Vegetables in baking – Part two: rise and shine

Vegetables in baking – Part two: rise and shine

nao

Last week’s blog post sparked a lot of discussion and debate on the topic of vegetables in (sweet) baking. It seems that everybody has an opinion, some are surprised with the idea, some are keen to try it and many already have and offered some great recipes.  I have really enjoyed baking with various vegetables myself… and seeing the response of my taste testers, but more of that next week…. this week I promised to discuss how vegetables contribute more than just sweetness to the baking.

What else is there?

 Last week I mentioned that vegetables contain starch.  Wheat flour typically used in baking contains up to 75% starch.  Many vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn and squash have a high starch content also.   It is a grainy substance contained within the plant cells.
So what does starch contribute to baking ?
Potato starch granules in potato cells; Image credit: Dr. Philippa Uwins via Wiki Media Commons
Potato starch granules in potato cells; Image credit: Dr. Philippa Uwins via Wiki Media Commons

 

Starch is referred to as a complex carbohydrate.  The carbohydrate bit means it is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The complex part means that the structure of starch is a long chain of these carbohydrates  molecules all linked together in a chain.  The carbohydrate is starch is the sugar glucose and starch is composed of a chain of hundreds of glucose molecules.

Starch is typically tasteless and odourless, its contribution in baking is a structural rather than flavoursome one.  In the presence of heat and moisture starch granules will begin to swell and thicken.  These swollen starch complexes form a scaffolding like network within the mix.  When gluten is present it breaks down with heat and the starch absorbs the water it releases making the gluten dry and rigid, strengthening the structure even further.  This starch-gluten structure gives baking its texture and rigidity and allows it to keep its shape once out of the oven.

When vegetables are used in baking the amount of flour required is reduced.  This substitution of a natural starch in place of a refined one not only makes for a lighter, less stodgy cake, it also improves the nutritional content.  Vegetables are packed full of vitamins, minerals and fibre.  These all contribute to the positive health of our skin, hair, digestive system, mood, cholesterol levels and brain power.

 

What about a bit of water?

 Vegetables also have a high water content which can contribute to the moistness of the cake.  The baking process allows the water to be contained within the cake as well as helping to retain the vitamins and minerals.  Vegetables with a high water content include courgettes, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, peas and aubergines.  This added moisture also keeps the cake fresher for longer, meaning it can be enjoyed over several days without drying out …. that’s if it lasts that long of course.
Tomatoes are made up of 94% water
Tomatoes are made up of 94% water
Texture
Adding vegetables to baking changes the texture of the final product.  As I mentioned last week, vegetables contain fairly high levels of  cellulose, a fibre.  In fact cellulose makes up about one third of all vegetables. This cellulose serves a structural role in the plant cells, along with smaller polysaccharides called hemicellulose.  The presence of both of these greatly changes the texture of the cake.  The cellulose is broken down, in part, during the baking process and this also contributes to the structure (rising) of the cake. However, cellulose still maintains a crystalline structure at the high temperatures typical of baking, and these granules directly contribute to the texture of the cake. Studies have shown that smaller granules of cellulose can yield more favourable rising of bread and other baking allowing for a lighter consistency.
Beetroot Chocolate cake; Image Credit: Dee Sewell of Greenside Up
Beetroot Chocolate cake; Image Credit: Dee Sewell of Greenside Up


Beetroot gives a lovely texture to Dee’s Chocolate cake!

 

The final word

 So there you have it… not only do vegetables contribute a lovely sweetness to baking but they play a major part in the structure, moisture and texture of the cake.  Surely you must be convinced by now? If not make sure to check back next week for the final part of this blog series when I will be sharing some recipes I have tested and the response they have received.

Tune in next week for Part 3 of the series where I will be sharing lots of recipes and letting you know what people thought.

In the mean time… if you have any comments, tips or experience to share please leave a comment below; I always love to hear from you and will be sure to reply!

 

Further reading:

Starch in baking http://www.bakeinfo.co.nz/Facts/Bread-making/Bread-ingredients/Starch

Can you name this creature?

nao

Week 12 – 18th August 2013

How did you get on with last week’s Mystery Creature?  A few people knew this one…. it is a Tardigrade !  Did you get it right?

photo credit: Goldstein lab – via photopin cc

The tardigrade… often commonly called a water bear or moss piglet) is a very small but very interesting creature.  My son spent the whole of last week telling anyone who would listen about “the toughest creatures on Earth”!

