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Space Sugar!

153 Comments

Yes, another blog post that is sugar-centric!

On the heels of Beth-Ann’s Ice Cream conquest at the Minnesota State Fair, scientists now say they have found sugar in space. Another cold and sweet curiosity, just out of reach. Or to be more exact, 400 light years out of reach, in the gas surrounding a young star called IRAS 16293-2422. I’ll admit it didn’t top my list of potential destinations before today, but now humans have a good reason to go there.

Yes, of course we already have sugar here. Plenty of it.

But sugar from space! That’s special.

And anything that’s desirable AND special will draw a crowd with ready money – funds set aside by the wealthy for the purpose of distinguishing themselves from ordinary folks. That’s how we got Audis and Rolexes.

And being able to say you top your cereal with Space Sugar – that’s the sort of thing James J. Hill could build an empire on!

The one mystery that remains – where did the galactic sugar come from?

When have you gone out of your way for something sweet?

153 thoughts on “Space Sugar!”

  1. Morning all. Two of my favorite themes this morning – space AND sugar! Most recently we detoured at the Fair for Hawaiian Shave Ice, but I can almost always justify going out of my way for a good dessert. On my birthday we made a special trip to Ben & Jerry’s to use a coupon they had sent me for a free scoop!

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  3. i will be making a state fair diversion this weekend to taste mine sota dounuts ice cream. that is an unusual turn of the natural in the body i inhabit. it usually doesnt call out for sweets. every now and again a kalua or bailys grand marinier but i am a guy who is open. i didnt used to dislike clint eastwood. today i do so you never know. maybe i will become a person who cares about mitt romneys children needing to do better. at his house moms get the homework done and get the children off to school. they also want to stop dealing with trying to stop the planet global warming and focus on tax breaks for people who dont have jobs. sweet!

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    1. I guess I will continue to be a fan of Clint if he makes more movies I like, but I just can’t understand how he could be a Mit supporter. The fact that he can do that shows how far we have gone toward supporting bad politicians in this country.

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    2. I thought Clint Eastwood looked and sounded pretty pathetic. Wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he has dementia. Very glad that convention is over; don’t think I could stomach another night of watching it.

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      2. It does seem that Clint might be suffering from dementia and maybe that explains the actions of some of the other Republican leaders and supporters who might also be suffering from this illness.

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  4. Good morning. I love sweets of all kinds. I can contain my appetite for sweets to the extent that I usually wouldn’t make a long trip if I ran out of sugar filled treats. When it comes to ice cream there is no doubt that I am willing to make a fairly long trip to visit an ice cream parlor if there is one that I can reached without taking a space ship. I will look forward to tasting Beth-Ann’s winning ice cream flavor.

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  5. Rise and shine Baboons!

    Every day. Like Jim, I have a sweet tooth that I try to manage responsibly. But it just barely containable.

    The State Har Apple Dumpling booth is the real thing.

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  6. my sweet tooth is perfectly satisfied by a raspberry. there is just the right amount of sweetness and flavor there. strawberries, peaches, plums are good, but the correct ratio of sweet and flavor is there in a raspberry,

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      1. my raspberry bushes are not multiplying as i had hoped. they are there for a minute then gone. last year was pretty bleak and this year looks worse. i am not sure what i am not doing as i should to encourage my raspberries but i am open to suggestions. the plant look healty enough but i get 10 berries and then its over,. i will get some in the fall and i get some in the spring too. about a handful i need to propigate i do believe. long way to say yeah but not really

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        4. I also don’t have much luck with raspberries. I think there is too much shade where mine are located and perhaps some disease problems. I only get about a half day of sun light and there are some canes don’t look good and die before they produce any berries. Also I might not be providing enough fertilizer and water. I have the variety Heritage which produces a spring crop on the canes from last year and a fall crop on the new canes that come up this year. I did get a small spring crop and there are some new canes that should produce a small fall crop. I started this patch about three years ago and it still isn’t any larger than the original small patch that I planted.

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        5. I never fertilize my raspberries, which I believe are the Boyne variety.. We have grown them for 20 years. They are summer bearing. Every fall I remove the canes that just bore fruit, leaving only the fresh green canes that will bear the next year. There is a notable risk of disease if you leave the old canes. My raspberies run riot and I have more than I know what to do with. I always water next year’s canes well in the fall. I don’t know about the culture or hygiene practices with fall bearing rapsberries.

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        7. more canes yes thanks. i will look at the maintance more careefully i am zero maintance kind of guy. i will be putting cane chopping on the agenda for october 2012. thanks for the info.

