Today is November 20

Published 8:00 am Saturday, November 20, 2021

Super Spud

How many potatoes would you need to make 17 pounds of French fries? One would imagine that it would take a basketful. But the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] reports that New Zealanders Colin and Donna Craig-Brown can do it with just a single spud– the 17.4 pound potato they found growing in their garden in Waikato, NZ. The tater is arguably the biggest of its kind. But that’s up to the experts at Guinness to determine though it is likely that they will since the last time the issue was raised was in 2011 when they gave the title to a lightweight 11 pound British potato.

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A blooming aroma

The San Diego Botanic Garden created quite a stink just in time for Halloween when its amorphophallus titanum blossomed, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. The amorphophallus titanum is better known as the “corpse flower” due to the way its blossom smells and it’s been three years since it last bloomed. The San Diego Union-Tribune, which likened the plant’s scent to “stinky feet,” reported that the event attracted thousands of visitors, including one who drove overnight from Texas to get a whiff of the plant’s malodorous flower. For those who decided the stench might be too much for them, the paper described it for them as the “putrid and pulsing odor of rotting flesh.”

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A gliding flight

After all, we have electric cars, electric motorcycles, we even have electric scooters, so why not an electric airplane like the one that recently broke the record with a 48-mile flight in New Zealand across the strait that separates the country’s North and South islands. Gary Freedman, founder of ElectricAir, a company that is pioneering the use of all-electric aircraft, piloted the 40-minute flight recently to demonstrate that electric powered planes are no longer a thing of the future. Upon landing Freedman told reporters, “This is the start of a radical change in the way we fly. Bigger, longer-range electric aircraft are on the way and are ideal for short haul routes,”

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Peanut Butter Fudge Day

• 7½ oz jar Marshmallow Fluff
• 2½ cups sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ stick butter or margarine
• 5 oz evaporated milk (⅔ cup)
• 9 oz peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In large saucepan combine first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Increase heat to medium and bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 3½ – 5 minutes to the soft ball stage*. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter until mixed. Turn into greased pan and cool. Makes 2½ pounds.

*The soft ball stage is a test to see if the fudge has been cooked to the proper stage. Before you start cooking, fill a small dish with ice water and set aside. After you have brought the recipe to a full boil for 3½ minutes, dribble a few drops of the mixture into the ice water from a wooden spoon. After it cools in the water (about 10 seconds), you should be able to roll it into small ball with your finger tips. If you put it in your mouth, it will be slightly chewy. If it passes these tests, you are done and should remove the mixture from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, cook for another 30 seconds and try the test again. Most of the time, cooking time will not exceed 5 minutes.

Hint: As with all fudge recipes, cooking time will vary depending on factors such as humidity, altitude, and cooktop temperature.