These little animals are usually about 0.5 to 1.2 milimetres in length, which means they are may be just visible to the naked eye but can easily be viewed under a low powered microscope.  They are water dwelling organisms found in both marine and freshwater habitats.   They are commonly found on lichens and mosses and must be surrounded by a film of water to prevent them from drying out. Tardigrades can be found in every continent of the world and in some very extreme enviornments.

These water bears are very cute little microscopic creatures, they have short, plump, segmented bodies with four pairs of lobopodial limbs (poorly articulated) with four to eight claws at the end of each.  These small invertebrates move in a slow lumbering fashion, hence the name water bear.

Tardigrades feed on the fluids of plant or animal cells.  Some species are even know to feed on other tardigrades.  They pierce the cell wall and then ingest the fluid via a sucking pharynx.

There are a number of amazing features about these micro animals that have made them the interest of many studies over the years….

Tardigrades are extremophiles:

  • They can (for a short period of time) survive extremes of temperatures from -200  up to 150 degrees Celcius;
  • They can withstand pressures up to 1,200 times atmospheric pressure or the very low pressures of a vacuum;
  • They can withstand extreme levels of radiation – up to 1000 times the levels that would be lethal to most animals;
  • When exposed to environmental extremes they reduce their metabolic rate down (just 0.01%) to an almost death-like state  called cryptobiosis. 
  • In 2008 a number of tardigrades were launched into outer space for ten days where they were exposed to extremes of temperature, UV radiation from the Sun, the vacuum of space and dehydration.  Amazingly, some of these creatures survived the ordeal and even went on to successfully reproduce.
  • They are the only creatures able to survive being photographed by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) (which bombards them with a stream of electrons while placed within a vacuum).

It is easy to see now what my son was talking about;  I am as impressed with these little creatures as he is.  I imagine we will be going on a “Tardigrade Hunt” before the Summer holidays are out and we will see how they look under our family microscope.

If we have any luck I will be sure to share it all here!

Fun Friday – a look at Forensic Science

nao

What is Forensic Science? 

Forensic Science is the investigation of a crime using different scientific techniques.

photo credit: Alan Cleaver via photopin cc

Let‛s learn more! 

When a crime is committed Forensic Scientists help collect the evidence. They may use Chemistry, Genetics, Biology, Pathology, Entomology and Toxicology to examine the clues. Some of the evidence gathered at a crime scene could include hair, skin cells, fibres from clothes or carpets, footprints, fingerprints and blood samples.


DNA can be extracted from hair or skin cells found at the crime scene and can be used to link a suspect to a crime.

photo credit: BWJones via photopin cc

Hair and fibre samples found at crime scenes can also give vital clues to solving the crime. These samples can be viewed under high powered microscopes. Hair samples can give an idea of a person’s age, general health and hair dyes or hair styling products can also be identified.

Forensic chemistry techniques can reveal a lot about fibres such as the type of dye used, the type of fabric, where the clothes were made.

Fingerprints

Fingerprints are the ridges visible on the end of your finger.  They occur in particular patterns that are unique to each individual. These pattern of a fingerprint can therefore be used to identify a person.

Image source :Wikipedia 
Fingerprints are often defined by the patterns they make i.e. loop, whorl or arch.

There are two types of fingerprints usually left at a crime scene:

  1. VISIBLE PRINTS: you can see these prints with your own eyes 
  2. LATENT PRINTS: you may not be able to see them but they are left due to sweat or oils on the skin.

Some surfaces are difficult to lift fingerprints from.  In such cases a flourescent powder is used to bind to the organic matter in the fingerprint and the print is then visible under UV light.

“Did you know… the science of fingerprint identification is known as dactyloscopy?”


Forensic Ballistics

Forensic ballisitcs is the examination of bullets and firearms in order to identify the weapon used in a crime.