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        8. Thanks for the information on raspberries, Renee. I did remove the old canes that are done with bearing fruit this year, but haven’t been on top of that in the past. That might be part of my problem as it might have encouraged some disease problems. Shade might be part of my problem, but I think they should be able to tolerant some shade so that probably isn’t my main problem. For some unknown reason I don’t seem to have as much luck with fruit as I have with vegetables.

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    2. Tim, I have this year’s booze berries for you.

      Acid Miracle Gro is helpful to raspberries. Mine bore ok, but some of them had a genetic mutation ( as diagnosed by nephew who knows) that killed them. I dug them all up and I will start over. My bed had been productive for thirteen years.

      So Linda, I am looking for canes!

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      2. Raspberry Canes R Us – will probably transplant best in spring.

        Renee – Mine are everbearing, so I remove the old dead canes in the spring and cut back the ones that bore for the first time in the fall. In early spring it’s easy to tell them apart.

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        2. I do the removal of the old, dead canes in the spring, too (also have everbearing raspberries) but haven’t done the cut back of the ones that bore for the first time in the fall. Is it obvious which ones bore for the first time? I have quite a jungle out there. My raspberries have thrived on benign neglect for quite a while, but lately they don’t seem as robust or prolific, although that could be weather-related, I suppose.

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        4. In the spring, there’s a pretty stark contrast between the canes – the ones that bore in the fall are medium brown; old ones are darker with gray splotches on the bark and many thin branches coming off the main stem. Often you can break the old ones off at the ground by stepping on them. The newer ones are too green to do that.

          Most years they are just fine without watering, but a dry spell like the one we are having, with poor subsoil moisture going back to last year, may cut down the yields.

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        5. Yeah, I’m good on the spring thinning/pruning thing, but you mentioned that you “cut back the ones that bore for the first time in the fall.” Did you mean you cut them in the fall? Or you cut back – in the spring – the ones that bore for the first time in the fall? (I thought you meant that you do the cutting back in the fall and wondered if I was missing something by doing all my pruning in the spring.)

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  7. I always made a point to make it to a wonderful Belgian chocolate shop In an obscure underground shopping mall in downtown Winnipeg. It was hard to get to and parking was a nightmare, but my, was that wonderful chocolate. They were exquisitely handcrafted bites with exotic fillings. I think the shop has closed now and relocated to Edmonton. Sigh!

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  8. Talk about sweet, the three first likes for Dale’s blog today are from NY, the UK and Sydney, Australia!

    Also, even though it wasn’t good news, glad that Clyde checked in last night. Please let us know, Clyde, if there’s anything we can do to help. Sorry things haven’t been going well lately.

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    1. My additionally piece of bad news, one of the other things we have been suffering through. I will explain this and then not darken the mood of the Trail after this.
      Our son lost his job today, which has some broader implications. A very successful operation, generating much money for the Korean owners, was shut down. Who knows why. They did not explain. Our son and a dozen or so other top level managers tried for six weeks to generate the money to buy the operation. But ownership was just not going to sell it. Many people are subscribed to the game service and they are going through the process of refunding to them
      Huh? I mean, huh? Why? 86 people worked there. 74 walked in today and were told to pack up and leave. Think how many other people this sort of thing happened to this week. My thoughts are with those of you I see in a quick scan of the last few days are job hunting. (I have only looked at the site lately.)
      The company did give good severance. Even to the contracted workers beyond the 86, which is almost never done.
      But why is closing down profit good business?

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      1. So sorry.

        Standards have changed – it used to be enough for a business to turn a decent profit, but now investors except the profit to increase exponentially every year. If it doesn’t they let the business die. The world makes no sense.

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      3. the blessing and the curse is that this is part of the industry he has chosen. there is no lifelong work anymore and the challange is to be ready to move to the next opportunity. im sorry to hear his life is upended but i know he will land on his feet.

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  9. Ask a silly question department: After I left my volunteer shift at the pet center Monday evening I headed for the Coliseum, where Trembley’s sells chocolate-covered strawberries. Got there just before they closed. I asked for a dark chocolate strawberry, and the girl at the counter said, “They’re two for one. Is it okay if we give you two?”

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    2. Nice reward for volunteering! Reminds me of days gone by when I worked at the big B Dalton in Southdale. On evenings when I closed, one of us would run up to Mrs. Fields about 10 minutes before closing – that was always when the cookies went on deep deep discount — and stock up!

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        2. another B. Dalton alum here. I would go out of my way for a poppy seed kolache from The Brothers. I was so excited to see The Brothers when I worked downtown. Then, discovered they did not have kolaches.

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        7. Oh, and Crystal Court 83, Nicollet 83, Suburban Mall 85, Burnsville 85. After Burnsville moved to Software Etc, which was owned by B Dalton.

