north coast almanack / By Amy Stewart

Aug. 16-31

(Aug. 12, 2010)  August 16: British scientists recently used radar to measure the number of insects flying around in a column of air one mile high. In addition to the expected butterflies, moths, and flies, they found termites, aphids, and spiders drifting about on air currents quite high above the earth. In one month, three billion insects passed overhead.

August 17: The Sargento Cheese Company has declared August National Panini Month. This makes it a good time to state the plain truth to restaurants lacking full kitchens that try to compensate by offering paninis: a grilled sandwich, to be purchased at retail prices in a fine dining establishment, must be extraordinary in every way, from the bread to the fillings to the condiments. Most, sadly, are not.

Design for kinetoscope

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August 18: Spiders launch themselves into the air by releasing a silken thread that catches an air current; they simply allow themselves to drift along like a wayward kite until the thread catches a branch or a leaf. They (arachnologists, not the spiders) call this intrepid maneuver “ballooning.”

August 19: The fastest way to store surplus tomatoes is to freeze them. Get a pot of water boiling and drop each tomato in for under a minute, just long enough for the skin to expand and wrinkle. Ladle them immediately into ice-cold water. The skin will slide right off, and the whole, peeled tomatoes can go directly into a freezer bag.

August 20: Cherry tomatoes should simply be eaten immediately. There is no excuse for saving a cherry tomato.

August 21: In the early days of aviation, it was common to affix a strip of sticky tape to an airplane and measure the presence of insects at great heights. The record is a termite that was found flying at 19,000 feet.

August 22: Happy birthday, you.

August 23: On a warm day this month, take houseplants outside and blast them with the hose. Let them stretch out in the sun for the afternoon; they could use a break from the dusty confines of indoor living. Repotting them would not be a bad idea either: for small plants, simply dump them out, clean the pot with water and vinegar, and refill with good rich organic potting soil. For large, intractable plants, dig out what soil you can from around the edges and pack it full of fresh loam.

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