Forensic Entomology

Forensic entomology is the study of insects found on or near a dead body, in order to determine the time of death.
Certain insects will lay eggs in a dead body and the eggs hatch into maggots.
By working out how old the maggots are the scientist can determine how long the body is dead.

photo credit: Ewan Bellamy via photopin cc

Experiments you can try!

1. Make a fingerprint

You will need.. a glass, a soft brush (like a make up brush), cellotape, cocoa powder, white paper

What to do... rub your finger on your scalp then push the pad of your finger onto the side of the glass. Use the soft brush to gently cover the fingerprint with cocoa powder. Take a piece of cellotape and place it over the fingerprint.  Carefully peel back the cellotape and stick it on to the white paper.  You should be able to see your fingerprint.  Now try and describe your finger print by comparing it to the chart below;

So what is happening? When you rub your finger on your scalp it covers your finger in natural body oils.  When you push your finger to the glass the oils transfer the pattern of your fingerprint to the glass.  Adding the cocoa powder lets us see the print.
Vegetables in baking – Part one: keeping it sweet

Vegetables in baking – Part one: keeping it sweet

nao

Now that I have entered the world of blogging I enjoy reading other blogs as much as I do writing and researching this one.  I have some favourites that I check in to regularly as a little treat; chief among them is the Greenside Up blog!  Written by the lovely Dee Sewell, this blog brings together garden, community and kitchen, always with a refreshing, informative and jovial note!  Last week was no exception as Dee shared a recipe for Beetroot Chocolate cake. The post not only extended my baking “to do list” but also posed the question…

“Why do vegetable work so well in baking?”

 

The concept is fairly new to most of us (although we are all familiar with the carrot cake) but is growing in popularity.  With good reason too, it seems.  Tempted, or completely put off by the idea?… I have prepared a short series of blogs to explain a little of the science behind the concept and hopefully to convince you to give it a go!

In this first blog I will look at the sugar content of vegetables and how it contributes to the flavours in the baking.


Firstly, what defines a vegetable?

photo credit: Marj Joly via photopin cc
photo credit: Marj Joly via photopin cc

We can be a little more specific when defining a fruit as its botanical definition is the ovary of the flowering part of the plant; to put this more simply it is any fleshy material covering the seed, or seeds, of a plant.  In general people tend to define a vegetable as a plant used in savory meals and a fruit as a sweet option.This is a tricky one as there is no real scientific definition of a vegetable.  Although there are some generally held guidelines these too vary depending on the classification, criteria used and even the Country you live in. The most common definition of a vegetable is a plant grown for culinary use.

So far, so good, right?  However you don’t have to look too long to find that the lines are very blurred …. for example, in the botanical sense courgettes, tomatoes, pumpkins, squashes and avocados are actually fruit.  Then there is the question of whether mushrooms are vegetables (technically speaking they are not plants but fungi); and what about potatoes? Due to their high starch (carbohydrate) content they are grouped with rice, bread and pasta and are not included as one of our “five a day”.

So the truth of the matter is I cannot actually define a vegetable for you.  All I can say is that, for the purpose of this blog, I am going to lump all these in together as vegetables…. potato, tomato, courgette, even the mushroom (although as a scientist that one grates on me a little)!

 

Why use vegetables in (sweet) baking?

We all enjoy a nice baked cake now and again and naturally associate the sweetness of fruit with the sweet treat.  No one needs to be persuaded of the virtues of a lovely homemade apple tart!  The key to adding fruit is, primarily, to exploit and enjoy the sugar contained within.  When we think of vegetables we tend to think of a more savory dish, however vegetables do contain sugars as well as fruit, and some in quite significant amounts.  Some of the sweetest vegetables include carrots, beets, peppers, potatoes, peas and corn.  Just to give you an idea….carrots contain approximately 4 grams (g) of sugar per 100 g, while beetroot contains up to 8 g  per 100 g.  Compare this to an apple that comes in about 10 g sugar per 100 g or a strawberry, about 4.5 g per 100 g.  We begin to understand why Dee’s Beetroot Chocolate Cake was so well received by her family!

eetroot Chocolate Cake; Image credit: Greenside Up
Beetroot Chocolate Cake; Image credit: Greenside Up


What sugars do we find in vegetables?

Now we begin to realise the extent of sugars present in many vegetables, but what kind of sugars are they?