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  10. I used to make regular trips to Liberty Custard for their delicious treats – it was less than a mile away and an inexpensive indulgence. Alas, since they closed shop the next closest frozen treat emporiums are just far enough away to be a nuisance. There is really good frozen custard to be had in Excelsior, but I find it difficult to justify the almost 30 minute drive for it. Sebastian Joe’s is nearish (at least the one in Linden Hills), but with their pricing, treats for our family of 3 cannot be a weekly occurrence in our family budget. Cone Brothers on Penn Ave (same strip mall as the fine folks at Homestead Pickin Parlor) is a recent find – good ice cream, reasonable prices, not overcrowded…but again, just far enough away that it won’t be a regular trip like Liberty was. Sigh. I have been known to drive out of my way to get truffles from Chocolate Celeste. With Kowalski’s a block away I can generally indulge my need for good dark chocolate without too much trouble. And Curran’s is enough of a regular stop (the managers and owner know us by name) that going there for dinner and bread pudding (they make it from their leftover cinnamon and caramel rolls) hardly counts as “going out of my way”…

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    2. the new guys didnt repopen with the hopes of picking up where liberty left you all huh? are the new owners just going a different directoon or did it have new troubles?

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      1. The new guys have a full sit-down restaurant – I’ve heard it’s good. Local foods – a lot of the veggies come from a farm owned by the restaurant owners (who also own Tangletown Gardens across the street). And apparently they do serve frozen custard, but only single flavors. And it’s not really a place where you go in and just get the custard and leave.

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        4. custard was new to me when i met my erstwife form milwaukee couldnt tell the difference they made it like dairy queen. like the buterburger guys

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      2. Anna is correct… it’s a restaurant now, not a custard place. It’s quite good w/ several nice vegetarian options, just a little spendy. The one thing that I’ve told folks, is beware of 3:30-5 pm if you want a big dinner menu. They “turn” the kitchen between lunch and dinner so they have a limited menu during that time. Good, just limited

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  11. Morning–
    Catching up from the last few days, thanks for the Queen tim. And thanks for the thoughts as we lost one of our dogs. Congrats to Beth-Ann and good luck to Anna and Edith and others as we battle life’s contests!
    There was an article in the local paper that the local Kemps plant will be producing the winning ice cream. Hmmm, who do I know that works there??

    I was once part of a winning team that managed to drink more champagne / person than the other teams. But that was a long LONG time ago and I haven’t liked champagne since.

    We’ll drive over to Nelson WI for ice cream a few times / summer. That’s about a hour which isn’t too far for ice cream…

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  12. I have a mental map of the Twin Cities with stars at intersections where you can get good ice cream. Patti’s in Roseville, Polly’s Coffee Cove on the East Side, Dar’s Double Scoop on Rice, Conny’s Creamy Cone on North Dale, St. Paul Corner Drug at Snelling & St. Clair, Neighborhood Ice Cream Shoppe in Edina, Bridgeman’s near Minnehaha Park. Anytime I am driving around in the summer months there is a good probability I will veer toward one of them.

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        4. That’d be north of St Thomas a couple of blocks…somehow I had it in my head that Izzy’s was south…must be just placing it in my head near Snuffy’s Malt Shop…they both have ice cream. That’s my story I’m sticking to it.

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      2. and your son is right – it is great. not cheap, but great. I had the blackberry creme fraiche twice this summer and nearly swooned it was so good.

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    1. i need a ride to and from on saturday to rock bend. if i can arrange one way i can possibly arrange the other way form a different chauffer. i got naied with a drunken driving and am out of the loop for driving for 90 days (30 done already) what a pain in the butt. if anyone ever saks i would recommend not getting involved in that particular arrest.

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        3. nope taking a buddy form out of town to a twins game and dropping him off at the parking lot on the wayhome where the midnight patrol is on the lookout. i thought i was leagal but buzz driving is drunk driving nowadays. live and learn.

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  15. I have gone out of my way, many times, for Sayklly’s chocolate in Escanaba. The taste is like no other. Even though I have probably eaten better chocolate, it doesn’t come with the Sayklly memories. I could order online now but there is something about walking into their store for my selection that is more satisfying.

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    1. The internet does makes things impersonal, doesn’t it? Walking into a shop for chocolate is an experience for all the senses, not just taste, Ordering online is not the same. Also, browsing in a bookstore is a richer experience than online book buying (although I’m definitely not richer in money when I walk out of the bookstore).

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  16. Love thenew Solar System, Dale. But I have to take issue with the very idea that someone can see a sugar molecule that’s 400 light years away. These scientists can say anything they want – who’s ever really going to know?? I think it’s a plot coined by that Obama guy to distract people from the REAL ISSUES.

