, evolution has to start over again. Couldn’t this have already happened? The most recognized theory of how the dinosaurs passed is that a meteor crashed in the ocean, causing the oceans to boil and creating a whole chain of effects that blocked out the sun and created a toxic soup that was once the atmosphere. What ensued is the mass extinction of multiple species all over the globe. If an event like this could wipe out some pretty hardy creatures, what do you think it would do to mere humans?
And, think of what would happen to our “advanced” civilization. In our current world, we rely heavily on our tech. If an EMP from the sun hit the Earth, it could knock out all electrical devices. And, without them, we would revert to manually doing things. It would set progress back over 100 years. Ultimately, most people would be completely lost. There would be no Google, no TV:
No phone, no lights, no motor car,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
It’s primitive as can be.
And, hopefully we have someone as smart as the Professor on Gilligan’s Island. Although, hopefully he could fix a 2 foot hole in a boat.
Without electricity, we would be living in the dark ages. The chaos that creates would throw the whole world into turmoil, in More places than Stonehenge. and that’s just an inconvenience. Imagine if a killer asteroid hit us.
So, embrace the longest day
If a catastrophe destroys the Earth, and there are only a few people left, every day would be the longest day. But, for many of us, the Longest day is a classic movie about D-Day at Normandy. It is also the summer solstice. That means things are about to heat up, here in the Northern hemisphere. So, whether you want to ascribe mystical meaning or not, it’s just a great day to soak in as much sun as possible this year. Of course, wear sunscreen since the UV rays can create their own EMP on your face and skin.
maybe you can set up your own home version of Stonehenge. Find some rocks, and a spot that gets full sun. Line up those monoliths, and start measuring time the really old fashioned way.
Of course, all that work will create quite a hunger and thirst. Luckily, this is one of the best times of the year to solve that issue. Many crops are in full swing throughout the temperate zone, like here in New England. Farmers’ markets are open. So, get out there and support your local growers. Eat fresh, eat local. To that end, we have some light and refreshing recipes to welcome summer.
Minted Agave Watermelon Margarita
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Cubed Seedless Watermelon
- 1 Cup Lime Juice
- 1 cup Agave Syrup
- 8 oz Tequila
- 8 Oz Limoncello
- 12 each Mint Leaves, plus more for garnish
- Limes For garnish
- large Grain Sugar for rims of glasses
Instructions
- Blend the watermelon at high speed until it becomes liquid. Add in the remaining ingredients, and pulse to break up the mint into digestible pieces.
- Wet the rims of your glasses. Dip them in the sugar until it sticks. Fill the glasses with the margarita and garnish with lime and mint leaves.
Vegan Avocado and Fava Bean Mousse
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Peeled Fava Beans (Fresh or frozen)
- 1 Large Avocado
- 3 Cups Vegan milk/cream Almond, coconut, or other
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 Tbsp Finely chopped Lemongrass
- 1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint
- 1 Tbsp Agave Syrup
- 1 tsp Agar agar
- Avocado Oil for Cooking
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- More herbs, avocado, and fava beans to Garnish
- Microgreens to serve with
Instructions
- Peel and cut your avocado. Peel your fava beans if they aren't already. Gather all your ingredients.
- Saute the fava beans in a light olive oil over high heat to accentuate the color. Do not overcook. But, make them soft enough to puree.
- Bring the Vegan milk, agave, and lemongrass to a simmer. Whisk in the agar agar and allow to thicken. Remove from heat and move onto the next steps.
- In a good blender, blend the beans until smooth. Add in the avocado, herbs, lime juice, and a little avocado oil. Blend until a fine puree. Add in the vegan milk steeped with avocado. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mousse to molds. Refrigerate for at least an hour until they hold their shape.
- Serve in the dishes or unmold onto a salad of microgreens, herbs, and vegetables with lemon juice, avocado oil, salt and pepper as a dressing.
Corn Crusted Sea Bass with White Wine Spring Pea Puree and Sauteed fiddleheads
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 Lbs Sea Bass (Striped bass or chilean. Other substitutions re fine, too.)
- 1 cup corn meal
- salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil to cook
- For peas:
- 1 cup sweet green peas (preferably fresh)
- 1/2 cup Sweet onion (Diced)
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Fresh green Parsley
- garnish:
- 1 cup Fresh fiddleheads
Instructions
- Clean the fiddleheads. Soak in water, change the water a couple times to remove all dirt.
- Make Pea Puree: Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add in onion and ginger. Cook until translucent. Then add in the wine. Reduce by half. Add in peas. Cook until soft, and most of the liquid is gone. Do not overcook. Season withlemon juice, salt, and pepper. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The consistency should be spreadable, not too thin. Adjust seasoning if need be.
- Mix Salt and pepper in corn meal. Cut fish into portions. Since we are doing a buffet with other items I would go with a 3 to 4 ounce portion. If this is for a main course you could do 6 or 8 ounces.
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Dredge the fish in the cornmeal and place in the pan, I usually start with the top side of the fish, then flip. Cook about 2 minutes per side to get a nice caramel color. Turn down the heat to medium, and, finish cooking. How long it takes to cook through depends on the thickness of the cut of fish. Generally, it should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Saute the fiddleheads in olive oil over medium heat. You just want to bring out the color and cook to al dente. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the fish with pea puree either as a base or drizzled on top. garnish with fiddleheads. You can also garnish with corn if you have it.