 

photo credit: howzey via photopin cc
photo credit: howzey via photopin cc
  • Another sugar found naturally in vegetables is Sucrose, what we know as common table salt.  Sucrose is made up of the two sugars glucose and fructose.  Most plants make sugar through the process of photosynthesis.  Vegetables make a simple sugar called glucose in this manner.  Glucose is a single sugar molecule that is the ultimate energy fuel for our brain and body.
  • Long chains of glucose form the polysaccharide known as starch.  The longer a vegetable is left on the plant the more likely it is to convert its glucose into starch for storage purposes.  We are able to consume this starch and break it back down into its glucose molecules.
  • Finally, vegetables also contain sugar in the form of fibre, known as cellulose.  We do not metabolise cellulose very well and do not absorb the component sugars into our bodies.  Fibre is a necessary part of our diet though and helps us to maintain a healthy digestive system and a balance of good bacteria within our intestine.

 

The Maillard reaction

So why do we consider vegetables a more savory dish if they are so full of sugar?  The answer lies in the way we cook them.  Firstly we need to understand a little of the science behind the process.

I have talked about the Maillard reaction in a previous blog, but feel it needs another mention here as it is primary to the discussion of baking, vegetables and sugar!  The Maillard reaction was developed in 1912 and is named after the French Scientist who first proposed it!  Basically it says that when you mix sugar and amino acids (protein) at high temperatures they react to form a variety of different flavours and aromas.

When we add vegetables to our baking the high temperatures of the oven allow the aldehyde group of the simple sugars found in the vegetables to react with the amino (nitrogen) group of the proteins present in the mix to create a variety of pleasant tasting compounds.

When we boil or steam vegetables the heat and moisture do not lend themselves to the browning/sweetening reaction described by Maillard, therefore they have a much more savory taste.  If you need a little convincing just try a little experiment of your own…. prepare a vegetable such as carrot, beet, squash or pepper in two ways… boil one lot and roast the other.  A quick taste test should convince you what Maillard was talking about, even if the Science is a little baffling, even to the Scientists!

Tune in next week when I will discuss how vegetables contribute to the texture of baking, while Part 3 of the series will be the “proof in the pudding” blog with lots of tasty recipes to try.

In the mean time… if you have any comments, tips or experience to share please leave a comment below; I always love to hear from you and will be sure to reply!

Can you name this Creature?

nao

4th – 11th August 2013

How did you get on with this week’s Mystery Creature?  A beautiful moth … but did you know which one?  It is the Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja).

This beautiful moth is common enough in Ireland and indeed throughout Europe.  It is often seen in gardens from June to August, although more commonly seen flying at night.

Underneath these beautiful front wings are equally impressive back wings of striking orange colour with black spots. If disturbed the moth will flash these back wings before flying off which both confuses predators and warns them that it is toxic.

The colourful back wings often hidden when at rest;
photo credit: Deanster1983 via photopin cc

Fond of damp habitats these moths tend to favour, damp grasslands, gardens, hedgerows and woodlands.  The caterpillar (larval stage) feeds on common weeds such as nettles and dock.

Tiger Moth Caterpillar – photo credit: Deanster1983 via photopin cc

Fun Friday – the Tornado

Fun Friday – the Tornado

nao

(Apologies I am posting the Fun Friday blog a day late due to broadband difficulties yesterday )

We all thought we had been visited by a small tornado here in Galway yesterday, a photo of a waterspout just off Salthill was the talk of the town.  Turns out it was just a hoax, but for any junior scientists that may be disappointed I thought I would share a great experiment with you explaining how to make your very own tornado in a bottle!  There are plenty of fun and interesting tornado facts too.

What is a Tornado?

photo credit: Niccolò Ubalducci Photographer via photopin cc

 

A tornado is a rapid swirling column of air that stretches from a cloud (usually a thunder cloud) to the earth below.

A tornado that forms over water is often referred to as a waterspout.

If the column of air does not touch the earth it is referred to as a funnel cloud.

How do Tornadoes form?