    My mother loves sweets, and several times this summer we’ve gone out in the afternoon and walked:
    2 blocks to the Dairy Queen (I know, I know, but it’s what’s there)
    3 blocks to the new Birdland Cafe on West Broadway, where there are some pretty good desserts
    4 blocks to the Wuollets Bakery just a little farther down.
    If someone would just put a Bridgeman’s or Sebastian Joe’s in close by…

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  17. I can’t claim to have gourmet level taste in ice cream. It’s like sex: the worst I ever had was incredibly good. If forced to make a ranked list, though, I’d put Izzy’s in third place between Selma’s (in Afton) and Grand Old Creamery (in St Paul, on Grand).

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  20. Lots of new (to me) ice cream shops mentioned in this thread. Might need a physical map to mark them.
    I went out of my way to try Mini-sota Donut (first ever two-trips-to-the-Fair year for me and the first was specifically for MsD). Besides MsD, my discovery from my first trip was an Elvis sandwich (grilled PB and banana). Yummo.
    I’ll be going tomorrow again for son#2’s and my “normal” trip to the Fair. I would like to try the Walleye Roll (like a lobster roll but with our local fish). Rick Nelson gave it ****.

    Regarding local ice cream – I’m within walking distance of Pumphouse Creamery. I really, really want to be a huge fan because it’s my neighborhood shop but sometimes the ice cream is not very creamy. I have noticed that it’s better this summer and their ice cream with sea salt is pretty darned good.

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    2. I tried Pumphouse Creamery once and haven’t been back…I don’t know why. Maybe I’ll have to give it another try.

      The Crema Ice Cream at Crema Cafe/Sonny’s Ice Cream is really good.

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  24. Now that I think on this some, what i really want is to be able to travel back in time to one of two places: Zorka and Ollie’s deli on 50th Street (near where the Malt Shop still is) to get one of their to-die-for brownies or to my parents’ front sun room on a summer evening during high school – watching the rain or the stars from the picture window with my toes on the sill next to my pal Andrea’s toes, each of us with a pint of Haagen-Dazs in our hands (her flavor was rum raisin, mine was chocolate chocolate chip). Yep. That’s how far I’d travel for something sweet.

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    1. This reminds me of a couple of other back-in-time for sweetness dreams. When we would visit my grandmother in Western Massachusetts, the adults would have their coffee after dinner in the living room. We young’uns were allowed one sugar cube which we could dip into an adult’s coffee. That may be the reason that coffee ice cream is still a favorite.
      The other memory at Grandma’s was a huge (at least it was huge to us) bas relief chocolate bear that someone had sent from Europe. We go an occasional piece as the adults doled it out over a number of days.

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  25. From what I am reading today, it doesn’t sound as though the twin cities has any Tutti Frutti or Cherry Berry franchises. They sell self-serve soft-serve frozen yoghurt in a variety of exotic and more traditional flavors that change every week, along with a multitude of toppings. You serve yourself as much as you want, top it with what ever you wish, and pay for it by how much it weighs. It is yummy.

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      1. I had never heard of Jill Stein until I took this poll. What surprised me was that I agree with her to such a large extent. How the heck could I not have heard of her? Pretty interesting, and well designed poll.

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        1. Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. I wasn’t hazy about my views, but I was surprised that there was a candidate with whom I agreed on more issues than I did with Obama, by seven percentage points. But if we’ve never heard of her, is she a viable candidate? Clearly not, and we’re all worse off for it, I think.

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        2. i would guess thats a jill stein poll. the results match up on the areas listed. obama cant hold the radical views on the ones you share with jill stein and stay centrist which is important to the facade of bipartisianship attempted.

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    2. Fun survey. The results didn’t surprise me but until we have a run-off system of voting, it seems too risky to vote for the candidate that I align most with when I know she wouldn’t have that proverbial snowball’s chance against the Republican. So sad.

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    4. Interesting quiz. I often take the poll or quiz or whatever it is on MPR closer to the election to figure out who is closest to me, but I usually find out it’s someone from a party I was barely aware of earlier. Then, as many of you have mentioned, you have to figure out whether it is a good idea to vote for one of the smaller parties, or if that is just throwing your vote away. I have voted for several “third party” candidates in the last ten or twenty years. And apparently I will have to learn more about Jill Stein and the Johnson guy.

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  27. It is a fantasy that we do or should pick a candidate based on how perfectly their positions agree with ours. John Edwards had positions that lined up with mine much better than Obama, but I didn’t trust Edwards. Being a president is much more about leadership and responding to crises with a cool head than it is about having the right campaign planks.

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