The formation of a tornado requires a combination of a number of specific weather features but usually tornadoes form when an area of warm, wet air meets and area of cool, dry air and alter the atmospheric conditions.  When this causes the warm wet air to rise and cool rapidly thunder clouds are formed.  Under the correct conditions of wind strength and speed the rising air starts to tilt and rotate and the tornado begins to form.

How fast is a tornado?

Most tornadoes have a wind speed of less that 160 km and hour (100 miles an hour), however, some extreme tornadoes can reach much greater speeds, up to 300 km an hour!

Did you know… the fastest recorded tornado was the Tri-State Tornado (Illinois, Missouri and Indiana) of 1925 had a forward speed of 117 km per hour (73 miles and hour)?

How are Tornadoes measure?

Tornadoes are detected using weather spotting and doppler radar.  Tornado warnings may be issues for certain areas by observing the formation of developing weather patterns while radar can be used for more accurate forecasting once thunderclouds have developed.

Image credit: Wiki Commons; a category F5 tornado in Manitoba, Canada, 2007.

It is not easy to determine Tornado strength and wind speed for two main reasons..

  1. as the exact location of a tornado is hard to predict it is very hard to have the required equipment in the right place at the right time;
  2. the force and strength of a tornado can destroy the equipment used for such analysis.

One of the devises used to measure wind speed within a tornado is called an anemometer. Doppler radar can also be used for this purpose.  When these measurements are successful, wind speed will be expressed against the Beaufort wind scale, ranging from 0 -12 in wind speed.

In 1971 Dr. Tetsuya Fijita developed a scale to rank Tornadoes, this scale ranges from 0 to 5 and is expressed as F0, F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5.  This ranking is retrospective, estimating wind speed and strength by examining the damage resulting from the Tornado.  This scale has been further refined in the US leading to the Enhanced Fijita Scale.

Do we get tornadoes in Ireland?

There are certain places around the world that are “tornado hot spots” such as many central states in the US, South Africa, Canada and Bangladesh.  However tornadoes can form almost anywhere and there are genuine cases of tornadoes in Ireland.  If we do get visited by a tornado it is usually small and brief.

Did you know…the earliest recorded tornadoes in Europe occurred in Rosdalla, near Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, on April 30th 1054?  

The only continent where tornadoes have not been recorded is the Antartic.

Did you know that the UK has the largest number of tornadoes per land mass?  Usually these tornadoes are small.

An experiment to try at home

Make a tornado in a bottle

You will need… two empty 2 Litre plastic bottles, an O-ring, strong duct tape, food colouring, glitter (optional). Alternatively use a tornado tube to replace the O-ring and duct tape.

What to do… Fill one 2 Litre bottle 2/3 full with water, add a few drops of food colouring and about a teaspoon of glitter, if using.  Place the O-ring on top of the bottle and tape into place with the duct tape, ensuring that you do not cover the whole.

Place the second (empty) bottle upside-down on top of the first one and tape securely into place.

If using the Tonrado tube you just twist the tube onto the first bottle 2/3 full with water and then upturn the second bottle and twist it securely into place into the other end of the tornado tube!

Once you are confident that the bottle is taped well enough to prevent any leakage you can turn the bottles upside-down so the one containing the coloured water is on top.  Turn the upper bottle in a circular motion about five times and then hold the bottles steady and see what happens.  You should a mini tornado forming in the bottle as the water drains.  if this does not work for you first time don’t worry, it make take a few attempts to get the knack of turning the bottle correctly.

So what is happening?… When we turn the bottle we get the water moving in a vertical, circular motion, just like the air in a tornado.  Once we stop turning the bottle and hold it steady the momentum created causes the water to keep turning and form into a “twister” inside the bottle.  The food colouring and glitter or only present to make the tornado more visible.

Alternatives:

You can change this around a little by adding different things to the water in the bottle and compare how the tornado looks;  Some suggestions include adding grains of pepper, small pieces of coloured paper or a squeeze of washing up liquid.  You can also try the experiment by adding some coloured oil to the water.

Challenge your friends and family:

You can change this into a fun challenge for your friends and family and help them learn about air pressure while too.  Give your friend the bottles all set up and ask them how long they think it will take them to get the water from the top bottle to the lower bottle, without squeezing the bottle.  Let them have a go and time it.  You can then ask if anyone else thinks they can beat that time and give them a go.  Everyone should get about the same time.

Now it is your turn, upturn the bottle and start the tornado and time how long the bottle takes to empty now!  They should be impressed to find out you have beaten their time!

So what is happening?
The hole in the O-ring allows air to pass into the bottle, producing a funnel of air within the column of twisting water.  The movement of air from one bottle to the other equalizes air pressure and allows the water escape into the lower bottle much more quickly.

What do Scientists do on holidays?

What do Scientists do on holidays?

nao

I am off on holidays tomorrow, so you are not likely to hear much from me for a couple of weeks!

@MyKidsTime shared this funny little cartoon with me the other day, thought it was very well timed and worth sharing with you all while I’m gone.

So, in case you think I will just be relaxing on a sunny beach somewhere… this is actually what I will be doing…

Image Credit: Sarah Zimermann at unearthedcomics.com
With a holiday like this I am sure to come back with my head full of lots of new ideas for this blog ;0) Back again in August, in the meantime hope you all enjoy this lovely weather!

 

Fun Friday – Static Electricity

Fun Friday – Static Electricity

nao

What is Static Electricity?

Static electricity is a charge that builds up when two things are rubbed together. Matching charges of static electricity push each other away (repel) while opposite charges attract each other.

Let’s Learn More!

Everything is made up of atoms.  An atom is the smallest piece you can break an object down to while still maintaining it’s properties.

photo credit: ProLithic 3D via photopin cc

Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.  Protons have a positive (+) charge, neutrons have no charge (neutral) and electrons have a negative (–) charge.

At the centre of each atom is a nucleus, this is where the protons and neutrons are found.

The electrons are found to the edge of the atom, they are constantly moving in a circular motion around the nucleus.

When two objects are rubbed together electrons pass from one to the other, making one more positively charged and the other more negatively charged.  This charge is called static electricity.

How does lightning work?

photo credit: Brujo+ via photopin cc

 

Lightning is caused by a build up of static electricity in clouds.  As the charge in the cloud grows, the base of the cloud builds up a strong negative charge.  This negative charge creates a build up of positive charge in the ground.

If the attraction between the cloud and the ground (or between two clouds) becomes strong enough, a spark of lightning will jump between the two.  This lightning is a giant spark of moving electrons travelling between the cloud and the ground.


Did you know… that the heat of a lightning bolt is hotter than the surface of the sun?

Some things give up or take on electrons more easily than others.

Objects can be ranked according to how easily they give up or take on electrons and this ranking is called the triboelectric series.  Things listed at the top of the triboelectric series give up electrons more easily than those ranked below.

Experiment to try at home

photo credit: Kevin Baird via photopin cc

1. Hair raising fun!

You will need… a balloon and a good head of hair!

What to do… blow up the balloon and tie it tight.  Rub the balloon all around your hair (this is called charging the balloon); Now move the balloon slowly away from your head and watch your hair stand on end!

So what is happening?… When the balloon is rubbed on your hair electrons are passed from your hair to the balloon.  This gives the balloon a negative charge and your hair a positive charge.  As opposites attract, your hair is attracted to the balloon and sticks to it while you pull it away.

2. Attract a can!

You will need… a balloon, a good head of hair and an empty aluminium can!

What to do… charge the balloon on your hair as before.  Lay the empty aluminium can on it’s side on a table.  Then bring the charged balloon close to the can, but do not let it touch it.  Slowly draw the balloon away from the can and watch the can follow.

So what is happening?… The aluminium can becomes attracted to the negatively charged balloon as the area around it becomes positively charged.

3. Bending water!

You will need… a balloon, a good head of hair and a running tap!

What to do… Turn on a tap to a small, steady stream of water and leave it running.  Charge the balloon on your hair as before.  Bring the charged balloon slowly towards the stream of water and you should see the stream of water slowly bend towards the balloon! (If the experiment does not work for you just reduce the flow of water).

So what is happening?… Just as with the aluminium can, the stream of water becomes attracted to the negatively charged balloon as the area around it becomes positively charged.

I hope you have some hair raising fun with these experiments :0)  If you have any questions or queries, or would like me to cover a particular subject in the Fun Friday blog, please just leave me a comment below!

I am going to take a little blogging break for a couple of weeks but will return in August for plenty more fun, facts and experiments to share.

Why does the Rooster crow?

Why does the Rooster crow?

nao

As hen keepers we have debated whether we should keep a rooster in the flock or not.  Truth be told, they have usually ended up in there by proxy and we just tend to let them stay.  We do try to keep it at just one rooster at a time though…. there is only so much crowing one neighbourhood can take!

So for the last year or two “Lord Farquaad” has ruled the roost that is our back garden.  He is a very handsome Pekin bantam, small and round, charming characteristics of his breed.  What he lacks in stature he makes up for in ego…. hence the name.

Lord Farquaad - small in stature and big in ego!
Lord Farquaad – small in stature and big in ego!

 

I do find that his presence keeps the social order of chickenhood at an even keel and as I sleep on the other side of the house, and the neighbours and children claim not to hear or mind his morning vocals, I’m happy enough to leave it all as it is.   I am oblivious to his predawn declarations… “get up, get up the sun is coming!!”  A living, screeching alarm clock…. but did you ever wondered…

why does the rooster crows?

 


Ultimately they crow to mark their territory!  The sound levels are a throw back to the habitat of their wild ancestors… you need to have volume to be heard in the jungle!

If you are like me, you may have just gone along with the assumption that light is the overriding stimulus for the roosters predawn fanfare.  However, recent studies in Japan have shown that this is not the dominant factor! By varying the amount of light hours roosters were exposed to a different picture emerged.  One set of roosters were exposed to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness for 14 days.  These roosters exhibited anticipatory predawn crowing two hours before dawn.  Another group were kept in constant dim light for 14 days.  This group settled into a 23.8 hour day cycle, crowing daily at almost the same time to declare to dawn regardless of the lack of light.  This finding reveals that roosters actually have an internal clock in place.  They will crow at a regular time each day due to their own circadian rhythm.  Light and sound are contributing factors to their morning crowing, but the process goes on even in the absence of these stimuli.

Lord Farquaad - calling his "ladies" to food
Lord Farquaad – calling his “ladies” to food

 

Roosters don’t just crow to mark the start of the day, they can often be heard crowing at various other times.  The frequency of these calls depends on local threats, the flock status and the breed and temperament of the bird in question.  Of course they don’t just crow either, they can cluck too, just like their female counterparts. It never ceases to make me smile when Lord Farquaad struts around the food I have just put out, making a series of clucking noises that declare the provisions.  To me his declarations appears to say “ladies, ladies come hither and feast on the bounty I have provided for you!” I mean really, you would think he cooked it all himself!

I feel I cannot discuss the rooster’s crow without looking at how it translates into other languages.  So many animal sounds translate so differently and this is no exception… to us it is a Cock-a-Doodle-do but others hear it differently…

  • qui-qui-ri-qui (Spanish)
  • co-co-ri-co (French)
  • kikeriki (German)
  • kukeleku” (Dutch)
  • wo-wo-wo (Mandarin)
  • ko-ki-kok-koh (Japanese)
  • ky-ka-pe-ky (Russian)
  • yeki-yeki-yek (Thai)
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Broomrape from my garden

Broomrape from my garden

nao

I came across this broomrape while cutting the grass today.  Broomrapes are parasitic plants of the family Orobanchaceae.  

Common broomrape in my garden
Common broomrape in my garden

The broomrape I found in my garden in a Common Broomrape, parasitic on the root of a number of specific plants, particularly clover (as seen in the background of the photograph).  The stem of the plant is reddish brown in colour and the flowers are white and purple.  There are no true leaves, instead there are triangular shaped scales.All broomrapes lack chlorophyl, the pigment necessary to allow a plant to generate its own food by photosynthesis.  It is this lack of chlorophyl that makes these plants parasitic, needing to rely on other plants for all their nutritional needs. Broomrapes are parasitic on the root of other plants, often just one specific plant, this may be reflected in the name of the broomrape, for example Ivy Broomrape or Thyme Broomrape which are parasitic on the root of the ivy plant or wild thyme plants, respectively.

Although these plants are considered quite orchid like they are actually more closely related to the foxglove.